Building a Boomerang II 40 - Glueing the Wings.

1. First Part of Dihedral Brace.

After trying to figure out the user guide, I thought it may be better to get some advice from the RCGroups Forum. The guide is confusing, and hopefully I have figured this out. The article in this months Radio Control Model News was a bit brief with regards to glueing the wing together.

I measured the aluminium dihedral brace to +- 21.25 mm and marked it. Then mixed my 30 min Z-Poxy. I used way to much, so will use less next time. After covering the bar, I found an old blind rod, and covered the tip with glue. Then used this to apply glue within the dihedral hole, rotating it inside.

Everyone was right about epoxy pushing out when you insert the brace. I had my wife's nail polish remover close at hand and used it with paper towel to clean up the excess glue. My only concern was joining the wing together to make sure the brace set at the correct angle. Any excess epoxy would glue the wings together and I did not want this. Trying to figure out the masking tape process in the guide made no sense, so it was time to improvise. I made sure that even if any epoxy leaked, it would not bond with the wing.

I used 2 small plastic clamps from Bunnings to help keep the wing together whilst the dihedral set on one side.

2. Second Part of Dihedral Brace.

Everything worked out well after removing the masking tape, and so the next part of the project was to glue the wings together. The procedure was much the same as the first part, however this time the epoxy needed to go between the wings as well. Trying to work out how much glue to use is hit and miss.

I mixed the right amount this time, and coated it on the rest of the dihedral using my ice-cream stick paddle. Then repeated the process with a rod and glue into the second wing hole. Epoxy was applied evenly on the one side of the wing ensuring I had enough to make a decent bond.

The wings joined easily together with a small amount of epoxy oozing out. This was easy to clean up with nail remover once the masking tape was removed. I only waited about 15 min before I removed the masking tape just in case it started bonding with the wing.

I did sit on my couch holding the wing together to get the best possible join. The process was easy and so I just need to wait for my servos to arrive.

Till then

Sean

 

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Boomerang II 40 Total Costs in $AU.

This post will include all the costs involved from building to flying. I will add links to the relevant bought parts as well. I am no expert, so my views are made from researching websites, magazines, forums, social media and talking to people. A spreadsheet of total costs is available here. It is a lot cheaper finding a second hand trainer as the hidden costs add up fast. The one below was only $220 for a Boomerang I, excluding the radio.

 

1. Boomerang II 40 plane: $129 from ModelFlight. (Postage was free with other items included over $200) Reason for purchse: The Boomerang is the most popular trainer as mentioned on several websites and magazines. I found excellent reviews on using this trainer to start flying. The local aeroclub has a few. I like the colours.

2. JR Servos: 519 $19.99 and 539 $21.99 from ModelFlight. (2 each as shown in the instruction PDF guide) $83.96 for 4 x analog servos. Reason fo purchase: JR have a good reputation and the servos would fit into the provided servo mount. As a beginner, I could not justify $36 per servo. You could buy digital servos, however I wanted to keep things simple and reduce overall costs.

3. OS MAX-46AX II with 3071 Silencer Engine: $149.99 from ModelFlight. Reason for purchase: I love OS engines as have others from my Control Line planes. This engine was given a good review in Issue 119 of Radio Control Model News. (Page 32-33). I have done some extensive research into the history and engineering of nitro plane engines. Ron Chernich Model Engine News. DKD

4. ZAP Z-Poxy 30/5 min and Zap Thin CA Glue: I bought all my glue from Bundy ToyWorld. 30 min was $29.99 for 4 Fl Oz. $7.99 for 5 min 1 Fl Oz and $6.95 for the CA Thin glue. Reason for purchase: After watching Youtube clips on Epoxy quality, you do not want rubbish glue holding your plane together. Epoxy should bond to an icecream container lid and not peel off. The CA glue is easy to use and bonds quickly into the hinge. I would not want a hinge to fail mid flight.

5. Du-Bro 2-1/2" Treaded Lightweight Wheels: These were bought from Bundy Hobby & Toys at $10.95 per set. You need 2 sets if you plan to replace all 3 front wheels. Reason for purchase: This was after reading an article on the Hamilton Flying Club. Basic ARTF Assembly of the Boomerang. I should have bought 2-3/4 but could not get them locally.

 

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Building a SIG Deweybird Control Line Trainer.

As a child my parents bought me a Cox control line plane. It did not last long, however I kept the engine. After getting an old Class B plane that went under in the recent flood, I started my new hobby.

The Class B is a long term project. I bought a SIG Deweybird online as a starter plane. So far so good. The cheap part is buying the plane. The items needed to build planes cost a lot more, but worth it. I am sure I will build many more planes.

The Deweybird is not hard to build. I used 30 min epoxy for most of the glue work. I am not sure if I would cover the next plane. Maybe just dope or paint. The ProLux digital sealing iron works like a dream and worth every cent. I will add other photos and info on this post soon.

Till then

Sean

 

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Building a Seagull Boomerang II 40

Welcome to my first attempt at building a Boomerang II 40

This blog is not for experienced model plane builders. It is an account of my experience, both good and bad.

1. After first reading the PDF guide, I started looking for other useful bits of additional information. The first was a good website on the Boomerang I, and the other was a recent article in Issue 119 of the Australian Radio Control Model News. (Bryan Harper & Frank Rettke)
2. My Boomerang arrived shortly after bought online and was well packed in the box. All looked good and so I set out to follow the instructions.
   
   1. Glue hinges.
   2. Test hinges.
   3. Go look at other planes.

The instruction manual is straight forward. You remove the hinges, pin them with T pins, put the parts back together again, and glue with Thin CA glue. The image above may help.

The instruction guide tells you to buy Thick CA glue, then asks you to use Thin CA glue on the fabric hinges. I now own both bottles which are essentially super glue. I also used my wife's nail polish remover and an ear bug to clean the excess glue off the wing, rudder and elevators.

Make sure you have a piece of cardboard under the wing to avoid any glue landing on your table. Getting a 1/64" gap seems impossible. It tried everything to get this perfect, but had no luck. After seeing another plane at a local club I felt a bit better. The glue sets very fast, and it is hard to see the hinge when squeezing it out. You need to work quickly as it sets immediately. No second chance here. Making a mistake at this point will not be fun to repair.

Next is glueing the wings together and fit the rudder and flaps.

Till then.

Sean

 

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