This year’s foamy build challenge is based on the wonderful designs by Aeromodelling legend Vic Smeed. Any Vic Smeed design reduced to 13″ span , peanut size for rubber power with a simple duration comp and fun prizes at the February Begbroke meeting.

Foam is the easiest and quickest way of  doing the models to make them light enough to fly well in the confines of the village hall. There are two plans available expertly drawn by John Whatmore of a Tiny Tomboy and Mini Madcap both have been built and successfully flown. The prototype Tomboy has had a couple of outings at Begbroke this summer and circulates nicely within the walls and even ROG’s (there will be a bonus for ROG in the competition!)

A short kit will available from the September Begbroke  meeting onwards comprising of 2 A4 size sheets of wallfoam, the two printed plans and crucially a propeller and hub assembly, designed and 3d printed by Pete Brown along with a length of 1/16″ rubber. For those who don’t have a supply of the balsa needed, a more extensive kit can be produced on request

Full details of the build of the Tomboy and Madcap are below along with the A4 plan pdfs here

Thanks to John Whatmore for his brilliant work drawing up my scrappy plan, Dave Monk for the Madcap build and Andy Blackburn for the flying photo

Tiny Tomboy

Mini Madcap

 

Vic Smeed with his Temptress at Old Warden.   Photo Charlie Jeffreys

I think it’s worth outlining a bit about the man for those not familiar with his areomodelling career. This from Tony Dowdeswell’s obituary for him from Flying Scale Models

Victor Ernest Smeed was born on October 1st, 1923, at Herne Bay, Kent and, like so many of his era, began making models at a very tender age – in Vic’s case age 6 years – an involvement that ceased only with his passing. Vic’s first serious attempt at model aircraft came at age 8 in 1931 and that youthful air-mindedness led, in 1941 to wartime RAF aircrew service. His logbook listed a wide variety of types flown, including the Supermarine Spitfire, which was his favourite – no surprise there!

Immediately post WW2, Vic became Air Ministry Staff Glider Training Officer for the Air Training Corps and was one of twenty-six officers who formed Reserve Command before he left the RAF in 1946 with the rank of Flight Lieutenant. Freed of service commitments, modelling interests once more became his foremost interest. He opened a model shop in Canterbury, Kent and founded Canterbury Pilgrims Model Flying Club. The long flow of practical and highly attractive model aircraft designs which continued almost to Vic’s final year with us commenced in 1948, with the publication of ‘Ethereal Lady’ in Aeromodeller magazine, followed in 1950 by Tomboy, the design

Vic’s design creativity was unending, and always in a style for ‘Mr.Everyman’ that will, for evermore, be Vic’s lasting aeromodelling memorial, as the design continues to enjoy worldwide popularity more then sixty years later.

In 1953, he joined Model Aeronautical Press as a staff writer for Aeromodeller, but quickly moved over to the non-aeromodelling Model Maker magazine, becoming Assistant Editor and then editor in 1955.

A regular flow of new Smeed model aircraft designs continued in Aeromodeller, while in Model Maker, Vic’s all-round interests developed the latter magazine’s editorial stance with a wide variety of subject matter – everything from electric slot cars to model engineering

Few involved in the post WW2 aeromodelling hobby can fail to have been touched by the influence and creativity of this reserved and courteous gentleman whose contribution was always aimed at ‘Mr.Everyman’.

Tiny Tomboy Build

Here’s a quick run down of the build of the prototype.

A couple of things to note in relation to the plan. Both plans show 1/16″ sq for the former framing, this can be substituted for 3/32″sq  for ease of building if you are not used to building small models. The plan also shows the the main spar set into the wing. This is easy to do but a simpler method is use to 1/32″ x 1/8″ strip glued to the underside of the wing. The prototype didn’t have a tail spar but fitting one does make it a bit robust

First step is to cut out the parts. I printed out another plan and cut that up to make templates. The foam needs a very sharp blade to cut cleanly and blunts blades very quickly. Start with a new scalpel blade and you may well need another one

The formers where made up over the plan using cyano glue with some silicon baking paper over the plan to stop them sticking to it

 

The side ‘keel of 1/32″ is cut to length and the hole for the motor peg is done now, it is then glued to the inside of the fuselage using UHU POR. Line this up carefully so it lines up with the notches in the formers. UHU POR is used for all the foam joints, foam safe cyano can be used for the balsa parts to speed things up. I even use ordinary cyano but you need to very careful if you do as even a tiny blob or overspill will burn holes in the foam so best avoided

The formers are then added to one side making sure they are square. Don’t worry about the undercarriage and the retainer F2a at this stage.  When dry the other fuselage side is glued on to form the square box shape of the front of the fuselage

 

The tail end of the fuselage is then tacked together. Do this over a cutting mat or straight edge so you can see the fuselage is straight along the centre line when viewed from above

The top and bottom up to F2 are then added. This fits inside the side panels so can help give the fuselage the shape as it’s glued together. The fin, tail and sub fin can be added as well 

To make the inset wing spar simply cut a straight line in the wing,  glue a strip of 1/16″ sq to the edge making sure its flat on a suitable surface then glue the other cut edge to the other side of the 1/16″ sq. The alternative method is to glue a strip of 1/32″ x 1/8″ to the underside of the wing , though this will need notches to but in the top of the fuselage for the spar.

The plan shows a slight curve to the inside edge of the wing. This will help give the wing it’s dihedral of 1″ at each tip. To set this hold one wing flat and attach the other with a 2″ block under the tip . The prototype used an additional dihedral keeper for 1/8″ sheet, glued to the mainspars which is then glued into the fuselage but this may not be necessary as gluing the wing to the fuselage while maintaining the dihedral angle should hold it all in place when the glue has dried.

There are two ways of using UHU POR . If  applied to both surfaces and left to dry it becomes a contact adhesive, ideal for fixing the wing on or for times when you need some wriggle room you can use it wet before it dries and hold it in the right positon

The undercarriage was bent to shape over the plan, wheels added and the wire bent 90 degrees to hold them on

Nose block is from 2 laminations of 1/8″ with a 1/64″ ply facing on the model for strength. You may be able to get away without this but it can make life easier when making the nose block. 

Flying  – The plan shows a nominal 3 deg down thrust . The prototype uses about 7 degs …well it is very short nosed I would recommend similar. The Madcap used about 6 degs. Both have about 3 deg side thrust

Check everything is staright, the tail can droop if you’ve not fitted the spar but should have any twists in it. If there are simple bend the foam bit in the other direction until its flat.

Glide the model first and trim for a nice straight glide. It light and draggy so it won’t have a floaty glide but a nice gentle decent is what you are after. Trim the glide using nose weight, you may not need any, I didn’t on the prototype

Once you’re happy with the glide all other trim changes are with the thrust angles applying small shims under the nose block. If it zooms up under power ( maybe 300 turns to start ) more downthrust, if it turns hard to left more right thrust. With a bit of trimming it should be flying ok.

To get it to turn and circle in the confines of the hall at Begbroke I recommend – Left rudder to turn the model , to help this some wing warps are useful. There’s some wash in  to the left wing this is an increase in wing incidence at the tip and helps keep the inner wing up in the turn, it also adds some drag with aids the left turn . the outboard wing right wing has wash out , the incidence decrease to the tip this helps keep the turn flat and stop it spiralling in. The way to check and adjust these angles is to view the model from the rear lining it up so you are looking down the centre line. rotate the model forward until yo can see the LE and TE of the wing. You can no see if the front and rear edges are parrallel, for wash in you want to see a slight narrowing of the gap to the tip for washout you want see a slight widening towards the tip. As my photo hopefully shows the amounts are quite small but also significant. The left rudder is evident too.

 

The Mini Madcap build follows the same lines but the dihedral break is away form the fuselage at the end of the centre section. This needs an additional wing rib a the join and a dihedral keeper

 

Vic Smeed produced an amazing amount of designs, many available on OuterZone. Any would be eligible and you don’t have use foam just keep them to 13″ peanut size