DHC.2 Beaver

[lastvautour]

What is the Model Aircraft number? I have the site in my favorites but can't get an index to tell me what is where. Found your Piper Pawnee in issue 6107.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

I will check it out tomorrow Lou and get back wit the number,some good plans there.
Barry.

[Balsabasher]

Lou it is the March 1959 issue that carries the excellent DHC.2 Beaver plan.
Code MA5903.
Barry.

[Balsabasher]

Where did you get your drawings Barry? I can't find them in our gallery.

Lou

It looks a very robust model Lou like the full sized version,great colour scheme as well.
Barry

[lastvautour]

I found the drawings and your are correct, they are good. The best I have seen so far on the Beaver.

Lou

Notes:
1.  To whom it may concern, we have on line permission from Zoe Quilter to use the data as long as it is for non profit.

2. The bottom of the drawing has somehow duplicated itself. I will adjust shortly.

3. Due to the scanning process, the left half of the drawing is skewed approx. 1/2 a degree so those seek super accuracy beware.

[Balsabasher]

Yes Zoe Quilter has been most helpful to fellow model builders supplying these wonderful historic drawings which must have taken many hours to upload,anyone who likes to read about real aeromodelling could do no worse than to read her life story and her quest to preserve it as it was back then,I like these old 'Model Aircraft' plans because there are no fussy frilly bits just basic outlines what we require,a bit like the old drawings in the pre war 'Flying Aces' they make you want to build them.
Barry.

Here is the Beaver fuselage blank plus the wings and tail parts all ready for shaping.

[Balsabasher]

The DHC.2 Beaver continues to take shape,the  undercarriage was made in the same way as the Pawnee with dural cut with tin snips,flattened to straighten it out on a small modellers anvil and tiny holes drilled where the wheels will go,then it fits into a pre cut slot and was fixed with epoxy,the legs will be built up with wood cladding then shaped in situ to represent the massive Beaver utility undercarriage,then the fairings will be made up with milliput.

The cowling was turned up on my lathe,still teaching myself to use this and learn something new every time I get engrossed in turning something up ,made three cowlings while I was at it and picked the best one,the spares can always be used on other models or modified and it was good practise trying out different chisels and parting tools that I keep picking up from car boot sales etc.

A slot was cut for the tailplane and a brass tube tailwheel was fabricated all ready to take the wheel,a trial fit together was done wth the as yet unshaped big high aspect ratio wing just resting on the top.

There is still some blending and shaping to do around the nose,the shape there is very subtle and I was back and forwarding looking at photographs on the internet.

[Peter]

Fascinating stuff Barry and very informative.

Peter

[Balsabasher]

Glad that you like it Peter,I like to describe things just as if you are in my workshop looking on,some techniques may  be very basic but if it helps and encouages anyone to build a solid then thats a real bonus.
Barry.

[lastvautour]

Nice method of doing cowls. That is one tool I never could get used to. Nice work.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

The Beaver had its wooden side fairings fitted to the cantilever metal legs prior to shaping them up,I used metal filled epoxy to fix these in place then sanded to shape in situ,another hefty fairing goes over the top of this one where the lift struts are bolted,this machine can land on unprepared strips on gravel roads in the middle of the jungle and with tundra tyres can land on rocks and mountain sides,its a real workhorse.

The nose has been worked on and blended into the cowl with a bit of contour filling with Squadron putty as well,once dry it will get a good sanding,the oil cooler under the cowling was made up and fitted.
The propeller carving was started the aim a nice clean metal two blader that will be painted silver with a spinner added as well.
Barry.

[lastvautour]

Looks great. Have you ever had problems with cracks using that brand of putty?

Lou

[Balsabasher]

Lou there are many generic Squadron puttys on the market some of which are inferior quality to the genuine one marketed by Squadron and will shrink badly causing cracking,make sure that you use the original formula much copied but never equalled,never had any problems at all so I rather suspect that you had a copycat version which look exactly like the Squadron products and probably have unstable fillers.

I used to use a product called 'Brummer stopping' this was fine until they decided to make it from polyvinyl acetate instead of the cellulose formulae which would rub down easily,but not the newer version,the same with plastic wood once made from cellulose but now with PVA as its base ingredient,that was the solid modellers favourite until they changed that formulae,everyone is out to ban cellulose products and if you need some to restore a vintage car for example you have to sign a declaration at the paint shop.

I use the Squadron product because there is nothing on the commercial market for filling wood that I like,it uses Tuenol which also has its health risk problems inf inadequate ventilation is not in place.

Barry.

[Balsabasher]

Time to start thinking of potential colour schemes and two have caught my eye,a nice bright orange Trans Antartic Expedition Beaver Serial NZ6001 so need to check out what orange paint is available ? choice number 2 is Royal Canadian Air Force all yellow scheme serial number 16112 this has a red cowl and fin tip with RCAF-112 on the fuselage sides with serial on the fin in full underneath the maple leaf,yellow is near to cadmium yellow so plenty of auto paints available to that shade.
Barry.

[lastvautour]

Sorry, but the Royal Canadian Air Forces never flew the Beaver. Strange since the aircraft was such a wonderful craft. The bright yellow Beaver wing the RCAF maple leaf roundels is a "What If".

Lou