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NHI Kolibri N-3, scale 1:48, scratch build

RDN1954 said:
The past week and half or so saw the earlier swash plate assembly flying into the dustbin and the build of a new one.
Using both solder and CA didn't yield the results I wanted, worse, BOTH means of attachment resulted in too many parts being permanently attached to one another... :mad:
That led to the build of a new swash plate assembly with a slightly adjusted design. This required quite a bit of time, including redo's of some parts (again), but tonight I finished the rough build of the swash plate assy, including the pilot controls.
I now could tentatively fit the assembly to the rotor head and, even if I say so myself, it looks very promising. Still a few more details to add, apply top coats and then assembly time!

(I can't get this picture upright...)
Overview with temporary install of the rotor shaft and the cyclic and collective controls.
View attachment 545243


Detail view of the rotor head and controls.
View attachment 545236
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Man-O-Man ……. When it is in your head and you made your sketches ….. then there is a solution. This looks so nice, Johan.
Regards, Peter
 
Peter Voogt said:
Man-O-Man ……. When it is in your head and you made your sketches ….. then there is a solution. This looks so nice, Johan.
Regards, Peter
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dockattner said:
Wow! So impressive from conception to execution!
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Marquinius said:
Marvellous! You are really at the edge of the impossible.
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shota70 said:
Johan, my dear friend
amazing job, so accurate
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GrantTyler said:
What they all say Johan. Brilliant. Cheers Grant
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Thanks again for your compliments!
Very early on in the build I committed to provide working flight controls and with every step I take, I question the wisdom of that decision.
It requires a lot of planning, understanding the function of all components and being able to simplify the design to allow the scale down to 1:24 and I can honestly tell you: it ain't easy... And at the same time I simply cannot turn back on my earlier decision until I'm proven wrong: that hasn't happened yet.
In all honesty: I'm exploring the boundaries of my capabilities.
 
I finally found time to start with the next subject: the main rotor.
The main rotor consists of a central spring leaf package with a see saw hinge, two rotor blades and two ramjets at the rotor blade tips, plus the cyclic and collective flight controls and the fuel and ignition systems.
I know, the flight control system on the rotor mast is not complete yet, but I need the main rotor assembly before I can complete the control system.
The focus was on the manufacturing if the see-saw hinge and the inner bearing of the two torsion shafts (more on those later).
I made the spring leaf of a single strip of brass, t=0,3mm. I originally went for a thickness of 0,5mm but that appeared to be too stiff. The true spring leaf was composes of a leaf package of a number of spring leafs. At first I was inclined to replicate that idea, but the single 0,3mm leaf gives me the elasticity I need.

Below two pictures of the current status.


IMG_1323.jpeg

IMG_1322.jpeg
 
Daniel20 said:
I like the paint scheme of the swash plate on down, sort of a galvanized appearance. To have all that detail in the space of a thumb nail is just incredible.
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Peter Voogt said:
I fully agree with Daniel that ‘a bit of paint’ makes a big difference. And again some nice details on the rotor.
Regards, Peter
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Both your remarks on the "bit of paint" made me think why paint does make such a huge difference?
I truly enjoy figuring out how things work, how I can believably simplify and scale down complex systems and figuring out how I can even make and assemble the parts.
While working at either of these stages I almost never have the need to put on any finish, but... As soon as an assembly has been more or less successfully completed, I can't wait to apply its finish.
So why is that finish so important? I can think of at least two reasons, 1) any manufacturing process leaves its mark and it ain't always pretty, so after some sanding and smoothing, it's time to paint, but more importantly 2) a well chosen paint scheme allows one to focus on various visible details. An unpainted model, constructed mainly from the same material, requires immediate and absolute attention,without being able to focus on a specific region. The finished model, with a balanced and matching paint scheme allows the viewer to enjoy a specific detail, before switching focus to another noteworthy detail.
That's why I think that "bit of paint" makes such a difference.
 
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