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

RDN1954 said:
After preliminary assembly of the first two fuel tanks, which still need to have their end covers finished, it was time to address the first of two custom tanks. One tank has to hold a battery (I switched from AAA to 23A batteries for the higher voltage of the latter), while the other one will be equipped with a simple on/off switch.
Obviously, the plus- and minus points of the battery should ultimately be connected to the switch and the lights, so I ordered the required parts and upon receipt of these parts I started to fiddle around, based on the sketches I made.
The main body of the tank is made from a 14mm tube, thickness 1mm. The battery has a diameter of 10mm (and a length of 28mm), which means it nicely fits the tank. The aft cover of the tank is provided with the plus connection, which is located inside a 12mm tube, thickness 1mm, which holds the battery in position. The smaller tube is bonded to the aft cover. The aft cover has to be removable in order to be able to change the battery. The fwd cover houses the mass connection. Because the length of the battery is 28mm, a spacer is needed to fill the difference between battery and tank length. The fwd end of the tank body also has a feed through, which allows the wires to exit the tank and through the crossfeed lines to the next tank. Since the fuel system is provided with external cross feeds, it is rather convenient to use this to connect the battery to the switch.
While the aft tank cover has to be removable, the fwd cover is permanently attached. There is a good reason for that; the fwd tank attachment is through a clevis on the fwd tank cover. This prevents the fwd cover from being removable.
Since the aft cover is removable, slack in the plus-wire is needed. Because the diameter of the battery is smaller than the inner tube diameter, I have some room to store some slack wire.

Below in a picture what I tried to describe above, I hope this clarifies a lot of my rambling...

View attachment 481737
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Mad scientist stuff...
 
Modeling is a bit on and off right now; some other things have taken priority. That doesn't mean no progress has been made.
I have one tank more or less complete, with cross feeds, fuel pump, fuel vent and filler cap. It also happens to be the tank with the battery for the lights, requiring a removable tank cap.
Below a few pictures of the results, the fuel cap is still subject to evaluation; I'm not convinced of its geometry.

Top view looking fwd, with cap and battery removed. Filler cap and vent opening visible.
IMG_0148.jpeg

Bottom view looking fwd/up, fuel crossfeeds and fuel pump visible.
IMG_0146.jpeg

View looking aft/down. Fuel vent and filler cap visible.
IMG_0147.jpeg
 
RDN1954 said:
Modeling is a bit on and off right now; some other things have taken priority. That doesn't mean no progress has been made.
I have one tank more or less complete, with cross feeds, fuel pump, fuel vent and filler cap. It also happens to be the tank with the battery for the lights, requiring a removable tank cap.
Below a few pictures of the results, the fuel cap is still subject to evaluation; I'm not convinced of its geometry.

Top view looking fwd, with cap and battery removed. Filler cap and vent opening visible.
View attachment 483369

Bottom view looking fwd/up, fuel crossfeeds and fuel pump visible.
View attachment 483368

View looking aft/down. Fuel vent and filler cap visible.
View attachment 483367
Click to expand...
Nice tiny details, Johan.
Regards, Peter
 
Good job Johan,
I understand that it is quite a challenge.
The more beautiful when your model is completed, and then you forget all about it
.
Greetings
Henk
 
dockattner said:
Looking good Johan! Some nice details available to you at this scale.
Click to expand...
Daniel20 said:
I can see your concept turning into a promising model.
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Peter Voogt said:
Nice tiny details, Johan.
Regards, Peter
Click to expand...
Henk Liebre said:
Good job Johan,
I understand that it is quite a challenge.
The more beautiful when your model is completed, and then you forget all about it
.
Greetings
Henk
Click to expand...
Pathfinder65 said:
Just catching up, I'm impressed by your thinking, sketching and engineering . That is going to be a fantastic model.

Jan
Click to expand...

Thanks for visiting and your words of encouragement.
For some odd reason this build cost me more time to plan and build. All too frequently I have to take a step back and reconsider my plans.
 
While I was trying to complete another tank, I discovered that the crossfeed manifold was too large. Being fed up with this situation, I changed focus and started on the canopy frame. Like I did on the 1:48 canopy frame, I used brass wire and tube for the frame and solder and CA to connect the parts. Working on the frame in 1:24 does make a difference, though it's still very laborious and finicky, but I now have the windshield frame and first part of the top frame complete.
While drilling some 0,5mm (0,020") holes, I broke quite a few drills... Sick

Below a picture of the frame, I admit I'm quite pleased with the results of an evening's work:
IMG_0154.jpeg
 
RDN1954 said:
While I was trying to complete another tank, I discovered that the crossfeed manifold was too large. Being fed up with this situation, I changed focus and started on the canopy frame. Like I did on the 1:48 canopy frame, I used brass wire and tube for the frame and solder and CA to connect the parts. Working on the frame in 1:24 does make a difference, though it's still very laborious and finicky, but I now have the windshield frame and first part of the top frame complete.
While drilling some 0,5mm (0,020") holes, I broke quite a few drills... Sick

Below a picture of the frame, I admit I'm quite pleased with the results of an evening's work:
View attachment 483893
Click to expand...
Looking good, Johan. The transparent canopy will give it strength.
Regards, Peter
 
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