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Bowlus Super Albatross

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Peter Balcombe
Posts: 1399
Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 10:13
Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, U.K.

Re: Bowlus Super Albatross

Post by Peter Balcombe »

Hi Alex,
I will be starting the Albatross when I’ve finished my current 1/3 scale Jaskolka build, hopefully in a couple of months from now.
https://scalesoaring.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... =12&t=3694

The Albatross span is similar to most 1/3 scale models of standard class gliders.
Alex Tankink
Posts: 37
Joined: 20 Jan 2021, 11:53
Location: Adelaide

Re: Bowlus Super Albatross

Post by Alex Tankink »

Ok so after being given some decent drawings to start a review of where the current model stood I had to make some hard decisions.

The fuselage was for me the starting point and it was in very bad shape. It was essentially a lost mold fiberglass technique and it had some issues.

As you can see from the photos the old fuselage was not in the best shape. It had flat spots and there was also a bit of a misalignment with the opening for the wheel and also the rear section of the fuselage. The old girl had lived a life and the fuselage had the Swiss watch maker in me sweating. I could buy shares in the car body filler business, fill in the flat spots and fair the fuselage as it is and make the fuselage work, but the section and profile would not pass today's scale police :shock:

Again am I rebuilding the original model as it is? Or am I trying to rebuild it as the original builder would have wanted, a fair attempt at a scale example? Do I attempt to keep it or do I start from scratch?

I had recently watched a boat building Youtube channel that used cold molding and in many ways replicated how these types of fuselages could have been formed back in the day. The channel showed a half hull model built to demonstrate the technique. I figured that this would be a very scale way to build a Super Albatross fuz.





The problem with building a new fuselage was the lack of quality drawings that I could accurately blow up to a 1/3 scale to work from and develop molds / formers. That was until the above Super Albatross project by Jilles and Co.

After a conversation with Jilles he kindly helped with the development of some drawings that will help me develop the formers necessary to make a cold molded a new fuselage. A massive thank you to Jilles and for the information and experience given on this front and also on wing profiles following on from Chris's advice.

Next step printing out some drawings and developing the formers / molds and having a crack. What could possibly go wrong?? :D
Attachments
AB.pdf
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A3.pdf
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2C.pdf
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3D.pdf
(350.16 KiB) Downloaded 109 times
84.pdf
(343.13 KiB) Downloaded 108 times
Alex Tankink
Posts: 37
Joined: 20 Jan 2021, 11:53
Location: Adelaide

Re: Bowlus Super Albatross

Post by Alex Tankink »

Peter Balcombe wrote: 07 Jan 2022, 10:19 Hi Alex,
I will be starting the Albatross when I’ve finished my current 1/3 scale Jaskolka build, hopefully in a couple of months from now.
https://scalesoaring.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... =12&t=3694

The Albatross span is similar to most 1/3 scale models of standard class gliders.
Awesome Peter I'll be following your build when you get around it. Seems like the Super Albatross as a model subject is getting quite a bit of interest these days.

Cheers
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