Scale Soaring UK

Hi, my 40% K8, (an extensively modified example of a Phoenix 6m wing liberator) had a temporary transport/carry cradle, made from scrap timber. I retired it to the bin today. I have good wing bags and a nice enclosed trailer to cart my toys in. I need to make a better replacement fuselage cradle.
I have some ideas, yours might be better. Let me know, pics would be good.

Hi Brian,
Here are some pictures of the fuselage cradle that came with my 7 metre ASH25 Mi which may give you some ideas.

The fuselage is supported in 5cm thick high density foam cut to suit the profile of the fuselage.
The boxes in which the foam cradles sit are 10 cm deep and are made from 5mm ply and 18mm softwood.
The base is 1cm ply measuring 68 by 40 cm.

The base can be clamped to a lightweight folding workbench available from Aldi, Lidl etc or it could have removeable legs fitted to it or san legs, it could sit on the base of your trailer, suitably restrained of course.

This design is quite handy as it can accommodate different sized foam cradles made to suit various models.

All the best, Eric

BrianF wrote: ↑02 Apr 2021, 07:54 Hi, my 1/3 K8, (an extensively modified example of a Phoenix 6m wing liberator)

For the record the Phoenix K8 is 40%....1/2.5

Tom, yes it is 40% (corrected above) although my first one ended up being multiple 4% pieces .................
Eric, I do like that idea, it has a lot of merit and its a great way to carry the model in the trailer.
My extra hassle is having to carry the model from under my house, threading it through a doorway around steps and a wall, then carry up a slope to where my trailer is and then the opposite when I get home.

Hi Brian, I don't have a problem with transportation as I make sure that my car is long enough to carry the fuselage without too much bother. My Citroen Grand G4 Picasso is due to be scrapped this week, so I am on the unenviable task of finding a new car. The car dealers do look at me a bit strangely when I arrive with the ASH26 fuselage to see if it will fit in various cars! (Only joking, I do have a long tape measure.)

Yes, I have a similar problem with storage Brian.
My garage is already occupied by my 1/3rd scale ASH26, a 1962 Mini-Minor and lots of other stuff (which my wife calls junk!). Therefore I have to manoeuvre it through the porch, hallway, stairs with a 180 degree turn, landing and then via a 90 degree turn, it is squeezed into my study/workroom where the fuselage has to stand on its nose with rudder removed to just fit beneath the ceiling - luckily the wings are in four sections, plus wingtip extensions.

Oh, the joys of owning large models!!!

Hi, ended up doing this from 25mm ID (34mm OD) PVC as I can also hang the contraption and fuselage from the ceiling in my workshop, and carry it and load in the trailer. Cost was about the same as a wood one, although I think its lighter. A short bar goes through the fwd fuselage joiner hole. Bolts go through to the frame from the top and into threaded holes in the tube to lock it all together. Upper and lower shaped EVA blue foam blocks hold the tail end into the frame. Its 2.7m long.
I also carry my 40% Decathlon tug next to it in the trailer so the frame helps to segregate "stuff" from contacting the fuselage and for those twists and turns getting it into and out of my workshop.

I have a 1/3 ASH31 that will get a cradle like Eric's above.

That looks simple enough, how do you carry the wings? in bags or attached to the frame?
Can you show a pic fully assembled with fuse?

Cheers
Phillip C
New Zealand

Phil, my very simple solution to carrying wings is the frame below. I take out the head restraint from the front passenger seat and put this in its place. The wing tips in the frame, the roots on the floor. The fuselages in cradles similar to Eric's stop the root ends from sliding about.

RobbieB wrote: ↑24 Apr 2021, 10:44 Phil, my very simple solution to carrying wings is the frame below. I take out the head restraint from the front passenger seat and put this in its place. The wing tips in the frame, the roots on the floor. The fuselages in cradles similar to Eric's stop the root ends from sliding about.

In the words of Blackadder . . . " A plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel".
So you don't carry passengers then (retorical )

Thanks
Phillip C

Philkiteflyer wrote: ↑25 Apr 2021, 05:39
'..................So you don't carry passengers then (retorical )

Thanks
Phillip C'

Only short ones.