FB-23, yep I am at it again

[Dandiego]

Back from vacation.

 

Time to work on the FB-23.

 

Here are some of the large bits.

 

First the central fuselage, assembled and sanded. 12" green ruler.

 

 

Next one wing assembled, sanded and primed.

 

 

And an overall look at the main components.

 

 

Thanks, Dan

Edited July 4, 2023 by Dandiego

[artoor_k]

Big, bad and never produced? So it means what if! Im in 

[LSP_Ray]

That is big!

How was the cruise?

[Dandiego]

Great cruise. Spent time in Seattle, Sitka, Juneau, Icy Strait and Ketchikan. Saw bears, eagles,glaciers and icebergs.

9 days away from home. Tuckered me out pretty good.

 

Dan

[Jack]

Dan, forget the bears, eagles, glaciers and the "wanne be titanic nightmare", i hope you'll finish the FB23.......looking forward to it...!!

[scvrobeson]

Now that's a big plane.  Looking forward to this one Dan

 

 

 

Matt 

[Dandiego]

Here is an important construction phase. 

 

With all major components taped together where is the balance point? Currently it wants to balance nose down. This is great!  With a solid, and heavy, tail section and the heavy tail surfaces I wasn't sure this would be the result. One wing has been glued on. Lots of epoxy and some wire supports were used.

 

 

 

Man this model is big, and heavy. Landing gear design and construction will be a challenge.

 

Dan

Edited July 5, 2023 by Dandiego

[geedubelyer]

Zactoman is sure to be watching this with (envy) interest. 

 

[Dandiego]

12 minutes ago, geedubelyer said:

Zactoman is sure to be watching this with (envy) interest. 

 

 

Perhaps. I know that he was working on an F-23 awhile back. The "F" would make a great companion to this build.

 

Dan

[Dandiego]

Ok both wings have been attached. 

 

Large 3d prints are not for the faint of heart. Although the design is really tight, printing multiple parts in this large size leads to some warpage and shinkage. Translation.... not everything lines up and fits the way you would hope. 

 

So I have installed alignment pins and have shoved everything together using lots of epoxy. Next, just the slightest smear of Bondo to level it all out. 

 

 

After some rough sanding another round of filler.

 

 

Same issues on the underside.

 

 

And why not glue in the aft weapons bay. It ain't pretty, but it will be solid.

 

 

Thanks, Dan

[Youngtiger1]

Interesting build. Never heard of FB-23 but I like it.

[Dandiego]

Here are the flaps and ailerons. You can see a gap between the 2 surfaces. This was a thin spikey protrusion that snapped off. I will be replacing this spike with one made of plastic. The resin is just too brittle.

 

Also I have applied another coat of primer, followed by, you guessed it, more filler.

 

 

Here is the forward weapons bay. The metal rod will support the rotary launcher, yet to be designed.

 

 

First take on the cockpit. Too short currently. I will be redesigning and adding details to the consoles.

 

.

 

Dan

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Dandiego

[LSP_Kevin]

Really enjoying your work on this one, Dan.

 

Kev

[Lee in Texas]

That thing is SO WILD. If you ever make a big Mirage IV, let me know so I can sell a kidney. 

[Dandiego]

I have been thinking about the best and strongest method to attach the nose of the aircraft to the main body. This model is large, heavy and made of brittle resin. I want a solid joint that will not fail.

 

So....I have decide to install a wooden support that will span both large sections. It is about 3/4" square, I then beveled the aft end and slid it in so that it is jammed into the aft fuselage. It is glued to the top of the aft weapons bay and fits snugly against the top of the fuselage. It projects forward about 4" and will support the nose section. I also have 2 round dowels that I have jammed into the area between the aft weapons bay and the fuselage side. These also project forward and into the nose section. Along with these wooden supports I also have several Plastic tabs that will also support the joint.

 

 

 

 

This was a time consuming process as I had to test fit and then modify all of the supports for a good fit. Still not ready to glue the forward and aft sections together as I still have unfinished cockpit work to complete.

 

Dan