Simple Stuka
|
|
|
by Bhagat Dhillon
Nov 26, 2004
|
|
|
Long before I understood what its purpose was, I
fell in love with the Stuka Dive Bomber. Uniquely
ugly, yet strangely provocative, it has a very "alien"
appearance that must have scared the bejesus out
of its English enemies. It's intimidating presence
probably had more damaging effect than the bombs
it dropped. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
My love
affair with the Stuka was initiated at the age of
12 with a kit from Sterling Models,
which promptly broke my heart. Years later my love
was spurned again, this time by the Guillows
company. These models were complicated building
projects, and simply would not fly for me.
Just recently a generous friend sent me one of those
classic Sterling Stuka kits, and the old flame was
suddenly rekindled! But how was I to avoid yet another
chapter of unrequited love? |
|
Well, I began to think that the lines of this bird
could be greatly simplified, without losing the
essence of its character. So I started sketching
out some ideas and wound up building the 16"
wingspan model you see here. Turns out to be a fine
flyer, and I think it captures that "Stuka"
character to a satisfying degree.
At last - a dream fulfilled!
|
Begin Construction
Start by downloading the free plans here,
and then read through this entire article before
you cut any wood. The fuselage is a very simple
box structure, and the wing is of "cracked
rib" construction. Begin by completing the
basic building-board tasks, as shown below.
|
|
|
|
Fuse Box Construction
A strongly curved longeron section is required in
the nose of the fuse sides. To make it I split the
1/16" stringer in half, glued the laminations
together, and pinned them in place to dry. Be sure
to add gussets as shown on the plan - they add great
strength exactly where needed, with a minimum of
weight.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Align
fuse sides over the plan top view, and build up
into a box as shown at right. Notice again the generous
use of gussets - these are especially important
to support the wing root plates, since the wings
will form a butt-joint to the fuse.
If you plan to add a bomb to this model, insert
a slim piece of 1/16" sheet at the bottom of
the 3rd fuse bay for support (see bomb attachment
later in this article).
1/32" ply is used to face the opening for the
noseblock. In the photo below, note the slot &
key interface between noseblock and fuse.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The radiator scoop is a simple affair, built with
a 1/8" thick former and 1/32" sheet.
Start by gluing the former to the fuse, then use
the "cut & fit" approach to trim
the 1/32" wrap to fit. The bottom of the
scoop should be parallel to the fuse centerline.
With the tasks accomplished, you can then sand
a rounded contour to the front of the scoop.
|
|
|
|
|
Wing Construction
Construct two wing spars as shown on the plan, and
pin the long sections down in place over the wing
framework on your building board. Now form the three
most "outboard" cracked ribs on each wing,
and glue them in place. Then carefully pivot the
wing structures so the short inner section of the
spars now lay flat on the plan. I used drafting
triangles to ensure the raised wing sections were
properly aligned to the plan before pinning everything
in place. At this point you can complete the two
inboard ribs for each wing. Be especially careful
that the rib at the wing root is flush with the
end of the spar.
|
|
|
Next install
the two sheet pieces in each wing that support the
landing gear, and slot an opening as per plan.
Once the glue is dry, remove wings from the board
and "cap" the wing roots with a slightly
oversized slab of 1/16" sheet (you'll sand
these to the airfoil profile later). These caps
should butt up flush to the ends of the spars. |
|
Reposition the wings over the plan, add gussets
to the dihedral joints, and glue on the turbulator
spar. Let glue dry, and remove frames from the board
again. You can now see the angular airfoil shape
defined by the root rib and turbulator spar. Sand
the root rib caps to that profile.
|
|
|
|
Photos above and below may be helpful as a reference
for wing building details.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
