In a departure from the plan, Jiro constructed the lower wings
in 2 pieces and glued them to the sides of the fuselage. The
plan shows the lower wing in 1 piece, then glued under the fuselage.
It’s a minor difference, and most experienced builders
will follow their preferences. Jiro always builds a lot of
lightness into his models, and he meticulously weighs the
components. Here’s what is uncovered framework weighed:
Wings (both upper & lower): 1.5g
Tail plane, fin & rudder: 0.3g
Fuselage: 1.9g
Tyres: 0.4g
Un-covered total: 4.1g
Based on the weights measured at the pre-covered stage, Jiro
predicted a final weight of his Amethyst of 8.5 to 9.5 grams.
This was a good estimate, since the final weight of the model
(including rubber) turned out to be 10.2 grams!
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One of Jiro’s secrets is to use light weight Gampi tissue,
and airbrush his models with very light coats of paint. To achieve
the silver doped finish of the original Falcon, Jiro mixed 50%
silver + 45% white + 5% black acrylic paint. Jiro took 3rd
place in the “Modern” class at the Nagoya Nuts
peanut scale contest (held every 2 years) in August with his
Falcon. 32 club members entered 76 models (in 6 different
classes, both indoor and outdoor) at Ichinomiya Hall and Shonai
Park in Nagoya. The Falcon scored 91.5 scale points and 76
flight points (with a longest flight of 59 seconds).
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