Nieuport 17

Build of the Flyboyz Nieuport 17 kit

Click on any photo for a hi res version

The finished model.

30. Finished model firt time all together.

Some final finishing off, and the radio installation to do. This is the first time assembled. CG is on top main spar which is where its meant to be with no nose weight.

29. Installation

Enging installed with linkage, and beginning of radio installation. The 4 servos are throttle, rudder and one for each elevator half.

28. Undercarriage

Wheels are 1/4 scale from www.dbsportandscale.com.
Wire undercarriage bent to plan, and assembled by screwing down to a temp base, cleaned wrapped with stripped electrical wire and flooded with solder. Faced with spruce glues in place and wrapped with twine.

27. Fuselage sprayed

Coloured paints are SolarLac, with homemade numbers and snake graphic. Gun is a 1/4 scale Vickers from www.dbsportandscale.com

26. Wings sprayed

Wings sprayed with automotive silver. A generic silver from Spraywell Paints in Bromsgrove. The whole model is fuel proofed in a Matt proofer.

Roundels are from Tim at www.modelmarkings.com.

25. Tailplane fiixing

Plan shows the tailplane simply glued in place, but there are a lot of flight loads here, so opted to screw through and cplamp the tailplane in place.

24. Covering / Hinges

Model covered in natural Solartext, will be sprayed and fuel proofed. This detail shows the aileron hinging using the Solartex to make the live hinge.

22. Fuselage

Scrap used to infill around the fuselage to fill gaps and make sure the covering has somewhere to adhere to.

21. Wings.

The bottom wing is bolted though to the fuselage, I used these ferrels gorilla glued in place as hard points to pass the wing bolts through.

The top wing carries the aileron servos and these are fitted witht he supplied fittings in the kit.

20. Fuselage

Taking shape now. Struts not fixed yet, they will be fixed after covering.

19. Fuselage control runs

Added exit hard points for rudder and elevator control wires, Use bowden cable outer formed into an 'S' shape with a hot air gun to feed the wires through,

18. Fuselage

Front fuselage sheeting, top and both sides done as 3 sections. Gorilla glue along the egde.

17. Strut forming

Bending the rear struts very simple job, just keep everyting square.

16. Fuselage installation

Pics showing the tank floor and the servo tray mounting rails. There is no provision in the kit for installation so it all down to experience here.

15. Engine

Original engine was going to be the NGH 38 4S, but this was just too big. Opted for the NGS 25 2s but it still stuck out a bit too far. What I did was recess the engine 6mm onto a false F1.

This works well, I have the engine almost upright, and an easy run for the throttle connection, and the exhaust will exit downwards.

14. Fuselage tanks and hardware

Strut fixings and tank installation. 2 Tanks one for petrol and the other for smoke oil. Went a bit mad with the Gorilla, but is soon popped out, and cleaned the thread with a tap.

12. Wings sheeting & capping

Complete sheeting, and capping strips. This was a pain just so boring. Lost concentraion on a few so not as aligned as they could be :-).

11. Wings

Finished aileron / tip. The training edge of both wings have a run of Gorilla glue just a smal bead which expands and gives a really solid trailing edge. Started the centre section sheeting, a section at a time.

10. Ailerons

Ailerons built over plan, and offered up to the wings. As can be seen thay don't quite line up. Solution here was ti simply pack out the Aileron edge to suit, it was then temporarily fixed in place with some Solartext and sanded to tip section.

9. Top Wing