Project Stearman

[rodman]

Hey Guys
For a while now Cindy and I have been looking for a Warbird project to do.
We looked at P51's, P47's, P38's, B25 Bombers and WW1 airplanes Just couldn't decide what to build.

So last year at the Rally of the Giants there was a 1/3 scale PT17 Stearman with a Moki radial engine on it.
Any one who has ever heard one run knows how cool they are.
So the thought of possibly doing a Stearman sat in the back of my mind for quite some time

A new kit from Balsa USA was more money then I was willing to spend so I kept watching the classifieds
for something to pop up but they almost never come up for sale.

Well around Christmas a partially built Stearman came up for sale on Flying Giants
it was an older kit probably 5 or 6 years old and on its second owner.
I kept an eye on it for 2 weeks then made an inquiry about it.
the guy still had it and said let me know if i had any interest in it
I gave no response back to him, and after another week went by I got another reply from him with a greatly reduced price.

Ok we got a deal so Cindy and went to Rhode Island to get it
as it turns out this was one the guy bought as a back up for one he already had with a 250 Moki on it.
so it was just lying around collecting dust and he needed the room for other things.

[rodman]

So now that I have it what do I do with it?
now the research began!

I want a Radial Engine even if it takes me 2 years to get it that's what it takes!

So the airplane would need about a 200cc size radial which means Moki 215 $3775 from troy built
again back to the classifieds nothing, nothing, still nothing came up.
Then I saw Horizon Hobbies was offering a 7 cylinder 160cc for 3299 ok a little better this might be doable

Doing a little more research the 160cc engine is going to be to small I'll need the 260 Horizon sells for $3499
well at the time I was doing a lot of over time so I saved all that extra money and sold a few things at some swap meets
and was able to get almost all the money for it but I'm still short a little bit for a comfort margin.

Moki 215cc



Horizon 260


Video for the Evo 260
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AUDGHAd ... Ny1GvuAA4w
Sorry the embed feature doesn't seem to be working.

[rodman]

So now what color Scheme
almost every one I have seen has the blue fuse with yellow wings
so googled color schemes for PT17 Stearmans and came up with some other options

I chose an all yellow scheme used by the Navy.


So here is what I brought Home








And a couple of big box's with parts in them.

[rodman]

The guy who originally built the plane bought all the up graded fiberglass parts for the Super Stearman from fiberglass specialties
Some of which I won't need for the PT17 version like wheel pants.

So after cleaning the dust off it I began to find damage from being stored all these years
Some broken formers and missing parts


So I began replacing some of the broken parts



New piece in place.



Again on the other side missing a piece.



Replaced



Damage around the cockpit



Repaired.

[rodman]

Now this airplane is a old kit and has the old style steel landing gear on it
Balsa USA has replace the steel gear with aircraft aluminum set from Sierra giant scale

After doing some research I found out that at 53 pounds for this airplane the steel gear
will bend with a hard landing that's why Balsa USA doesn't use them any more.

So I called Sierra to order a set of landing gear the owner was very helpful
and flat out told me the airplane will be too heavy for the steal gear
So I got the last set he had in stock $360 bucks but they are beautiful



5/16th axle's with castle nuts and cotter pins.

[rodman]

So here is a picture from RC Universe of a Stearman with the EVO 260 mounted.
Looks like a perfect fit to me.




So here are some Video's of Stearman stuff I found

Stearman with a Moki 250 on it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQZXWxno ... LQ&index=2

Stearman with the Seidel 250 which is the first version of the EVO 260
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMcCC-OE ... LQ&index=4


Full Scale Stearman piloted by John Mohr at the 2008 Blue Angels airshow "this is a must see"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU0Seh3y ... LQ&index=3

Well that's it for right now have other projects to finish before spring
I am hoping that I may finish the Stearman by the 2014 WRAM show
See Ya at the Field Rodney.

[Doug]

Completely awesome Rod.
I think the Horizon 260 look's so much cooler
I can't wait to see it done.

[rodman]

Completely awesome Rod.
I think the Horizon 260 look's so much cooler
I can't wait to see it done.

Thanks this one will take a while to finish maybe it will be done for next year
Balsa USA is not very detailed on their build instructions you have to figure out
a lot of stuff on your own
there are some parts that the previous owners lost over the years that I will have to build from scratch
we would also like to build it scale enough to put it in some scale contests but we'll see what happens

Right now I have to finish the big profile and then the night flying Cadet for Cindy.
See Ya!

[blackbird]

>
Rodney, talk about perfect timing. This month's download on RCScalebuilder is of a PT-17 that was used in the movie Pearl Harbor. Let me know if you want the pictures and I can get them to you on a CD, there is a ton of scale info in there you will definitely be able to use for your scale subject.

Here is th elink just in case: http://www.rcscalebuilder.com/forum/for ... ?TID=20137

Let me know.

[rodman]

>
Rodney, talk about perfect timing. This month's download on RCScalebuilder is of a PT-17 that was used in the movie Pearl Harbor. Let me know if you want the pictures and I can get them to you on a CD, there is a ton of scale info in there you will definitely be able to use for your scale subject.

Here is th elink just in case: http://www.rcscalebuilder.com/forum/for ... ?TID=20137

Let me know.

I am a member of that web site but I still can't access the download because I'm not a "Site Supporter" (which means pay 20 bucks a year)
I have found a lot of photos on the web should be sufficient for what I need to do but thanks any way.