Mustang IV (oz3926)

About this Plan

Mustang IV. 30in span FF rubber scale model, from Model Aircraft, September 1950.

Quote: "THIS scale fighter has been designed and engineered expressly for flying of the full-scale type, and the model has been made sufficiently robust to survive high speed contact with hard ground without damage. The undercarriage fixing is novel. It is almost indestructible and it gives an extremely shock-absorbing suspension. The undercarriage may be removed for a better flight performance: in this case, the nose will take any crash loads with its three compression members distributing the stress over the wing root. The airscrew is arranged so that if the unit is levered out by a blade in contact with the ground, the hook folds and avoids damage to the top of the fuselage.

Construction is best commenced by making the wing boxes, tongues and outer panels. The under-carriage springing should be bound to the boxes which arc then built into the wing root. Carefully cement fuselage formers 7, 8 and 9 into position and then cover the top of the wing root with 1/32 in sheet. The wound fuselage formers should be separated from their templates to make certain they are not stuck, and then replaced. Line up all formers, and the wing root, on a straight piece of 1/4in square hard-wood as a jig and add the stringers and planking.

The model is covered with Jap tissue and finished silver for lightness. The tailplane and fin should not be water shrunk, and should receive one coat of banana oil only. The required finish can be obtained by mixing aluminium powder with the shrinking dope and banana oil used. Roundels should be cut from coloured transfer paper and control surfaces marked with Indian ink. Colour doping should be kept to a minimum.

The pilot's cockpit canopy is stretch-pressed from 1/16in sheet celluloid. A block of hardwood should be carved to the final shape with a skirt of about 1/2in. The block should be filled and finished as smooth as possible. A female template is cut to the maximum section of the pattern plus a drawing allowance of 1/8in all round. A sheet of celluloid should be pinned to the template with many drawing pins, fixed at least 2in away from the edge. The template and celluloid should now be heated in an oven or close in front of an electric fire until the sheet begins to sag under its own weight. The pattern may now be pressed home until flush with the template ; a simple system of guide rods will ensure a straight press. The resulting canopy should be about as thick as a film negative. It should be polished to perfect transparency with good metal polish..."

Update 11/01/2016: Replaced this plan with a cleaner copy (patterned background removed) thanks to TonyP.

Supplementary file notes

Article page, text and pics. Also previous scan version.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction