Vintage Model Company Sopwith Camel First Flights

Built this Rubber powered balsa model of a Sopwith camel based on the colours of Arthur Roy Brown the chap who was credited with shooting down the Red Baron(though recent re looks would suggest that the Red Baron was shot down by a Machine gunner from Australia)
Its made from a kit made by from The Vintage Model company and this short video is of its trimming session and first powered flights.
Starting From a glide We added more and more winds, whilst slowly tweaking things like the nose weight and rudder until a reasonably predictable flight pattern was established
Wingspan 16"
Rubber 16" loop of 3/16" FAI sports tan rubber (came in the kit )
Total weight 38 grams (6 grams of that is lead to balance the plane)
For anyone who is interested in making one of these, this is the kit I used. Plus a few sheets of different coloured domestic tissue to copy the plane flown by Arthur Roy Browns
www.vintagemod...

[@jamesmartin3360]

Some right thrust? Pretty tight turns at 700 winds

[@scalestuff1066]

Possibly tbh for the small patch of long grass in the field I didnt want to big a spread on it

[@MORCOPOLO0817]

VMC needs to come out with a Foker Triplane.

[@scalestuff1066]

They really do, though I'd settle for an albatross to.Have they made any new free flight planes of late? All I seem to see is RC

[@MORCOPOLO0817]

@@scalestuff1066 Not sure. I have not kept up with their latest products.

[@hefy2jefy]

Its a tribute to the model that it was able to recover from the terrible launches! - lovely job BTW!

[@scalestuff1066]

Hahaha thank you no idea what I'm doing wrong but ill take your word for it XD (Tips would be grand) And thank you I was shocked it flew so well tbh

[@hefy2jefy]

@@scalestuff1066 Well its been a while (about 60 years) but a smooth launch slightly nose down was always how I was told.

[@scalestuff1066]

@@hefy2jefy Thanks for the tip I'll give it ago when I'm next flying,its something that's not very often talked about.Thanks for the heads up (I was throwing them up slightly thinking that's the way its going hahaha )

[@mrradman2986]

@@scalestuff1066 It might help to release the prop slightly before letting go of the model. Nice build though.

[@scalestuff1066]

@@mrradman2986 Yeah,has been noted as its been mentioned on a few of my videos.Thanks though,love this plane just hope it still flies 2 years on its still in storage

[@jamesjacocks6221]

A beautiful Sopwith, looking good in natural tissue trim and flying the same.

[@scalestuff1066]

Thanks mate :) Im just waiting on the chaps at VMC to bring out a few more ww1 planes love the bi planes

[@jamesjacocks6221]

@@scalestuff1066 I'm going to check them out. I envy your tall grass. Can't find any when I have a plane to trim. I think trimming a plane with colored tissue is very much in keeping with rubber free flight and your looks scale! Masterful even.

[@scalestuff1066]

@@jamesjacocks6221 check google maps and put it on satellite mode just look for the yellow fields that are scruffy im sure there is one near you.But yeah it is a shame to crash them on low grass

[@yassermasood3423]

Great job

[@scalestuff1066]

Thank you

[@thebalsaboy]

Very nice, I’m building a vmc Sopwith camel with this same paint scheme. I’m covering the wing, and I was going to ask: how wide are the red stripes on top of the wing?

[@scalestuff1066]

Nice how is it coming along? I just go the tape measure out, and the red stripes are 9mm wide, and the white border stripes are about 2mm, a little over.

[@thebalsaboy]

@@scalestuff1066 thank you, it’s coming along great, redoing the top layer of tissue on the lower right wing, accidentally bumped and changed its position while allowing the tissue to dry without knowing, and when it dried it turned out wrinkly.

[@scalestuff1066]

Glad its coming along well mate, ah happens to the best of use, my fokker wulf i had to completely re skin, sometimes you can get a little wrinking by just giving it a dab with a sucked finger, but doesn't always work

[@thebalsaboy]

@@scalestuff1066 yeah, that’s (in my opinion) the largest con about tissue, because if 90% of the time you have to redo the tissue, which wastes some.

[@scalestuff1066]

Yeah true that, do your mix water with meths? I found that helps as the methanol makes it dry faster

[@backyardbasher]

That was great :)

[@scalestuff1066]

Thanks mate :) wasnt to hopeful when i made this plane but guess it all turned out alright

[@scalestuff1066]

Glad you enjoyed the video

[@ianlacey9851]

Hi, great video. Hope you don't mind me asking, but I'm new to balsa models and flight: what does it mean when you said "needs a bit of rudder" and what did you do to do this?

[@scalestuff1066]

Sorry late reply,needed to be made to turn as other wise it would go off in a straight line,On this plane I bent the rudder ever so slightly 5mm off to make it turn

[@scalestuff1066]

Sorry late reply,It needed the tail bending a little bit to make it go round in circles,as in the first flights it climbs drops and goes in a straight line

[@ianlacey9851]

@@scalestuff1066 thanks for that. It's a good tip for the future when I try out some of my builds. All the best.

[@scalestuff1066]

@@ianlacey9851 some wont need it so dont add it in as standard,normally planes turn to the left due to the prop

[@lud916]

b4 RC this was it for remote flight control, like "wing warping". neat. the model (assuming its the same one throughout ) must be (have been) very symmetrical and strong.

[@scalestuff1066]

Its not all the strong but its resonably symmetrical,the back of the wings are abit wobbley

[@scalestuff1066]

Yeah iv heard from some of the old timers i work for that these things where all over the shop when they were kids,and only cost like 5p or something daft!The wings are ok strength wise,symmetrical but abit wobbly along the rear edge

[@lud916]

only work with biplane config u think?

[@scalestuff1066]

@@lud916 Not sure,top wings and bi planes iv found the easiest to get flying though

[@lud916]

there are some, i find, but only skeletal type designs, no ornamentation.

[@rodgeyd6728]

Lovely model, why not try micro rc?

[@scalestuff1066]

More fear than anything,its a goal though, wired up a tank last year and just done a boat so hoping to work up to it now I know what Im doing with wires and esc's ectra.Land then sea then air lol

[@rodgeyd6728]

@@scalestuff1066 Aymen to that! . I'm the same , boats and cars, built planes but don't like clubs. Are you on Instagram?

[@scalestuff1066]

@@rodgeyd6728 What boats and cars you got?I tend to do the same clubs tend to wreck things,iv got 6 people maybe I go with a fair bit and 2 people I go with all the time,keeps things simple,always some silly drama with big groups.No sorry mate not on Instagram,might set one up just for the models though

[@rodgeyd6728]

@@scalestuff1066 Instagram is great, no nastiness like other media sites. Loads of fellow model makers from kiel Kraft vintage models to gas turbines and boats galore. Join it and see my boats plane will be next ....when I start one. Git the plans for an old keil Kraft Sopwith Camel, may enlarge it and give it a go on micro rc.

[@adarshlakshman4715]

good flight+good plane! i just had one question: did you paint the model after u put on the tissue or did u just cover the plane with green tissue to begin with? new modeler here !

[@scalestuff1066]

all coloured tissue mate,top green bottom yellow,then the markings are either printed patterns or coloured tissue on double-sided tape hope that helps mate

[@adarshlakshman4715]

@@scalestuff1066 thanks!

[@adarshlakshman4715]

@@scalestuff1066 did u only use the motor that came with the kit? if yes,700 turns is impressive compared to the small blue rubber band supplied by guillows with their kits which would break at just 50 turns. anyway ,awesome build!

[@scalestuff1066]

@@adarshlakshman4715 Yes mate,the VMC kits come with (dont quote me on this) 14inch? of flight tan rubber,Pretty sure i used most of it.Yeah there alot better than the blue guillows rubber.Also I did silcone lube the band up to

[@adarshlakshman4715]

@@scalestuff1066 thanks!so, you didnt use the whole of the given rubber,so if i used the whole thing i would get more turns? thanks and a happy diwali Adarsh