wellsprop Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 (edited) Hi all, Following my last build, I decided to try something a little bit different. There’s a bit of a story behind this one too… I started learning to fly when I was 13 years old, first fying Grob Tutors with the Air Training Corps, before taking up gliding and, eventually moving on to powered flying – gaining my PPL in 2017. Unfortunately, I haven’t flown much since then (powered flying is WAY too expensive) so I’ve decided I’m going to try gliding again – I’ve never flown a glider solo! I bought a 1/32 Revell Ls8, however, the all-white colour scheme and lack of interesting decals haven’t enthused me to build it – glass fibre/composite gliders also aren’t so interesting to model (though way better performance!). This led me to turn my hand to scratch building a glider out of balsa. The glider in question, the Schleicher K8b, in the colours of my local gliding club – and quite possibly the aircraft I’ll end up soloing in once I get back to gliding. I found plans online for a 2m wingspan K8b which someone had already turned into a .dxf file, I used CATIA to scale these plans to 1/32. I constructed the airframe by creating a spine from the side elevation then added ribs and stringers, before covering with balsa. The wing was created by making the upper and lower skins, gluing the wing ribs to the lower skin before attaching the upper. The cockpit was a challenge, particularly the copy which I plunge molded some clear plastic packaging (from some new baubles) over a balsa mould. The pilot is a slot car figure from immense miniatures, with some major surgery to cram him into the cockpit – the internal fuselage structure visible in the cockpit sidewalls is made from 0.5mm pencil lead. Painted with a mixture of halfords rattle can white and humbrol acrylic red, the decals were home printed and are a little thick, but overall, they look the part. I’m really happy with how this has turned out given that I’ve never made a balsa model before and never made a model from scratch. There are a few inaccuracies, I’m aware of, such as the fuselage lacking a protruding “spine” over the centre of the wings, but I think it looks the part, let me know what you think! Schleicher K8b, G-CFTN, Mendip Gliding Club Hopefully I'll get some pictures of it "flying" when it's less windy outside so I can suspend it. Thanks for looking! Ben Edited December 15, 2019 by wellsprop 39 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhouse Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Superb! It needs a couple of worn tyres to hold the ring down when parked! I have many happy memories of flying in the K13 and K8. I was always reluctant to fly out of sight of the airfield in the K8 though 🤔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglierating Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Looks great ....I'm a big fan of the Mendips too....only I'm usually underground. 👍😃 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Creative thinking outside the box = a very attractive model. Top tier work there! Kind regards, Joachim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelh Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Given that it's made of balsa. Have you tried flying it for real? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 That's great! I'm not sure that the pilot looks quite like you, though 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 ‘Let you know what I think’... I think it looks Fantastic! Great model, especially for a first scratchbuild. 👍👍👍 A bit nostalgic for me too as my first solo was in a K13 and also with the ATC (New Zealand Cadet Forces) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbay133 Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Wow. Stunning scratch model. I also have a soft spot and fond memories for gliders, but my training was a bit earlier. I flew in the Slingsby T21 with my solos in the T31, and the wind blowing through my hair. Well that is another fond memory, hair on my head. 👴 Well done Graeme 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted December 15, 2019 Author Share Posted December 15, 2019 1 hour ago, noelh said: Given that it's made of balsa. Have you tried flying it for real? Yep, when I was building it I tried throwing it to see what'd happen, it glides fairly well, but it needed quite some speed. It was also fairly unstable in yaw! 2 hours ago, bhouse said: Superb! It needs a couple of written tyres to hold the ring down when parked! I have many happy memories of flying in the K13 and K8. I was always reluctant to fly out of sight of the airfield in the K8 though 🤔 1 hour ago, Bandsaw Steve said: ‘Let you know what I think’... I think it looks Fantastic! Great model, especially for a first scratchbuild. 👍👍👍 A bit nostalgic for me too as my first solo was in a K13 and also with the ATC (New Zealand Cadet Forces) 34 minutes ago, dbay133 said: Wow. Stunning scratch model. I also have a soft spot and fond memories for gliders, but my training was a bit earlier. I flew in the Slingsby T21 with my solos in the T31, and the wind blowing through my hair. Well that is another fond memory, hair on my head. 👴 Well done Graeme Thanks all, also glad to kick off a bit of gliding nostalgia - sailplanes are quite overlooked, despite being many peoples first taste of flying 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc72 Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Fantastic model! Scratch-building always impresses me. The only thing that might be missing on the model ist the wool thread on the canopy. Or is this only a German thing on every glider? I also did a few solo flights in a Ka-8 (but never obtained a license), really a cute aircraft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted December 15, 2019 Author Share Posted December 15, 2019 22 minutes ago, Doc72 said: Fantastic model! Scratch-building always impresses me. The only thing that might be missing on the model ist the wool thread on the canopy. Or is this only a German thing on every glider? I also did a few solo flights in a Ka-8 (but never obtained a license), really a cute aircraft. How could I forget! I must add the yaw string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhouse Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 21 minutes ago, Doc72 said: the wool thread on the canopy. Or is this only a German thing No! The wool thread is the single most important instrument in any sailplane! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringbag Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 That certainly captures the look of the Ka.8 very well indeed. Thanks for posting. Chris. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeaton01 Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Great work, really looks the part. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted December 18, 2019 Author Share Posted December 18, 2019 Thanks all I'm wondering what to make next now... I think I'm going to stick with scratchbuilding balsa 1/32, and I'm considering making either a Pa28 (that I learnt to fly in), a Skylark 4 glider or a Rotax Falke motor glider - both from the local gliding club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewfl290 Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 Lovely model. I have a few happy if cramped hours in these. My vote for your next model would be the Skylark 4 and it would be interesting comparing your 1/32 build to my 1/4 scale one 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted December 20, 2019 Author Share Posted December 20, 2019 On 12/18/2019 at 8:43 PM, andrewfl290 said: Lovely model. I have a few happy if cramped hours in these. My vote for your next model would be the Skylark 4 and it would be interesting comparing your 1/32 build to my 1/4 scale one 😉 4.5m wingspan! Blimey, you must need a scale trailer for that too 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigglesworth Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 That is a thing of beauty. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 On 12/15/2019 at 8:44 PM, bhouse said: No! The wool thread is the single most important instrument in any sailplane! Along with the seat of your pants!! Many hours on the K8 in the Alps: an easy and very forgiving glider! Superb memories... As for your model, @wellsprop it is simply fantastic! I hardly can believe it is scratch made out of balsa wood. Congrats!!!! JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 OUTSTANDING build.PRISTINE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Great work. Quite magnificent scratch building it must be said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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