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Thread: Large plane wing droop over time - how much of an issue?

  1. #1

    Default Large plane wing droop over time - how much of an issue?

    I've gotten my lovely Felixstone flying boat in FUD, with tons of detail, and I hope to turn it into a great model with detailed painting, (although still play it). My question is how much of a problem gradual wing droop over the months and years is with FUD, and as a result whether I should do something to prevent it. Right now the wings are ever so slightly bent downward, but not enough to really notice. But if it warps over time, that would of course be something I wouldn't be willing to put up with. It's been suggested to put a brass strip under the top wings, which I could certainly do, except it would look rather unsightly, and I have doubts whether I could add putty to the edges of the strip to smooth the edge and hopefully make it less noticeable. (My experience with greenstuff has been universally nowhere near good enough, and I lack an any way to sand or file it with my present set of equipment. Should I be using Squadron putty instead?)

    So if it's not needed, I'd much rather not add it, but what I'm wondering is whether it's needed or not to prevent the wings from sagging over the next couple years. Thanks!

  2. #2

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    If you store the model wheels-up, only turning it right-side-up for play, it will never be a problem.
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  3. #3

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    (Editor's note: My apologies, I accidentally edited this post rather than posting a follow up, and I don't know a way to restore it. -- Daryl)
    Last edited by ReducedAirFact; 02-10-2018 at 22:08.

  4. #4

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    It's a good question and I don't know the answer. The only large¹ print I have in FUD is a Junkers J.I. It's doing just fine after five years of Earth gravity because the wings are so thick on that beast, even though the wings are mostly self-supporting. So I think it is going to vary a lot based on the length and thickness of the wings, and the thickness probably varies from one designer to the next.


    (¹ I define "large" as "bigger than the typical WWI two-seater".)

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Helmut View Post
    If you store the model wheels-up, only turning it right-side-up for play, it will never be a problem.
    Yes, really good idea, actually, except this particular plane had 2 large projecting rectangular somethings on the top of the upper wings about 3/4ths of the way to the tip. Instead of the wings sagging under their own weight, they'd be sagging under the whole weight of the model. But I will use it for other planes.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by BraselC5048 View Post
    Yes, really good idea, actually, except this particular plane had 2 large projecting rectangular somethings on the top of the upper wings about 3/4ths of the way to the tip. Instead of the wings sagging under their own weight, they'd be sagging under the whole weight of the model. But I will use it for other planes.
    You could get some foam for the bottom of your storage area and cut slots in it to accept the projections.

    I can't find the reference, but I think those rectangular areas cover king posts. Cables are run from the wing tips over the king posts and back to the center-upper wing, forming a triangle. The cables support the outer wing when the plane isn't moving. The Felixstowe designers had the same concerns over wing droop that you have!¹ They probably found it reduced drag to cover the rectangular area with fabric rather than just leave the posts exposed in the windstream.

    ¹ = Actually much of the Felixstowe design is borrowed from the Curtiss H-4 and H-12, which used the same king-post feature.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by BraselC5048 View Post
    Yes, really good idea, actually, except this particular plane had 2 large projecting rectangular somethings on the top of the upper wings about 3/4ths of the way to the tip. Instead of the wings sagging under their own weight, they'd be sagging under the whole weight of the model. But I will use it for other planes.
    If you have to leave it right way up then prop the wings with some foam to take the load off.

    "He is wise who watches"

  8. #8

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    I'm not really wondering about "ways to store to prevent wing droops;" I'm wondering if it's going to occur in the first place! This is the model in question. Storage conditions would likely be on either a flat hard surface upright in a box, (possibly temporarily tilted to one side or other as the box the box is in gets moved), or on a upright on a foam surface that stays upright the same way. (How I'm going to paint the inside - I haven't figured that part out yet.) Would wing drop also be an issue in any of these?

  9. #9

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    Bigger question than gravity is leaving planes in a hot car for a while before bringing them out to play. Also works the other way in the winter when they are ice cold and you bring em in. Question then is are they temp stable or will heat reshape em or cold make em brittle?

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcat View Post
    Bigger question than gravity is leaving planes in a hot car for a while before bringing them out to play. Also works the other way in the winter when they are ice cold and you bring em in. Question then is are they temp stable or will heat reshape em or cold make em brittle?
    Shapeways says the FUD material is heat-proof to 80℃ / 176℉. Now, I'm not sure if that's the temperature when it transitions from solid to easily-deformed plastic or whether that's when they basically melt. That's pretty hot, though.

  11. #11

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    Well if you can reshape em with warm water it does make one wonder. But on the flip side hot water does not turn them to goo so suspect that takes a much higher temp.



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