La Donna

[technoid]

I found a cool looking control line stunt model from 1964 I want to model. Of course like always moving a control line model to RC brings a few changes to the model so when you see some changes it's just me making the model what I want it to be. I'll be upscaling it from a 56 inch wingspan to 84 inches and probably a few other changes. I may leave off the wheel pants and add retracts. I'll be adding a rib cage but it won't have as many ribs as the control line version. So expect a few changes here and there but it will definitely look like the original, just with a few changes I'd make if I scratch built it in real life. Here's some pictures of the original model.

 

[technoid]

I started working on La Donna last night and got quite a bit done, of course being able to use parts from an existing model helped a lot. I grabbed the engine, wing, hstab, and vstab from Trident and reshaped them to match La Donna. That helped speed up the build quite a bit. I did have to create a new muffler La Donna doesn't have room for the tuned pipe I was planning to use but the new muffler is only 8.5 inches (the muffler will probably be tweaked later). Here's a render of what I have.

 

[BrokeDad]

Grabbed the final sea cruise from swap and took a look at the pictures. Nice start.

 

[technoid]

Grabbed the final sea cruise from swap and took a look at the pictures. Nice start.

Thanks. I haven't been able to get going on it again but at some point I will. All I plan to do with the rib cages is have them show through a tiny bit so you can tell they're there but not look transparent. Just something to set the parts off a bit.

 

[technoid]

I added the booms to La Donna tonight I'll need to tweak them after I get the plane laid out but they're pretty close. I haven't shaped the rudders yet so they don't look right but I did shape the hstab and elevator so they're looking pretty good. I do see I'll be tweaking things here and there to get it where I want but in the end it'll be very close to the control line version, but not exact. Here's a render for you.

 

[BrokeDad]

Take your time. You've spoiled us with so many new models to fly in a row. I'm gonna try to limp out enough to fly something big at least a few times winds permitting.

 

[technoid]

Take your time. You've spoiled us with so many new models to fly in a row. I'm gonna try to limp out enough to fly something big at least a few times winds permitting.

Yeah I use modeling as therapy since I can't get out much. It gives me something to do that keeps my mind active, as bad as it is.. it could be worse I guess.

Did you get any flying done outside today?

 

[technoid]

A bit more progress to report. I started working on the fuselage tonight and also sheeted the wing where the booms fasten for extra support. Got a question for you. If you look at the first picture on the first post you'll see the fuselage stops before the end of the wing, but that's because that part is a full width flap so it can't go back. I was planning to stop the ailerons at the edge of the fuselage and make the fuselage go to the back of the wing.. does that seem right to you guys? Of course I need to taper the fuselage as it goes back to the end of the wing like it does on the control line version but have it go all the way to the end of the wing. So what do you think?

 

[Ron6234]

Looks fine to me,but like you said taper the fuselage as it goes back to the end of the wing!
Ron

 

[BrokeDad]

Yeah I use modeling as therapy since I can't get out much. It gives me something to do that keeps my mind active, as bad as it is.. it could be worse I guess.

Did you get any flying done outside today?

I flew my big Goblin 500 twice yesterday and the little ones again a lot. The Blade 120S are nice for backyard circuits and if I want to get wilder there is the XK K110. The two share the same lipos. I think it's gonna be another lazy day of the same.

The La Donna is looking good. I've been spending a lot of time on RF every day. Wednesday I see my pain doctor and the week after that on the 26th I see the orthopedic surgeon again. I think he's gonna need to operate.

Some days I feel like this:

 

[technoid]

Okay thanks guys. And yeah it will be tapered as it goes back like the control line version I was just tried and wanted to stop. You can't see it but I also added the taper in the front on the bottom where it wraps around the engine. I still need to work on that part but I'll post a render of where it is now. I kind of jump around sometimes and then go back and finish up where I left off later. I better get ready for Church.

 

[technoid]

I flew my big Goblin 500 twice yesterday and the little ones again a lot. The Blade 120S are nice for backyard circuits and if I want to get wilder there is the XK K110. The two share the same lipos. I think it's gonna be another lazy day of the same.

The La Donna is looking good. I've been spending a lot of time on RF every day. Wednesday I see my pain doctor and the week after that on the 26th I see the orthopedic surgeon again. I think he's gonna need to operate.

Some days I feel like this:

Good deal I'm glad you got some flying in. And that picture fits me too, just tuckered out to the bone.

 

[technoid]

I finished shaping the fuselage around the spinner after creating the engine area on the bottom of the fuselage, so next is shaping the back of the fuselage at the end of the wing. I've been thinking about keeping the control line flap at the back of the wing and using at it as a normal flap, but I'm not sure this plane needs one so I may or may not do that. But it would keep the area the control line version used so it would make the RC version a little closer looking to the original plane. Here's a render from the bottom side of the finished nose. I need to add cutouts for the engine but that comes later after I finish getting the plane built.

 

[BrokeDad]

For some reason I keep thinking of a second pusher propeller on it. I don't know why. Maybe the is some other model I can't think of like that or I've been flying the Lay-Ze too much.

 

[technoid]

For some reason I keep thinking of a second pusher propeller on it. I don't know why. Maybe the is some other model I can't think of like that or I've been flying the Lay-Ze too much.

Yeah I've seen several planes that are push pull and they look cool.

 

[technoid]

A bit more progress to report. I tapered the back of the fuselage and reshaped the top and bottom of the booms to be almost flat like the picture of the La Donna. Now the front end lays very close to the wing like the picture so give it a look and see what you think. I might need to raise the front of them a little they're pretty close to the wing. OH.. I also modified the center section and moved the back of the fuselage in front of the flaps. I think the ailerons will be okay if I cut them at the booms and use the inside part for flaps. But it could go either way if I need them to be ailerons. But I expect the outside ailerons will be fine and I'll use the inside part as flaps. I wasn't planning to do that but it keeps the look of the plane more like the original. Here's another render for you.

I've got quite a bit of work to do on the tail section. The rudders need to be shaped and I need to finish the hstab too. So there's a lot of work to make it look the way I want. But its coming along nicely. It might look like the La Donna after all. I'm still thinking about leaving the wheel pants off and giving it retracts. These kind of planes look sleek in the air without the landing gear hanging down.

 

[Ron6234]

looking very nice,you sure do great work and I thank you for all the aircraft that you have made and put on the swap pages!
Ron

 

[technoid]

looking very nice,you sure do great work and I thank you for all the aircraft that you have made and put on the swap pages!
Ron

You're welcome I'm glad you enjoy them. This is therapy for me it keeps my mind working, don't have that much left so I need to keep what I have working. Ha!

 

[technoid]

In the spirit of this plane I made a cockpit like the pictures in the first post. The gauges on the dash are not meant to be real gauges just gray circles where the gauges would be. The cockpit area only goes down one half inch so the seat is cut off too. It seems to work for this plane. Oh I still haven't shaped the rudders so don't worry if you notice that, sometimes I finish things in a strange order.

 

[BrokeDad]

It's looking more like the real one every day. Let me know if I can help again with anything. I have LOTS of spare time right now.