Span 18.5 cm / 7.3 in
Weight 18 g / 0.65 oz
The model:
The original ‘As’ del Pacifico was and still is a 10 inch span full house 3D (balsa stick fuselage, rib-wing, tissue covered) lovely little model from Mexico distributed around fifty years ago by Casa Vega. My copy is a slightly enlarged and brutally simplified variant just to meet our common demands. But ¡pélame! it is not utter-utterly easy to build, therefore not recommended as a first model.
Pacifico (Clara) by the way is a popular high quality beer here in Mexico. They brow it for more than 120 years and it comes from Mazatlán (Sinaloa, northwestern Mexico, Pacific coast, nice beaches, historic center, situated less than 800 miles south of the border).
Build my rendition to the ‘As’ del Pacifico. It is capable of rather long and pleasant flights. You won’t be disappointed, if you build it as shown on plan and as described here.
Building the rubber powered balsa profile-fuselage model ‘As’ del Pacifico.
Materials
Fuselage: B 2.5 or 3; fuselage nose parts: B 3; rubber hook: piano wire 1.2 mm diameter; landing gear: piano wire 1 mm diameter plus commercial light weight wheels diameter 20 or 25 mm; tail skid: B stick 3 x 3; wings: B 1; wing supports: B 3 x 3; wing ribs: B 3; horizontal stabilizer: B 1; fin: B 1; solid tailor’s thread; linen band width 12 mm / ½ in; ballast: small piece of scrap metal or lead; one commercial plastic airscrew 4 in diameter or self-made from wood; thin white or brown rubber.
Assembly
Cut out balsa parts in accordance to plan. Sand well (photo). Transfer outlines of cabin windows, rudders, elevators, etc. from paper to wood with pen. If desired paint model parts now.
Wing:
Wing consists of a right and a left wing half. Fix one wing half on building board with pins. Cement corresponding half to it by paying attention to dihedral (70 mm) given in plan. When dry reinforce joining area with linen band (photo) and let dry.
If wing has tendency to rest on one side only, then it is too heavy on this side. To compensate the imbalance, disperse a small amount of white wood glue on the opposite wing tip area and let dry. Do it, if necessary, twice until balance is obtained.
Cement both ribs as shown on plan. Use clamps to hold in place. Let dry.
Fuselage:
Bend as shown on plan piano wire into given hook shape. Carve out with knife and round file seat for rubber hook on left or right side of fuselage. Cement hook in place and cover hook area with linen band as seen on photos and on plan. Let dry.
Make cutout for tail skid and install into fuselage, then let dry.
Cement B 3 nose parts one on the other as shown on plan and let dry. Sand well than treat this part with balsa putty. When dry sand again. May be this procedure has to be repeated. When the nose part is smooth you can start to carve out opening which will hold prop-bearing. Start from behind and don’t do it in a hurry. A little electric drill machine can be useful.
Cement nose assembly on fuselage according to plan and photos. Additional triangled B 3 reinforcement parts not shown on plan can be cemented to strengthen connection between nose assembly and fuselage.
Empennage:
Cement horizontal stabilizer into its slot on fuselage using pins to hold. Visual check symmetry from all sides. Let dry.
Add fin in the same way and let dry.
Landing gear:
Bend piano wire according to pattern on plan. It is easier than you might think, just start to do it with the help of two needle nose pliers. Regularly compare your result with pattern on plan and correct if necessary. Drill little holes into the hull as shown on plan. Sew the wire tight to the fuselage with a solid thread. Cover area around generously with cement or epoxy. Let dry.
Final Assembly:
Fix fuselage assembly on so called ‘third hand’. Cement wing on fuselage and fuselage supports at the position given on plan using pins to hold in place. Doublecheck visually symmetry. Let dry.
A piece of lead or scrap metal may be used to balance model if necessary. My model was balanced nearly correctly without any ballast as prop and landing gear act as ballast too.
Remember correct center of gravity (CG) is essential for successful flights.
Te deseo muchos vuelos placenteros! (Jag önskar dig många trevliga flygningar!)
Leave a Reply