Luscombe Sedan Model




The final assembly and finishing touches made a dramatic difference in the finished project. I had painted the red plastic main gear wheels black and then painted the center of the wheels blue to match the trim on the airplane. These wheels slipped onto the wire landing gear ends and I bent them a bit to keep them from falling off. The tail wheel slipped on the same way and is such a tight fit that I did not bend the wire.

Rear view of finished airplane

Perhaps the most dramatic change in the airplane was the addition of the windows. The kit provided a piece of clear celluloid and a pattern for cutting the windows. The windshield and side windows were all one piece and with a bit of trimming fit the way it was designed. I used clear double sided tape to hold the windows in place on each side and then added a bit of clear epoxy at the top of the windshield where the window met the wing. As with any window project on a model it was very difficult to glue them in place without getting glue where it was not supposed to be. There were also window patterns for the cabin roof and the back window, which were easier to cut and install. The propeller and its hardwood hub were easy to slip into the center hole of the engine cowling and using two pieces of wire I was able to snag the rubber band and get it attached to the wood dowel. Although very fragile I glued the wing support struts, which really add a realistic look. It is doubtful that these would have ever survived a flight if I tried to fly this airplane. The 1/16" thick pieces of balsa are weak and are attached using a dab of clear epoxy.

Windows and propeller

The final step was drawing the control surfaces using a fine tipped Sharpie. The ailerons on the wing, the elevators on the horizontal stabilizer, and the rudder on the vertical stabilizer were all indicated on the plan. I drew the rudder using a straight edge but made templates from the plan copies for the ailerons and elevators. The control surface lines are drawn on both sides of the wings and horizontal stabilizer. Unfortunately the large decal on the wing is on the top only because they were so old that the first one I soaked in water failed before getting it off the slip paper. The other decals were as fragile, but they were a smaller size, which made them managable. I noticed when finished that the "S" (for Silveraire) logo is placed on the top of the vertical stabilizer by the kit plan but on the postcard they are positioned on the lower corner.

Decals and control surfaces

The model now makes it home in our library/bar and perhaps will find itself hanging from the ceiling in the future. It made the trip from the shop to the house in a cardboard box because the wind was blowing about 40 miles an hour and I was afraid it would be ripped apart on the short walk to the house. Building this kit does give me the bug to want to build a simplier flying model, but other projects are waiting for my attention so I will put that aside for now.




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