Clark Industries: Tiger Moth

Giant-scale classic warbird

in its day, the Tiger Moth was one of the most widely used trainers in the world, and it remains one of the most widely recognized. Its maiden flight took place in England, in August 1931, and it soon became the standard trainer for many flying clubs and auxiliary squadrons. With dual controls and open cockpits, it was adaptable to all branches of primary training, including aerobatics. The Tiger Moth was also very popular with private owners, and many of the planes are still in use today,

The Carl Industries Tiger Moth is a very authentic reproduction of the famous trainer. The kit consists of complete drawings that show all details of construction; an instruction manual lasercut parts from top-quality, balsa, basswood and aircraft plywood; laser-cut metal fittings; a custom fiberglass cowl and upper center fuel-tank section; a. 20 x 6 prop; many formed-plastic detailed parts; preformed aluminum cabane struts; 5-inch balloon wheels; steel flying wires and control cables; aluminum tubes for wing plug-ins; an engine mount; a center console and radio servoinstallation module; a steerable tailwheel; instrument panels; a canopy; a fuel tank; and a complete hardware package that includes hinges, control horns and clevises.

CONSTRUCTION

Fuselage. Construction begins with the assembly of the precut, interlocking plywood bulkheads with epoxy resin. This forward assembly supports the engine, landing gear and cabane struts, so it is very important to be sure that the assembly is square before the epoxy hardens. The two fuselage side frames should be assembled directly over the plan. Use alignment jigs to align the fuselage side to the forward bulkhead assembly. Then glue the turtledeck formers and stringers and sheet the turtle deck with 3/32-inch balsa sheeting.

The Clark Tiger Moth can be assembled in either of two versions: DH82a or DH82c. Because the Tiger Moth DH82c has a more forward landing gear (and, therefore, better landing ability) than the DH82a, I chose to follow that design. The prebent landing gear is assembled with copper wire and a good grade of soft solder and non-corrosive flux. Use the front and side views on the plan to assemble and align the gear. The instruction manual takes you through the assembly of the undercarriage step by step.

Wings and tail surfaces. Build the wing and tail surfaces directly over the plan in the same manner as the fuselage. The wingtips and tail-surface outlines are made from basswood-strip laminations and should be assembled in simple jigs as illustrated in the instruction manual. Epoxy the aluminum tubes in the wings to secure the wings to the fuselage. It's very important to follow the instruction manual when you align the wings to the fuselage.

The fiberglass dummy fuel tank supports the upper wing and this, too, requires careful positioning before you epoxy the tubes in place. Once you've completed the wing construction, cut the ailerons free. The tail surfaces are basswood laminated to the outer frame's outline, and they should be built up in a similar manner, directly over the plan.

Covering and painting. I covered the entire airframe with Nelson Fabriclite Covering; it's a lightweight polyester material with an adhesive backing that adheres when you use a heating iron set at 200 degrees F. The material is then made taut with the heating iron set at 250 degrees F. This fabric is very easy to work with and fits nicely around compound curves. No doping is required to achieve a drum-tight finish. I then used a long needle to apply RC/56 canopy glue to simulate rib stitching. When the glue dried, I cut 1/2-inch strips of fabric and ironed them on over each rib.

I applied Nelson's water-based, polyurethane paint directly onto the fabric. The instructions suggest that you brush on several light coats of white paint as a base coat before applying the color. To make the paint fuelproof and the fabric more durable, I added 8 ounces of cross-link additive to 1 ounce of color. The cross-link also eliminates the need to dope the fabric before painting. It is extremely important that you strain the paint with a fine strainer, such as a nylon stocking, before use. To thin the paint, the manual suggests using one cap of water to every 4 ounces of paint.

After I had brushed on the white primer coats, I misted on several light coats of Cub Yellow. Do not spray heavy coats because you will use water to thin the paint, and a heavy coat will tend to rim. Therefore, light mist coats are recommended. Another important thing to remember when you use this paint is to have a bucket of water nearby. Since the paint dries quickly, it tends to clog the spray gun. To avoid this, while waiting for each coat to cure (10 to 20 minutes depending on the temperature) remove the paint cup from the sprayer and submerge the entire gun in water. This prevents the internal parts of the gun from clogging. There are some advantages, however, to using this type of paint: it is non-toxic, virtually odorless and can easily be cleaned up with soap and water. If you want to paint your model in true-scale RAF camouflage colors, Clark Industries has a new line of custom-- mixed acrylic enamel paints available. Check the company's website.