AJ Sun

Well I guess I hijacked another web. The Veco Tom Tom got a partial kit mostly wing ribs and some fuselage tail parts. It’s laser cut, I like that and the curator left out four ribs I was able to replace the missing ribs. Have not received them yet but they are in the process thru the USPS. It’s the Old Veco version of the Tom Tom and I was able to get some original parts and a few landing gear parts the metal clips and the Nobler gear was a shoe in perfect. Got several parts 1/8th square in 36 inch and 1/8th by one inch front spar, all that was special order in spruce. For the wing assembly. Using a 3 inch Bel crank Veco. The kit offered a mount but It’s just not to my liking so a thicker bell crank mount will be replacing the kit one and also the trailing edge of the wing. Which will make the wing much stronger but a little heavier per design! AJ

AJ Sun

Well all my back ordered parts arrived today. Got to take a few days to measure and decide how I am going to finish up this wing. Reviewing all the assembly instructions. Now that I have all the fuselage parts pre assembled I need to mount the landing gear. Got the original Veco gear clips the original package sold three clips for $.15 cents back in the 50s
. I paid $11.50 for the set which included shipping. Still cheaper than going to town AJ

AJ Sun

Wednesday and the wing assembled well, broke two leading edge ribs installing the 1/8 x1 inch forward spar. The rear trailing edge fit really well. Only way to glue this assembly is to thin the Sig glue and lay it in the crack. Of each assembly point by laying the wing vertical applying the thinned cement and letting it set over nite flip the wing over and do the same application to the other side. It’s spruce and Balsa so it should wick I hope. Also assembled the forward fuselage assembly. Landing gear and fire wall, engine rails. Thirty minute Epoxy and clamped.AJ

AJ Sun

Managed to remove the Tom Tom of the building board looks nice and straight, now to finish all the wicking, my thinned Sig bond is doing really well, better than I expected. Cut the wing to fuselage attach plates. That's a trick bonding at the training edge over nite dry then applying all four pieces. Top and bottom. That take time then using ammonia water go bend the four pieces to the leading edge. After costing the balsa. Having to mod the bell crank mount to include that center section from the trailing edge to the front source spar.AJ

AJ Sun

Today I installed the belcrank wood mount. It's thicker and is inserted from the trailing edge to the rear 1/8th square bottom spar to the 1/8th by 1 inch forward spar. With a 1/4 inch square reinforcement, off that forward 1/8 th spar. Should be strong enough. I also installed all the fuselage formers. A little progress is going well.AJ

AJ Sun

Bell crank and lead outs are installed, lots of sanding and a little fill. On the wing then do a fitting on the fuselage. And install the elevator push rod assembly. All this prior to fuselage covering. Starting to weight and balance prep.AJ

AJ Sun

Today I soldiered up the control push rod will make it adjustable at the Elevator. Solid soldier at the Bell crank. This is running thru the fuselage assembly. So it better be right. With no way to fix it or adjust it. The top of the fuselage is much like the Super Ringmaster. A little different at the cockpit. AJ

Daveey7

The earlier version is decidedly different.

AJ Sun

Ya I hear ya Dave I never liked what Dubro and Aero did to the design. I've wanted to build one sense the 60s, my plane I am building is out if 53. Found the Red Skin in an original kit. But it was pretty bad. The hard wood De laminated from heat I think, but she is original. Sad it's not build able. The die smash is really light, my old eyes can hardly see the in print. And the heat shrunk several pieces, really dried out. Like kindlingwood. It would be a great plane to build, never knew it was offered from Veco. Back to the Tom Tom is about ready to mate the wing to the fuselage and in stall the tail elevator. And push rod assembly. That's going to be a trick, but clevis and adjustable threads on the elevator section. Should be a piece of cake to get it right. Plan on heat shrink, to insure it don't come loose! Great build! AJ

Hye Flyer

AJ, can you post some pictures of your build? That would be great to see my short kit in action. LOL. Pete

Hye Flyer

Also, downloaded the VECO Redskin plans… they are in Portuguese… but I am (google) translating and will repost…also had to adjust the size of the PDF as it was about 1/2” short on the wingspan. I’ll short kit the Redskin in a few months. Pete

AJ Sun

Ya Hye, I can post photos on messenger but not on the program for this. It just will not transfer. The wing is about complete and after some sanding and adjusting I will mate it to the fuselage. A lot of it is sand and fit. I installed a three inch bel crank had to come little modification go get it to clear and fit. The tail section elevator and push rod assembly will take some doing, to clear. I did not use your bel crank wood mount. Made a thicker one and it went to the training edge and mounted off that 1/8th x one inch forward spar.AJ

Hye Flyer

Got ya. If you want, send to me via messenger and I’ll post them for you if you want. .then you can comment on them which will be helpful for future builds

AJ Sun

The build is going well made a few mistakes but I’ve been able to correct them as I go. Wing is done and about ready to mate it to the fuselage. Tried to bend the rod from the Control Bel Crank to the Elevator. Going to have to redo that just binds at several points. Trying to get it to move with out binding. Wanted to use a threaded Clevis at the elevator so I can adjust the movement and mount the Clevis at the Bel crank by soldier it in place. Has to have a bend to clear the wing trailing edge. I made that thicker and wider to prevent the wing from twisting and flexing. Also used a cap leading edge. With a spruce spars and leading edge of spruce.AJ

AJ Sun

Got the wing mated and the elevator control rod installed ended up cutting another 3/4 inch and resoldier that rod. Used Thirty minute Two part epoxy. I will do some Balsa filling and try to reinforce. Lots of open areas and sand to fit with some fill required. The wing flap was omitted with the wider trailing edge. If the elevator is in trim I will Epoxy that tomorrow. And do some weighting. The balance point is at the down elevator lead out. That’s a start two and one half inches from the wing leading edge. AJ

AJ Sun

Hi Pete if this Red skin comes about please use thicker Balsa on the wing. How in the world did the plan come out of Portugol. That’s crazy! I’ve mated up the Tom Tom and doing sanding and fill. Going to use 1/8th on the top deck and belly. AJ

AJ Sun

Gosh I seen several post on guys Building Tom Toms, great to see, two of them were the Dumas version. I found out My IPad is to old for posting photos. My flat phone is newer and Messanger on my IPad will take photos but fail to post might be me. Don’t know much on the tech stuff. My Tom. Tom is pretty ready for cover maybe a few more coats Nitrate. Weather is just to hot even in the early morning. Been using retarder thinner. And lite sanding between coats.

AJ Sun

I don’t know if any one has noticed. But another guy is building the Tom Tom original version I think he might be in Florida. 80 years young and doing a nice job. My plane I posted on Messanger I hung it up to dry all the moisture out. Still haven’t covered the wings been too hot. But now our weather went from dry to really wet. Trying to find that happy medium. Less moisture. And mild temps. September came in really wet. The Ringmaster FlyOhThon is just around the corner now.