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Fairchild XC-120 'Pack Plane'


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No, not Russian.........

This is a model I've wanted to make for years - I was going to attempt a conversion of the Italeri C-119 kit, but there are too many differences.

Now Anigrand have come to the rescue with a 1:72 scale resin kit of the Fairchild XC-120 Pack Plane - and it's looking good, so far.

XC-120%20001.jpg

Fuselage.....

XC-120%20002.jpg

Pod.....

XC-120%20003.jpg

Engines and booms.....

XC-120%20004.jpg

Wing.....

XC-120%20005.jpg

Windows and cockpit canopy are cast in resin.......

XC-120%20006.jpg

I can't wait to get started.

This is what the real thing looks like.....

Real_01.jpg

Real_02.jpg

If anyone has got any information - photos or drawings - of the alternate, slab-sided pod, I would like to try and scratch-build one out of sheet styrene to go alongside my model

Cheers

Ken

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Hey, cool! Ken, you should add some rare earth magnets to the inside the fuselage and insides of the container, then you could attach and detach it whenever you want. Action features!!!

I had the idea of using the flexible magnetic pads that you get on the back of fridge magnets.

I thought a couple recessed into the bottom of the fuselage - and two thin metal plates attached to the top of the pod might work.

But your idea of magnets inside the two halves sounds better - I'll have to experiment.

Cheers :cheers:

Ken

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Ken, if you haven't yet found the drawings you need for the other pod,try "Roll Models."

They have a wide variety of books, including at least one on the XC-120, which should have drawings.

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Ken, if you haven't yet found the drawings you need for the other pod,try "Roll Models."

They have a wide variety of books, including at least one on the XC-120, which should have drawings.

Hi Fred,

What book would have this information? I like the looks of the aircraft and I am following the build with interest as well.

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Hi Fred,

What book would have this information? I like the looks of the aircraft and I am following the build with interest as well.

I got that info from a friend.

He said if you have the Roll Model catalogue, there's a book section(in the back, I think he said).

It should/may be a Schiffer book.

All I know...

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The wings are glued together, the resin canopy is attached.

I added packing at its rear to bring it forward and raised it slightly to get a decent fit - plenty of filler to try and blend it seamlessly into the fuselage.

I have taped it all together - to get a feel for the balance........

XC-120%20007.jpg

It looks like it will need lots of weight to counterbalance the tail at the end of long booms.......

There is room in the forward nacelles and cockpit - but it all adds weight to an already heavy model..... :woot.gif:

And..... the undercarriage legs are cast in resin....... :bandhead2:

Ken

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Looks like a nice build so far Ken. What are you going to do about the resin gear?

I might try to re-create the main legs from brass tube/rod.

They are vertical and will take most of the weight.

I'll probably use the resin 'forward' legs.

I may just see how it goes.......

Ken

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Hi Ken

Nice to see progress on your XC-120.

On the Britmodeller site where my build can be seen, there has been discussion about thedimensions of the pods. I have measured them against the Italeri C-119, and I think they are OK. I just tried puttting an update through explaining that, but the site appears to be down. A for the undercarriage I'm having the same thought. I think it unlikely that SAC will do a metal undercarriage set, certainly not in time, but that would have been an option.

Good luck with your build.

Ted

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Just to show that I am making progress.........

The inner (inverted gull) wings attached to the fuselage ......

XC-120%20008.jpg

... then the booms and horizontal tailplane attached....

XC-120%20009.jpg

.... then the outer wings.....

XC-120%20010.jpg

Fit of parts is excellent - a bit of jiggling to get the fins vertical but the joints are good.

There is plenty of room in the pod for nose weight, but I want to model it on it's wheels without the pod - so I have stuffed weight into the cowlings and front of the booms where I could - but it is nowhere near enough.

So I have left the 'floor' of the fuselage off at this stage - so I can add weight into the fuselage ahead of the CG....

XC-120%20011.jpg

I just hope the quadricycle undercarriage can take all the weight :woot.gif:

Ken

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The pod looks to me as if it was the bottom of a C-119 from the cockpit windows down and minus the rear clamshell doors. I would start with a 72 scale C-119 fuselage and convert from that. It may save you a lot of work.

Yasa, did you read my first post??.......

This is a model I've wanted to make for years - I was going to attempt a conversion of the Italeri C-119 kit, but there are too many differences.

The fuselage of the XC-120 is totally different from the C-119, you can't use the latter at all - or, you could, but the work involved would be severe..

The inner wings are inverted gull raise the fuselage to make room for the pod and the pod itself bears little resemblance to the C-119 fuselage....

XC-120%20012.jpg

XC-120%20013.jpg

The only parts you could use from the C-119 kit would be the engines/booms, the main undercarriage and the outer wings.

You would still have to scratch-build the XC-120 fuselage and pod - and you would need to modify the C-119 booms to remove the dorsal fillet.

Late in its career, the XC-120 aquired dorsal fillets and there were a couple of different pods - square in section and less aerodynamic.

Ken

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A bit more progress - almost ready to apply the decals......

XC-120%20014.jpg

I learned a bit of physics when building this........

In order to make the pod detachable, I have inserted two rare earth magnets into the bottom of the fuselage and another two in the top of the pod (thanks Supertom :thumbsup: ).

What I didn't think about is that the magnets come in matching pairs - so I superglued the first set into the fuselage and another set into the pod and covered both sets over with thin plastic card to hide them.

It was only when the pod was offered up to the fuselage that I realised I had got the polarities wrong and the fuselage was 'rejecting' the pod... :doh::doh:

I quickly gouged out the pod magnets and reversed them - making sure that the polarities were now correct.... :thumbsup:

.... only to find that the pod was now back to front.... it would attach back end to the front - but not the other way round :bandhead2:

Cutting the magnets out for the third time and re-attaching them with the correct up-down, front-back polarity has fixed things.... :banana:

The pod attachment isn't perfect - the mating surface between the pod and fuselage isn't perfectly flat - the fuselage is slightly twisted along its length :deadhorse1:

I've added plastic card to flatten it out as best I can.....

Ken

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Nice progress Ken. Have you got the CofG sorted? On my model I had to put a lot of weight in the pod to stop it tail sitting.

Ted

About a TON inside the engine nacelles plus another TON in the upper fuselage as far forward as I can get it.

It now weighs a couple of tons - and just balances on its mainwheels. :woot.gif:

I'm trying to get it to stand on all 4 legs without the pod attached - I just hope the legs can take the strain.....

Ken

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I'm trying to get it to stand on all 4 legs without the pod attached - I just hope the legs can take the strain.....

Ken

If you wish, have a look at my latest post on Britmodeller, to see how I got around the weight problem. There is no way my gear leg will break now :thumbsup:

Ted

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If you wish, have a look at my latest post on Britmodeller, to see how I got around the weight problem. There is no way my gear leg will break now :thumbsup:

Ted

I'd already done the same as you - made a brass rod main leg, plus bits cut from the resin leg.

Most of the weight will be taken vertically down the main leg - with just a bit of weight on the more vunerable front legs, so I'm hoping it will stand the strain. :pray: :pray:

How are your props?? - they are the worst bits of the kit - air holes, mis-casting, two blades broken off and others twisted.

I'd like to get Aeroclub white metal replacements - 15ft Hamiltons.

Anyone know a source ???

Ken

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Hi Ken

I posted a pic of my props on my build thread. As you know, I had the same problem with broken blades. Basically, I cleaned off the shaft between blade and hub, drilled it out and put in brass rod as the shaft. It is nice and firm now. The blades were cleaned up, they weren't brilliant. I think they'll be OK once painted. I did have a look around for replacement props but couldn't find anything.

Ted

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  • 3 weeks later...

In order to make the pod detachable, I have inserted two rare earth magnets into the bottom of the fuselage and another two in the top of the pod (thanks Supertom :thumbsup: ).

Least I could do - you've given me years of Flanker color info! It's a beautiful build Ken - can't wait to see the magazine article!

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