Edit: We've been having so much fun that time got away from me and October'ss miscellany post ended up in November!
It's time to tie up loose ends again with another Potpourri of miscellany.
Team America Edge 540T EXP
Well, someone had to do it, didn't they? Team America World police is one of my very favorite movies, so I snicked the logos off the old internet, took them to the local sign shop and had some printed up. I think the Edge's red/white/blue scheme lends itself well to the Team America theme, **** yeah!
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These decals are printed on 3M High Performance vinyl, which is extremely easy to work with. This is not the air-release type of vinyl (which is thicker, heavier and more expensive), so I had to be careful not to trap any air under the decal. This is where Rapid Tac and a good rubber graphics squeeqie are so helpful. I start at one end and squeegee out the Rapid Tac, and most of the time any air goes with it. Occasionally you can get a bubble, but if you work slowly you can catch it in time to lift a little of the decal up so it can escape. I have also found that it helps to hold one end higher and work toward that end....because air always tries to go up to escape fluid.
While we are at it, I did a Team America Yak awhile back but did not have an opportunity to put it in a blog report. Here it is:
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I'm working on some more Team America stuff but everything takes time, and I've got a few projects ahead of that, including a new 60" Russian Thunder Yak with 7245MH servos.
B and E Graphics "Radial Engine"
The new Extreme Flight 60" Yak EXP has already surpassed my wildest expectations, so I wanted to bling it out a little. I measured the cowling and sent the dimensions to B and E, and they shrunk their giant scale radial decal down to fit.
You can get your own here: B and E Graphics Radial decal
With a little Rapid Tac decal solution the decal slid into place and from there I used a vinyl squeegee to get all the fluid and air out. I knew the decal would look great, but it's surprising how realistic it is from just a few feet away. This is a very righteous upgrade and well worth the time.
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I had toyed with the idea of cutting the whole front out and putting a fake vacuum formed formed radial engine in the front, but that would present too many opportunities to screw it up and ruin an expensive cowling. This solution only took a few minutes and you can see how very well worth it the effort turned out to be.
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Red Extra Retired
Sadly my beloved red Extra EXP has gotten so beat up and raggedly looking that I passed it off to one of my friends and will be building a new one soon. This was the last video we got with it, and probably my best Extra video ever. I'm really looking forward to shooting more with a shiny new one.
Extra EXP EPIC from Doc Austin on Vimeo.
Someone Had To do It
A few years ago someone told me it would be impossible to put flight to Pink Floyd's Echoes. The first concert I ever attended was Pink Floyd's Meddle and Obscured By Clouds tour in, I think, July 4th, 1971, and Echoes was part of that. Since I was in the company of a fine lady, there were a few other firsts that night (use your imagination), it was a memorable evening. Echoes has always been a huge favorite and the challenge of putting it to flight was too big to pass up.
I have done several "Echoes of" videos, and when I had enough MXS footage from the same day, it was time to try it again. We shot three flights as close together as possible so the lighting would not change much, but that did not work out as we intended. Instead, we shot too late in the day and flew into a brilliant sunset. Things actually worked out really well that way because the video is visually stunning and the music suits it extremely well. I could have been happier with the flying, but that's always the case, and the MXS is just bad ass under all conditions.
Someone had to do it, and it was us.
I've got a new kit sitting out in the garage, but this time it will be a little different. I've got three HS5070MH servos and one HS5087MH servo (for the elevator) set aside and this will be my first experiments with an HV Extra. I've tried these servos with really good success on an Edge and an MXS, so I am really looking forward to flying this plane.
Someone Had To do It
A few years ago someone told me it would be impossible to put flight to Pink Floyd's Echoes. The first concert I ever attended was Pink Floyd's Meddle and Obscured By Clouds tour in, I think, July 4th, 1971, and Echoes was part of that. Since I was in the company of a fine lady, there were a few other firsts that night (use your imagination), it was a memorable evening. Echoes has always been a huge favorite and the challenge of putting it to flight was too big to pass up.
I have done several "Echoes of" videos, and when I had enough MXS footage from the same day, it was time to try it again. We shot three flights as close together as possible so the lighting would not change much, but that did not work out as we intended. Instead, we shot too late in the day and flew into a brilliant sunset. Things actually worked out really well that way because the video is visually stunning and the music suits it extremely well. I could have been happier with the flying, but that's always the case, and the MXS is just bad ass under all conditions.
Someone had to do it, and it was us.
Sucks Getting Old
Finally, thanks to everyone who wrote, called or dropped by the field to check up on me and wish me well after this summer's medical misadventure. It was a horrible experience, but thanks to God that it is over and (hopefully) that's the last of that sort of thing I will go through for awhile.
Thanks for reading my blog and please tell all your friends about it.
Great job with the artwork- I love the last two the most! The cowl looks great on the 60" Yak- they should all ship with that look; spectacular.
ReplyDeleteAlways entertaining writing and flying!