Mitchell

This project isn't a build but a rebuild after a crash on a first flight. The model is the electric powered ARTF from Black Horse and was set up as per instructions with the CofG where it says... I was dubious at best, of the position of this, but set it anyway.... problem was I did it with the undercarriage in the down position, it should have been in the raised position as the legs retract backwards.... this altered the already rearward centre of gravity (as suspected) making the model very touchy to fly under power, once power was lost, battery flat, the model spun out of control hitting the ground nose first

The result of a rearward centre of gravity

With a replacement fuselage costing nearly as much as the kit.... the parts of the wrecked fuselage were laid out to try to make templates for new parts.... If you like jigsaws then this was a job for you... A loan of a club members fuselage from his unbuilt kit helped here as the parts were virtually unrecognizable, the various pieces of the bulkheads and fuselage formers were stuck together with Cyano and then used to draw templates from which new parts were made and the front of the fuselage re-assembled

Due to the nose glazing being totally blitzed the model was redone as the gunship version with a solid nose. The cockpit glazing was glued together and a plug made to vac-form a new canopy

The fuselage was recovered with Profilm and painted, new decals were made to give the model originality

The model is seen here finished and ready for its' test flight, the CofG is set at 28% of the wing chord with the undercarriage raised

I have to say that she now flies beautifully and I prefer her looks as the gunship version. This goes to show that you can, if you put your mind to it, repair that "un-repairable" model with a little patience and a bit of help