1/4 scale Jet ranger
Roughing the interior structure
Next up was roughing the interior. I wanted to make sure all structure was in place before I added fluff. using the printed mechanics as a guide and installed the wood formers that came with the kit and added a 3rd one where the passenger back rest is. for some reason Vario wants you make the floor of the heli at the same height as the door jamb... like its some eurocopter or something...lol. so I am changing that to look like you are stepping into a tub what the door is open. Vario also wants you to install the batteries under the front seats in the form of 3 - 4S packs, but most of my stuff flies on some variation of 6S. so i have decided to put 4 packs under the back seat. the seat pan will come out and secure with magnets. the luggage door will open to allow me to make the battery connections. the batteries will sit under the CG so while they will not help, they will also not hurt. I have taken to printing some of the internal structure rather than shaping it all out of balsa. this is printed with PETG, its a pain but has a glass transition temp of 185F or 85C so when its sitting in the Texas heat, the inside wont melt on me. so far the benches are ready to be covered in styrene and i have printed the linkage tower, and a semi scale ceiling to hide the mechanics from the inside. I also made the instrument console itself. it needed to come forward a lot more than i though as is evidenced by the pictures. originally it stuck out of the windshield, so that was not good. it matches pictures and drawings a lot better now that its moved forward. i guess my spatial awareness was not as awesome as i like to think it is.
lastly, i made some more scale hinges and door handles that i have sent off to be printed in nylon powder as that is sadly still not something I can do in house. will update once i have them.











12 Comments
Subscribed to the build, looking forward towards it
Can’t wait for this to take shape!
Looking forward to watching this project as it takes shape.
I love the prototyping of the mechanics. Fusion? And the landing gear drawing.
thank you. and no, I am firmly on team Solidworks.
Robbert, will she be ready for Storm?
That is certainly the plan. I have a timer on my phone with a count down to remind me to get out there and work on it. If i can get the interior sorted this weekend, and move to sanding and priming the outside, it feels like a tall order, but not unsurmountable. the jet ranger does not have a ton of surface details and rivets like an apache does. it would be cool if it is ready for paint by end of the month and assembly and test flight beginning of May...fingers crossed.
I’m rooting for you!!
Very nice and compact design of the mechanics. Good work!
Clean work on the interior, will be a true scale machine.
Good place @ the backseat for the Lipo's, easy acces.
This is amazing work, great to have a preview of the mechanical setup. Top job!
Nice wiring diagram too!