Little Gem Pylon Racer

This is a 1/3 scale sport scale model of a Formula One pylon racer from the 1970’s.  Wanting something fast to build I again downloaded a set of drawings from the web.  I spent about three months from start to finish on this model.  The biggest change i made to it’s design was to use a balsa covered foam wing instead of the all wood built up wing.  The fuselage is built entire of wood except the cowl which I made by first carving foam to the correct shape, covering it with strip layers of fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin and then removing the foam.  The model weights around 28 pounds, has a 63” wingspan and is powered by a DA 50 gas engine.  The entire model has a layer of fiberglass over it, primed with AutoMotive Primer with Rust-Oleum Red and White paint out of a spray can.

It has only one flight to date since I am having problems getting the engine running properly.