Peter Goldsmith Sapphire Build (2019)

Peter Goldsmith Sapphire Build - June 2019

I really enjoyed building my Chris Foss Phase 6 and then onto the more difficult Chris Foss Phase 5 which I am very happy with, so what next?

The answer is a Peter Goldsmith Sapphire 2.4m R/E glider

 

SEPT 2019 - Here is a picture of my finished Sapphire glider

I purchased the complete kit from RC-Europe

Sapphire Specification:

Weight: 3.5-4lbs (1.4-1.6kg)
Span: 96"  (2.45m)
Length: 75.6 (1.92m)
Airfoil: PG1223
2-3ch: 2 Servos
64mm EDF thrust system (mine might be a pure glider)

Here is a Sapphire build thread:

Here is the Sapphire Instruction Manual

A nice big box of laser cut balsa. Where do you start?

A huge 3000m (3M) long full sized plan

The first job is to separate the plywood fuselage formers and sides from one of the huge laser cut sheets.

I like this type of building! (1m steel rule for scale). 

1/4 x 1/4 balsa glued to the bottom of each section, including a small cut out as the balsa goes over the plywood circular screw blocks. Glued in the plywood wing seat and the bottom curved spruce pieces and up the front of the nose.

Had to do some jiggery pokery to get the bottom section to fit to the main fuselage because the front former was not at the right angle and it had bowed upwards caused by the bent spruce making it bend upwards. Filled gaps with new balsa and then glued the nose pieces on again I had to glue a bigger spacer as the cut out balsa ovals where to small for the width of the nose.

Next to shape the nose.

Nose shaping went well I think. 

The kit I have purchased from RC-Europe has been made Incorrect and vital stringers in the fuselage have been not been allowed for. There has been 1/4'' x 1/4'' slots missed on the front 3 formers and missed completely on both sides of the belly.

I have been in contact with RC-Europe who have confirmed their cutting files where wrong and don't match the drawing. This unfortunately, doesn't help me having been a fair way along with my build. How can you produce a kit and the kit you manufacture doesn't match the designers plan? I have spoken with Peter Goldsmith via FaceBook and I awaiting his response re the issues I have encountered.

 

This is what it should have been like:

This what I got...….Spot the difference?

Only 5 slots instead of 7!

Anyone else had this issue with their Peter Goldsmith Sapphire?

 

More Issues with this kit!

The right hand wing tip has been incorrectly cut and doesn't come anywhere near matching up with the plan. I have made up the left hand wing tip (bottom one) which looks ok.

Not very impressed so far with this kit.

Decided to cut out everything else to see if I was missing anything. The difficult thing is identifying which bit goes were!

Apparently a complete beginner can put this model together - Good Luck There Then...…

The trailing edge of the tail plane do not fit or match the plan.

 

The designed leading edge doesn't match the plan. The two spars supplied are the wrong size and the trailing and leading edge don't match the tips - Anything else wrong with this kit?

 

UPDATE 3rd July 2019

After various emails and telephone calls RC-Europe resolved most of the above issues and sent me replacement parts that should sort out most (not all) so I am happy with their help in getting things almost all sorted. The proof is in the pudding as I get things going again very soon. Thank you RC-Europe!

 

So what's next? Lets get the tail plane sorted.

 

The big problem is that there absolutely no instructions on how to build the tail plane other than the very basics on the plan. First tried a dry run with all the components that make up the tail plane so I could figure out a build plan.

The tail plane is nearly finished so now onto the elevator.

You just get a whole load of laser cut parts with no plans. It's fairly obvious but easy to glue the wrong thing in the wrong place (and yes I did!).
Tiny little ribs support the upper and lower skins of the elevator.

When its all dry I will need to sand the elevator to match the tips as currently its too big.

 Made a blank from Balsa

Then using a 3 ltr bottle of lemonade I cut the bottom away from the bottle, put the blank inside the bottle then shrunk the plastic bottle around the blank.

 The completed canopy

 Decided not to go for the clear see through film but went for solid red & white.

Here is her maiden flight up on Firle Beacon in Sept 2019

 She flew very well! Nice and stable flier.

Here is the Sapphire floating around in thermals off the slope. Virtually no wind but some weak thermals coming through.