Hi, Darren! I remember making an Invader in the '70s. It was one of my first free-flight models; it went together easily and flew really nicely, but I had a problem with the tissue covering. What I didn't know back then (I was just a kid!) was that doped tissue is quite brittle unless you mix a bit of banana oil in with it. My flying site (in West Yorkshire) was a patch of waste ground next to a cornfield [that's 'wheat' corn, not 'sweet' corn, for any US peeps reading this😁], and the crop had just been harvested, so the field was a mass of sharp stubble stems about 4" high. On the Invader's first flight it wafted up beautifully, drifted around serenely, then came down after about two minutes right in the middle of the stubble field. POP! CRACK! POP! POP! RIP! POP! The tissue was torn to bits. What a mess. I patched it up, but it was never quite the same. A lot of modellers cover their planes with laminating film these days, then dope tissue over the top of it. It must add a bit of weight, but at least it makes things more puncture resistant. Do you have any plans to add lightweight radio gear to your Invader? Free-flight with the occasional steering interruption is lots of fun, and it's soooo nice not to have to walk half a mile to retrieve your model after a good flight. I'm looking forward to seeing how your project goes. Good luck!
@@EleanorPeterson Hi, thanks for your comments. Great story about your first flight with the invader. I've never heard of using banana oil. I'm just leaving it as a glider and would only be flying it on calm days or in a large indoor area. I've got the plan on my building board and will be starting on it soon. Thanks Darren.
@@eastendchewlix8885 Thanks, I will be starting on the build very soon. I'm a tamiya fan as well, thinking about getting another Lunchbox after I've built this invader.
Hi, Darren! I remember making an Invader in the '70s. It was one of my first free-flight models; it went together easily and flew really nicely, but I had a problem with the tissue covering.
What I didn't know back then (I was just a kid!) was that doped tissue is quite brittle unless you mix a bit of banana oil in with it. My flying site (in West Yorkshire) was a patch of waste ground next to a cornfield [that's 'wheat' corn, not 'sweet' corn, for any US peeps reading this😁], and the crop had just been harvested, so the field was a mass of sharp stubble stems about 4" high.
On the Invader's first flight it wafted up beautifully, drifted around serenely, then came down after about two minutes right in the middle of the stubble field.
POP! CRACK! POP! POP! RIP! POP! The tissue was torn to bits. What a mess. I patched it up, but it was never quite the same.
A lot of modellers cover their planes with laminating film these days, then dope tissue over the top of it. It must add a bit of weight, but at least it makes things more puncture resistant.
Do you have any plans to add lightweight radio gear to your Invader? Free-flight with the occasional steering interruption is lots of fun, and it's soooo nice not to have to walk half a mile to retrieve your model after a good flight.
I'm looking forward to seeing how your project goes. Good luck!
@@EleanorPeterson Hi, thanks for your comments. Great story about your first flight with the invader. I've never heard of using banana oil. I'm just leaving it as a glider and would only be flying it on calm days or in a large indoor area. I've got the plan on my building board and will be starting on it soon. Thanks Darren.
Great video as always, look forward to the detailed build video as i don't knnow where to start with the balsa kits (im a tamiya guy)
@@eastendchewlix8885 Thanks, I will be starting on the build very soon. I'm a tamiya fan as well, thinking about getting another Lunchbox after I've built this invader.