ACE RC Foam Wings

[Igull]

Hi All
I'm looking for an original Ace RC Mini Foam Wing - both tapered and parallel chord versions. Absolutely any condition is fine (a bit of broken wing is perfectly OK !), I just need to satisfy myself of the EXACT shape and form of the original.
The web is awash with drawings of the "orginals" - most (all?) are bastardised versions of the originals - everyone seems to know better than the designer (Owen Kampen) and just screws the drawings up with their own ideas/improvements - don't even mention the abominable 'CAD' versions LOL )))
If anyone can help here, I'd be truly appreciative.
FWIW, the original parallel wing was 17 7/8 " (remember that system ) by 5 1/2", the tapered version was 17 7/8" by 5 1/2'" at the root and 4" at the tip. That's each wing BTW, there were two wings in the box (doh, of course there were ).
I wish I had picked up a few in the early '90s/late 80's when I was working in the US, I remember stacks of them in the local model shops - they were a definite 'thing' back then with loads of really nice flying model designs to suit.
A decent laser cut balsa version is the final outcome and perhaps a 6mm depron option too. Hot wire cutting from foam is of course a tertiary option - as is making your own 3D printed version or even better, a 3D expanded polystyrene moulded version
TIA
Neil

[Phil_G]

I think the chances of finding an original set of Ace foam wings is a bit slim Neil,
its been nearly 5 decades since they were made and who keeps an unused foam wing
for that length of time? No, I think you're on a road to nowhere with this crazy idea.
Cheers
Phil

You can borrow them, shall I post it up to you? Its only a borrow, I will want them back...
The newspaper they're packed with (the 'Kansas Star') is dated 1973!
Also Andy Boddo gave me a couple of Micromold foam wings, one-piece, thick symmetrical
section with a blunt LE. Destined for a sloper one day!

[Wayne_H]

Neil,

I have both types packed away - happy to trace the profile accurately for you when I get back to Oz in a weeks time.

There's also this (amongst a plethora of similar stuff) on the web - https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=8557

[Igull]

I think the chances of finding an original set of Ace foam wings is a bit slim Neil,
its been nearly 5 decades since they were made and who keeps an unused foam wing
for that length of time? No, I think you're on a road to nowhere with this crazy idea.

LOL Phil you're a star !

TBH, simply measuring the chord accurately and taking a nice scan of the root would be sufficient - it would save me stealing them from you too
I've been through all the online resources, and it seems that everyone has their own ideas about how they should be built - none actually giving a scan of the original sadly. TBH, none of this is rocket science, it would just be nice to get a pic of the real thing

Thanks for that !

Cheers

Neil

[Igull]

Neil,
I have both types packed away - happy to trace the profile accurately for you when I get back to Oz in a weeks time.

That would be great too Wayne, Phil has a set here also - common as muck it seems

There's also this (amongst a plethora of similar stuff) on the web - https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=8557

Yes, thanks, I've seen those - and a number of others - all seem a bit over-complicated for what was intended to be a quick way to get a wing up and running (I'm not going to beat a moulded foam wing of course). Once I can get an accurate scan, I'll attempt to do something simple.

Cheers

Neil

[Phil_G]

Any good Neil? This is with the root & tip pressed firmly against the scanner bed. Cant get them absolutely flat as the root has a locating tab and the tip is rounded.
Root measures 137mm and tip 103mm. Half-span is 453mm. The root has a short parallel section where it fits the fuselage, about 30mm, ie the TE tapers not from the geometrical root but from 30mm out.

[Martin]

Any wash out?

[Wayne_H]

Any wash out?

None that I can recall Martin. Since you usually had to add a balsa trailing edge, you could 'tweak' that in various ways to achieve washout if you, or the designer, really thought it necessary .

[belli]

Hello Neil,

I went down this road a few years ago, for fun I digitized all the Ace kits with an eye towards making reproductions. I did it for fun and ended up never building any....

I did buy a few kits off 'bay and and had some chaps on the 'groups' find the plans that I couldn't. I also wanted an accurate original airfoil, everybody telling me 'this one is close enough', 'it doesn't really matter' or 'why would you waste your time doing that when you can...'. I have all the CAD files somewhere, thought of sending them to the zone but got lazy.

The wing I did in Profili and used a CNC hotwire to make them from extruded poly, worked well and the wings were more rigid than the originals, I am sure I still have the file somewhere.

Bellisimo!

[Mike_K]

The file kindly uploaded by Bellisimo is a DXF CAD file, renamed as a pdf so it could be uploaded to the forum.
If like me you tried to download it and open it in Acrobat Reader it won't! Rename it to Me109.dxf and it will open in your chosen CAD package.

Mike