Update: David Wigley’s F-101B Voodoo

Update: David Wigley’s F-101B Voodoo

Four-time Mr. Top Gun winner David Wigley is known for coming up with the most unusual of scale RC projects and his newest is no exception. , David had on hand his newest project: a totally scratch-built 1/6-scale F-101B Voodoo. David really commits serious time to any of his projects and this time his efforts are to produce a completely composite scale aircraft. Shown here is the master plug with which David will use to produce his female molds. We caught up with David and here’s what he had to say.

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F-101B Voodoo

Model Airplane News: David, you are always coming up with unique and amazing projects. Tell us about your latest project.

David Wigley: What we have here is my master plug for a 1/6-scale F-101B Voodoo. The aircraft was a high-performance 1950s’ jet interceptor, designed by McDonnell Aircraft. Ultimately, it was developed as a nuclear-armed fighter-bomber for the Tactical Air Command and as a photo reconnaissance aircraft. The F-101A version set a number of world speed records for jet-powered aircraft, including fastest airspeed (1,207.6mph) in 1957, and the aircraft operated in the reconnaissance role up until 1979.

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David Wigley and his Voodoo

Tell us about the plug’s construction.

Well, the plug is made using solid foam. Unlike my other aircraft where I used 3-views and lofted the cross-sections and used pencils and French curves to produce my plans, for the Voodoo, I started with actual McDonnell Aircraft drawings and I produced my 1/6 scale drawings with CAD. Once I had the cross-sections worked out, I went to a friend who produces surfboards using a large-format CNC router. He was able to accurately produce my sections, which I then assembled to create the overall shape of the airframe.

F-101 Voodoo, giant scale, master plug, radio control, rc model airplanes, RC scale airplanes, turbine jets

Surface Details

From there, it is the standard process of applying fiberglass cloth and resin with filler to produce a smooth and accurate outer surface; lots of priming and sanding is required. Once I was satisfied with the quality of the surface, I spray-painted the plug with glossy black paint. This kind of surface really shows the quality of the finished surface; even the smallest imperfections show up to be fixed. Once this was all taken care of, I started adding the surface details, which include screw heads, rivets, and panel lines. I also have designed the Voodoo so that it can be assembled from three main sections for easier transportation.

How long did all this take?

The short answer is: too long! But estimating it, I would think I have about four years invested in the plug so far.

So really, this is just the first step in the process. What else is involved?

The next step will be to produce the female molds, which I will lay up on top of the plug. The idea is that the molds will include all the added details and will produce the final composite parts that will be formed using the female molds. Because the shapes are complex, I will be making multiple-part molds, which will be fastened together to make the various composite parts. These parts will be laid up in the molds, and the various internal frames and other parts will be molded into place. This all sounds very time-consuming, but overall, this portion of the construction will be accomplished relatively quickly.

I assume you’ll also be scratch building your hardware?

Yes, just like with my Wyvern and Beaufighter, I will manufacture all my own hardware, including scale functional, retractable landing gear.

So, how well do you think your F-101 Voodoo will fly? Those wings looks so small!

Actually, I have compared the dimensions of my Voodoo with those of the various 1/6-scale F-104 Starfighters flying today. The 104s have proven themselves very capable with good flight performance, and my Voodoo, having a similar overall size, but it has more wing area and larger engine inlets, both of which are good things. So, I am confident the Voodoo, with two turbine engines, will be a good flyer.

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Wing Details

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David Wigley shows off the relative size of his Voodoo tooling plug

As is obvious, David has a passion for large scale warbirds and jets and is always trying to challenge his building and flying skills. Born in Rochester, NY, David grew up in Canada and in his military career he flew C-130 Hercules aircraft in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He retired from the military in 1992 and started his current career as an American Airlines pilot as a Boeing 737 Captain.

The specs for the F-101B Voodoo are:

138 in. long

79 in. span

Power: (2) Kingtech 160 turbines

Output: 35 lbs. thrust each

8 Comments

  1. WOW!! Always been a fan of the big ol’ VooDoo. Made an impression with me at airshows with afterburner flame out the back and the accompanying BIG boom. Mind you it had to go out of sight to turn around, but who cared, the look, the speed and the SOUND were worth the wait!

  2. Its about time someone tackled a model of the F101B. This airplane was the best we had to defend the mainland U.S. during the cold war. I worked on and had a chance to fly in one during my time at Hamilton AFB (63-66). In my opinion it was very advanced for its time. The ”B” model had a IR seeker head in front of the cockpit.(I don’t see one in your model). One of the F101B’s I worked on is still at the Castle AFB museum in California. Great project.

    1. The IR seeker heads were installed during my assignment to the 322nd FIS in Klamath Falls, Ore. I was sitting cockpit alert during the Cuban missile crisis, when all the Hamilton 101s were dispersed to Klamath Falls, since it was not considered a high danger target, as SFO was. I will never forget each of the Hamilton birds arriving with a load of 2 MB-1 Genie nuclear warhead rockets aboard. Left Kingsley Field in Nov of 63, reassigned to the 49th FIS in Rome, NY

      1. I was at Hamilton from 61 to 64, MG-13 Weapons Control System tech.

  3. I had the pleasure of logging about 1000 hours of pilot time in the B model Voodoo from 1961-1965, and feel the Voodoo (especially the “B” model) has not received it’s fair share in century series fighter history. David’s model looks like a “mini me” Voodoo. Hope I have the opportunity to meet David at one of his 101 outings, as I also flew 29 years with AA.

    1. I was MG-13 Weapons Control System tech at Hamilton from 61 to 64. Assigned to 83rd but also worked on 84th FIS Voodoos.

  4. Had the pleasure of attending the 2018 AMA EXPO EAST. Got to see the black beast in person. It is truly a work of art to say the least. picked up an RF8 Flight sim at the show. Love it

  5. The Voodoos were fabulous performers. I live in New Brunswick and saw these great old birds at Canada Day flyovers and air shows. In fact I was at their last show which was held at Greenwood AFB in 1984. Wow! Did they ever give one fantastic last show.

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