At the EDGE of the world, we meet.
- Thread starter mayan
- Start date
Brett_N
Well-known member
LOL - the wood isn't there for a crash silly....
and yes - it's needed. It's actually part of the motor box structure which keeps the nose from trying to rotate around the wing-box structure.
Mine had a Geforce E450 with a 40A ESC when it was flying but that stuff was converted over to this baby....
11x4.7 slow fly worked great
Also, you want metal gear servo's.
and yes - it's needed. It's actually part of the motor box structure which keeps the nose from trying to rotate around the wing-box structure.
Mine had a Geforce E450 with a 40A ESC when it was flying but that stuff was converted over to this baby....
11x4.7 slow fly worked great
Also, you want metal gear servo's.
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mayan
Legendary member
ATTENTION! There is no time limit on this so don't rush yourself. It's supposed to be a thread where we all get to share our expreince about this model and the more people that join us in this build the more knowledge that others will have about the model and build process 
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Brett_N
Well-known member
Does it count that I already built one last year? Do I have to build another one? (I actually wouldn't mind building another one but I'll do this one from the kit rather than printing and cutting....)
Here's some things to note from my first build.
1. As with any build, my first recommendation is SKIP THE HOT GLUE. Yellow Carpenters glue or even better, titebond Quick and Thick, especially on anything wood-to-foam
2. If you live near an Ace Hardware of all places, that can be a great resource for Balsa wood and Model plywood if you are cutting from scratch.
3. If you don't have a laser cutter, a $6 harbor freight coping saw and a few extra blades will be your new best friend for the wood bits.
4. Neat trick - if you print with a laser printer, flip the print-page with the wooden bits upside down onto your wood sheet and rub it really hard. It should transfer the outlines to the wood, then just go back over it with a fine tip sharpie. Another quick tip here is to print that page on card-stock, and cut out each piece as a template. (balsa builder trick)
5. Peel off the INSIDE paper AFTER scoring and cutting. I peeled it off everything I could.
6. 1 inch wide iron-on seam tape (in the sewing section at walmart) and an iron on low heat works great for reinforcing hinges. Although, so does. Another option is laminating plastic or even the pouches. They're sticky on both sides so you can cut them in half. Get the 3mil thick stuff though.
7. SKIP the FT Style control horns and go with something that "locks" - like these guys PLASTIC LOCKING CONTROL HORNS - especially with DTFB, 3D planes tend to have a lot of torque on the control surfaces, and the non-locking horns tend to pull out.
Now, here's a fun trick that I've been playing with lately to shave even more weight. Basically it involves cutting large chunks (mirrored) out of just about any surface you can find, and then covering over it with packing tape.
If you go watch the "swiss cheese plane" episode - think of it like that, but then covering the holes with tape. It ends up being similar to builds done with balsa where you use monokote to cover it, but with DTFB it's easier to use tape. This is one of those things that takes practice to know where to cut and how much but you'll get the hang of it.
This isn't mine, but the picture gives you an idea of what I mean. 3D planes are built to be as light as possible. For perspective, my Balsa Katana Mini weighs in at 750grams - WITH a 128g 3S 1500 battery and it's the same size as the Edge 540, which comes in at 680g WITHOUT the battery.
Have fun with the building while I'm in Asia
Do I have to build another one? (I actually wouldn't mind building another one but I'll do this one from the kit rather than printing and cutting....)Here's some things to note from my first build.
1. As with any build, my first recommendation is SKIP THE HOT GLUE. Yellow Carpenters glue or even better, titebond Quick and Thick, especially on anything wood-to-foam
2. If you live near an Ace Hardware of all places, that can be a great resource for Balsa wood and Model plywood if you are cutting from scratch.
3. If you don't have a laser cutter, a $6 harbor freight coping saw and a few extra blades will be your new best friend for the wood bits.
4. Neat trick - if you print with a laser printer, flip the print-page with the wooden bits upside down onto your wood sheet and rub it really hard. It should transfer the outlines to the wood, then just go back over it with a fine tip sharpie. Another quick tip here is to print that page on card-stock, and cut out each piece as a template. (balsa builder trick
)5. Peel off the INSIDE paper AFTER scoring and cutting. I peeled it off everything I could.
6. 1 inch wide iron-on seam tape (in the sewing section at walmart) and an iron on low heat works great for reinforcing hinges. Although, so does. Another option is laminating plastic or even the pouches. They're sticky on both sides so you can cut them in half. Get the 3mil thick stuff though.
7. SKIP the FT Style control horns and go with something that "locks" - like these guys PLASTIC LOCKING CONTROL HORNS - especially with DTFB, 3D planes tend to have a lot of torque on the control surfaces, and the non-locking horns tend to pull out.
Now, here's a fun trick that I've been playing with lately to shave even more weight. Basically it involves cutting large chunks (mirrored) out of just about any surface you can find, and then covering over it with packing tape.
If you go watch the "swiss cheese plane" episode - think of it like that, but then covering the holes with tape. It ends up being similar to builds done with balsa where you use monokote to cover it, but with DTFB it's easier to use tape. This is one of those things that takes practice to know where to cut and how much but you'll get the hang of it.
This isn't mine, but the picture gives you an idea of what I mean. 3D planes are built to be as light as possible. For perspective, my Balsa Katana Mini weighs in at 750grams - WITH a 128g 3S 1500 battery and it's the same size as the Edge 540, which comes in at 680g WITHOUT the battery.
Have fun with the building while I'm in Asia
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basslord1124
Master member
Well count me in on the build. Edge has been on my list anyways but more in the foreseeable future...like many months down the road. lol But it appears to be a more complicated and time consuming build so I can get a start on it now. Believe it or not, I already had some of the parts taped to foamboard ready to be cut (still got em too).
So I might be slow as molasses on the process, but I'll be here chugging away and sharing any progress as it happens. I'll be scratch building...probably a road less traveled with the Edge.
So I might be slow as molasses on the process, but I'll be here chugging away and sharing any progress as it happens. I'll be scratch building...probably a road less traveled with the Edge.
mayan
Legendary member
Welcome onboard @basslord1124, happy you joined us .
.
Tonero311
Well-known member
I'm really tempted to join in this challenge. Already got one built just waiting on electronics. Got a GT2218 motor that could just find in there lovely. Though I built it as belly lander. Does that matter?
Soonest I'll get a maiden is mid August. Expecting a flying buddy to come up to my 'aerodrome' to crack fixed wing flight. He got bored of his Parrot Anafi drone. Too easy to fly.
Soonest I'll get a maiden is mid August. Expecting a flying buddy to come up to my 'aerodrome' to crack fixed wing flight. He got bored of his Parrot Anafi drone. Too easy to fly.
mayan
Legendary member
Would love to see you join, and no it doesn’t matter if you have wheels or not, in fact mine is a belly lander as well.
basslord1124
Master member
All right, my thoughts so far
I watched a good portion of the build video already and had some of the pieces already taped to foamboard to be cut out.
While it's easy to feel intimidated by the number of pieces and even the cut of some of the pieces, in the end, I really don't think it's going to be that bad of a build. It looks like once you get past the internal fuselage structure piece, it's pretty much smooth sailing.
-I am going to pretty much do it step by step along with the video, maybe even put small numbers on some of the pieces to keep track of what's what. Some are internal and never seen so it won't be a big deal.
-This will be the first model I am going to start using alternate glue on. A lot of folks recommend Titebond so going to give it a try and use it for a majority of the build.
-Pretty sure I want to add landing gear to the plane. No wheel pants though.
-Are regular 9g servos ok OR would it be better with metal gear 9g servos? I think I have 2 MG 9g servos, so may need to pick up more if I go that route.
-Haven't decided on electronics yet except that I will probably use my 3S 1600Mah battery and more than likely a 40A ESC.
Probably over the weekend I can get started with cutting some pieces and maybe putting a few things together. Wife has some out of town family coming in PLUS going to my RC club on Sunday. AND, I gotta finish fixing up a bass guitar for my wife's cousin. Sooo.... may not have a whole lot of time. Of course I intend to go pretty slow with this build anyways. If anything else comes up, I'll be posting.
I watched a good portion of the build video already and had some of the pieces already taped to foamboard to be cut out.
While it's easy to feel intimidated by the number of pieces and even the cut of some of the pieces, in the end, I really don't think it's going to be that bad of a build. It looks like once you get past the internal fuselage structure piece, it's pretty much smooth sailing.
-I am going to pretty much do it step by step along with the video, maybe even put small numbers on some of the pieces to keep track of what's what. Some are internal and never seen so it won't be a big deal.
-This will be the first model I am going to start using alternate glue on. A lot of folks recommend Titebond so going to give it a try and use it for a majority of the build.
-Pretty sure I want to add landing gear to the plane. No wheel pants though.
-Are regular 9g servos ok OR would it be better with metal gear 9g servos? I think I have 2 MG 9g servos, so may need to pick up more if I go that route.
-Haven't decided on electronics yet except that I will probably use my 3S 1600Mah battery and more than likely a 40A ESC.
Probably over the weekend I can get started with cutting some pieces and maybe putting a few things together. Wife has some out of town family coming in PLUS going to my RC club on Sunday. AND, I gotta finish fixing up a bass guitar for my wife's cousin. Sooo.... may not have a whole lot of time. Of course I intend to go pretty slow with this build anyways. If anything else comes up, I'll be posting.
Brett_N
Well-known member
Personally, I am ONLY using metal gear servo's now. I have piles of the cheap blue plastic gear ones around that I'll use here and there ( I did a quick Arrow build last night, and that got some plastic ones)
I would at least use a MG on the rudder - it tends to take a beating on hard landings and is usually the first to strip.
now that you have it printed and taped down - now you know why I'm buying a speed build kit
I would at least use a MG on the rudder - it tends to take a beating on hard landings and is usually the first to strip.
now that you have it printed and taped down - now you know why I'm buying a speed build kit
Berekiah
Well-known member
Now this is a challenge that I can easily get on. I was already in the middle of my Edge build when I saw this thread so I figured I would share mine as well before and after paint (if it survives the maiden). I plan to maiden it tomorrow so fingers crossed
I actually got the speed build kit for this last november, but got caught up in so many other projects that I haven't got to this one till now. Thanks for the kick in the pants.
The only issue I had in the build was the landing gear that FT sells with this one. The wheels don't fit the pants and I shaved and crushed the foam a lot to get them sort of working but they still bind a bit. Thinking of wrapping sandpaper around the wheel and spinning the wheels for a while to ease up on the binding on the wheels some more. Any other ideas would be great
![IMG_0577[1].JPG](https://ftforumx2.s3.amazonaws.com/2019/07/238032_cde18f041914500deca490fd4f82b377.jpg "IMG_0577[1].JPG")
I actually got the speed build kit for this last november, but got caught up in so many other projects that I haven't got to this one till now. Thanks for the kick in the pants.
The only issue I had in the build was the landing gear that FT sells with this one. The wheels don't fit the pants and I shaved and crushed the foam a lot to get them sort of working but they still bind a bit. Thinking of wrapping sandpaper around the wheel and spinning the wheels for a while to ease up on the binding on the wheels some more. Any other ideas would be great
buzzbomb
I know nothing!
I'm in full agreement with @mayan (as usual) of course you don't have to build one. If you were to do so, however, you could demonstrate your hole-cutting idea and your other tips. Though my first build is going to be strictly by-the-book, so to speak, I would love to see those so I can incorporate them in to my inevitable next build. I'm glad you've decided to participate. I for one, can use all the tips I can get!Does it count that I already built one last year?
Here's some things to note from my first build.
1. As with any build, my first recommendation is SKIP THE HOT GLUE. Yellow Carpenters glue or even better, titebond Quick and Thick, especially on anything wood-to-foam
2. If you live near an Ace Hardware of all places, that can be a great resource for Balsa wood and Model plywood if you are cutting from scratch.
3. If you don't have a laser cutter, a $6 harbor freight coping saw and a few extra blades will be your new best friend for the wood bits.
4. Neat trick - if you print with a laser printer, flip the print-page with the wooden bits upside down onto your wood sheet and rub it really hard. It should transfer the outlines to the wood, then just go back over it with a fine tip sharpie. Another quick tip here is to print that page on card-stock, and cut out each piece as a template. (balsa builder trick
5. Peel off the INSIDE paper AFTER scoring and cutting. I peeled it off everything I could.
6. 1 inch wide iron-on seam tape (in the sewing section at walmart) and an iron on low heat works great for reinforcing hinges. Although, so does. Another option is laminating plastic or even the pouches. They're sticky on both sides so you can cut them in half. Get the 3mil thick stuff though.
7. SKIP the FT Style control horns and go with something that "locks" - like these guys PLASTIC LOCKING CONTROL HORNS - especially with DTFB, 3D planes tend to have a lot of torque on the control surfaces, and the non-locking horns tend to pull out.
Now, here's a fun trick that I've been playing with lately to shave even more weight. Basically it involves cutting large chunks (mirrored) out of just about any surface you can find, and then covering over it with packing tape.
If you go watch the "swiss cheese plane" episode - think of it like that, but then covering the holes with tape. It ends up being similar to builds done with balsa where you use monokote to cover it, but with DTFB it's easier to use tape. This is one of those things that takes practice to know where to cut and how much but you'll get the hang of it.
This isn't mine, but the picture gives you an idea of what I mean. 3D planes are built to be as light as possible. For perspective, my Balsa Katana Mini weighs in at 750grams - WITH a 128g 3S 1500 battery and it's the same size as the Edge 540, which comes in at 680g WITHOUT the battery.
Have fun with the building while I'm in Asia
buzzbomb
I know nothing!
Welcome aboard, @basslord1124! You're off to a great start. No worries about not being able to marathon build. Not only do I intend to go slow with this build, I'm slow at building anyway, and I've been so burned out from work lately, I haven't been able to do much of anything.
We do what we can when we can. We're all really looking forward to the day we can maiden these, but there's no timeframe. Besides, you've got a LOT of cutting to do!
buzzbomb
I know nothing!
Welcome @Berekiah! Nice looking build! I'm not sure about your landing gear question. I plan to sidestep the issue by not using landing gear. I don't a have a suitable landing spot for it.Now this is a challenge that I can easily get on. I was already in the middle of my Edge build when I saw this thread so I figured I would share mine as well before and after paint (if it survives the maiden). I plan to maiden it tomorrow so fingers crossed
I actually got the speed build kit for this last november, but got caught up in so many other projects that I haven't got to this one till now. Thanks for the kick in the pants.
The only issue I had in the build was the landing gear that FT sells with this one. The wheels don't fit the pants and I shaved and crushed the foam a lot to get them sort of working but they still bind a bit. Thinking of wrapping sandpaper around the wheel and spinning the wheels for a while to ease up on the binding on the wheels some more. Any other ideas would be great
Good luck with the maiden! I can't wait to see the video!
mayan
Legendary member
Wow so happy to see all of you nice people that are joining us. Welcome onboard @Berekiah I like the idea of the sand paper on the wheel that could work really well in my opinion.
@basslord1124 a tip when cutting try to be as accurate as possible because of the tabs that have to line up and yes mark your pieces it will help you keep track of the build.
@SquirrelTail if you come with a mod for the landing gear that would be awesome I personally don’t put it cause I am having issues bending and cutting the 2.4mm wire for it.
@buzzbomb tip for you follow the video step by step so you don’t mess up it would be hard to fix mistakes with this build.
@basslord1124 a tip when cutting try to be as accurate as possible because of the tabs that have to line up and yes mark your pieces it will help you keep track of the build
.@SquirrelTail if you come with a mod for the landing gear that would be awesome I personally don’t put it cause I am having issues bending and cutting the 2.4mm wire for it.
@buzzbomb tip for you follow the video step by step so you don’t mess up it would be hard to fix mistakes with this build.
Tonero311
Well-known member
I'm in. Build wise I'll be fine. My piloting skills may not match up though. Don't expect me to get past a single flight. I can see me lawn darting this one. Ah well, good excuse to build another one😁. The crash should be entertaining though.
@basslord1124 I'm going to be using 4 x emax ES08MAii servos and a separate 5a ubec. No way I'm trusting the one in the esc with this bird.
Not sure about prop, esc and battery combinations that will work yet with the 2218 motor. Do want to try and stick with 3s if possible. Any hints or pointers would be very much appreciated.
Few pics here from I did build it. Just waiting on electrics to be installed.
