Baby Blender

[BATTLEAXE]

In doing the Speedster/SE5 mash up I have decided to make a larger scale biplane with the Baby Blender. I am inspired and love the look of these planes. I watched the review vids of the Baby Blender and I like the slow fly capabilities of this plane at the larger size. Due to the nature of my mod tendencies to planes I'm thinkin of tweekin it a bit. Here is what I'm thinkin:

1. Nose mod. From the build vid it looks like there is room between PP and the fuse sides to add doublers on both sides to beef up the crash damage a bit. Plus the FB plate that is glued to the bottom of the upper fuse of the top plate could be a C fold from the top plate tucked under to make this said plate to give the skewers a skin of paper to set in to. Then to give the fuse nose a slicker more profile look is to drop the height of the forward former above the nose by half. Gives a little downward profile. More racier nose to it.

2. Wings. I like how short in width the wings are but the straight leading edge may be a little old school for this guy. I was thinkin of doin a little bit of a swept wing design by a few degrees just to again give it a more racy profile as well. Even tho i'm thinkin of a slower plane it's also about looks and catching attention from other builders, and to step up my building game. I might build the straight wings to begin with and move forward if I need to rebuild them. Next thing is more of a question... Dihedral or no? Dihedral on both upper and lower or just the lower... or the top only. Maybe just the upper because of the ailerons on the lower wing? Maybe this will have more of a polyhedral effect just doing on wing in this fashion. Then just like the Speedster biplane I built to make the struts out of skewers for strength and durability instead of just FB. now I noticed on the build vid that Bix added skewers to the leading and tail edges of the struts over the FB but there are no cabanes to the fuse. I might do the same design as I used on the Speedster/SE5 Mini that I did recently to compensate. Which in turn comes to nose weight... I will have a 3s 2200mah in the PP to balance this out hopefully. In the Spitfire I built the battery sits a couple inches back from the motor mount to balance and has a much longer tail section so I think I have room for adjustment. All thoughts and suggestions are fully welcome. Thx

3. Tail Section. Looking at the complete build out just like the SE5 the tail looks short to me... and watching the review vid Bix does mention how the controllability of the plane is a happy accident as to how it isn't pitchy surprisingly. I don't know if I am totally convinced on that cuz it is a really short plane and it really shows it on the ground as to it's strong AOA. Just like on the Speedster/SE5 I built I might extend the tail out by 2-3 inches to make it more controllable.

If anyone has done these kind of mods to this sweet little plane and has seen results it is much appreciated to share because I'm doin this blind. I can use all the feedback out there you may have on this situation. My last 2 posts haven't seen any responses yet and really these are to reach out to learn on what I am doin so far and move forward. Thx for reading and keep it shiny side up.

 

[buzzbomb]

In doing the Speedster/SE5 mash up I have decided to make a larger scale biplane with the Baby Blender. I am inspired and love the look of these planes. I watched the review vids of the Baby Blender and I like the slow fly capabilities of this plane at the larger size. Due to the nature of my mod tendencies to planes I'm thinkin of tweekin it a bit. Here is what I'm thinkin:

1. Nose mod. From the build vid it looks like there is room between PP and the fuse sides to add doublers on both sides to beef up the crash damage a bit. Plus the FB plate that is glued to the bottom of the upper fuse of the top plate could be a C fold from the top plate tucked under to make this said plate to give the skewers a skin of paper to set in to. Then to give the fuse nose a slicker more profile look is to drop the height of the forward former above the nose by half. Gives a little downward profile. More racier nose to it.

2. Wings. I like how short in width the wings are but the straight leading edge may be a little old school for this guy. I was thinkin of doin a little bit of a swept wing design by a few degrees just to again give it a more racy profile as well. Even tho i'm thinkin of a slower plane it's also about looks and catching attention from other builders, and to step up my building game. I might build the straight wings to begin with and move forward if I need to rebuild them. Next thing is more of a question... Dihedral or no? Dihedral on both upper and lower or just the lower... or the top only. Maybe just the upper because of the ailerons on the lower wing? Maybe this will have more of a polyhedral effect just doing on wing in this fashion. Then just like the Speedster biplane I built to make the struts out of skewers for strength and durability instead of just FB. now I noticed on the build vid that Bix added skewers to the leading and tail edges of the struts over the FB but there are no cabanes to the fuse. I might do the same design as I used on the Speedster/SE5 Mini that I did recently to compensate. Which in turn comes to nose weight... I will have a 3s 2200mah in the PP to balance this out hopefully. In the Spitfire I built the battery sits a couple inches back from the motor mount to balance and has a much longer tail section so I think I have room for adjustment. All thoughts and suggestions are fully welcome. Thx

3. Tail Section. Looking at the complete build out just like the SE5 the tail looks short to me... and watching the review vid Bix does mention how the controllability of the plane is a happy accident as to how it isn't pitchy surprisingly. I don't know if I am totally convinced on that cuz it is a really short plane and it really shows it on the ground as to it's strong AOA. Just like on the Speedster/SE5 I built I might extend the tail out by 2-3 inches to make it more controllable.

If anyone has done these kind of mods to this sweet little plane and has seen results it is much appreciated to share because I'm doin this blind. I can use all the feedback out there you may have on this situation. My last 2 posts haven't seen any responses yet and really these are to reach out to learn on what I am doin so far and move forward. Thx for reading and keep it shiny side up.

I recently built the extended version of the Baby Blender by @jpot1. It flies pretty darn good.

https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/scratching-the-baby.58721/

I've had some hard hits and doublers haven't really been necessary. Any aesthetic changes you want to make can only make a great looking plane look better.

The plane doesn't really want dihedral. Honestly the extended version flies great, but it does want power. Lots of it to be really fun.

Check out my build thread and let's see where this takes you!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I recently built the extended version of the Baby Blender by @jpot1. It flies pretty darn good.

https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/scratching-the-baby.58721/

I've had some hard hits and doublers haven't really been necessary. Any aesthetic changes you want to make can only make a great looking plane look better.

The plane doesn't really want dihedral. Honestly the extended version flies great, but it does want power. Lots of it to be really fun.

Check out my build thread and let's see where this takes you!

I'm gonna use a 3536 Rimfire .15 1200Kv with a 2200 3s and a 40 amp Eflite ESC. which used to be the equivilant BEEF motor in the early FT builds... around the time this plane came out. It outpowers the C Pack so;d by FT now. So that won't be a problem.

I have the time to make it look good and if I put in the time I'm sure the plane will sit for a bit till I fly it myself given my flying experience. I may let someone else try it before I do just to see how it flies in the hands of a pro first. get some feedback and move from there. Maybe buddy box as well.

I checked out the post you spoke of and as far as the build goes his looks good. It looks like he extended it in the tail but the revision to the cockpits from 2 to just one makes the tail look longer but it still sits tall in the nose on the ground like the original. I like how it flies tho. Makes me think it would be a good 4 channel to move up to as a medium size plane.

I also noticed that the tail feather servos were mounted aft as opposed to being in the original cockpit location as well. If the tail was extended wouldn't it be more advantageous to keep the servos in the original location for CG? Just a thought. Thx for the heads up. Appreciate it

 

[buzzbomb]

I'm gonna use a 3536 Rimfire .15 1200Kv with a 2200 3s and a 40 amp Eflite ESC. which used to be the equivilant BEEF motor in the early FT builds... around the time this plane came out. It outpowers the C Pack so;d by FT now. So that won't be a problem.

I have the time to make it look good and if I put in the time I'm sure the plane will sit for a bit till I fly it myself given my flying experience. I may let someone else try it before I do just to see how it flies in the hands of a pro first. get some feedback and move from there. Maybe buddy box as well.

I checked out the post you spoke of and as far as the build goes his looks good. It looks like he extended it in the tail but the revision to the cockpits from 2 to just one makes the tail look longer but it still sits tall in the nose on the ground like the original. I like how it flies tho. Makes me think it would be a good 4 channel to move up to as a medium size plane.

I also noticed that the tail feather servos were mounted aft as opposed to being in the original cockpit location as well. If the tail was extended wouldn't it be more advantageous to keep the servos in the original location for CG? Just a thought. Thx for the heads up. Appreciate it

I'm not sure where your looking at jpot's build versus mine. The thread I linked was my build of his modification to the Baby Blender.

CG wise, it's always advantageous to have the servos near the center. My first plane was a Tiny Trainer. I had the tail crinkle up and pinch the servo rods and that lead to a really bad crash. I've since mounted my servos on the exterior with intent for the shortest servo rod possible, while keeping the servo as far forward as possible.

Sometimes, that means the servo is far to the rear, sometimes I'm able to put it farther forward. Nose weight is adjusted accordingly.

 

[jpot1]

@BATTLEAXE I put the servos reward to help balance things out and make it easier to fit a 3s 2200. Turns out it was not necessary as the battery sits right at the CG under the power pod. I find flying with a 1300 3s the sweet spot for this plane.

If you want to go bigger with a slightly angled wing take a look at the link in my signature for the Christen eagle bipe. I think that may be more suited to what you are looking for.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

@BATTLEAXE I put the servos reward to help balance things out and make it easier to fit a 3s 2200. Turns out it was not necessary as the battery sits right at the CG under the power pod. I find flying with a 1300 3s the sweet spot for this plane.

If you want to go bigger with a slightly angled wing take a look at the link in my signature for the Christen eagle bipe. I think that may be more suited to what you are looking for.

Yes I do like your Christian Biplane. The upper wing looks more swept then the lower wing which looks cool too. At first I thought it was straight but I do see a slight angle. I like the rear cockpit only style too. More racy yet.

I was gonna do the wing sweep cut in the center of the wing for both upper and lower... then in thinking of easy of build I was thinking of doing the lower with 2 splits placed on both sides on the outside of the fuse to eliminate any alignment issues later. But that left to question how the upper wing would look with the same two splits to match the bottom wing, with the blunt nose look as opposed to a sharp point in the center for the upper. Jury is still out on that one.

I did notice in the CBP thread of yours someone posted how the plane is reactive in the wind and was thinking of extending the tail for more control in the conditions... how much should it be extended to be the most effective? I was gonna give it 3" extra.

I like the more rounded vstab as opposed to the squared off one but then it won't match the wing profile so I might extend the from of the lower leading edge of the vstab up the sloped turtle deck a bit for tracking and style points as well... not only form but function as well.

Keep the feedback coming. I'm lookin to start the build today and I find some of my mod decisions happen on the bench in the moment and that tends to lead to rebuilding of some parts after the fact... pre-planning in my head first makes it go easier later lol

Thx and keep it shiny side up

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Here is the mods to the layout I was thinking for the fuse. Extended 3" on the tail and the PP front support that's gonna C fold into the nose. It's on the FB ready to be cut out:

Thinkin of the vstab keel comin down to the bottom it will have to trimmed to fit. Thoughts?

Thx for reading

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Wow this thing folded together awesome, and is super strong. I can imagine once the wing tabs into the bottom of the fuse it will be a brick. The black FB on the inside is the doublers I was talkin about earlier and went together nice in the A fold, making more surface area for the glue to adhere the side cheeks to the top plate. the front support for the PP as a C fold really stiffened up the front as well. One thing I will have to make a note of is to make room for the doublers in the notched slots in the top of the bottom wing to the inside towards center. For a good fit and strength this will also double the surface area to glue the wing on the inside, (not doing the removable wing btw).

 

[jpot1]

When I built mine I extended the tail and the wings. It really tamed it down nicely. Still acrobatic but not twitchy.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

When I built mine I extended the tail and the wings. It really tamed it down nicely. Still acrobatic but not twitchy.

How much did you add to the wings? The plans say that the BB has a 24" wing span... I was thinkin of only extending the wing tips enough to make the trailing edges parallel to the fuse after the sweep is established. Maybe even extend the upper wing by an inch on either side to bring it out to 26". Would it need more then that?

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Fuse is done w/o electronics. Check it out and tell me what you think:

I think it looks a lot more realistic to scale. Your comments are much appreciated. Thx for reading. Keep it shiny side up

 

[buzzbomb]

Fuse is done w/o electronics. Check it out and tell me what you think:
View attachment 137555 View attachment 137556
View attachment 137557
View attachment 137557
I think it looks a lot more realistic to scale. Your comments are much appreciated. Thx for reading. Keep it shiny side up

I like it! Your changes to to the nose really give it a more modern, sporty look!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I like it! Your changes to to the nose really give it a more modern, sporty look!

Thx. It is a common look from the Mustang or the Spitfire. I was pretty impressed with it once it was done. Kinda funny I really wanted to checj it out before I glued it down but my hands were in the way trying to hold the poster board down... just hadta have faith!

Gonna work on the wings tomorrow. Stay tuned for the rest of this little adventure.

Really appreciate the comment. If you have any ideas I could apply to it let me know. This is my idea from limited experience and exposure to the hobby... other flyers inspirations are totally welcome.

Keep it shiny side up

 

[jpot1]

Looking great! I think I had added 2” to each side so that it became a 28” span.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Looking great! I think I had added 2” to each side so that it became a 28” span.

Both upper and lower equally?

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Lower Wing Layout:
I cut 1/2" out of the trailing edge of the wing just before the ailerons to get the sweep... looking at it after I was wondering whether i should have cut out more but i think i will go with this for now. Really it's just more for aesthetics and i didn't want to mess with the CG to much... theory is that with the swept wing is the CG will be more forgiving and be placed a little further back to compensate for the extended tail. If I'm wrong do not hesitate to let me know. Check it out:

As you will notice I made the lower wing a blunt nose style just to make it easier to fit into the fuse and I extended the wing by 1" on either side. This wing will stay flat bottom (no dihedral). The top wing will have dihedral split in the center with a point in the center of the leading edge and it will be extended by 2" on either side. the upper wing will have to be laid out in 2 pieces to fit on the 20x30 FB sheet. The lower wing I wanted to do on one sheet for the ese of assembly on a 3 piece wing for symmetry and consistency throughout the wing.

Thx for following and commenting on this build. Keep it shiny side up!

 

[jpot1]

Both upper and lower equally?

Yes, equally. I really like where you are going with this build!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

And here we have an almost complete mock up of what this thing looks like. I hope it flies as good as it looks. Actually it's my best looking build so far... really digging it if I do say so myself. Check it out:

I still have yet to put the servos and control rods in, I haven't decided whether I am going to us these wheels or not. The wheels you see in the pic are 3" rubbers but I'm thinkin I might use the 2 1/2" foam wheels that are currently on another plane at the moment. I really like how the struts turned out. And the stance is way more realistic then the original BB. The swept wings are slighter then I was hoping for now that they are built but it still looks sharp. In the pics the upper looks more swept then the lower but its the dihedral in the upper from these angles that makes them look that way. When I had them both built and sitting on top of each other on the bench they matched up perfect... to my amazement lol! I walked out of the hanger just before I took these pics and came up to one of the boys from behind and said "Get ready to say HOLY CRAP". First words out his mouth were...

As for the CG at this pint it is a little nose heavy w/o the battery which for me is good because the PP has enough room to shift the battery around a lot. That might also have something to do with the weight of the wheels and switching to the foam ones may make more sense. We will see once I have all the servos and control surfaces working. I will post more pics on this thread as I continue with the process and keep you updated. The woman has the next few days off so gonna spend time with her and the boys

jpot1 my friend you have been a huge help, buzzbomb as well. Keep the comments coming, I look forward to them. Over and out for the day. Keep it shiny side up

 

[buzzbomb]

And here we have an almost complete mock up of what this thing looks like. I hope it flies as good as it looks. Actually it's my best looking build so far... really digging it if I do say so myself. Check it out:
View attachment 137641 View attachment 137642 View attachment 137643

I still have yet to put the servos and control rods in, I haven't decided whether I am going to us these wheels or not. The wheels you see in the pic are 3" rubbers but I'm thinkin I might use the 2 1/2" foam wheels that are currently on another plane at the moment. I really like how the struts turned out. And the stance is way more realistic then the original BB. The swept wings are slighter then I was hoping for now that they are built but it still looks sharp. In the pics the upper looks more swept then the lower but its the dihedral in the upper from these angles that makes them look that way. When I had them both built and sitting on top of each other on the bench they matched up perfect... to my amazement lol! I walked out of the hanger just before I took these pics and came up to one of the boys from behind and said "Get ready to say HOLY CRAP". First words out his mouth were...

As for the CG at this pint it is a little nose heavy w/o the battery which for me is good because the PP has enough room to shift the battery around a lot. That might also have something to do with the weight of the wheels and switching to the foam ones may make more sense. We will see once I have all the servos and control surfaces working. I will post more pics on this thread as I continue with the process and keep you updated. The woman has the next few days off so gonna spend time with her and the boys

jpot1 my friend you have been a huge help, buzzbomb as well. Keep the comments coming, I look forward to them. Over and out for the day. Keep it shiny side up

You're taking a design and making it your own. The Baby Blender Extended flies so well, I am super curious how your changes are going to affect flight performance. It definitely looks good!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

You're taking a design and making it your own. The Baby Blender Extended flies so well, I am super curious how your changes are going to affect flight performance. It definitely looks good!

I'm curios as well. It's so pretty I almost don't even want to fly it. I know I will crash it. Still waiting for my receiver to come in the mail. I have a few other planes I want to beat up before I move onto the BB. I want someone else to fly it first maybe just to see if I did things right. I think I was having Tx/Rx communication issues before so flying things like the TT and the Shrubsmacker will help build confidence not only in the system but my skill level to take out the BB or my Spitfire.

How much did you extend yours in the tail? do you have any pics of it? would like to check it out.