Another scratch builder here! Belgium - Roeselare.
I'm completely new to the hobby. I've bought myself a Nano QX & DX6i a few months ago & wanted to take the hobby to the next level, so I decided to make an FT scratch build, the FT Storch to be precise. I must say, it's been nothing but joy so far.
I started with free build plans from the FT website and rearranging them so that they could be printed on 900mm roll printer in B&W. After cutting the templates I transferred them to 5mm foam board from AVA papierwaren (
http://www.ava.be/winkels/). It's not the cheapest foam board, but it's very durable, the paper doesn't delaminate very easily and since the paper is glossy, it can withstand some water/splashes before being ruined.
For the assembly I used a Pattex glue gun and the accompanying sticks. It's not a professional glue gun, so it does cool down when using a lot of glue at once. Planning ahead is key. The glue is however very good and sets nicely.
I 3D printed the control horns, wheels and firewall in ABS. I will be uploading the 3D files to Thingiverse probably, if anyone wants to use them. For the landing gear I used some 1,5mm wire which is also used for the push rods. It's a little flexible but seeing I'm still a beginner pilot I see this more as an advantage. I rather re-bend a landing gear than having to remake a fuselage.
For the electronics, I ordered everything from Hobbyking (EU warehouse) since I didn't want to spend too much money. I also didn't want to wait (very impatient), so I specifically searched for 'in stock' materials.
At the moment it's still a 'virgin' plane and I'm not sure whether I will put in the effort of painting it. I might still crash it, so why bother.
I had a lot of fun building this one and I'm sure I will enjoy learning to fly it. I've only had 2 buddy-box sessions with it, so I still have a long way to go. Either way, I think I'm hooked
and the FT racer is already in the pipeline for my next build.
edit: I've uploaded the 3D files to
thingiverse
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