First Balsa Build - Cuda 26
- Thread starter johnnycarlos
- Start date
johnnycarlos
Active member
Looking great on the covering and the build! 
The Cuda is a great choice for a first balsa build for experienced pilots. For lots of fun go vertical, full throttle and aileron, and see if you can count how many spins she does before you lose sight of her! Then cut the throttle and after the stall, give it a little bit of up elevator and side aileron and she'll start doing big circles so you can figure out orientation again. I love mine, but she is a full adrenaline rush and landing with shaking hands is not uncommon.
Now that you're thoroughly hooked on building balsa, check out the list of kit manufacturers over here to help out with that important "next kit" decision https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/balsa-kit-manufacturers.35042/
In particular, and with the larger size you're looking for, check out http://oldschoolmodels.com/sr40.htm she's got a 60" wingspan and is a solid fun fly airplane that does everything well - flight characteristics similar to an Ugly Stick.
There are also tons of great kit options through http://manzanolaser.com/ of all sizes, and if you've got a warbird itch this is a good place to scratch it. A fellow club member and I both have I-16 Rata builds from Manzano in the works and the kits are very good quality.
The Cuda is a great choice for a first balsa build for experienced pilots. For lots of fun go vertical, full throttle and aileron, and see if you can count how many spins she does before you lose sight of her! Then cut the throttle and after the stall, give it a little bit of up elevator and side aileron and she'll start doing big circles so you can figure out orientation again. I love mine, but she is a full adrenaline rush and landing with shaking hands is not uncommon. Now that you're thoroughly hooked on building balsa, check out the list of kit manufacturers over here to help out with that important "next kit" decision https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/balsa-kit-manufacturers.35042/
In particular, and with the larger size you're looking for, check out http://oldschoolmodels.com/sr40.htm she's got a 60" wingspan and is a solid fun fly airplane that does everything well - flight characteristics similar to an Ugly Stick.
There are also tons of great kit options through http://manzanolaser.com/ of all sizes, and if you've got a warbird itch this is a good place to scratch it. A fellow club member and I both have I-16 Rata builds from Manzano in the works and the kits are very good quality.
johnnycarlos
Active member
Wow. I made a boneheaded mistake today. Soldered the power connector backwards, didn't even think about it. Attempted to connect the battery and it arc'd immediately. Was a bit uncomfortable there for a while thinking I may have just fried a very expensive ESC. After correcting it, seems everything is going to be ok. Power flows to the motor and servos. It's programmed wrong in the radio, but I'll work on that later, like maybe when my heart rate comes back down to Earth.
Attachments
That's called a "brown pants moment".
bracesport
Legendary member
super nice build - not a lot wrong with old school techniques!
johnnycarlos
Active member
Lost a little momentum, but did get a some more done today. Ailerons covered and servo arm thingies glued in. Also have the servos mounted. Turns out I installed that section of the wing upside down and the servos were sitting too low. Had to make a little platform out of two sheets of balsa to raise them up.
Attachments
Jackson T
Elite member
I once did that too, but my ESC didn't escape alive
. Your build is looking great, by the way!
johnnycarlos
Active member
Just to add to what has already been said... The Cuda platform is phenomenal. I've nosed mine in a couple of times or even skipped off the grass into a cartwheel and she just keeps coming back for more. The kit is a tank of a model and will take quite a bit of abuse. I use 2mm of up deflection for my launch and landings. Works perfect. Mine is not a real speed demon but I like the noise and the look. I covered my build in this thread if you need any further reference.
johnnycarlos
Active member
Starting to come together. I roasted the covering in a couple of places, all part of the learnin'. I won't bother fixing it since it might just become a pile of splinters before too long. Hinges and electronics are all that's left. Oh, does anyone have any tips on bending the pushrod to the proper length? It's a pretty thick and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it.
Attachments
Piotrsko
Master member
You just use bigger heavier pliers with normal thin wire technique unless you're really strong
Jackson T
Elite member
That's a really good idea! I'm going to use that for landing gears.
Piotrsko
Master member
Won't work as well on landing gear because you need the springyness of the original temper. The gear wont stay bent correctly.
And this is where looking up information about retempering comes into play! It's true that if you don't do anything else the wire will still be more likely to bend than spring back, but some quick searching will get you lots of different techniques on retempering (look for stuff by DIY knife makers). Personally I have landing gear that I've heated to bend and didn't to anything fancy to retemper - and for lightweight craft it hasn't caused a problem for me. I wouldn't take that risk with a 1/4 scale or anything over about 3 or 4 pounds though - a rough landing could flatten out landing gear with a large mass behind it.
I think one of the greatest thing about this hobby is all of the learning side-trips it can lead you down!
TooJung2Die
Master member
True. I've heated ordinary coat hanger wire with a torch and quenched it quickly in water. Quenching makes soft steel harder. The wire holds it's shape better. The trade off is that it also makes the wire more brittle. There's an art to tempering steel so it is tough but not brittle.
johnnycarlos
Active member
