SmilingDevil
New member
FT Kraken, Sepia-separable :The Hessian Ridgeback
Hi Everyone,
I've fallen in Love with the Kraken on first sight, but it's wingspan was going to be a storage and transportation problem for me, so before getting into ordering I put my mind into making this thing separable. (just in case, downloads for the scratch build are here)
I found some things from Multiplex, that function as a snap fastener (MULTIlockUni-Set Part Nr. 725142), but I felt not safe with only friction force holding my wing together, a form fit was much more what I was looking for.
Watching the Build video about 15 to 20 Times had me convinced I have a solution, but i would have to wing it as I build the wing.. So I placed my order of a Speed Build Foam Kit and electrical parts parallel to the Order to Hobby King, with LED Strips and Stuff. Idea here, was two Strips in the "front" part of the wing, iluminating it green and red (in compliance to Starboard and Port) and the whole Back section with one of those "multi color" things, flashing and making it fun to look at.
Getting the Box was kind of unspectacular, the Tax was a not so nice surprise, (Europe) but I payed up and stopped thinking about it.
That's what I started out from... a full overview of what awaited me inside...
I started as the Build Video Suggested, but here is a Few things I'd like to add:
Opening the Foam for the landing gear was quite a pain when the Wing was already shaped, maybe that is something one could do before putting the Box spar on, while the lower side of the Wing is still flat. Just bend the Wire for the landing gear and fit it to the cavity, but of course don't glue it in yet.
The Build seems to completely leave out the coating of the Wing, or I'm missing that part. All of a sudden the Surface is shiny, and I have no clue how, what and when that got on there.
I did that just out of gut feeling before the box-spar gets mounted, mostly to protect the laser printed decal I put on the wing, which seemed to increase the force needed to bend the foam a bit.. maybe that is why I ended up with one slightly bigger Wing... it being my first bend of foam ever i might be ok... I did not dare to push as hard an necessary it seems. I'm sure it'll fly anyway. I used crystal clear packaging tape and re-enforced super strong tape, the first mostly on the surface of the wing, the later alongside all carrying structure I could identify. Mostly along side the Box Spar and what would later become the nose of the air foil.
First testing of the Lit wing.
As I played around with the LED strips I noticed that the controller of the programmable RGB LED has one function where he just permanently lights one if the three basic colors (Red Green blue). Needing to connect the controller to both wings, a I reused a male/female 4s plug and for the second wing i soldered it the way, than green and red would be switched. That way, when turning the controller to "green" the other half wing turns red, giving it the look you see on the pic. in some other config (like white and blue) the whole back section of the wing has the same colour. When setting it to "flash" ist makes psycedelic colour changes, that differ from left and right wing side, but you can't really tell. So, my switching two colours makes it even more colourful and fit my idea perfectly.
Then the moment of truth came, the Wings were supposed to be joined.
My Approach would be: Several link studs on two added plywood wing roots , joined with 20mm diameter and 2,5mm cross section O-Rings as a kind of cross thread.
In addition I found two support rods along side the existing Paint-stick-reenforcement useful. Now that These are in Place, I could imagine a laser cut set for the wing Separation as an option should pose no problem to you guys from FT.. give it a thought.
As for the support rods, my choice was 4mm diameter. That seems enough for now, if I ever build another one, it would be more like 8mm Alu tubing and a pivot made of carbon fiber... feels better.. Also I'd add two Rib sections in the Nose and back section of the Wing, holding that in place.
So why going through all this?
First, I got the impression the extra weight will not do any harm, FT loaded that thing with cameras, smaller rocket planes, net guns and what not. Secondly, now I can wedge in between both Wing halves whatever i feel like. All it takes is another Wing root-shaped plywood sheet that carries my interchangeable mid sections. Those could be "only" a battery holder or even FPV compartments or containers to drop things from, hell even a blunt nose-Pusher motor section could work.. I'm just keeping my Options open.
I'll keep adding more details soon enough, for now wheels need to be acquired and the Wingtips need to get put on (I'll also make those detachable).
In Order to do that, I need to decide what to do with the landing skid. As suggestet by the original design, two wooden sticks are supposed to be glued to the Wing tip down side. I dislike this combination of functions of landing support and steering, especially since I want to be able to take off the Wingtip. Secondly I'm uncertain about the behavor when landing.
The Skid on the outmost far end of the wing will have an enourmous leverage, once it touches the ground while landing. Won't that possibly put the Kraken into a spin motion? or does that come in so flat that it will always touch down on the wheels first? As I will add support structure to the wings outer end anyway, I will put the skid on that (if at all), and let the wingtip just be a wingtip.
I'm also thinking about a reverse thrust function for Landing aproaches, having a Futaba programable radio with tons of extra channels and funny switches, can anyone advise on that? Overkill? Sure way of suicide?
Axel
Hi Everyone,
I've fallen in Love with the Kraken on first sight, but it's wingspan was going to be a storage and transportation problem for me, so before getting into ordering I put my mind into making this thing separable. (just in case, downloads for the scratch build are here)
I found some things from Multiplex, that function as a snap fastener (MULTIlockUni-Set Part Nr. 725142), but I felt not safe with only friction force holding my wing together, a form fit was much more what I was looking for.
Watching the Build video about 15 to 20 Times had me convinced I have a solution, but i would have to wing it as I build the wing.. So I placed my order of a Speed Build Foam Kit and electrical parts parallel to the Order to Hobby King, with LED Strips and Stuff. Idea here, was two Strips in the "front" part of the wing, iluminating it green and red (in compliance to Starboard and Port) and the whole Back section with one of those "multi color" things, flashing and making it fun to look at.
Getting the Box was kind of unspectacular, the Tax was a not so nice surprise, (Europe) but I payed up and stopped thinking about it.
That's what I started out from... a full overview of what awaited me inside...
I started as the Build Video Suggested, but here is a Few things I'd like to add:
Opening the Foam for the landing gear was quite a pain when the Wing was already shaped, maybe that is something one could do before putting the Box spar on, while the lower side of the Wing is still flat. Just bend the Wire for the landing gear and fit it to the cavity, but of course don't glue it in yet.
The Build seems to completely leave out the coating of the Wing, or I'm missing that part. All of a sudden the Surface is shiny, and I have no clue how, what and when that got on there.
I did that just out of gut feeling before the box-spar gets mounted, mostly to protect the laser printed decal I put on the wing, which seemed to increase the force needed to bend the foam a bit.. maybe that is why I ended up with one slightly bigger Wing... it being my first bend of foam ever i might be ok... I did not dare to push as hard an necessary it seems. I'm sure it'll fly anyway. I used crystal clear packaging tape and re-enforced super strong tape, the first mostly on the surface of the wing, the later alongside all carrying structure I could identify. Mostly along side the Box Spar and what would later become the nose of the air foil.
First testing of the Lit wing.
As I played around with the LED strips I noticed that the controller of the programmable RGB LED has one function where he just permanently lights one if the three basic colors (Red Green blue). Needing to connect the controller to both wings, a I reused a male/female 4s plug and for the second wing i soldered it the way, than green and red would be switched. That way, when turning the controller to "green" the other half wing turns red, giving it the look you see on the pic. in some other config (like white and blue) the whole back section of the wing has the same colour. When setting it to "flash" ist makes psycedelic colour changes, that differ from left and right wing side, but you can't really tell. So, my switching two colours makes it even more colourful and fit my idea perfectly.
Then the moment of truth came, the Wings were supposed to be joined.
My Approach would be: Several link studs on two added plywood wing roots , joined with 20mm diameter and 2,5mm cross section O-Rings as a kind of cross thread.
In addition I found two support rods along side the existing Paint-stick-reenforcement useful. Now that These are in Place, I could imagine a laser cut set for the wing Separation as an option should pose no problem to you guys from FT.. give it a thought.
As for the support rods, my choice was 4mm diameter. That seems enough for now, if I ever build another one, it would be more like 8mm Alu tubing and a pivot made of carbon fiber... feels better.. Also I'd add two Rib sections in the Nose and back section of the Wing, holding that in place.
So why going through all this?
First, I got the impression the extra weight will not do any harm, FT loaded that thing with cameras, smaller rocket planes, net guns and what not. Secondly, now I can wedge in between both Wing halves whatever i feel like. All it takes is another Wing root-shaped plywood sheet that carries my interchangeable mid sections. Those could be "only" a battery holder or even FPV compartments or containers to drop things from, hell even a blunt nose-Pusher motor section could work.. I'm just keeping my Options open.
I'll keep adding more details soon enough, for now wheels need to be acquired and the Wingtips need to get put on (I'll also make those detachable).
In Order to do that, I need to decide what to do with the landing skid. As suggestet by the original design, two wooden sticks are supposed to be glued to the Wing tip down side. I dislike this combination of functions of landing support and steering, especially since I want to be able to take off the Wingtip. Secondly I'm uncertain about the behavor when landing.
The Skid on the outmost far end of the wing will have an enourmous leverage, once it touches the ground while landing. Won't that possibly put the Kraken into a spin motion? or does that come in so flat that it will always touch down on the wheels first? As I will add support structure to the wings outer end anyway, I will put the skid on that (if at all), and let the wingtip just be a wingtip.
I'm also thinking about a reverse thrust function for Landing aproaches, having a Futaba programable radio with tons of extra channels and funny switches, can anyone advise on that? Overkill? Sure way of suicide?
Axel
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