FTFC22: Build-ruary by AgentC

AgentC

Elite member
FTFC22: Build-ruary by AgentC (Build Skill: 2.48, Pilot SKill: 1 New Pilot)
  1. FT Mini Scout (with Floats)
  2. FT Tiny Trainer - Trying to get a 4-channel under 250g
  3. EZ Series: EZ Bronco
  4. EZ Series: EZ Glider
I am relatively new to the scene, gaining entrance through the EZ series and getting a DX6e for Christmas, so now getting into the hobby all-in.
That being said, I've had a bunch of fun with the first EZ series planes I had, but subsequently fried the boards while trying to re-solder the battery wires. Oops. Now waiting for an order including some EZ boards in the mail, but they've been stagnent in the USA for 2 weeks now, so hoping they're not lost in transit...
 
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AgentC

Elite member
1. FT Mini Scout (with Floats)

I'm currently building my 4th Mini Scout, all the previous ones not lasting well with my inexperienced flying skills and the cold Canadian winter (untreated foamboard and snow are not the best of friends)...

31 January 2022:
Cut Parts and create the experimental Jacob's Ladder hinges.
IMG_20220131_161129.jpg IMG_20220131_170732.jpg

1 February 2022:
Built the Mini Scout! But promptly forget to photograph the process. Oops.
IMG_20220201_001228.jpg IMG_20220201_001422.jpg
Add Decals! (Printed and simply glued on)
IMG_20220201_085137.jpg IMG_20220201_091919.jpg
Time to maiden! (I didn't get a video here, unfortunately), but found she yawed heavily to the left.
But she survived!

Next steps, some pencil work to create the material effect:
IMG_20220201_225752.jpg IMG_20220202_150215.jpg

7 February 2022:
Next flight! Got her into the air, but managed to execute an excellent snow-plow landing:
IMG_20220207_112003.jpg
Wheels didn't survive, and at this time, floats were decided upon.

Found a plan on the forum for DTFB floats, so took them, reduced them and hacked together the floats in the evening.
Attached them to the plane with some Amazon-purchased pushrods (that are too short and too thick for mighty minis IMO).
IMG_20220213_102331.jpg IMG_20220213_102341.jpg IMG_20220213_102415.jpg IMG_20220213_102356.jpg

I also added the FT navigation LEDs into the plane, and tucked the wires into scores in the wings and the paper covered over.
IMG_20220213_093659.jpg IMG_20220213_093833.jpg IMG_20220213_093850.jpg IMG_20220213_093921.jpg IMG_20220213_093929.jpg IMG_20220207_230813.jpg IMG_20220213_094132.jpg

I'll maiden this new setup and see if she can land and takeoff on snow :)

13 February 2022: MAIDEN FLIGHT!
.
Floats need some refining, but they work well on the snow! I had them too far forward, so they sometimes interfered with the prop.

19 February 2022:
I thought about having the floats be integrated with the wheels, and as I had accidentally removed them from the fuselage on a not-so-delicate welcoming to the earth, the time came to give it a try.
I hacked a slot in the pontoons, got the old wheels back on the Scout and created a bracing that when the floats are removed, it simply rotates 180° and rests in slots created on the wing.
IMG_20220219_153600.jpg IMG_20220219_153548.jpg IMG_20220219_153609.jpg IMG_20220219_153509.jpg

I foresee that the problem I'll have is that the floats are too close together, but if that's the case, I think there's a simple and possible even better solution available to have the wheels attached without hacking holes into the floats...
Then they'll still be useful for water and not just snow.

Test flight to come when it's not -20° and howling outside...

21 February 2022:
Test flight with the new floats actually worked! (Until the hot glue gave out). I initially removed the tape I had underneath the floats, but the bare foam did not like the wet snow and didn't move. After putting tape on and fixing my unglued anchor, the plane whipped across the snow. No evidence unfortunately, as my 6-year old videographer decided that reading a book with my wife under a cosy blanket was a better option that trudging around in the snow...
IMG_20220221_140554.jpg

And now, with many a great flights, some fantastic crashes, 2 broken props, and the testing phase of the floats pretty much complete (even though I think I only managed about 15 flights with her until the wing-tip/leading edges were buckled with wet snow, the motor-mount repositioned due to a fantastic inverted nose-dive and earth-welcoming, the fuselage cracked in that vicinity and the area where the wheel's get glued on pretty much down to bare foam, hopes and dreams), I have as such, removed all the electronics and what-not and have mounted this bird on the wall to remind me of her glory-days and a great building challenge.

For my next Mini Scout, I plan to do a crash-test skinned version, albeit not the WWI theme but a modern take, so there won't be the material-spar textures as seen in other great skins (and I'll probably leave out the curved arches in the wings and keep them straight). I think it will look cool, nonetheless, and the floats will also accompany this next build. I guess I'll add the modified floats as a resource, as well as the skin once I have them created and refined.

26 February 2022:
I got itchy after retiring the white Mini Snow Scout, so the Crash Test version has been in production!
IMG_20220225_094426.jpg
Skins made, printed and glued, then the plane made. I still want to do floats, but think it might be better to have them interchangeable, so wouldn't magnets be a good idea?
Well, we're trying it in any case. Landing gear is simple, so that's where I'm starting:
IMG_20220226_090228.jpg IMG_20220226_090202.jpg
I also found the one useful thing from a Powerup kit, the landing gear. Why not try a steerable rudder!?!?
IMG_20220226_090348.jpg

Going to maiden this one today. There's still snow everywhere, so not too sure how successful the wheels will be...
IMG_20220226_090236.jpg IMG_20220226_090218.jpg IMG_20220226_090153.jpg IMG_20220226_090243.jpg

27 February 2022:
It was too windy yesterday to fly, so I instead spent some time cutting, shaping and glueing the floats together.
IMG_20220226_233950.jpg IMG_20220226_234701.jpg IMG_20220226_234819.jpg
IMG_20220227_091758.jpg
I sealed the edges and bottom with wood glue, and this morning applied a thin coat of polyurethane.

The magnets have been a great success in attaching the gear and switching out to the floats. I added a couple toothpicks in the fuselage to keep the gear in place with elastics, and so now they even have a bit of flex when I land unceremoniously (as is usually the case), and super easy to change out. I think I'll do a quick video of that when I do the maiden.

Then, I also need to create some plans for the floats as well as a build thread, as they're not just simple cut-and-paste creations...

28 February 2022:
MAIDEN!

IMG_20220228_100319.jpg IMG_20220228_110140.jpg IMG_20220228_110038.jpg

Swapping out the wheels and floats:
IMG_20220228_111714.jpg IMG_20220228_111717.jpg IMG_20220228_111631.jpg IMG_20220228_111613.jpg IMG_20220228_111519.jpg

In the end, I added toothpicks and elastics at the back of the floats (where they attach to the fuselage), as the magnets weren't strong enough on their own to hold them in place.
Still, a good experiment as they hold them in place a bit with the elastics help, and so easy to change out when not in snow or water!

IMG_20220301_001308.jpg

01 March 2022:
Attached the PDF Plans (I still need to refine the floats, but they're there). You can get the skins early on this thread, and I will continue to refine and clean up the design and then eventually I'll add them a resource.

Summary of this Build:
  • Build: 2½ /5 - This was a simple build, apart from the floats that I have been refining. The Mini Scout is so easy to make, and following the build instructions, this is a 1/5. the Floats added the additional 1½.
    • Even with the added skins, building it was quick and fun. For the first (white) plane, I had fun doing Jacob's ladder hinges, but didn't use them in the Crash Test edition, as they looked cool, but it was too much effort for such a small gain. I did learn a lot on the thread about waterproofing foam board, so the Crash test edition has both white glue edges as well as a spar-urethane coating. Super easy and definitely worth the extra bit of work. The plane actually looks a lot better too with the coat of the satin finish. I used the Rustoleum 'Varathane' brand.
    • I guess I didn't add any difficulty in the skins, which I might need to do, but as a Graphic Designer by profession, this was more of me just having fun and tinkering on the PC than actual effort. I could add a 1-point on the difficult scale for them, now that I think about it, as there has been a decent amount of trial and error in the application of skins on foam.
    • I added the Flite Test navigation LEDs to the original (white) scout, and adding them so that the wires didn't show was pretty easy, but needed a decent amount of precision with the blade. I might add the lights onto the next Mini Scout I eventually end up making.
  • Flying: 1/5 - Super simple to fly, even with the floats. I flew this with a 2S 650MaH as well as a 3S 450MaH, and the Mini Scout flew awesomely on both. It really zipped around on the 3S. The maiden videos were both taken with the 2S battery.
    • The floats work amazing on snow and ice, but still need to e tested on water (most likely not by me, I'm too inexperience at flying and don't want a submarine, and in any case, all the water is still frozen here).
    • I added black Gorilla tape for the edge of the wheels, and that has added a decent amount of strength and I think will add to the longevity of them.
    • Adding a tail wheel was a stroke of brilliance, and now I can't wait for warmer weather, to be able to go taxi and take off on tar/asphalt.
 

Attachments

  • Mini Scout - Crash Test Edition (Tiled).pdf
    219.9 KB · Views: 0
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AgentC

Elite member
2. FT Tiny Trainer
Trying to get a 4-channel under 250g

I've built a Tiny Trainer already but can only fly it 3-channel because I need to keep my planes under 250g to fly under the Canadian radar, so one of the goals I have is create a Tiny Trainer light enough to have the 4-channel in and have it come under 250g. My first idea is to remove the paper from the inside of the model, and see how that goes. The next steps (after this challenge) might be to create the wonder glider as a powered plane...

10 February 2022:
Parts cut out and paper removed from key areas.
IMG_20220210_111135.jpg
Weight of all the pieces: 94g. Good start! Next steps: jump onto Illustrator and make some quick skins (to fix some wayward cutting/scoring and to negate the painting afterwards). Due to my flying style, I'm thinking of a Crash Test Dummy theme...
IMG_20220210_111228.jpg

11 February 2022:
Skins have been thrown together in Illustrator, now to see if they'll work...
Tiny Trainer - Crash Test Editition Skins (Tiled).jpg

12 February 2022, Part 1:
Skins "completed" (good enough to print and use, not distribute as of yet), cut out and glued into the FB parts.
IMG_20220212_010256.jpg
Gained a few grams with my heavy trigger-finger on the glue spray, we're now at 98g...
IMG_20220212_010552.jpg

Next steps: try this waterproofing that I hear everyone does... And I also bought Gorilla glue today, so will maybe make this build using that instead of hot glue.

12 February 2022, Part 2:
One step back, two steps forward: after assembling some of the parts, I realised that Jacob's Ladder hinges would look a lot better underneath the skin as opposed to above. So, undid a lot of work, redid the hinges onto foam, and now printing skins again to glue on top of them. Fortunately, the fuselage hasn't needed surgery. Yet.
IMG_20220212_131621.jpg 16446902548321947775630339675089.jpg

12 February 2022, Part 3:
So the Crash Test Tiny Trainer 4-channel is built, and weighed. With a 2S 650, the weight comes in at exactly 250g.

Grrrrr. No sealing/waterproofing for this model.
Future steps: do regular hinges. I think the extra tape added unnecessary weight. And next time, when I am planning an extended build time, I'll use Gorilla Glue instead of hot glue.

Also, the wing seems a bit flimsy, maidening could be interesting...
But hey, it looks cool and will go down spectacularly when the time comes!
IMG_20220212_171247.jpg IMG_20220212_171241.jpg IMG_20220212_181505_edit_1527223028406543.jpg

13 February 2022: MAIDEN FLIGHT!!!
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I thought the plane was nose-heavy but then when flying, it seemed the opposite! Could also do with a 3S battery, but that would take me over the 250g threshold.
I think I'm going to back-burner this, revert it to the 3-channel glider. But I think I might have found my new default paint/skin scheme. The obnoxious orange is fantastic even though it annoys my wife (she's really dislikes the colour orange), so that's a definite positive from this project experiment.

14 February 2022:
I decided to try one last flight with it to see about my initial CG problem. With the battery more forward, the plane did fly a lot better, but still not as good as it should, so the plane has been converted into a chuck glider for the kids (where good planes go to die).

01 March 2022:
It might be a while before I tackle this again, so I attached the PDF Skin Template (Letter Page tiled) (Beta phase, still), and will clean them up once I have made this plane again.

Summary of this Build:
  • Build: 3½ /5
    • Don't remove the paper from the inside of the plane! It makes it to flimsy! Lesson learnt. I'm going to have to figure out another way to make the 4-channel lighter than 250g, somehow.
      2022-03-23: EDIT
      I can't believe that removing paper caused my issues, so now that I have now time on a build, I'm taking another stab at this. Starting with the 3-channel, but still removing paper on the inside of the fuselage, I'm using Gorilla Glue as much as possible, so time will tell if this works. Probably, as I think the first could have just been a bad build...
    • This plane had the creation of the "Crash Test" theme! So much fun creating it! What I might do next is create a very simple 'sticker sheet that people can download and then add to their planes. Paint your plane obnoxious orange and grey, add some stripes, throw on some pressure sensor stickers and you're good to go!
  • Flying: 4/5 -Removing the paper on the inside didn't make this plane fly nicely. I also had the CG off on the maiden, but after taking it out again, even with the correct CG, it just didn't want to be up in the air. Comparing that to my 1st (3 channel) Tiny Trainer, which flew easily with a flying difficulty of 2/5, I definitely want to revisit this and see where I went wrong...
 

Attachments

  • Tiny Trainer - Crash Test Editition Skins (Tiled).pdf
    906.2 KB · Views: 0
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AgentC

Elite member
3. EZ Series: EZ Bronco
The resource is here, but I intent to do a better (updated) job on the skins, and have a build thread for the plane, as well as adapting the design solely for 2-channel, as the 3-channel is now discontinued.
EDIT: The resource has been updated with the Crash Test skins.

15 February 2022:
Crash Test skins created!
IMG_20220216_005414.jpg

16 February 2022:
Build Plane!

Cut out parts:
IMG_20220216_094812.jpg

Create wing shape and add spar:
IMG_20220216_100246.jpg IMG_20220216_100750.jpg IMG_20220216_101442.jpg

Glue fuselage pieces together (all paper removed):
IMG_20220216_102246.jpg

Glue skins onto foam:
IMG_20220216_111256.jpg IMG_20220216_115656.jpg

Assemble!
IMG_20220216_121752.jpg

Colour in edges:
IMG_20220216_135645.jpg IMG_20220216_135702.jpg

Add wheels:
IMG_20220216_144353.jpg

DONE! (For the time being)
Now we just wait and hope the electronics arrive time...
IMG_20220216_144413.jpg IMG_20220216_144419.jpg IMG_20220216_144424.jpg

26 February 2022:
Electronics arrived! Well, not the originals, they're still stuck in transit somewhere in the US... I rushed an EZ Pack (and spare props of all sizes due to my 'flying' style) which arrived yesterday.
IMG_20220225_193716.jpg
I'm a little bummed that one of the motor mounts was broken upon opening the box, and a left prop was missing entirely, but as I mainly break right props (I have like, 4 spare lefts and no rights), and I also had a spare mount, I'm not going to cause a fuss with Jen and her team.
IMG_20220226_001258.jpg

Electronics installed, and hopefully the weather holds out for a maiden today before I strip her for parts and get the EZ Glider ready to fly.
IMG_20220226_003626.jpg

26 February 2022:
MAIDEN!

01 March 2022:
Summary of this Build:

  • Build: (without skins:1/5) | (with skins: 3/5) - This plane is SUPER easy to make. 7 pieces of foam (3 of those joined for the fuselage). You can go from printing the plans to having the plane build in less than an hour. If you go the route of the skins, that's more in the line of 2-3 hours, as it is best to cut out the templates and pieces, make the wing shape (and add the spar), glue the fuselage pieces together, then apply the skins and assemble the plane. I actually added a coat of spar-urethane to my little one because the brush was still loaded after I painted my Mini Scout, and I must say, I'm impressed! It didn't add any significant weight and its nice to know its now a bit more durable.
    • Creating the Bronco itself has been a journey in itself. I got into the hobby with the EZ pack and the Bronco was the first plane I designed. It took numerous attempts and sizes to get it right. I had actually gotten close to giving up on it, but then reduced the size from originally 17" down to the 14" that it's now, and eventually found it's sweet spot.
  • Flying: 1/5 -This little plane is an absolute joy to fly. 2 channels and it just goes like a dream. It's possible to fly it on low rates, but really, just go high rates from the start and stay there... If you still have a 3-channel EZ pack, this plane becomes a lot more agile. I realized that the 3-channel pack actually has a different power setup to the 2 channel. for the 3 channel, if you move the right stick to a side without any throttle, only that motor jumps into action. With the 2-channel, mine doesn't do this. They both move, albeit at different speeds. I think that also hinders the 2-channel agility, which is a bit of a weird feature, in my opinion.
    • I have some 3d printed wheels for it, but actually took them off, because you can't really take off with them in the snow... Maybe in the summer they'll get added back on.
 
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AgentC

Elite member
4. EZ Series: EZ Glider

I had previously created a beta version of this plane, inspired by the Wonder Glider, but EZ sized :)
The idea here is not for kids essentially, but a better looking plane with all the eletronics inside and not glued on the side.
I have previously used the Freighter hatch, but will see if it's worth keeping or rather having a foam hatch instead.

I have also started looking at a formed fuselage instead of having it boxy, as I try to get over complicated for the EZ series...

18 February 2022:
Parts have been cut out, now to start assembly.
The paper eventually all gets removed for this build, but at varying stages.
Instead of using got glue, I'll be attempting Gorilla Glue this time.

Part one, add doublers.
IMG_20220218_155210.jpg

19 February 2022:
Next, the fuselage. Previously, I've kept the paper on the outside and remove all the inside paper for this step, but tried with all the paper removed and just taped together while the glue cures. Seems to work.
IMG_20220219_073514.jpg

Next, glue the tail pieces together. Once cured, I decided to sand the edges round on the fuselage, and afterwards glue the tail on.
IMG_20220219_073534.jpg IMG_20220219_082840.jpg
EDIT: I have wanted to create a more rounded fuselage previously and tried a master-series approach of forming the foam. I was quite happy with the results, and have those test fuselages sitting abound waiting to be used one day. But with this build and the use of the boxy fuselage, gorilla glue and then sanding the edges round, the form I got the pretty much the same, if not better in areas to the formed foam version that was a lot more difficult to make (and the cause of a pretty bad hot-glue burn). Interesting experiment on a small scale like this, in any case.

I also added some extra reinforcement in the fuselage at the weakest spot. Previously, this was where the wing set in the plane, held on with elastics, as per Flite Test traditions, but as I intend to keep the electronics in this plane until it's destroyed, I'm glueing the wing on, so I guess it won't be the weak spot anymore. Oh well, what's 1-gram's worth of structural support anyway?
IMG_20220219_212243.jpg

Next, the wing. Remove paper from underside of the wing, glue the spar in and leave to set.
Next, score the (inside) leading edge, and slowly, ever so slowly, crush and form the airfoil.
I didn't score the spar lines, but trying a smooth airfoil shape this time.
IMG_20220219_103817.jpg IMG_20220219_104042.jpg IMG_20220219_104129.jpg

Glue wing together, and set weights on the top over the spar, and tape the trailing edge to the table to set.
16452897029547386528140407212237.jpg

20 February 2022:
Once the wing set, I cut scores and created the polyhedral for the wing. More weights and once set, I sanded the edges to smooth out the design to match the rest of the plane.
IMG_20220220_080911.jpg IMG_20220220_084152.jpg

The weight of this glider pre-electronics: 21g.
IMG_20220220_082553.jpg


28 February 2022:
Electronics installed:
IMG_20220228_131728.jpg IMG_20220228_132647.jpg IMG_20220228_133147.jpg IMG_20220228_133153.jpg IMG_20220228_144322.jpg

Now to wait for a non-windy day today maiden!

01 March 2022:
Attached the PDF Plans (Beta still), and will clean them up once I have flown the plane and made the needed adjustments. Then possibly make them a resource.

04 & 05 March 2022:
Maiden Flights
There was actually too much wind to fly this properly, but needed something to show for my efforts. Flight review below.

07 March 2022:
Summary of this Build:

  • Build: 2½/5 - It's weird that I'm putting that as the same build difficulty as a Mini Scout with Floats, but its because if the size inside the fuselage that makes it a bit more difficult. That couples with needing to be more precise with these micro builds. Then, there is the fact that you have to remove all the paper from the plane to make it light enough. It could actually go to a 3/5, now that I think of it.
    • The inspiration from this design was taken from the Flite test Wonder (nee EZ) Glider, scaled down a whack load and then altered somewhat. Building it with foam safe Gorilla Glue is a lot slower than hot glue, but I think the neatness of the end product is worth the extra time invested. The thought of this plane it for it to be a good looking indoor glider for the winter, where you can't see any of the electronics, and with the lights nestled in the wing, it definitely adds a bit of flair.
    • On the 3-channel, I had a blast outdoors in gentle breezes and would get up to 15 minute flights on it. With the 2 channel though, I expect it to not fly as well as the 3 channel, as it is a VERY floaty plane, and with the 3 channel, it I wanted to get moving fast, I'd yank the throttle to 100% and have the elevator down a smidge. With the 2 channel, this won't be an option, so getting height without stalling is I think going to be a relatively slow affair. Time will tell, I guess.
    • I initially tried to install the electronics without the power pod hatch, but this proved too difficult with the space in the fuselage to get things to stick in place, so having the bottom cut open to install the hatch is a necessity in my opinion.
  • Flying: 1½/5. I have learnt a few things, here.
    1. I like the 3-channel version MUCH more. It's a lot more forgiving, as you have the elevator to be able to throttle out of situations but push the elevator down in those cases so that the glider can fly decently. With this version, unless its perfectly calm (or thereabouts), the plane gets tossd in the wind and you have to adjust the CG to get it going anywhere. I'm not 100% sure on this, but will see when I eventually get a calm day. The 3-channel version also had better steering, in that when you apply right, only the left prop moves to give you a better turing circle. With the 2-channel EZ pack, both motors move when the stick is moved to either side. That's a bit disappointing in my books.
    2. Seeing that I couldn't get a calm day to fly, I haven't worked out the perfect CG balance yet. It either seemed too tail heavy or too mose-heavy.
    3. I THINK this plane will fly awesomely on a calm day, as I was getting lift with very little throttle (maybe less than 25%?). Again, will test it out on a calm day when that eventually happens.
 

Attachments

  • EZ Mini 'EZ' Glider - Version 1.5.1.pdf
    272.1 KB · Views: 0
Last edited:

Scotto

Elite member
2. FT Tiny Trainer - Trying to get a 4-channel under 250g

I've built a Tiny Trainer already but can only fly it 3-channel because I need to keep my planes under 250g to fly under the Canadian radar, so one of the goals I have is create a Tiny Trainer light enough to have the 4-channel in and have it come under 250g. My first idea is to remove the paper from the inside of the model, and see how that goes. The next steps (after this challenge) might be to create the wonder glider as a powered plane...

Update #1: Parts cut out and paper removed from key areas.
Weight of all the pieces: 94g. Good start! Next steps: jump onto Illustrator and make some quick skins (to fix some wayward cutting/scoring and to negate the painting afterwards). Due to my flying style, I'm thinking of a Crash Test Dummy theme...

Update #2: Skins have been thrown together in Illustrator, now to see if they'll work...
Those skins look cool so far. Test dummy scheme is great. I cant believe I havent seen hundreds of that kind of paint job.

1. FT Mini Scout (with Floats)
I'm currently buidling my 4th Mini Scout, all the previous ones not lasting well with my inexperienced flying skills and the cold Canadian winter (untreated foamboard and snow are not the best of friends)...
Are the floats made from scaled down plans or did you come up with that yourself?
 
4. EZ Series: EZ Glider

I had previously created a beta version of this plane, inspired by the Wonder Glider, but EZ sized :)
The idea here is not for kids essentially, but a better looking plane with all the eletronics inside and not glued on the side.
I have previously used the Freighter hatch, but will see if it's worth keeping or rather having a foam hatch instead.

I have also started looking at a formed fuselage instead of having it boxy, as I try to get over complicated for the EZ series...
Yeah this is for real. Very impressive little glider. I love it.
 

AgentC

Elite member
Those skins look cool so far. Test dummy scheme is great. I cant believe I havent seen hundreds of that kind of paint job.

I know, right!? Crazy that's it's not a standard skin set for every single plane! 😄
Here's them stuck on the foam: IMG_20220212_010315.jpg

Are the floats made from scaled down plans or did you come up with that yourself?

Floats a got from: https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/dtfb-floats.21352/, scaled down and just hacked together in a night to see if they'd work. If it's a success, I'll redo and refine them, possibly add an add-on resource for the Mini Scout...
 

Attachments

  • 107140_e09f7e37c27301cdd459893fe30eb065.pdf
    13.9 KB · Views: 0

FoamyDM

Building Fool-Flying Noob
Moderator
@AgentC - Are you going to release the skins for both of these planes for others to enjoy too (Like if I build one for my kiddos.)
 

AgentC

Elite member
@AgentC - Are you going to release the skins for both of these planes for others to enjoy too (Like if I build one for my kiddos.)
The skins for the Bronco are already on the Bronco's latest update, and I still have to tinker with the Tiny Trainer one before I put it up, but will definitely be doing it!
 

Burnhard

Well-known member
The skins for the Bronco are already on the Bronco's latest update, and I still have to tinker with the Tiny Trainer one before I put it up, but will definitely be doing it!
Really impressed by your builds and skins. Are the skins just printed on paper and then glued to the foam board? I would have thought that this creates issues when bending the foam board but apparently yours look great.
 
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AgentC

Elite member
Really impressed by your builds and skins. Are the skins just printed on paper and the glued to the foam board? I would have thought that this creates issues when bending the foam board but apparently yours look great.
Thanks! Yup, just regular ol' paper. I watched @Rasterize do it in this video, and do basically the same. I've tried a few brands and they all do a decent job, but 3M Super 77 is the best I've had success with.
The EZ series are a super-easy place to start with skins, as most pieces are flat and need no shaping.
 

Burnhard

Well-known member
Thanks! Yup, just regular ol' paper. I watched @Rasterize do it in this video, and do basically the same. I've tried a few brands and they all do a decent job, but 3M Super 77 is the best I've had success with.
The EZ series are a super-easy place to start with skins, as most pieces are flat and need no shaping.
I saw that a couple builders use the Super 77 to glue the plans to the foamboard before doing the cutting. I am still using needles to do that. Again, your tiny trainer skin looks awesome!

I am pretty curious on how much weight the extra glue and paper add compared to a normal paint coating.
 

AgentC

Elite member
I saw that a couple builders use the Super 77 to glue the plans to the foamboard before doing the cutting. I am still using needles to do that. Again, your tiny trainer skin looks awesome!

I am pretty curious on how much weight the extra glue and paper add compared to a normal paint coating.

The difference is only a couple of grams, actually.

IMG_20220210_111228.jpg
Original foam board.

IMG_20220212_010552.jpg
Skinned (original paper removed, then skins glued on)

When I make my next Tiny Trainer (it'll be 3 channel with the Trainer wing), I'll do the weight experiment again.
 

Burnhard

Well-known member
The difference is only a couple of grams, actually.

View attachment 219810
Original foam board.

View attachment 219809
Skinned (original paper removed, then skins glued on)

When I make my next Tiny Trainer (it'll be 3 channel with the Trainer wing), I'll do the weight experiment again.
Ah, you remove the original paper first. That probably makes all the difference. I first thought you glued the skin to the original paper surface.
 

AgentC

Elite member
The difference is only a couple of grams, actually.

View attachment 219810
Original foam board.

View attachment 219809
Skinned (original paper removed, then skins glued on)

When I make my next Tiny Trainer (it'll be 3 channel with the Trainer wing), I'll do the weight experiment again.

Experiment complete. The new 20lb paper glued onto foam board only adds a few grams extra (about 5g for the TT).
You might notice that this build is heavier than my previous, but that's just because I haven't cut out the crevasses and some inner voids.
IMG_20220320_071815.jpg IMG_20220320_082252.jpg
 

AgentC

Elite member
Update!
I remade the Tiny Trainer, as I believed it was possible to get this plane under 250g.
The 3-channel plane, fully equipped minus battery came to 185g, that's 28g lighter than my SBK, which comes in at 213g. Just using Gorilla Glue instead of hot glue and removing paper from the inside of the fuselage.

Maiden went AWESOME! so now the Sport wing will me made...
IMG_20220329_160904.jpg IMG_20220326_164515.jpg IMG_20220326_164505.jpg IMG_20220323_161739.jpg IMG_20220322_103514.jpg