Micro (20") DH.88 scratch build (Buildruray)

[Hondo76251]

Here is my attempt at a bit of a "Master series" micro build. This will be my first entry to the Build-ruray challenge.

The planes wing is 20" and the fuse is about 18"

Power will be 2 brushed 820 quadcopter motors. I'll try to keep it under 70 grams but even then, she wont be over powered!

I've got a video I'll have together at the end but here's a few pics along the way:

 

[Hondo76251]

Finally got a maiden in this morning.

Much to my surprise, she actually flew pretty well! It was a bit breezy to fly such a small bird but, aside from a bit of a rough landing, went without a hitch. Even the flaperons actually seemed to work. Looking forward to dialing it in more after paint...

Shes got a bit of a nose wrinkle now but I think itll look ok once painted:

 

[Hondo76251]

Going for the theme of the Comet, "Black Magic"

 

[Hondo76251]

Now time for some good flight footage...

 

[DarkFire]

That looks awesome!! The wires certainly look like they were a beast to stuff into the fuse. Crossing my fingers for a good maiden!

 

[Hondo76251]

That looks awesome!! The wires certainly look like they were a beast to stuff into the fuse. Crossing my fingers for a good maiden!

HaHa, Thanks! Its a bit of a tight fit for sure!

I flew a few flights before paint (not usually brave enough to wait to maiden after paint! lol) so hopefully it didn't throw her too out of balance! It has been windy AF here the last few days, hope to get her back into the air soon!

 

[Hondo76251]

Finished Video finally!

 

[Hondo76251]

Micro DH.88 Comet "Black Magic"

I've always been an aviation nerd and I like interesting stories. The DH.88 Comet, built specifically for the 1934 MacRobertson air race, definitely has an interesting story. This particular comet, G-ACSP "Black Magic" is one of two surviving original planes. Though not as famous as "Grosvenor House," (the red one) Black Magic holds several records of her own: England-Karachi during the 1934 MacRoberston air race, and later as "Salazar" after being sold, set and then broke her own record for London-Lisbon in 5hrs 27min in 1937.

This build was made up as I went, no plan other than a picture of the plane. I wanted to use old toy quad motors so I knew roughly the size and weight I'd be limited to. I used the rolled foam (master series) technique mostly which is fairly tricky on something this small. (The fuse is only 1" wide) The electronics are quite small and delicate. It required a lot of soldering on components like the ESC's which are about the size of my pinky fingernail. Because of the size, I'd rate this build:

Build: 4.5

I did the maiden before paint because if any shifting of the CG was required I would have to do surgery. Luckily it came out about right. It flew surprisingly well for such a small and light plane and also proved to be reasonably durable. With a little trimming I think I could get her some better low speed manners and if I had it to do again I would go with an As3x receiver. Due to the small size and its affinity to quickly enter a tip stall at low speeds, particularly when trying to land I'd rate the flying experience:

Flight Characteristics: 4

All in all I'm pleased with how she turned out. Its a nice piece to add to my fleet, an homage to an early pioneering airplane. I do plan to do this build again a bit larger with some brushless motors, a bit more like a Mini Master series build and shoot for sub 250 to make a fun FPV platform. Since this was a scratch build with no real plans, I don't have a lot to offer in tips and tricks other than any time you build something this small, even the simple stuff gets exponentially harder!

 

[Joe Carpino]

Looks great! One tip: if you want to make it lighter (for a future build) take off the paper from the foamboard and it will fly slower and become much lighter. Great job though!

 

[Hondo76251]

@Joe Carpino it has most of the internal paper removed, the tail feathers are actually made from thin styrofoam plates. I've considered removing paper prior to building and replacing one side with doculam... but I've yet to try it.

 

[Joe Carpino]

@Joe Carpino it has most of the internal paper removed, the tail feathers are actually made from thin styrofoam plates. I've considered removing paper prior to building and replacing one side with doculam... but I've yet to try it.

I use a lot of foam plates for my micros and I glue/tape them together to make them longer.