One would assume that because these planes are 200% larger that the build would be 200% harder. Great news. This isn't the case!
Josh and David show how they brought these monster planes to life!
The monsters build exactly like the normal swappables but the name of the game here is structural integrity.
On the normal FT Spitfire the power pod provides a great amount of strength for the fuselage.
To compensate for the absent power pod on the monster, David built a similar style box to keep the fuselage from buckling in on itself.
The motor mount was built from lauan plywood and LOTS of glue. Hot glue to be exact. CA glue didn't quite hold up to the vibrations from the motor and you can see the results below.
Here are the big fat control horns. The patterns for these are available in the Monster FT Cruiser Plans.
The belly is lined with a thin plywood to prevent the rubber bands that hold the wings from digging into the foam.
The wings for the Monster FT Cruiser couldn't be removed like David's Spitfire, so Josh decided to use a technique called shear webbing. Usually this is done with wood but here we use foam.
He also used a joining spar with a screw to connect the wing to the fuselage.
More simply, the long spar coming out of the wing is inserted into a tab in the fuselage. Kind of like big flying Legos!
Here is a bottom shot of Josh's motor mount.
One amazingly easy and fun addition to any huge plane are bomb bays! All it takes is a box, an extra servo, and a hinge line.
To keep the tail rudder strong Josh reinforced the mounts with a thin sheet of plywood.
For more detailed explanations of these techniques check out the episode!
The number one rule for monster planes is DON'T BE INTIMIDATED! The build time is more lengthy but the flying is surprisingly more docile and smooth.
Also take these techniques and apply them to any plane that you wish. We would love to see your success with any of our plans or your personal ones!
We thank you again for letting us do projects like this and hope that we have given you the inspiration to try this yourself!
PLANS
Monster FT Cruiser Electronics
- Motor: 2826-04 x2
- Prop: 13x6.5 APC
- ESC: Favorite 80A x2
- Servos: BMS620MG x4
- Battery: 3S10,000mAH
Monster FT Spitfire Electronics
- Motor: C5065 270 Kv
- Prop: 20X10 Xoar
- ESC: Turnigy dlux 80A HV
- Servos: HK47111DMG x4
- Battery: 6S5000mAH
What plane would you like to see made into a monster? Let us know!