Need help with "Flying Fortress" model build

funkymonkey

New member
Looking to recreate this plane the "flying fortress" from BTD6 as a flying RC plane. I am familiar with fpv quads and have a tx16s that I would like to fly the plane with, but as far as building model wings I have no idea what I am doing ( I know how to solder and mount servos etc... but how do I know the motors will be strong enough for the plane, or that the wings will be stable enough to allow it to fly) . I would like to build the plane as close as possible to what it looks like in game including the six motors.

I saw the racestar racing motors look quiet similar to the motors on the plane but would I need the 4114, 3508, 2212s? Are bibladed props practical enough for a build like this?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and if there is any sort of videos or websites that explain how to engineer a custom build like this I would greatly appreciate it.
 

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Shurik-1960

Well-known member
Your message is about nothing : no wingspan or scale , projected flight weight . Then you can answer by electric motors. A short forward-projecting part of the fuselage - you will have to install everything in it to the maximum for the desired CG and facilitate the tail section as much as possible. A very difficult project even for an experienced modeler.
 

Biko

New member
If you got some experience with light building, I recommend to do that for this build. No matter the size of the plane, this is to make the thrust to weight ratio better, but also as Shurik pointed out, to be able to get the CG forward enough for your plane. You have to put the battery in the very front. Use depron, and try to keep the plane construction simple and light.

The flat sides of the fuselage can be made with a single sheet of foam rolled around a flat bottom. If you want to, you could try making the rounded top and bottom with the technique of Flitetest canopies. Then you arrange the electronics: should be more than enough space. Wing could be as simple as in Flitetest models, but again, keep that huge wing light for some leverage with the CG. The twin tail booms could be rolled up foam too: I recommend using a central foam spar placed vertically and perhaps 2-3 formers, with a thin depron, or other foam skin. In terms of electronics, make sure the motors are nice and far forward, and not too big.

6x 2212 motors should be more than enough for anything not monster scale. 700g of thrust each on 3s. So thats 4,2 kg thrust, and around 2,8kg with 2s. Maybe even use lighter motors, if your wingspan is under 1,5 meters. The choice of electronics depends on scale really. Anyways, figure out your desired scale first. Then look at your materials. Then guess what the plane's going to weigh without electronics. Then look at the right power system for that kind of weight: 2s, 3s, 4s, motors, and what battery for decent flight time. Add the weight of a fitting battery and motors. Then look at the thrust the motors provide: anything between 1-2x your planes weight (electronics included) is good. If the thrust to weight ratio (TWR) is too small, look at bigger motors and/or a smaller battery. If the TWR is bigger than 2, that's overkill and you should try smaller motors. Hope you can take something from that.
 

MaxTheFliteFreak

Active member
I agree with Shurik and Biko. Scale, power, weight and CG will be important things to think about, as well as your building and more importantly, flying skills. It's a complex model to build especially for a first timer, and it looks like a tough plane to fly. My further reccomendations will be to add dihedral and to make it large, if possible. Larger planes generally fly better than smaller ones as they aren't affected by wind as much, tend to be slower and are much more stable which makes them easier to fly. Know your limits, and don't bite off more than you can chew. If the worst happens, it will make a good wall hanger.

Goodluck, and happy flying!
 

Mr NCT

Site Moderator
Looking to recreate this plane the "flying fortress" from BTD6 as a flying RC plane. I am familiar with fpv quads and have a tx16s that I would like to fly the plane with, but as far as building model wings I have no idea what I am doing ( I know how to solder and mount servos etc... but how do I know the motors will be strong enough for the plane, or that the wings will be stable enough to allow it to fly) . I would like to build the plane as close as possible to what it looks like in game including the six motors.

I saw the racestar racing motors look quiet similar to the motors on the plane but would I need the 4114, 3508, 2212s? Are bibladed props practical enough for a build like this?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and if there is any sort of videos or websites that explain how to engineer a custom build like this I would greatly appreciate it.
Reach out to @Silver Surfer FPV, he would be the one to help you.
 

danskis

Master member
You could make some of the motors non functioning dummy motors which would simplify things. Consider you might have to make this several times to get it to fly
 

funkymonkey

New member
Your message is about nothing : no wingspan or scale , projected flight weight . Then you can answer by electric motors. A short forward-projecting part of the fuselage - you will have to install everything in it to the maximum for the desired CG and facilitate the tail section as much as possible. A very difficult project even for an experienced modeler.

I did not include those metrics as I was not sure what would be practical, but by some more research and reading the above comments it looks like 1.5 meters will be what I shoot for.

This is more for looks and less for being an aerodynamic masterpiece, so if I can fly it 30ft up in the air and do a couple circles and land it I would be more than happy. So a flight time of 2-3 minutes at the minimum would be more than enough.

I imagine I would have to move the rear tail backwards a little bit in an effort to make the plane fly backwards (and my life a lot easier) *but how would I figure out how far back to move it?* Or is experimenting part of the process.

Thank you to all the comments and help I appreciate it a lot.

(I know this is a big project especially for a beginner but I am planning to learn as much as I can in a short time period and I figure a project like this is a fun way to do so)