ShrubSmacker Release

basslord1124

Master member
Well mine is not too far from a maiden. Doing a 4 channel + flaps. Just need to get the balance figured out. I'm not sure what it is, but anytime I build any of these FT or foamboard planes, they always end up tail heavy and I have to add nose weight. Shrubby is no exception. Battery is as far forward as it will go inside the fuse/battery tray. At this stage, I'm thinking of cutting the front part of the nose underneath the power pod and sticking the battery there to help with balance. Anybody else have that with their Shrubsmacker?

Something I will have to admit...I'm not sure if it was just a run of bad luck, but this was just one of my sloppiest builds to date. Overcutting, patching, crooked this or that, just bad all around IMO. Sometimes I just accept its faults and move on...on the Shrubby I feel kinda embarrassed I built it so terribly. Maybe someday I can build a somewhat better looking one @Grifflyer ! ;)Oh well, crap happens. Who knows it may fly like a dream!
 

K3V0

Elite member
I flew my shrubsmacker yesterday! It thinks it’s one of the last flights for a while. CG is always touchy in this one for me and I agree the nose is tight for battery space. I ended up cutting a hatch into it for access. Also had to cut a door in the rear fuse to reattach some servo wires after a crash.
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I built the shrubby as a park flyer and travel plane. It’s actually done well for several road trips up and down the coast and is pretty resilient for a small fb plane. I’m getting ready to move soon but when I’m settled I’ll make a new one.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
I flew my shrubsmacker yesterday! It thinks it’s one of the last flights for a while. CG is always touchy in this one for me and I agree the nose is tight for battery space. I ended up cutting a hatch into it for access. Also had to cut a door in the rear fuse to reattach some servo wires after a crash. View attachment 169458 View attachment 169459 I built the shrubby as a park flyer and travel plane. It’s actually done well for several road trips up and down the coast and is pretty resilient for a small fb plane. I’m getting ready to move soon but when I’m settled I’ll make a new one.
You like the Minis you gotta try building this little guy.
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Just built it, yet to fly it. But it is a robust park flyer. Design by @MiniacRC
 

basslord1124

Master member
I had a 2S 800 that balanced almost perfectly upfront. Then I had a 3S 1000 that made it pretty nose heavy. I kept the 3S and added just a little bit of change to the tail to balance it out. And yeah I ended up cutting the bottom off the nose and sticking the battery under the power pod.

Wow, 15 for lows...that's pretty low.
 

basslord1124

Master member
Well just an FYI, I took the Shrub out for a maiden this morning. To play it safe, I didn't use flaps (I really should practice on a sim first to get a feel for how they are) even though I did have some flap/elevator mixes programmed in.

The flight was very quick as some of my maidens are lol...so yeah I crashed it. Damage is not bad at all, easily repairable (nose plant). Definitely pilot error here as I overcontrolled it when turning back around and the wing dropped....had it on high rates for take off and probably should've switched it back to low rates.

It "may" have damaged my motor...it's making a scraping noise noise so I'm going to inspect it and either repair it OR buy a new motor.

I do have a video and can post it if anybody wants to see.

Despite this, she did fly briefly, and didn't appear to have any major trim issues.
 

Grifflyer

WWII fanatic
Well just an FYI, I took the Shrub out for a maiden this morning. To play it safe, I didn't use flaps (I really should practice on a sim first to get a feel for how they are) even though I did have some flap/elevator mixes programmed in.

The flight was very quick as some of my maidens are lol...so yeah I crashed it. Damage is not bad at all, easily repairable (nose plant). Definitely pilot error here as I overcontrolled it when turning back around and the wing dropped....had it on high rates for take off and probably should've switched it back to low rates.

It "may" have damaged my motor...it's making a scraping noise noise so I'm going to inspect it and either repair it OR buy a new motor.

I do have a video and can post it if anybody wants to see.

Despite this, she did fly briefly, and didn't appear to have any major trim issues.
That's too bad it crashed, I'm glad it looked promising during the brief flight.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Well just an FYI, I took the Shrub out for a maiden this morning. To play it safe, I didn't use flaps (I really should practice on a sim first to get a feel for how they are) even though I did have some flap/elevator mixes programmed in.

The flight was very quick as some of my maidens are lol...so yeah I crashed it. Damage is not bad at all, easily repairable (nose plant). Definitely pilot error here as I overcontrolled it when turning back around and the wing dropped....had it on high rates for take off and probably should've switched it back to low rates.

It "may" have damaged my motor...it's making a scraping noise noise so I'm going to inspect it and either repair it OR buy a new motor.

I do have a video and can post it if anybody wants to see.

Despite this, she did fly briefly, and didn't appear to have any major trim issues.
Of coarse we want to see the video... silly question
 

basslord1124

Master member
LOL, should've known you'd want a video @BATTLEAXE . I'll get it uploaded here soon.

@Grifflyer ...yeah I don't think it's going to be bad at all with this plane. I was kinda already having a so-so morning anyways, so perhaps that played part of it too.

A few things worth mentioning...
-this thing on 3S...whew! Speedy little cub! Or maybe it was just the motor I was using.
-Does it normally require a lot of speed to get airborne? ...seems like it took a little bit of room and speed to get airborne.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
LOL, should've known you'd want a video @BATTLEAXE . I'll get it uploaded here soon.

@Grifflyer ...yeah I don't think it's going to be bad at all with this plane. I was kinda already having a so-so morning anyways, so perhaps that played part of it too.

A few things worth mentioning...
-this thing on 3S...whew! Speedy little cub! Or maybe it was just the motor I was using.
-Does it normally require a lot of speed to get airborne? ...seems like it took a little bit of room and speed to get airborne.
I always lime watchin your vids man. Quality entertainment.
 

basslord1124

Master member
All right here is the quick maiden:


To me, it was a typical rookie mistake of overcontrolling and dropping the wing. Plus I forgot to put the plane back to low rates (did hi rates for takeoff...didn't use flaps). Got a little anxious I suppose.

Something else I just remembered too...my tail servos are actually smaller (3.7g) than the wing servos (5g). I put all low and hi rates to the same values across the board. I am thinking that I may need to bump the 3.7g up a little to make up for the extra deflection that the 5g ones can do. Just a theory...haven't really verified it to make sure.