P r o d u c t R e v i e w Dennis Ridenhour
E-mail: [email protected]
Great Planes Rapture 40
Photos by the author
The Rapture is stable, precise, and aerobatic. Only slight down-elevator was needed to hold steady inverted flight.
THE RAPTURE IS advertised as a design that allows you to “get
back to the basics of sport flying where you don’t need computer
radios, expensive engines and months of workshop time to enjoy
exciting aerobatics.” As you’ll see in this review, I agree
wholeheartedly.
With a four-channel radio and an economical 40-size engine, the
Rapture 40 performs quite well and handles easily enough to be a
step up after you’ve mastered your trainer.
First Impressions: The first thing you’ll probably notice when you
open the box is that this kit is ready to assemble. There was a fair
amount of wood, rolled full-size plans, a decal sheet, and a few bags
of hardware.
I noted the lack of laser-cut parts as a strike against this kit; that
is a minor point. The Rapture’s balsa and plywood parts were diecut
cleanly overall. However, I had trouble removing several pieces
from the sheets. Laser-cutting would solve that problem, but you
shouldn’t have any trouble if you take a few extra minutes with a
hobby knife/saw and some sandpaper.
Pros:
• Photo-illustrated, 44-page manual is easy to follow.
• Assembles quickly for a ready-to-build kit.
• Landing gear’s wide stance makes taxiing easy.
• Standard 40-size engine provides outstanding performance.
• Makes a good “second” airplane.
• It’s not an ARF!
Cons:
• Parts are not cut with a laser. Although the die-cutting is
good overall, some pieces required a bit of careful work to
remove.
• The turtledeck’s design is fine, but the stringers could use
more support. They are held in place by two end formers and
another former midway. I’d like to see two more formers to
stiffen the turtledeck.
62 MODEL AVIATION
It looks like there are many parts in the box, but everything can
be assembled in a week, working two to three hours per night.
The model’s only sheeting is on top and bottom of wing’s
center-section. It covers first three ribs on each wing half and
adds a great deal of strength.
Two blocks that need to be sanded to shape support the
vertical fin. They add strength to the fin and add to the
Rapture’s smooth lines.
Also included was a nicely illustrated instruction manual that
was clear about how to put everything together. Toward the front
was a diagram showing all of the die-cut pieces’ names. Before
getting too far into things, be sure to label each die-cut part.
Doing so at this point can save a great deal of time later!
Construction: If you’ve never built a complete kit from balsa and
plywood, you don’t know what you’re missing. Yes, it takes
longer than building an ARF, but in the end you can have a model
that is stronger and lighter than an ARF might be. You can also
cover it however you’d like. How many times have you passed on
an ARF just because of the color scheme?
Building a kit can be a relaxing experience, and you could use
the skills you’d learn from the Rapture 40 to easily build 50% of
the ready-to-build kits on the market—if not more! You don’t
need a huge building board or tons of expensive tools.
I built this kit on one of Great Planes’ 48-inch Pro Building
Boards which sat on top of a card table in my living room. The
only power tools I needed were a Great Planes Slot Machine (to
cut the hinge slots), a power drill (to drill the firewall and enginemount
holes), and a covering iron. You’ll also need a few good
hand tools: hobby knives, a razor saw or two, a sanding block, Tpins,
a small square, etc.
A view of the Rapture in the bare bones, just after its final sanding. There’s not a lot
to it, which makes it a quick and fun build.
The kit includes complete hardware
pack including pushrods. As you can
see, formers give pushrods the support
they need.
With the exception of the covering, I
did everything you’ll read about here
while I watched the 24 Hours of Daytona
race. I’m not saying you can (or should)
build the Rapture in one session, but it
does give you an idea of how quickly it
can be built; roughly a week’s worth of
two- to three-hour-per-night sessions
should do it.
All of this is a long way of saying,
“Give constructing a ready-to-build kit a
try.” If you take your time, you will end
up with something you’ll be proud of.
You’ll have a kit that is uniquely yours.
Plus you’ll know exactly how to fix it if
Mr. Murphy reaches out and zaps you!
Tail Surfaces: Building started with the
vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer. The
construction was standard in these two
parts, and the pieces were made from
various lengths of 1⁄4 balsa.
I cut the rudder and elevator halves
from slab 1⁄4 balsa stock and shaped them
to fit. I made cutouts for the hinges, and
that was about it.
Wing: Each half of the wing was built
separately and then joined. The wing
construction was a simple rib-and-spar
design that was dry assembled. Once
everything was in place, I glued the panel
together into a nicely aligned structure. I
applied the center wing sheeting to the
top of the wing, installed the landing-gear
block, and installed the aileron control
hardware. Then I did it all again for the
other panel.
Once both panels were made, I joined
the halves using a plywood dihedral
joiner, and presto! I had a wing.
I added the wingtips and made the
cutouts for the landing gear in the bottom
of the wings. I gave it all a good sanding,
and the result was a nice, light wing. To
finish the wing, I glued the aileron servo
tray into place.
Fuselage: The fuselage’s design is fairly
simple and standard in sport kits such as
the Rapture. It consists of two slab
plywood sides that are spaced apart by a
number of formers. A plywood bottom
and top make the core of the fuselage, and
then a turtledeck and fuel compartment
are added to the top to finish the look.
I started the fuselage construction by
making a few subassemblies; I glued the
wing-saddle doublers in place, and then I
made the firewall and a few other bits and
pieces. Once that was finished, I pinned
the fuselage top to the board; everything
was built on top of it. (Or is that
underneath it?)
I put everything in place to align it
properly before gluing. You might need a
few clamps, masking tape, etc. to help
out, but take extra time here. Making sure
there are no twists or warps at this point
can make a huge difference in the way
your Rapture will fly in the end.
I fitted the wing and drilled the holes
for the wing dowels and wing hold-down
bolts. Make sure everything is lined up
here before you drill!
I installed the engine mount, servo
rails, and fuel tank. The fuel tank mounted
to a removable tray. This tray is held in by
a couple of screws and is a nice touch.
This gives you easy access to the tank in
case anything goes wrong. I chose a
Sullivan 8-ounce RST tank, but most
brands of 8-ounce tanks should work fine.
Another nice touch is that the fuselage’s
design gives a built-in right thrust to the
firewall and engine.
I finished the engine compartment by
adding the cheek floor and supports. I gave
this part a quick sanding and then made
sure to fuel-proof it (and the tank
compartment). I used a few quick shots of
clear urethane spray paint. It is easier to do
it at this point than when the covering is
on and things are a bit harder to get to!
The Rapture design uses a turtledeck to
round off the top of the fuselage. There’s
nothing wrong with the way this is done,
but I’d like to see a couple additional
formers used to support the turtledeck
stringers’ long span. You may not notice a
problem until you are ready to cover and
find the stringers moving a bit. Make sure
you pick up the fuselage from the bottom;
you can easily break the stringers with a
misplaced squeeze of your hand.
To finish the fuselage, I added the tail
surfaces and sanded everything to shape.
Take a bit of time when sanding to knock
down any high spots, and then fill in gaps
with putty. Remember that no matter what
covering you use, it will not hide these
problems. In many cases it will exaggerate
them!
Engine: Although most modelers will
stuff in the largest engine that will fit
between the fuselage sides, I have never
been one for overpowering. I like
sufficient power—enough to do what the
model is designed for. In this case it’s
aerobatics, but not extreme 3-D hovering
and the like.
I had a nicely broken-in O.S. .40 LA
engine which seemed as though it should
work. It fit easily in the supplied mount.
The only modification to the fuselage was
cutting clearance for the muffler on the
starboard side.
Final Assembly: It was time to cover the
airframe. I chose MonoKote with which to
finish the Rapture and selected the scheme
that Bob Hunt used on his Caprice (shown
on page 7).
To finish the Rapture, I installed the
radio and all the bits of hardware: tail
wheel, landing gear, pushrods, clevises,
etc. I installed the ailerons, rudder, and
elevator using the supplied cyanoacrylate
hinge material. The only things left were to
attach the canopy and apply the decals.
With everything completed, the Rapture
40 balanced as it should have and weighed a
respectable 5 pounds ready to fly. It was time
to head for the field!
Flying: After assembly and a quick preflight
check, I was ready to go. I started the engine
and let it warm up. Then I taxied the model
out to the runway, throttled up, and the
Rapture was off on its maiden flight in no
time.
After a few passes over the field to trim
out the Rapture, I found that it needed a
couple clicks of left aileron and a touch of
down-elevator trim for hands-off flight.
Using the suggested throws, the model flew
nicely and did everything I wanted it to do.
Loops, Rolls, Point Rolls, Figure 8s, Barrel
Rolls, Stall Turns, and the like were
predictable, and the O.S. .40 LA pulled the
Rapture through them with plenty of
authority.
Under low power settings, the Rapture
slowed surprisingly well yet remained quite
responsive, even right up to the stall speed. It
had a gentle stall, dropping the nose, and was
extraordinarily controllable.
And just like that, it was time to finish the
first flight. Bringing the Rapture around for a
few approaches yielded no surprises. It
floated down to the runway and flared at the
last second for smooth landings that
impressed my flying buddies.
I put in a few more flights that day to
finish off the obligatory in-flight photos and
then to stretch the envelope of what I could
do with the Rapture. To do that, I increased
the rudder throw quite a bit (approximately
45° deflection in each direction) and
increased the aileron throw a bit. (If you
increase the rudder throw, you also make the
ground handling much more sensitive
because the tail-wheel throw is the same as
the rudder throw.)
Suddenly, knife edge flight was not only
possible but sustainable. It did require a bit
of “steering” with down-elevator to keep it
going straight, but the Rapture would easily
fly around in this attitude until the engine
quit.
Snaps and spins became much more
lively and, dare I say, extremely fun. Then
putting the knife edge and snaps together, I
could fly in on knife edge and then do one
complete snap right back to knife edge flight
and continue. That’s not too bad from what
would be considered an “underpowered”
airplane these days.
As I’m writing this I have a few dozen
flights on the Rapture, and there have been
no surprises. Everything has held up well,
even though all of the landings haven’t been
perfect. This model is as aerobatic as you
want it to be, but at the same time it can be
as docile as you need it to be.
If you’re looking for a second airplane, or
maybe your first ready-to-build kit, I
strongly suggest that you take a good, long
look at the Rapture 40. It is a wonderful,
solid design. It builds quickly and uses
interlocking pieces to help keep the
alignment straight and true.
The use of the Selig 8036 airfoil gives
great performance on the high and low end
of the power setting. Although the Rapture
40 can accept a wide variety of engines, the
O.S. .40 LA was just right; it supplied lots of
power for everything I wanted it to do. MA
Specifications:
Model type: RTB—Ready to Build
Wingspan: 60 inches
Wing area: 625 square inches
Length: 46.5 inches
Recommended weight: 4.50-5.25 pounds
Test model’s ready-to-fly weight: 5 pounds
Recommended engine: Two-stroke .40-.50
or four-stroke 40-52
Engine used: O.S. .40 LA
Recommended radio: Four channels, four
servos
Radio used: Futaba 6EXA transmitter,
R127DF receiver, and five S3004 servos
Materials used in construction: Balsa and
plywood
Manufacturer/Distributor:
Great Planes Model Distributors
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(800) 682-8948
www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0220.h
tml
Street price: $95
Products used in review:
Futaba 6EXA radio system, O.S. .40 LA
engine, MonoKote covering, 2.5-inch plastic
spinner, Slot Machine, 48-inch Pro Building
Board:
Great Planes Model Distributors
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
Tel.: (800) 682-8948
www.greatplanes.com
1⁄4-inch protective foam rubber:
Du-Bro Products
Box 815
Wauconda IL 60084
(847) 526-2136
www.dubro.com
APC 10 x 6 two-blade propeller:
Landing Products
1222 Harter
Woodland CA 95776
(513) 661-0399
www.apcprop.com
6-ounce fuel tank, 2.5-inch Skylite wheels,
1-inch tail wheel:
Sullivan Products
1 North Haven St.
Baltimore MD 21224
(410) 732-3500
www.sullivanproducts.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/05
Page Numbers: 61,62,64,67
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/05
Page Numbers: 61,62,64,67
P r o d u c t R e v i e w Dennis Ridenhour
E-mail: [email protected]
Great Planes Rapture 40
Photos by the author
The Rapture is stable, precise, and aerobatic. Only slight down-elevator was needed to hold steady inverted flight.
THE RAPTURE IS advertised as a design that allows you to “get
back to the basics of sport flying where you don’t need computer
radios, expensive engines and months of workshop time to enjoy
exciting aerobatics.” As you’ll see in this review, I agree
wholeheartedly.
With a four-channel radio and an economical 40-size engine, the
Rapture 40 performs quite well and handles easily enough to be a
step up after you’ve mastered your trainer.
First Impressions: The first thing you’ll probably notice when you
open the box is that this kit is ready to assemble. There was a fair
amount of wood, rolled full-size plans, a decal sheet, and a few bags
of hardware.
I noted the lack of laser-cut parts as a strike against this kit; that
is a minor point. The Rapture’s balsa and plywood parts were diecut
cleanly overall. However, I had trouble removing several pieces
from the sheets. Laser-cutting would solve that problem, but you
shouldn’t have any trouble if you take a few extra minutes with a
hobby knife/saw and some sandpaper.
Pros:
• Photo-illustrated, 44-page manual is easy to follow.
• Assembles quickly for a ready-to-build kit.
• Landing gear’s wide stance makes taxiing easy.
• Standard 40-size engine provides outstanding performance.
• Makes a good “second” airplane.
• It’s not an ARF!
Cons:
• Parts are not cut with a laser. Although the die-cutting is
good overall, some pieces required a bit of careful work to
remove.
• The turtledeck’s design is fine, but the stringers could use
more support. They are held in place by two end formers and
another former midway. I’d like to see two more formers to
stiffen the turtledeck.
62 MODEL AVIATION
It looks like there are many parts in the box, but everything can
be assembled in a week, working two to three hours per night.
The model’s only sheeting is on top and bottom of wing’s
center-section. It covers first three ribs on each wing half and
adds a great deal of strength.
Two blocks that need to be sanded to shape support the
vertical fin. They add strength to the fin and add to the
Rapture’s smooth lines.
Also included was a nicely illustrated instruction manual that
was clear about how to put everything together. Toward the front
was a diagram showing all of the die-cut pieces’ names. Before
getting too far into things, be sure to label each die-cut part.
Doing so at this point can save a great deal of time later!
Construction: If you’ve never built a complete kit from balsa and
plywood, you don’t know what you’re missing. Yes, it takes
longer than building an ARF, but in the end you can have a model
that is stronger and lighter than an ARF might be. You can also
cover it however you’d like. How many times have you passed on
an ARF just because of the color scheme?
Building a kit can be a relaxing experience, and you could use
the skills you’d learn from the Rapture 40 to easily build 50% of
the ready-to-build kits on the market—if not more! You don’t
need a huge building board or tons of expensive tools.
I built this kit on one of Great Planes’ 48-inch Pro Building
Boards which sat on top of a card table in my living room. The
only power tools I needed were a Great Planes Slot Machine (to
cut the hinge slots), a power drill (to drill the firewall and enginemount
holes), and a covering iron. You’ll also need a few good
hand tools: hobby knives, a razor saw or two, a sanding block, Tpins,
a small square, etc.
A view of the Rapture in the bare bones, just after its final sanding. There’s not a lot
to it, which makes it a quick and fun build.
The kit includes complete hardware
pack including pushrods. As you can
see, formers give pushrods the support
they need.
With the exception of the covering, I
did everything you’ll read about here
while I watched the 24 Hours of Daytona
race. I’m not saying you can (or should)
build the Rapture in one session, but it
does give you an idea of how quickly it
can be built; roughly a week’s worth of
two- to three-hour-per-night sessions
should do it.
All of this is a long way of saying,
“Give constructing a ready-to-build kit a
try.” If you take your time, you will end
up with something you’ll be proud of.
You’ll have a kit that is uniquely yours.
Plus you’ll know exactly how to fix it if
Mr. Murphy reaches out and zaps you!
Tail Surfaces: Building started with the
vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer. The
construction was standard in these two
parts, and the pieces were made from
various lengths of 1⁄4 balsa.
I cut the rudder and elevator halves
from slab 1⁄4 balsa stock and shaped them
to fit. I made cutouts for the hinges, and
that was about it.
Wing: Each half of the wing was built
separately and then joined. The wing
construction was a simple rib-and-spar
design that was dry assembled. Once
everything was in place, I glued the panel
together into a nicely aligned structure. I
applied the center wing sheeting to the
top of the wing, installed the landing-gear
block, and installed the aileron control
hardware. Then I did it all again for the
other panel.
Once both panels were made, I joined
the halves using a plywood dihedral
joiner, and presto! I had a wing.
I added the wingtips and made the
cutouts for the landing gear in the bottom
of the wings. I gave it all a good sanding,
and the result was a nice, light wing. To
finish the wing, I glued the aileron servo
tray into place.
Fuselage: The fuselage’s design is fairly
simple and standard in sport kits such as
the Rapture. It consists of two slab
plywood sides that are spaced apart by a
number of formers. A plywood bottom
and top make the core of the fuselage, and
then a turtledeck and fuel compartment
are added to the top to finish the look.
I started the fuselage construction by
making a few subassemblies; I glued the
wing-saddle doublers in place, and then I
made the firewall and a few other bits and
pieces. Once that was finished, I pinned
the fuselage top to the board; everything
was built on top of it. (Or is that
underneath it?)
I put everything in place to align it
properly before gluing. You might need a
few clamps, masking tape, etc. to help
out, but take extra time here. Making sure
there are no twists or warps at this point
can make a huge difference in the way
your Rapture will fly in the end.
I fitted the wing and drilled the holes
for the wing dowels and wing hold-down
bolts. Make sure everything is lined up
here before you drill!
I installed the engine mount, servo
rails, and fuel tank. The fuel tank mounted
to a removable tray. This tray is held in by
a couple of screws and is a nice touch.
This gives you easy access to the tank in
case anything goes wrong. I chose a
Sullivan 8-ounce RST tank, but most
brands of 8-ounce tanks should work fine.
Another nice touch is that the fuselage’s
design gives a built-in right thrust to the
firewall and engine.
I finished the engine compartment by
adding the cheek floor and supports. I gave
this part a quick sanding and then made
sure to fuel-proof it (and the tank
compartment). I used a few quick shots of
clear urethane spray paint. It is easier to do
it at this point than when the covering is
on and things are a bit harder to get to!
The Rapture design uses a turtledeck to
round off the top of the fuselage. There’s
nothing wrong with the way this is done,
but I’d like to see a couple additional
formers used to support the turtledeck
stringers’ long span. You may not notice a
problem until you are ready to cover and
find the stringers moving a bit. Make sure
you pick up the fuselage from the bottom;
you can easily break the stringers with a
misplaced squeeze of your hand.
To finish the fuselage, I added the tail
surfaces and sanded everything to shape.
Take a bit of time when sanding to knock
down any high spots, and then fill in gaps
with putty. Remember that no matter what
covering you use, it will not hide these
problems. In many cases it will exaggerate
them!
Engine: Although most modelers will
stuff in the largest engine that will fit
between the fuselage sides, I have never
been one for overpowering. I like
sufficient power—enough to do what the
model is designed for. In this case it’s
aerobatics, but not extreme 3-D hovering
and the like.
I had a nicely broken-in O.S. .40 LA
engine which seemed as though it should
work. It fit easily in the supplied mount.
The only modification to the fuselage was
cutting clearance for the muffler on the
starboard side.
Final Assembly: It was time to cover the
airframe. I chose MonoKote with which to
finish the Rapture and selected the scheme
that Bob Hunt used on his Caprice (shown
on page 7).
To finish the Rapture, I installed the
radio and all the bits of hardware: tail
wheel, landing gear, pushrods, clevises,
etc. I installed the ailerons, rudder, and
elevator using the supplied cyanoacrylate
hinge material. The only things left were to
attach the canopy and apply the decals.
With everything completed, the Rapture
40 balanced as it should have and weighed a
respectable 5 pounds ready to fly. It was time
to head for the field!
Flying: After assembly and a quick preflight
check, I was ready to go. I started the engine
and let it warm up. Then I taxied the model
out to the runway, throttled up, and the
Rapture was off on its maiden flight in no
time.
After a few passes over the field to trim
out the Rapture, I found that it needed a
couple clicks of left aileron and a touch of
down-elevator trim for hands-off flight.
Using the suggested throws, the model flew
nicely and did everything I wanted it to do.
Loops, Rolls, Point Rolls, Figure 8s, Barrel
Rolls, Stall Turns, and the like were
predictable, and the O.S. .40 LA pulled the
Rapture through them with plenty of
authority.
Under low power settings, the Rapture
slowed surprisingly well yet remained quite
responsive, even right up to the stall speed. It
had a gentle stall, dropping the nose, and was
extraordinarily controllable.
And just like that, it was time to finish the
first flight. Bringing the Rapture around for a
few approaches yielded no surprises. It
floated down to the runway and flared at the
last second for smooth landings that
impressed my flying buddies.
I put in a few more flights that day to
finish off the obligatory in-flight photos and
then to stretch the envelope of what I could
do with the Rapture. To do that, I increased
the rudder throw quite a bit (approximately
45° deflection in each direction) and
increased the aileron throw a bit. (If you
increase the rudder throw, you also make the
ground handling much more sensitive
because the tail-wheel throw is the same as
the rudder throw.)
Suddenly, knife edge flight was not only
possible but sustainable. It did require a bit
of “steering” with down-elevator to keep it
going straight, but the Rapture would easily
fly around in this attitude until the engine
quit.
Snaps and spins became much more
lively and, dare I say, extremely fun. Then
putting the knife edge and snaps together, I
could fly in on knife edge and then do one
complete snap right back to knife edge flight
and continue. That’s not too bad from what
would be considered an “underpowered”
airplane these days.
As I’m writing this I have a few dozen
flights on the Rapture, and there have been
no surprises. Everything has held up well,
even though all of the landings haven’t been
perfect. This model is as aerobatic as you
want it to be, but at the same time it can be
as docile as you need it to be.
If you’re looking for a second airplane, or
maybe your first ready-to-build kit, I
strongly suggest that you take a good, long
look at the Rapture 40. It is a wonderful,
solid design. It builds quickly and uses
interlocking pieces to help keep the
alignment straight and true.
The use of the Selig 8036 airfoil gives
great performance on the high and low end
of the power setting. Although the Rapture
40 can accept a wide variety of engines, the
O.S. .40 LA was just right; it supplied lots of
power for everything I wanted it to do. MA
Specifications:
Model type: RTB—Ready to Build
Wingspan: 60 inches
Wing area: 625 square inches
Length: 46.5 inches
Recommended weight: 4.50-5.25 pounds
Test model’s ready-to-fly weight: 5 pounds
Recommended engine: Two-stroke .40-.50
or four-stroke 40-52
Engine used: O.S. .40 LA
Recommended radio: Four channels, four
servos
Radio used: Futaba 6EXA transmitter,
R127DF receiver, and five S3004 servos
Materials used in construction: Balsa and
plywood
Manufacturer/Distributor:
Great Planes Model Distributors
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(800) 682-8948
www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0220.h
tml
Street price: $95
Products used in review:
Futaba 6EXA radio system, O.S. .40 LA
engine, MonoKote covering, 2.5-inch plastic
spinner, Slot Machine, 48-inch Pro Building
Board:
Great Planes Model Distributors
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
Tel.: (800) 682-8948
www.greatplanes.com
1⁄4-inch protective foam rubber:
Du-Bro Products
Box 815
Wauconda IL 60084
(847) 526-2136
www.dubro.com
APC 10 x 6 two-blade propeller:
Landing Products
1222 Harter
Woodland CA 95776
(513) 661-0399
www.apcprop.com
6-ounce fuel tank, 2.5-inch Skylite wheels,
1-inch tail wheel:
Sullivan Products
1 North Haven St.
Baltimore MD 21224
(410) 732-3500
www.sullivanproducts.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/05
Page Numbers: 61,62,64,67
P r o d u c t R e v i e w Dennis Ridenhour
E-mail: [email protected]
Great Planes Rapture 40
Photos by the author
The Rapture is stable, precise, and aerobatic. Only slight down-elevator was needed to hold steady inverted flight.
THE RAPTURE IS advertised as a design that allows you to “get
back to the basics of sport flying where you don’t need computer
radios, expensive engines and months of workshop time to enjoy
exciting aerobatics.” As you’ll see in this review, I agree
wholeheartedly.
With a four-channel radio and an economical 40-size engine, the
Rapture 40 performs quite well and handles easily enough to be a
step up after you’ve mastered your trainer.
First Impressions: The first thing you’ll probably notice when you
open the box is that this kit is ready to assemble. There was a fair
amount of wood, rolled full-size plans, a decal sheet, and a few bags
of hardware.
I noted the lack of laser-cut parts as a strike against this kit; that
is a minor point. The Rapture’s balsa and plywood parts were diecut
cleanly overall. However, I had trouble removing several pieces
from the sheets. Laser-cutting would solve that problem, but you
shouldn’t have any trouble if you take a few extra minutes with a
hobby knife/saw and some sandpaper.
Pros:
• Photo-illustrated, 44-page manual is easy to follow.
• Assembles quickly for a ready-to-build kit.
• Landing gear’s wide stance makes taxiing easy.
• Standard 40-size engine provides outstanding performance.
• Makes a good “second” airplane.
• It’s not an ARF!
Cons:
• Parts are not cut with a laser. Although the die-cutting is
good overall, some pieces required a bit of careful work to
remove.
• The turtledeck’s design is fine, but the stringers could use
more support. They are held in place by two end formers and
another former midway. I’d like to see two more formers to
stiffen the turtledeck.
62 MODEL AVIATION
It looks like there are many parts in the box, but everything can
be assembled in a week, working two to three hours per night.
The model’s only sheeting is on top and bottom of wing’s
center-section. It covers first three ribs on each wing half and
adds a great deal of strength.
Two blocks that need to be sanded to shape support the
vertical fin. They add strength to the fin and add to the
Rapture’s smooth lines.
Also included was a nicely illustrated instruction manual that
was clear about how to put everything together. Toward the front
was a diagram showing all of the die-cut pieces’ names. Before
getting too far into things, be sure to label each die-cut part.
Doing so at this point can save a great deal of time later!
Construction: If you’ve never built a complete kit from balsa and
plywood, you don’t know what you’re missing. Yes, it takes
longer than building an ARF, but in the end you can have a model
that is stronger and lighter than an ARF might be. You can also
cover it however you’d like. How many times have you passed on
an ARF just because of the color scheme?
Building a kit can be a relaxing experience, and you could use
the skills you’d learn from the Rapture 40 to easily build 50% of
the ready-to-build kits on the market—if not more! You don’t
need a huge building board or tons of expensive tools.
I built this kit on one of Great Planes’ 48-inch Pro Building
Boards which sat on top of a card table in my living room. The
only power tools I needed were a Great Planes Slot Machine (to
cut the hinge slots), a power drill (to drill the firewall and enginemount
holes), and a covering iron. You’ll also need a few good
hand tools: hobby knives, a razor saw or two, a sanding block, Tpins,
a small square, etc.
A view of the Rapture in the bare bones, just after its final sanding. There’s not a lot
to it, which makes it a quick and fun build.
The kit includes complete hardware
pack including pushrods. As you can
see, formers give pushrods the support
they need.
With the exception of the covering, I
did everything you’ll read about here
while I watched the 24 Hours of Daytona
race. I’m not saying you can (or should)
build the Rapture in one session, but it
does give you an idea of how quickly it
can be built; roughly a week’s worth of
two- to three-hour-per-night sessions
should do it.
All of this is a long way of saying,
“Give constructing a ready-to-build kit a
try.” If you take your time, you will end
up with something you’ll be proud of.
You’ll have a kit that is uniquely yours.
Plus you’ll know exactly how to fix it if
Mr. Murphy reaches out and zaps you!
Tail Surfaces: Building started with the
vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer. The
construction was standard in these two
parts, and the pieces were made from
various lengths of 1⁄4 balsa.
I cut the rudder and elevator halves
from slab 1⁄4 balsa stock and shaped them
to fit. I made cutouts for the hinges, and
that was about it.
Wing: Each half of the wing was built
separately and then joined. The wing
construction was a simple rib-and-spar
design that was dry assembled. Once
everything was in place, I glued the panel
together into a nicely aligned structure. I
applied the center wing sheeting to the
top of the wing, installed the landing-gear
block, and installed the aileron control
hardware. Then I did it all again for the
other panel.
Once both panels were made, I joined
the halves using a plywood dihedral
joiner, and presto! I had a wing.
I added the wingtips and made the
cutouts for the landing gear in the bottom
of the wings. I gave it all a good sanding,
and the result was a nice, light wing. To
finish the wing, I glued the aileron servo
tray into place.
Fuselage: The fuselage’s design is fairly
simple and standard in sport kits such as
the Rapture. It consists of two slab
plywood sides that are spaced apart by a
number of formers. A plywood bottom
and top make the core of the fuselage, and
then a turtledeck and fuel compartment
are added to the top to finish the look.
I started the fuselage construction by
making a few subassemblies; I glued the
wing-saddle doublers in place, and then I
made the firewall and a few other bits and
pieces. Once that was finished, I pinned
the fuselage top to the board; everything
was built on top of it. (Or is that
underneath it?)
I put everything in place to align it
properly before gluing. You might need a
few clamps, masking tape, etc. to help
out, but take extra time here. Making sure
there are no twists or warps at this point
can make a huge difference in the way
your Rapture will fly in the end.
I fitted the wing and drilled the holes
for the wing dowels and wing hold-down
bolts. Make sure everything is lined up
here before you drill!
I installed the engine mount, servo
rails, and fuel tank. The fuel tank mounted
to a removable tray. This tray is held in by
a couple of screws and is a nice touch.
This gives you easy access to the tank in
case anything goes wrong. I chose a
Sullivan 8-ounce RST tank, but most
brands of 8-ounce tanks should work fine.
Another nice touch is that the fuselage’s
design gives a built-in right thrust to the
firewall and engine.
I finished the engine compartment by
adding the cheek floor and supports. I gave
this part a quick sanding and then made
sure to fuel-proof it (and the tank
compartment). I used a few quick shots of
clear urethane spray paint. It is easier to do
it at this point than when the covering is
on and things are a bit harder to get to!
The Rapture design uses a turtledeck to
round off the top of the fuselage. There’s
nothing wrong with the way this is done,
but I’d like to see a couple additional
formers used to support the turtledeck
stringers’ long span. You may not notice a
problem until you are ready to cover and
find the stringers moving a bit. Make sure
you pick up the fuselage from the bottom;
you can easily break the stringers with a
misplaced squeeze of your hand.
To finish the fuselage, I added the tail
surfaces and sanded everything to shape.
Take a bit of time when sanding to knock
down any high spots, and then fill in gaps
with putty. Remember that no matter what
covering you use, it will not hide these
problems. In many cases it will exaggerate
them!
Engine: Although most modelers will
stuff in the largest engine that will fit
between the fuselage sides, I have never
been one for overpowering. I like
sufficient power—enough to do what the
model is designed for. In this case it’s
aerobatics, but not extreme 3-D hovering
and the like.
I had a nicely broken-in O.S. .40 LA
engine which seemed as though it should
work. It fit easily in the supplied mount.
The only modification to the fuselage was
cutting clearance for the muffler on the
starboard side.
Final Assembly: It was time to cover the
airframe. I chose MonoKote with which to
finish the Rapture and selected the scheme
that Bob Hunt used on his Caprice (shown
on page 7).
To finish the Rapture, I installed the
radio and all the bits of hardware: tail
wheel, landing gear, pushrods, clevises,
etc. I installed the ailerons, rudder, and
elevator using the supplied cyanoacrylate
hinge material. The only things left were to
attach the canopy and apply the decals.
With everything completed, the Rapture
40 balanced as it should have and weighed a
respectable 5 pounds ready to fly. It was time
to head for the field!
Flying: After assembly and a quick preflight
check, I was ready to go. I started the engine
and let it warm up. Then I taxied the model
out to the runway, throttled up, and the
Rapture was off on its maiden flight in no
time.
After a few passes over the field to trim
out the Rapture, I found that it needed a
couple clicks of left aileron and a touch of
down-elevator trim for hands-off flight.
Using the suggested throws, the model flew
nicely and did everything I wanted it to do.
Loops, Rolls, Point Rolls, Figure 8s, Barrel
Rolls, Stall Turns, and the like were
predictable, and the O.S. .40 LA pulled the
Rapture through them with plenty of
authority.
Under low power settings, the Rapture
slowed surprisingly well yet remained quite
responsive, even right up to the stall speed. It
had a gentle stall, dropping the nose, and was
extraordinarily controllable.
And just like that, it was time to finish the
first flight. Bringing the Rapture around for a
few approaches yielded no surprises. It
floated down to the runway and flared at the
last second for smooth landings that
impressed my flying buddies.
I put in a few more flights that day to
finish off the obligatory in-flight photos and
then to stretch the envelope of what I could
do with the Rapture. To do that, I increased
the rudder throw quite a bit (approximately
45° deflection in each direction) and
increased the aileron throw a bit. (If you
increase the rudder throw, you also make the
ground handling much more sensitive
because the tail-wheel throw is the same as
the rudder throw.)
Suddenly, knife edge flight was not only
possible but sustainable. It did require a bit
of “steering” with down-elevator to keep it
going straight, but the Rapture would easily
fly around in this attitude until the engine
quit.
Snaps and spins became much more
lively and, dare I say, extremely fun. Then
putting the knife edge and snaps together, I
could fly in on knife edge and then do one
complete snap right back to knife edge flight
and continue. That’s not too bad from what
would be considered an “underpowered”
airplane these days.
As I’m writing this I have a few dozen
flights on the Rapture, and there have been
no surprises. Everything has held up well,
even though all of the landings haven’t been
perfect. This model is as aerobatic as you
want it to be, but at the same time it can be
as docile as you need it to be.
If you’re looking for a second airplane, or
maybe your first ready-to-build kit, I
strongly suggest that you take a good, long
look at the Rapture 40. It is a wonderful,
solid design. It builds quickly and uses
interlocking pieces to help keep the
alignment straight and true.
The use of the Selig 8036 airfoil gives
great performance on the high and low end
of the power setting. Although the Rapture
40 can accept a wide variety of engines, the
O.S. .40 LA was just right; it supplied lots of
power for everything I wanted it to do. MA
Specifications:
Model type: RTB—Ready to Build
Wingspan: 60 inches
Wing area: 625 square inches
Length: 46.5 inches
Recommended weight: 4.50-5.25 pounds
Test model’s ready-to-fly weight: 5 pounds
Recommended engine: Two-stroke .40-.50
or four-stroke 40-52
Engine used: O.S. .40 LA
Recommended radio: Four channels, four
servos
Radio used: Futaba 6EXA transmitter,
R127DF receiver, and five S3004 servos
Materials used in construction: Balsa and
plywood
Manufacturer/Distributor:
Great Planes Model Distributors
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(800) 682-8948
www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0220.h
tml
Street price: $95
Products used in review:
Futaba 6EXA radio system, O.S. .40 LA
engine, MonoKote covering, 2.5-inch plastic
spinner, Slot Machine, 48-inch Pro Building
Board:
Great Planes Model Distributors
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
Tel.: (800) 682-8948
www.greatplanes.com
1⁄4-inch protective foam rubber:
Du-Bro Products
Box 815
Wauconda IL 60084
(847) 526-2136
www.dubro.com
APC 10 x 6 two-blade propeller:
Landing Products
1222 Harter
Woodland CA 95776
(513) 661-0399
www.apcprop.com
6-ounce fuel tank, 2.5-inch Skylite wheels,
1-inch tail wheel:
Sullivan Products
1 North Haven St.
Baltimore MD 21224
(410) 732-3500
www.sullivanproducts.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/05
Page Numbers: 61,62,64,67
P r o d u c t R e v i e w Dennis Ridenhour
E-mail: [email protected]
Great Planes Rapture 40
Photos by the author
The Rapture is stable, precise, and aerobatic. Only slight down-elevator was needed to hold steady inverted flight.
THE RAPTURE IS advertised as a design that allows you to “get
back to the basics of sport flying where you don’t need computer
radios, expensive engines and months of workshop time to enjoy
exciting aerobatics.” As you’ll see in this review, I agree
wholeheartedly.
With a four-channel radio and an economical 40-size engine, the
Rapture 40 performs quite well and handles easily enough to be a
step up after you’ve mastered your trainer.
First Impressions: The first thing you’ll probably notice when you
open the box is that this kit is ready to assemble. There was a fair
amount of wood, rolled full-size plans, a decal sheet, and a few bags
of hardware.
I noted the lack of laser-cut parts as a strike against this kit; that
is a minor point. The Rapture’s balsa and plywood parts were diecut
cleanly overall. However, I had trouble removing several pieces
from the sheets. Laser-cutting would solve that problem, but you
shouldn’t have any trouble if you take a few extra minutes with a
hobby knife/saw and some sandpaper.
Pros:
• Photo-illustrated, 44-page manual is easy to follow.
• Assembles quickly for a ready-to-build kit.
• Landing gear’s wide stance makes taxiing easy.
• Standard 40-size engine provides outstanding performance.
• Makes a good “second” airplane.
• It’s not an ARF!
Cons:
• Parts are not cut with a laser. Although the die-cutting is
good overall, some pieces required a bit of careful work to
remove.
• The turtledeck’s design is fine, but the stringers could use
more support. They are held in place by two end formers and
another former midway. I’d like to see two more formers to
stiffen the turtledeck.
62 MODEL AVIATION
It looks like there are many parts in the box, but everything can
be assembled in a week, working two to three hours per night.
The model’s only sheeting is on top and bottom of wing’s
center-section. It covers first three ribs on each wing half and
adds a great deal of strength.
Two blocks that need to be sanded to shape support the
vertical fin. They add strength to the fin and add to the
Rapture’s smooth lines.
Also included was a nicely illustrated instruction manual that
was clear about how to put everything together. Toward the front
was a diagram showing all of the die-cut pieces’ names. Before
getting too far into things, be sure to label each die-cut part.
Doing so at this point can save a great deal of time later!
Construction: If you’ve never built a complete kit from balsa and
plywood, you don’t know what you’re missing. Yes, it takes
longer than building an ARF, but in the end you can have a model
that is stronger and lighter than an ARF might be. You can also
cover it however you’d like. How many times have you passed on
an ARF just because of the color scheme?
Building a kit can be a relaxing experience, and you could use
the skills you’d learn from the Rapture 40 to easily build 50% of
the ready-to-build kits on the market—if not more! You don’t
need a huge building board or tons of expensive tools.
I built this kit on one of Great Planes’ 48-inch Pro Building
Boards which sat on top of a card table in my living room. The
only power tools I needed were a Great Planes Slot Machine (to
cut the hinge slots), a power drill (to drill the firewall and enginemount
holes), and a covering iron. You’ll also need a few good
hand tools: hobby knives, a razor saw or two, a sanding block, Tpins,
a small square, etc.
A view of the Rapture in the bare bones, just after its final sanding. There’s not a lot
to it, which makes it a quick and fun build.
The kit includes complete hardware
pack including pushrods. As you can
see, formers give pushrods the support
they need.
With the exception of the covering, I
did everything you’ll read about here
while I watched the 24 Hours of Daytona
race. I’m not saying you can (or should)
build the Rapture in one session, but it
does give you an idea of how quickly it
can be built; roughly a week’s worth of
two- to three-hour-per-night sessions
should do it.
All of this is a long way of saying,
“Give constructing a ready-to-build kit a
try.” If you take your time, you will end
up with something you’ll be proud of.
You’ll have a kit that is uniquely yours.
Plus you’ll know exactly how to fix it if
Mr. Murphy reaches out and zaps you!
Tail Surfaces: Building started with the
vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer. The
construction was standard in these two
parts, and the pieces were made from
various lengths of 1⁄4 balsa.
I cut the rudder and elevator halves
from slab 1⁄4 balsa stock and shaped them
to fit. I made cutouts for the hinges, and
that was about it.
Wing: Each half of the wing was built
separately and then joined. The wing
construction was a simple rib-and-spar
design that was dry assembled. Once
everything was in place, I glued the panel
together into a nicely aligned structure. I
applied the center wing sheeting to the
top of the wing, installed the landing-gear
block, and installed the aileron control
hardware. Then I did it all again for the
other panel.
Once both panels were made, I joined
the halves using a plywood dihedral
joiner, and presto! I had a wing.
I added the wingtips and made the
cutouts for the landing gear in the bottom
of the wings. I gave it all a good sanding,
and the result was a nice, light wing. To
finish the wing, I glued the aileron servo
tray into place.
Fuselage: The fuselage’s design is fairly
simple and standard in sport kits such as
the Rapture. It consists of two slab
plywood sides that are spaced apart by a
number of formers. A plywood bottom
and top make the core of the fuselage, and
then a turtledeck and fuel compartment
are added to the top to finish the look.
I started the fuselage construction by
making a few subassemblies; I glued the
wing-saddle doublers in place, and then I
made the firewall and a few other bits and
pieces. Once that was finished, I pinned
the fuselage top to the board; everything
was built on top of it. (Or is that
underneath it?)
I put everything in place to align it
properly before gluing. You might need a
few clamps, masking tape, etc. to help
out, but take extra time here. Making sure
there are no twists or warps at this point
can make a huge difference in the way
your Rapture will fly in the end.
I fitted the wing and drilled the holes
for the wing dowels and wing hold-down
bolts. Make sure everything is lined up
here before you drill!
I installed the engine mount, servo
rails, and fuel tank. The fuel tank mounted
to a removable tray. This tray is held in by
a couple of screws and is a nice touch.
This gives you easy access to the tank in
case anything goes wrong. I chose a
Sullivan 8-ounce RST tank, but most
brands of 8-ounce tanks should work fine.
Another nice touch is that the fuselage’s
design gives a built-in right thrust to the
firewall and engine.
I finished the engine compartment by
adding the cheek floor and supports. I gave
this part a quick sanding and then made
sure to fuel-proof it (and the tank
compartment). I used a few quick shots of
clear urethane spray paint. It is easier to do
it at this point than when the covering is
on and things are a bit harder to get to!
The Rapture design uses a turtledeck to
round off the top of the fuselage. There’s
nothing wrong with the way this is done,
but I’d like to see a couple additional
formers used to support the turtledeck
stringers’ long span. You may not notice a
problem until you are ready to cover and
find the stringers moving a bit. Make sure
you pick up the fuselage from the bottom;
you can easily break the stringers with a
misplaced squeeze of your hand.
To finish the fuselage, I added the tail
surfaces and sanded everything to shape.
Take a bit of time when sanding to knock
down any high spots, and then fill in gaps
with putty. Remember that no matter what
covering you use, it will not hide these
problems. In many cases it will exaggerate
them!
Engine: Although most modelers will
stuff in the largest engine that will fit
between the fuselage sides, I have never
been one for overpowering. I like
sufficient power—enough to do what the
model is designed for. In this case it’s
aerobatics, but not extreme 3-D hovering
and the like.
I had a nicely broken-in O.S. .40 LA
engine which seemed as though it should
work. It fit easily in the supplied mount.
The only modification to the fuselage was
cutting clearance for the muffler on the
starboard side.
Final Assembly: It was time to cover the
airframe. I chose MonoKote with which to
finish the Rapture and selected the scheme
that Bob Hunt used on his Caprice (shown
on page 7).
To finish the Rapture, I installed the
radio and all the bits of hardware: tail
wheel, landing gear, pushrods, clevises,
etc. I installed the ailerons, rudder, and
elevator using the supplied cyanoacrylate
hinge material. The only things left were to
attach the canopy and apply the decals.
With everything completed, the Rapture
40 balanced as it should have and weighed a
respectable 5 pounds ready to fly. It was time
to head for the field!
Flying: After assembly and a quick preflight
check, I was ready to go. I started the engine
and let it warm up. Then I taxied the model
out to the runway, throttled up, and the
Rapture was off on its maiden flight in no
time.
After a few passes over the field to trim
out the Rapture, I found that it needed a
couple clicks of left aileron and a touch of
down-elevator trim for hands-off flight.
Using the suggested throws, the model flew
nicely and did everything I wanted it to do.
Loops, Rolls, Point Rolls, Figure 8s, Barrel
Rolls, Stall Turns, and the like were
predictable, and the O.S. .40 LA pulled the
Rapture through them with plenty of
authority.
Under low power settings, the Rapture
slowed surprisingly well yet remained quite
responsive, even right up to the stall speed. It
had a gentle stall, dropping the nose, and was
extraordinarily controllable.
And just like that, it was time to finish the
first flight. Bringing the Rapture around for a
few approaches yielded no surprises. It
floated down to the runway and flared at the
last second for smooth landings that
impressed my flying buddies.
I put in a few more flights that day to
finish off the obligatory in-flight photos and
then to stretch the envelope of what I could
do with the Rapture. To do that, I increased
the rudder throw quite a bit (approximately
45° deflection in each direction) and
increased the aileron throw a bit. (If you
increase the rudder throw, you also make the
ground handling much more sensitive
because the tail-wheel throw is the same as
the rudder throw.)
Suddenly, knife edge flight was not only
possible but sustainable. It did require a bit
of “steering” with down-elevator to keep it
going straight, but the Rapture would easily
fly around in this attitude until the engine
quit.
Snaps and spins became much more
lively and, dare I say, extremely fun. Then
putting the knife edge and snaps together, I
could fly in on knife edge and then do one
complete snap right back to knife edge flight
and continue. That’s not too bad from what
would be considered an “underpowered”
airplane these days.
As I’m writing this I have a few dozen
flights on the Rapture, and there have been
no surprises. Everything has held up well,
even though all of the landings haven’t been
perfect. This model is as aerobatic as you
want it to be, but at the same time it can be
as docile as you need it to be.
If you’re looking for a second airplane, or
maybe your first ready-to-build kit, I
strongly suggest that you take a good, long
look at the Rapture 40. It is a wonderful,
solid design. It builds quickly and uses
interlocking pieces to help keep the
alignment straight and true.
The use of the Selig 8036 airfoil gives
great performance on the high and low end
of the power setting. Although the Rapture
40 can accept a wide variety of engines, the
O.S. .40 LA was just right; it supplied lots of
power for everything I wanted it to do. MA
Specifications:
Model type: RTB—Ready to Build
Wingspan: 60 inches
Wing area: 625 square inches
Length: 46.5 inches
Recommended weight: 4.50-5.25 pounds
Test model’s ready-to-fly weight: 5 pounds
Recommended engine: Two-stroke .40-.50
or four-stroke 40-52
Engine used: O.S. .40 LA
Recommended radio: Four channels, four
servos
Radio used: Futaba 6EXA transmitter,
R127DF receiver, and five S3004 servos
Materials used in construction: Balsa and
plywood
Manufacturer/Distributor:
Great Planes Model Distributors
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(800) 682-8948
www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0220.h
tml
Street price: $95
Products used in review:
Futaba 6EXA radio system, O.S. .40 LA
engine, MonoKote covering, 2.5-inch plastic
spinner, Slot Machine, 48-inch Pro Building
Board:
Great Planes Model Distributors
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
Tel.: (800) 682-8948
www.greatplanes.com
1⁄4-inch protective foam rubber:
Du-Bro Products
Box 815
Wauconda IL 60084
(847) 526-2136
www.dubro.com
APC 10 x 6 two-blade propeller:
Landing Products
1222 Harter
Woodland CA 95776
(513) 661-0399
www.apcprop.com
6-ounce fuel tank, 2.5-inch Skylite wheels,
1-inch tail wheel:
Sullivan Products
1 North Haven St.
Baltimore MD 21224
(410) 732-3500
www.sullivanproducts.com
