Worth a Closer Look
de Havilland D.H.2
The D.H.2 was de Havilland’s second design for the British Aircraft Manufacturing Company. The rear-facing pusher propeller allowed for a forward-facing machine gun before the synchronized gun was invented.
This Kavan Foam Fun Scale Almost Ready-to-Fly D.H.2 kit features parts constructed from lightweight, durable foam and vacuum-formed plastic with lightweight balsa parts. It is factory-painted as shown.
The D.H.2 is equipped with a scale-like pull-pull control mechanism for rudder and elevator control. It also includes a Plug & Fly Speed 400 electric motor, a propeller, scale decals, a complete hardware package, and an illustrated assembly manual.
The model spans 33.8 inches, has a wing area of 380 square inches, and weighs 19–20 ounces ready to fly. It requires a seven-cell, 600 mAh Ni-Cd battery to power the included Speed 400 motor and a three-channel radio with two microservos. The retail price is $185.99.
Sig Manufacturing Company; Box 520, Montezuma, IA 50171; Tel.: (641) 623-5154; Web site: www.sigmfg.com
Aluminum Propeller Adapters
Electric power systems are popular these days, but if you want to hop yours up, you’ll probably need a propeller adapter to mate a more powerful motor with a high-performance propeller.
Maxx Products has a new line of CNC (Computer Numerical Control)-machined aluminum propeller adapters that fit a wide variety of motors, including Speed 280, 370, 400, 480, 500, and 600; Cobalt 05, 15, and 20; and even larger brushless motors with gearboxes.
These adapters range in price from $4.50 to $8.
Maxx Products International: 815 Oakwood Rd., Unit D, Lake Zurich, IL 60047; Tel.: (847) 438-2233; Web site: www.maxxprod.com
CA Release
If you have used cyanoacrylate adhesives, there have probably been times when the unexpected happened — maybe you glued your fingers together or got adhesive in a hinge while installing it.
CA Release is a barrier cream formulated to keep cyanoacrylate and other adhesives from sticking things together that you don’t want stuck. It also keeps you from getting stuck to yourself or to your project if you apply it to your hand before you start working.
CA Release is available in 1-ounce bottles for $4.50.
Craft & Hobby Creations: 37751 Jerome Dr., Sterling Heights, MI 48312; Tel.: (586) 446-9357; Web site: www.wideopenwest.com/~mmc9892
Mad Dog ARF
Get ready to blast the skies with this fast-building, fun-flying model from Kavan. The Mad Dog comes out of the box virtually assembled. It is made from tough Flexit foam (similar to EPP — expanded polypropylene).
The one-piece fuselage, wing, and tail sections come out of the box ready to go, which drastically reduces building time. The control surfaces (rudder, elevator, and ailerons) are molded as integral parts of the wing surface.
Each kit contains a complete hardware package, a decal sheet, and an illustrated assembly manual designed to get you in the air fast.
The Mad Dog can be assembled as electric-powered, nitromethane-powered, or as a slope soarer by using the appropriate power-mount system (available separately).
It spans 36.2 inches, has a wing area of 332 square inches, and requires a four-channel radio with three microservos. The Mad Dog’s retail price is $215.99.
Sig Manufacturing Company: Box 520, Montezuma, IA 50171; Tel.: (641) 623-5154; Web site: www.sigmfg.com
NexSTAR Select
It seems as if everywhere you look there are manufacturers with trainer designs. Most follow a similar formula: 40–60 size, tricycle gear, high wing, high-lift airfoil, and almost ready-to-fly or ready-to-fly out of the box.
At first glance, the Hobbico NexSTAR Select may look like yet another trainer, but it includes a few new patent-pending tricks that Hobbico claims will give you strong odds for success.
The NexSTAR Select comes fully assembled, fully equipped, and is flight-ready in approximately 20 minutes. The large 68-1/2-inch wingspan makes the model easy to see and follow in the sky.
Key features:
- Power: Preinstalled O.S. .46 FXi engine with a needle-valve limiter that holds settings within the optimal range and prevents accidental overadjustment. The engine rides on an IsoSmooth engine mount that isolates the airframe and onboard radio gear from vibration.
- Radio: Preinstalled four-channel Futaba SkySport radio system that includes a trainer port for buddy-box use. The standard radio components can be used in more sophisticated models when you’re ready to step up.
- PivotFlex wing-mounting system: The wing fastens quickly and securely with one nylon bolt. A rubber retainer and pivoting channel absorb minor jolts of normal use. In more serious mishaps, the wing can separate from the fuselage to avoid severe impact damage.
- Advanced wing design: The NexSTAR’s wing uses two different airfoils to improve efficiency and lift for greater stability at all speeds, especially during takeoff and landing.
- Leading-edge wing droops: These continue to provide lift in a stall so the wing remains level and you can maintain control.
- SpeedBrakes Training Flaps: Limit speed and increase stability on approach and landing. (The SpeedBrakes are removable.)
- Upgradeability: The manual contains step-by-step instructions to upgrade the NexSTAR Select into a full four-channel airplane by adding operational flaps or dual ailerons. Mounts are already built into the wing beneath the covering for the additional servos.
- SnapGear system: Provides a strong landing gear that installs in seconds by snapping extra-thick aluminum gear into a nylon mount preinstalled in the fuselage; it locks into place and can be removed by pressing a release pin.
- Active Flight Stabilization (AFS): Sensors mounted on the bottom of the fuselage send orientation information to the radio receiver. You retain priority control with the transmitter sticks, but when you release the sticks the AFS stabilizes the model.
- RealFlight NexSTAR Edition RC Flight Simulator: Included to let you practice flying even when you’re not at the field.
For complete details about the NexSTAR Select system, including videos of many features, visit the website. The complete system’s street price is $419.95.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign, IL 61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.hobbico.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
