Worth a Closer Look - 2004/06

Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
In each installment of “Worth a Closer Look” we do our best
to bring you new and exciting products from our industry.
These write-ups are not press releases, but are actually
minireviews written by the Model Aviation staff. In each
instance the product or service is actually built, tested, flown,
used, etc. to give you a firsthand account of how it performs.
We have found some of these items on our own, but many
have been brought to our attention from outside sources. If you
have a product or service that you feel might be “worth a closer
look,” contact Model Aviation Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt at
(610) 614-1747, or send an E-mail to
[email protected].
CDR-5000 Battery Charger
Futaba’s new
CDR-5000
programmable
battery charger is
easy to use, accurate,
and versatile. It will
charge, discharge,
and cycle transmitter
and receiver packs
without your having
to remove them from
the radio.
This charger has
an auto cutoff which
can be programmed
for delta peaking,
mAh, and temperature settings. The mAh auto cutoff allows for use
with popular Li-Ion and Li-Poly cells.
The CDR-5000 will charge one to eight transmitter/receiver cells
and one to 36 six- and seven-cell battery packs at the same time, with
real-time plotting shown on its LCD screen. All information is shown
on the large, backlit LCD screen for virtually touch-free operation
after setup.
Charge outlets for transmitter and receiver batteries are on one
side; the ports for connecting the charger to the Thermo Stand,
printer, or personal computer are on the other side.
The CDR-5000 features five built-in fans that provide maximum
cooling, and it has reverse polarity and overload protection.
An optional Thermo Stand is available to provide peace of mind.
It checks each cell’s temperature, mAh rating, and voltage level so
that modelers know precise battery status.
The CDR-5000’s street price is $469.99, and the Thermo Stand is
$39.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.futaba-rc.com
MiG-15 A.F.S.
Following the
successful
Advanced
Fabrication System (A.F.S.)
upgrades on the F-86, the F-80,
and the T-33 kits, Bob Violett
Models
(BVM)
has
applied
the same time-saving
technology to its MiG-
15.
If you have observed a
MiG fly or, better yet,
enjoyed some stick time on
one, you know what a
great flying machine it is.
And the main gear’s superwide
track can’t be
matched for ground
handling.
However, the early
BVM kits were a bit
difficult to build; it was the company’s first built-up wing/stabilizer
offering, and some modelers found it challenging. But BVM has
fixed that and has made other improvements.
The new A.F.S. wing and
stabilizer cut building time in
half and produce a stronger,
more rugged model. Special
attention was given to the
landing-gear mounting
system, with the addition of
carbon-fiber ribs and wingskin
reinforcement.
The landing-gear system
now includes BVM’s new
high-flow-rate Air Selector
Valve that assures positive retraction, even against a rapidly
accelerating jet’s air loads. Stronger main-gear springs have been
flight tested and definitely smooth out less than perfect landings. The
main struts now feature a stronger machined 7075 aluminum upper
strut (the original was cast), and the nose-strut tiller is now made
from steel.
For more info, visit the Web site or send $6 for a catalog of BVM
products.
Bob Violett Models, Inc.: 3481 SR 419, Winter Springs FL 32708;
Tel.: (407) 327-6333; Fax: (407) 327-5020; Web site:
www.bvmjets.com
33⁄8-Inch FAI Spinners
Now you can add a customfit-
spinner look to your 2-
meter Pattern model. Tru-
Turn’s new spinner is
85mm in diameter, to
fit the metric fuselage
shape of many
European 2-meter
Pattern kits such
as PL and
ZNLine, Chip
Hyde’s Double
Vision, and many
others.
These new spinners are
slotted to fit the propellers you
will run on engines up to YS
1.40s or Saito 150s, and you
can slot them for larger
propellers or electric propellers if
you need to.
Contact Tru-Turn for pricing on its spinners and propeller nuts.
Tru-Turn: 100 W. First St., Deer Park TX 77536; Tel.: (281)
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June 2004 15
a combination of long bolts with lock nuts on the top and bottom.
Using them, you can easily change the height of each corner until
you end up with a flat board—regardless of what it is sitting on.
To check for flatness, you could use an elaborate method
involving advanced calculus and laser beams, but a quicker way
is to use a common fluorescent light tube; they are cheap, and
they are among the straightest things available—accurate to
1⁄10,000 inch.
The building surface is made from four parts: the main base
board and three
pinnable
surfaces. The
bottom two gray
panels are 3⁄8-
inch thick and
are made from
an
ultracompressed
recycled
material. The
top surface is
1⁄4-inch-thick
cork and works
well with the
gray layers to hold pins firmly.
The Tru-Surface building board makes a great addition to
your shop. It is also portable, so you can move it into other
rooms or take it with you to contests—just in case!
The only minor problem is with the instructions. Although
they do spell out the steps, you have to study—really study—
each photo to make sure everything goes together correctly.
Several accessories are available, and all the mounting holes for
them come predrilled in the building-board kit. If you’re not
careful, you could easily mount things in the wrong place!
Also, the instructions included with the 16- x 24-inch board are
the same that are used with the larger boards. The bigger boards
have additional parts, and steps could be confusing.
The standard Tru-Surface boards range from $49.95 to
$389.95. Oversize boards (up to 48 x 120 inches) are also
available. Contact Sidewalk Flyers for details.
Sidewalk Flyers: Box 1510, Jacksonville OR 97530; Tel.:
(541) 734-2088; Fax: (541) 858-4282; Web site:
www.sidewalkflyers.com MA
Tru-Surface Building Board
A flat surface is a must when building model
airplanes. (Notice the word is “flat”—not “level.”)
Without such a surface, it’s almost impossible to
build a wing, stabilizer, etc. without a twist or a warp
in it.
Sidewalk Flyers has introduced Tru-Surface: a
series of building boards that can give you that flat
base. These boards are available in a wide variety of
sizes from 16 x 24 inches to 48 x 60 inches. (The
review Tru-Surface was 16 x 24 inches.)
Each board comes as a kit, and everything (except
tools) is included. Assembly took roughly 30
minutes. The Tru-Surface boards offer an inch of
pinnable construction surface that is replaceable,
adjustment screws at all four corners to give you a
flat surface, and a built-in surface for holding pins or
a vise.
The box that
the kit comes in
contains roughly
a dozen parts.
The wooden
pieces are CNCcut
from highquality
birch
plywood. All
slots, dadoes,
grooves, etc. are
precut and need
just a light
sanding with the
included sanding
block.
You start
assembly by
installing T nuts (blind nuts) and countersinking several holes to
accept the heads of the supplied Phillips-head screws. Begin the
main-frame assembly by drilling a few holes in the precut
dadoes, and then dry-fit the main frame’s parts. After everything
is in place, securely screw the entire assembly together.
We chose not to stain or paint the sample board so you can
see exactly how the parts look. However, you can finish your
board, and this would be the time to do it. It’s easier to do this
before you install the building surfaces; that way you don’t have
to mask them off later!
Install one end panel,
and then slide in the
white base board. Install
the other end panel,
sandwiching the base
board in position. Now
check to make sure the
building board is square.
Owing in no small part to
the CNC cutting, the
sample board was right
on the money with no
adjustments needed.
Install adjuster “feet”
on all four corners of the
board. These adjusters are
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