Worth a Closer Look-2004/12

Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
Ultrafly Electric ARFs
These lightweight foam
models feature the easy
assembly of other park
flyers, but their performance
and scale looks set them apart. The
secret? Instead of designing the model
and then trying to find a motor to fit
it, Ultrafly develops a power system
first, and then matches the airplane
design that is best suited for it.
The result? Airplanes that fly
as great as they look, in a variety of
flying-skill levels that will appeal to
almost everyone! They will
even fly in winds of up to 10
mph!
The Cessna comes with two
wings; one offers docile,
trainerlike flight for building a
beginner’s confidence, and the other allows aerobatics to be
performed after experience is gained.
The low-wing PC9-400 is stable at low speeds but is capable of
thrilling aerial maneuvers. The BAe Hawk is a pusher-prop-design
jet for those with a need for all-out speed.
Each model features a Speed 400 motor with smaller-diameter
windings that enable it to handle higher voltages and amps. That
translates into more power and more capacity. The included gearbox
comes with four spur gears and brass pinions, providing modelers
with a much larger range of gear ratios than other airplanes do.
The Cessna 182 spans 43 inches, has a wing area of 323 square
inches, and weighs 27 ounces ready to fly. Its street price is $84.99.
The BAe Hawk spans 28.3 inches, has a wing area of 152 square
inches, and weighs 21 ounces ready to fly. Its street price is $79.99.
The PC9-400 spans 32 inches, has a wing area of 195 square
inches, and weighs 19 ounces ready to fly. Its street price is $79.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.hobbico.com
Nemesis 3D-II
Models that are suitable for performing 3-D-type flying in
limited spaces are becoming more and more popular. For people
who are interested in the flying qualities of a built-up,
symmetrical-airfoil wing, Model Airplane Engineering (MAE)
offers the Nemesis 3D-II. This laser-cut balsa kit has performance,
lightness, and strength designed in.
Building this
model is a pleasure.
You quickly begin to
appreciate the
structural design as
each piece finds its
place in the
assembly. From
opening the bag to
having the airplane
ready to cover will
require
approximately two
hours.
With a wingspan
of 27 inches and an
area of 200 square
inches, the Nemesis 3D-II offers full 3-D-type flying on brushed or
brushless motors. Depending on power and equipment choices,
flying weight falls in the 4.5- to 6.5-ounce range.
With a two-cell Li-Poly battery pack (2S) and a brushed motor
mated to a GWS gear set, the Nemesis 3D-II will do all extreme
maneuvers including hovering. There are setups for indoor 3-D
flying as well.
To add even more zip to the
model’s performance, you can
install one of the small
external-rotor brushless
motors, such as the Nippy or
the PJS 300. MAE offers a
nice laser-cut plywood motor
mount for the external-rotor
motors that allows the same
GWS-style mount to be used.
This makes it easy to get into
3-D flying at a low cost and
then move up in performance
as your skill set advances.
MAE also offers a landing-gear option for the kit, which is
priced at $43.95.
Model Airplane Engineering: 5001 Bainbridge Ct., Lilburn GA
30047; Tel.: (770) 925-8326; Web site: www.m-a-e.com
Hobbico Circle Cutter
This new tool makes
cutting precision circles as
simple as using a compass!
Replaceable blades are held
in place by a locking
thumbscrew, and they rotate
around the stylus to cut
perfect circles every time.
The top scale measures
radius, and the bottom scale
indicates diameter and
adjusts from 10mm to
150mm.
The Circle Cutter is ideal
for a wide variety of craft
and hobby projects. It can be
used to cut paper, thin plastic, Lexan, card stock, film, photos,
masking material, and much more.
This tool has a street price of $6.29 and comes with six extra
blades and two pencil leads stored in a compartment on the cutter.
Six more blades and two pencil leads are available separately.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.hobbico.com
12sig1.QXD 10/25/04 8:46 AM Page 14
Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
Ultrafly Electric ARFs
These lightweight foam
models feature the easy
assembly of other park
flyers, but their performance
and scale looks set them apart. The
secret? Instead of designing the model
and then trying to find a motor to fit
it, Ultrafly develops a power system
first, and then matches the airplane
design that is best suited for it.
The result? Airplanes that fly
as great as they look, in a variety of
flying-skill levels that will appeal to
almost everyone! They will
even fly in winds of up to 10
mph!
The Cessna comes with two
wings; one offers docile,
trainerlike flight for building a
beginner’s confidence, and the other allows aerobatics to be
performed after experience is gained.
The low-wing PC9-400 is stable at low speeds but is capable of
thrilling aerial maneuvers. The BAe Hawk is a pusher-prop-design
jet for those with a need for all-out speed.
Each model features a Speed 400 motor with smaller-diameter
windings that enable it to handle higher voltages and amps. That
translates into more power and more capacity. The included gearbox
comes with four spur gears and brass pinions, providing modelers
with a much larger range of gear ratios than other airplanes do.
The Cessna 182 spans 43 inches, has a wing area of 323 square
inches, and weighs 27 ounces ready to fly. Its street price is $84.99.
The BAe Hawk spans 28.3 inches, has a wing area of 152 square
inches, and weighs 21 ounces ready to fly. Its street price is $79.99.
The PC9-400 spans 32 inches, has a wing area of 195 square
inches, and weighs 19 ounces ready to fly. Its street price is $79.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.hobbico.com
Nemesis 3D-II
Models that are suitable for performing 3-D-type flying in
limited spaces are becoming more and more popular. For people
who are interested in the flying qualities of a built-up,
symmetrical-airfoil wing, Model Airplane Engineering (MAE)
offers the Nemesis 3D-II. This laser-cut balsa kit has performance,
lightness, and strength designed in.
Building this
model is a pleasure.
You quickly begin to
appreciate the
structural design as
each piece finds its
place in the
assembly. From
opening the bag to
having the airplane
ready to cover will
require
approximately two
hours.
With a wingspan
of 27 inches and an
area of 200 square
inches, the Nemesis 3D-II offers full 3-D-type flying on brushed or
brushless motors. Depending on power and equipment choices,
flying weight falls in the 4.5- to 6.5-ounce range.
With a two-cell Li-Poly battery pack (2S) and a brushed motor
mated to a GWS gear set, the Nemesis 3D-II will do all extreme
maneuvers including hovering. There are setups for indoor 3-D
flying as well.
To add even more zip to the
model’s performance, you can
install one of the small
external-rotor brushless
motors, such as the Nippy or
the PJS 300. MAE offers a
nice laser-cut plywood motor
mount for the external-rotor
motors that allows the same
GWS-style mount to be used.
This makes it easy to get into
3-D flying at a low cost and
then move up in performance
as your skill set advances.
MAE also offers a landing-gear option for the kit, which is
priced at $43.95.
Model Airplane Engineering: 5001 Bainbridge Ct., Lilburn GA
30047; Tel.: (770) 925-8326; Web site: www.m-a-e.com
Hobbico Circle Cutter
This new tool makes
cutting precision circles as
simple as using a compass!
Replaceable blades are held
in place by a locking
thumbscrew, and they rotate
around the stylus to cut
perfect circles every time.
The top scale measures
radius, and the bottom scale
indicates diameter and
adjusts from 10mm to
150mm.
The Circle Cutter is ideal
for a wide variety of craft
and hobby projects. It can be
used to cut paper, thin plastic, Lexan, card stock, film, photos,
masking material, and much more.
This tool has a street price of $6.29 and comes with six extra
blades and two pencil leads stored in a compartment on the cutter.
Six more blades and two pencil leads are available separately.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.hobbico.com
12sig1.QXD 10/25/04 8:46 AM Page 14
December 2004 15
Multiplex All-Purpose
Charger and Li-Poly
Batteries
Hitec and Multiplex Modelsport
USA have announced their new Model
LN-2010 all-purpose Ni-Cd, NiMH,
and Lithium battery charger. The
companies are also selling a complete
line of Li-Poly batteries ranging from
145 to 4000 mAh in single cells and
two- or three-cell assembled packs.
The charger is item M92523 and
has a street price of $79.99. Colored
LEDs indicate the charging cycle’s
status. Input is 11.0-15.0 volts, with a
minimum established of 12.0 volts at
3.0 amps. You can operate this charger
from an automobile battery or an AC
power supply that can supply at least
the minimum requirement.
Model LN-2010 is capable of peakdetect
charging one to 10 Ni-Cd or
NiMH battery cells, or it can charge
one to four Li-Poly batteries using the
constant-current, voltage-limiting technique that is necessary
for these types of cells. Charge current is continuously
adjustable from 0.1 to 2.0 amps.
The charger features custom cell-voltage selection for Li-
Poly batteries and an internal timer that limits charger
operation to a six-hour period.
The entire
unit comes in
a small case
measuring 5
inches long x
4 inches wide
x 13⁄4 inches
high. Input
cables are a
generous 30
inches long
and are
terminated in two
large alligator clips.
The output circuit consists of three banana plugs: two
black and one red. The red jack is the common positive
connection for the Ni-Cd/NiMH or Li-Poly batteries. The
modeler must select the two negative jacks for the type of pack
being charged.
If you accidentally select the wrong set of jacks for the
battery being charged, the unit will sound a loud alarm while
flashing all three LEDs on the front panel. That safety feature is
especially nice.
When charging, you must first select the battery type (Ni-
Cd/NiMH or Li-Poly) by pressing the “BATT TYPE” switch on
the front panel of the charger. While you are pressing this
switch, the red LED will light for the Li-Poly batteries and the
orange LED will light for the Ni-Cd/NiMH batteries. This
function will alternate from one type to the other every time
you press the “BATT TYPE” switch.
The instructions advise you not to charge Li-Poly batteries
that have been discharged to less than 3.0 volts per cell. Many
modelers may know that these cells should not be allowed
below that level. But to be on the safe side, Model LN-2010 has
been programmed to use a low charge rate for the first minute or
so. During that time, the battery is “conditioned” and the cell
count is determined and set automatically.
The second step is to set the charge current. A rotary dial
allows you to select anything from 0.1-0.2 amps. The suggestion
is to use a 2C charge current for NiMH cells, 3C for Ni-Cd, and
1C for Li-Poly. This is probably the most important thing the
modeler must do.
Once the charge current is set, press the “START” button and
the charging will begin. During the charge process, the green LED
“FULL/VOLTS” will flash. When the charging is complete, you
will hear a loud series of beeps and the green LED will glow
steadily at the same time.
A certain amount of “trickle” charging (roughly 50 mA) does
continue after the
fast charge cuts
off. This is okay
for Ni-Cd/NiMH
batteries but is
neither required
nor desired for Li-
Poly batteries.
The promotional
sheet indicated
that Multiplex is
offering 19
different battery-pack configurations, ranging from one to three
cells and capacity ratings from 145 mAh to 4000 mAh (4.0 Ah).
Prices range from $12.98 to $299.95.
We were provided with a two-cell (2S1P) 350 mAh pack (0.8
ounce) and a three-cell (3S1P) 750 mAh pack (2.0 ounces). The
smaller pack came with a red plastic JST connector, and the larger
pack employed the popular Deans Ultra connector. This connector
can easily be soldered.
Multiplex USA: 5001 12115 Paine St., Poway CA 92064; Tel.:
(858) 748-6948; Web site: www.multiplexusa.com MA
12sig1.QXD 10/25/04 8:46 AM Page 15