Worth a Closer Look
Kit Comeback!
Back by popular demand are kits for which modelers have been asking. These include the legendary Great Planes 40- and 60-size Super Sportsters and Ultra Sports, the Tracer 40 precision acrobat, and the impressive IMAA (International Miniature Aircraft Association)-legal Top Flite Beechcraft Bonanza.
The Super Sportster 40 MkII will have a street price of $99.99, and the larger Super Sportster 60 will go for $124.99. The aerobatic Tracer 40 will cost $99.99, as will the Ultra Sport 40. The Ultra Sport 60 kit will have a street price of $131.99. The Gold Edition Beechcraft Bonanza kit will have a street price of $219.99.
Great Planes Hobby Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL 61826; Tel.: (217) 398-3630; Web site: www.greatplanes.com, www.top-flite.com
A Green Way to Clean
Using paper towels for your aeromodeling needs is not Earth-friendly. The Grakar microfiber towel is ideal for cleaning glow-fuel exhaust, dirt, and gunk from your airplanes. These towels can absorb eight times their weight in liquid and are machine washable.
Gentle on paint, film coverings, and all plastics, microfiber is one of the most advanced fabric innovations of our time. It is a blend of polyester (70%) and polyamide (30%), which is a nylon byproduct. The polyester provides the cleaning power and the polyamide provides the absorbency.
Microfiber is 1/100 the diameter of a human hair and possesses unbelievable cleaning abilities. The industry-leading microfiber Grakar markets has 90,000-221,000 threads per inch.
These filaments are capable of penetrating tiny openings in the cleanable surface to pull out and hold dirt, producing an unbelievable level of cleanliness. A cotton towel acts like a broom and pushes dirt around; microfiber removes dirt from the surface and allows none to remain. This removes the chance for dirt to scratch delicate surfaces.
Each 16 x 27-inch towel is available for $10.99 or in a pack of three for $29.
Grakar Specialty Products: Box 4194, Reading PA 19606; Tel.: (610) 370-1276; Web site: www.grakar.com
Boom EPP ARF
The move toward foam aircraft has introduced a new sense of security to those who always see dollar marks flying across the sky. Although there is no “indestructible airplane,” the MS Composit 2900 Boom comes close. This EPP aircraft will become known for no surprises in its construction, flying, or survivability.
The 36-inch-span EPP-foam model has a contradictory strong but spongy texture. Warps in the control surfaces or fuselage are easy to remove in a few seconds by twisting the surface the opposite direction of the warp. The straightforward instructions are multilingual and consist mostly of pictures.
Pilots who prefer a stiffer airframe will want to add narrow strips of carbon-fiber lathe or similar to the wing and fuselage, as was done with our model.
Good flight performance was experienced with MS Composit’s EM-300/34 Brushless Power Set. The Hitec HS-55 Feather servos provided plenty of might for the large control surfaces. A Jeti REX MPD receiver served as the onboard brains, coupled with a Jeti Advance 12 Plus ESC on the motor.
Flying the Boom is rewarding and forgiving. It flew hands-off at most throttle settings. Aggressive aerobatics flexed the wings and fuselage too much for our liking, but later carbon-fiber stiffening improved things dramatically. This model can hover and is capable of precision flying.
The Boom is available in several color schemes for a street price of $45. Other EPP-foam designs and combo packages are available to make this a one-stop shopping experience.
MS Composit LLC: 8766 South St. Suite 130, Fishers IN 46038; Tel.: (317) 579-1955; Web site: www.mscompositusa.com
A Special J-3
Hangar 9’s 1/4-scale J-3 Cub is a superbly detailed, accurate replica of the ever-popular Piper J-3 Cub. Down to the scale dash with the Piper Cub emblem in the tachometer, this large-scale beauty is designed with the scale admirer in mind.
Enthusiasts will appreciate the more realistic Cub outline, which is facilitated by simulated scale tubular construction of the top fuselage contour and fin-to-fuselage fillet molding. The scale Cub struts and working bungee landing gear make three-point landings, touch-and-goes, and crosswind one-wheel arrivals satisfying.
Smart design features make this model a first choice to take out often. The struts are connected to the wing with a pivoting pin and keeper, while a pin-and-cotter key system allows the struts to be removed from the fuselage with no hassle. The two-piece stabilizer can also be removed if necessary.
The 106-inch-span J-3 Cub is also available in a Plug-N-Play (PNP) version that comes equipped with Zenoah’s G20el electronic-ignition engine (item ZEN20E1) and six JR DS821 Digital Sport Hi-Torque servos (item JRPS821) installed.
The Cub ARF has a street price of $499.99, and the PNP version goes for $1,099.99.
Horizon Hobby, Inc.: 4105 Fieldstone Rd., Champaign IL 61822; Tel.: (217) 352-1913; Web site: www.horizonhobby.com
Worth a Closer Look
YS Parts and Service
YS Parts and Service is proud to offer a new generation of engines for the airplane and helicopter enthusiast. This company has been producing exceptional four-stroke performance for decades, and the new 170 DZ and FZ 110 S will impress their users.
The 170 DZ weighs just 830 grams and was used to win the 2005 F3A World Championships. This large-displacement power plant has a balanced crankshaft for smoother running and is direct injected for higher power output.
The FZ 110 S has a stronger crankcase and cylinder-head design. The case has been improved for better cooling and longer life. The crankshaft is ring-sealed to increase crankcase boost for a higher output, and the front-mounted regulator is more reliable and runs cooler.
Performance-hungry helicopter pilots will be thrilled with new 91 SR. Its longer stroke design creates even more power and has a better rear bearing for longer life. The crankshaft has been balanced for smoother running, and the pressure-regulated fuel system is injected.
The new 50 ST won't disappoint when used in midsize helicopters. Its new regulator injection fuel system will deliver consistent runs with more power, regardless of fuel-tank level.
YS Parts and Service: 1370 Porter Dr., Minden NV 89423; Tel.: (775) 267-9252; Web site: www.yspartsandservice.com
Mercury Adhesives
M100XF is the result of nearly two years of Mercury chemists' lab work to devise an adhesive formulation that is among the fastest, strongest, and highest quality ever available. Along with the unique formulas, the bottle and cap have a specially engineered no-clog design and a two-year unconditional warranty.
The new high-performance M100XF is a first in the adhesive market and is designed for high-alkaline poplar and light plywood, which is why some are calling it the ARF glue. The M100XF product comes from the ethyl family of cyanoacrylates, with a few proprietary additives to increase speed and strength.
This product works so well on poplar plywood because of the wood's high alkaline content. Alkaline neutralizes cyanoacrylate, which will prevent the product from reacting with the moisture in the wood.
In this case an accelerator would be used to promote the curing process. The accelerator will cure the cyanoacrylate but will result in a more brittle joint, which is the very thing you want to avoid when gluing plywood.
M100XF is 100 cps in viscosity. It is thicker than thin and thinner than medium but still has great wetting-out qualities when applied to a joint; it will not wick into the joint but will soak into it and the surrounding wood to make an exceptionally strong bond.
With these properties, M100XF is great for use in addition to existing joints in ARFs, where a good once-over is needed before the first flight. Although M100XF is not odorless, users have reported that it does not produce the same amount of vapors as the standard ethyl-grade cyanoacrylate.
Mercury Adhesives: 6150 Parkway North Dr., Cumming GA 30040; Tel.: (678) 513-4450; Web site: www.mercuryadhesives.com
PowerExpander
Quest Engineering and Development is shipping the Smart-Fly PowerExpander EQ10, which incorporates servo matching on all 10 of the unit's channels. It features three servo outputs per channel on eight channels and four servo outputs on two channels (which correspond to the rudder channels on Futaba and JR receivers).
The PowerExpander features servo matchers and a few enhancements that make it easier to set up the 10-channel unit.
The "Equalizer" and "Gain Mode" functions built into the unit include channel reset, calibration, servo priority mode (for setting up multiple servos on a single surface), and endpoint-hold mode (so you can take your hands off the transmitter when setting the endpoints).
Any servo can be reversed and adjusted individually for centering and endpoint. All programming controls are built into the unit, so there is nothing extra to buy and nothing to lose.
Dual Smart-Sense power inputs utilize Deans Ultra Plug connectors and operate with an optional fail-safe switch when used with Ni-Cd/NiMH batteries. The unit is 4.5 inches long, 3.0 inches wide, weighs 3.0 ounces, and is priced at $249.95.
New units targeting the 50-100cc aircraft range are scheduled for release this summer. These units, the PowerExpander Sport Plus and PowerSystem Sport Plus, will have built-in ignition cut-off units, which provide extra safety for gas-powered aircraft.
The PowerExpander Sport Plus and PowerSystem Sport Plus will work with an optional fail-safe switch, which reduces weight compared to typical installations that use heavy-duty switches. In addition, as the first unit in the new PowerSystem line will incorporate a 5-amp regulator so it can be used with Li-Po or Li-Ion battery systems.
Quest Engineering: 1328 East Cottonwood Ln., Phoenix AZ 85048; Tel.: (480) 460-2652; Web site: www.smart-fly.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
