Posts: 45
Joined: 7/12/2005 From: Atlanta,
GA, USA Status: offline
LX Model Piper J-3 Cub, www.giantscaleplanes.com , then click on Go Micro Wingspan: 850mm Length: 460mm Weight: 281g Motor: BM Outrunner 2408-21 (included) Price $129.99
My Set-Up Battery LiPo 2 cell Thunder Power 1300 maH Micro Servos 2 (Elevator, Rudder) or 4 (Elevator, Rudder, 2 Aileron) HiTec 50 ESC Castle Creation-Phoenix 10A Receiver FMA M5v2 Sub Micro Dual Conversion Radio Futaba T4YF
As I promised when I reviewed the Tiger Moth 370 by LX Model in this same Forum, I am posting now my opinions about the J-3 Cub by also LX Model. The first impression I had when I opened the box was the same as with the Moth: The materials and finishing -balsa, film covering and hardware- of this ARF airplane are just great. The main big and favorable difference in the Cub is the ample internal room where you can work very easy to place receiver, servos, ESC and battery. In the third photo you can see my HiTec 50 servos to compare available space.
Good for beginners!
To be continued...
< Message edited by jespinel -- 11/30/2005 11:01:03 PM >
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May be this is an heresy but I don't like foam planes or geared motors.
Posts: 45
Joined: 7/12/2005 From: Atlanta,
GA, USA Status: offline
The assembly process is quite straightforward, except in the pushrods in which carbon fiber and regular wire-links are provided by LX Model. You should pay careful attention to the construction of these elements. The provided wire-link to place at the end of the rudder pushrod is different to the corresponding to the elevator; so, you do not be confused. I illustrate this in the next two photos: the pushrod for the rudder is at the upper side of each photo. By the way, you place the wire link and the carbon fiber together, covered by the provided shrinking tube, then you add a drop of Instant Glue inside the joint and after this you heat the tube with a soldering iron. Avoid the smoke produced by the Instant Glue because it is irritant to the nose and the eyes! Why LX Model has chosen this method to make their pushrods, you may ask. I don’t know. But, in any case, if you want to avoid this process you can use your own piano wire to make the pushrods; furthermore if you observe that at the servo side (not shown in these two photos) you have to introduce carefully the heath iron into the fuselage, close to the servos arms.
To be continued...
_____________________________
May be this is an heresy but I don't like foam planes or geared motors.
Posts: 45
Joined: 7/12/2005 From: Atlanta,
GA, USA Status: offline
In this case I had a problem with the soldering. My soldering gun was not clean enough and when I ran the motor it stuttered badly. I cleaned and thinned the tip of my soldering gun and remade the soldering (3 at motor and 2 at the battery) and then all was OK. A good lesson about what happens when you know something in theory but neglects it in the practice: Soldering tip should always be clean!
To be continued...
< Message edited by jespinel -- 10/30/2005 3:41:50 AM >
_____________________________
May be this is an heresy but I don't like foam planes or geared motors.
Posts: 45
Joined: 7/12/2005 From: Atlanta,
GA, USA Status: offline
This is my beautiful completed Cub J-3 LX Model! The result is absolutely impressive because you feel you have in your hands a little jewel with clean and graceful lines but sturdy construction. I am very satisfied with the final product. The skimpy manual does not mention the clear placement of the Center of Gravity. I calculated it according to 30% of the Wing Chord rule (see http://users.adelphia.net/~pjburke1011/cg.htm ) at 4 centimeters from the wing leading edge, which coincides with the location of the wing main spar. It is my personal taste to fly any “full house” plane without the ailerons during several initial flights. I learn about the plane behavior and then I add the ailerons. Also I set always minimum throws to reduce the risk of stalls. I will post here how it flies in a near future.
To be continued…
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May be this is an heresy but I don't like foam planes or geared motors.
Posts: 123
Joined: 4/27/2005 From: Marietta,
GA, USA Status: offline
WOW. That is a very nice looking plane. I have a couple of questions for you.
1. Does the plane accept NiMh batteries? The opening looks flat and small like it was meant to only utilize LiPo's. 2. What is the final weight of the plane with all electronics and battery?
Posts: 45
Joined: 7/12/2005 From: Atlanta,
GA, USA Status: offline
ANSWERS
1. My Thunder Power 1320 mAh LiPo has the following characteristics: Dimension: 34mm x 65mm x 13mm; Weight: 58grams The model opening accepts it very easily. Additionally, to answer your question, I placed a second battery stacked to the first one with no difficulty. Also I read in the manufacturers web page www.lxmodel.com , despite the scrambled languages, that this model accepts 7.2V 600mA (ni-cd, ni-mh) batteries.
2. My model with all the possible stuff weighs 10 oz.
I am adding a photo where you can see, side by side, my old Mini Piper Graupner and my new Cub J-3 LX Model. The Graupner weighs almost 11 oz with almost the same set-up (except the motor that in this plane is a geared MP Jet). I feel my Cub J-3 LX Model a lot superior in all the aspects. Of course, I have to flight it first to give you my final verdict, but if its behavior in the air is similar to my Tiger Moth LX Model I would discovere an unsurpassable plane.
< Message edited by jespinel -- 10/28/2005 6:57:14 PM >
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May be this is an heresy but I don't like foam planes or geared motors.
Posts: 123
Joined: 4/27/2005 From: Marietta,
GA, USA Status: offline
Awesome. Thanks for the info. I fly Parkzone J3 Cub's and think that I will buy one of these cubs next. I like to put digital camcorders on my planes and this one looks like a prime candidate for a camera behind the clear windsheild.
Posts: 45
Joined: 7/12/2005 From: Atlanta,
GA, USA Status: offline
Regarding a question someone asked me in an e-mail, I painted the transparent cowling with plain white spray paint from the inside. This way the cowling looks with a nice gloss from outside. It also becomes less prone to scratches.
< Message edited by jespinel -- 10/30/2005 10:01:10 PM >
_____________________________
May be this is an heresy but I don't like foam planes or geared motors.
Posts: 45
Joined: 7/12/2005 From: Atlanta,
GA, USA Status: offline
Today I tested both the LX Model Tiger Moth and the LX Model Cub J-3 side by side in successive flights. Both planes are superb but the Cub is more brisk and therefore less forgiving, which could mean more difficulties for a beginner pilot. Do not forget to give up some elevator in the turns or the plane will make a wing stall! You have to fly it at ¾ throttle to avoid problems. The Tiger Moth is another thing: it flies naturally at low or fast speeds and it makes tight turns with almost no elevator up feeding. I flew it most of the time at less than half throttle. All of this makes the LX Model Tiger Moth a perfect first plane, park flier and semi scale style for a beginner pilot. This is the best park flier I ever have flown.
A word of caution: As I have previously stated, the location of the C of G and short throws are crucial in these small models. Take care on them!
_____________________________
May be this is an heresy but I don't like foam planes or geared motors.
Posts: 45
Joined: 7/12/2005 From: Atlanta,
GA, USA Status: offline
M5v2 Sub Micro Dual Conversion Receiver Previous at this model I have never used the FMA receivers. I tried the new M5v2 Sub Micro Dual Conversion Receiver for 72MHz in this plane. I have tested it in dozens of flights without observing the minimum glitch. Therefore, I recommend you this high technology wonder, especially in small planes as mine. Two thumbs up to FMA, an American company that makes this remarkable product! I will never use any other receiver brand.
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May be this is an heresy but I don't like foam planes or geared motors.
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Cub J-3 by LX Model www.giantscaleplanes.com - 
