pequeajim

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I've never done this before, but I thought I would share my construction steps of the World Models Super Sports Senior with you guys...

The ARF comes in a single box, well packed and extreamly complete down to the fiberglass cowl and pants and even a painted pilot figure! All of the parts are packaged in a logical manner so when you build the kit, it's easy to find things, and more importantly, not to lose them!

The first thing I noticed was the construction of this pretty plane, WONDERFUL! This is a very well built plane with smart use of lite ply. The grade of balsa and ply is very good to excellent. All of the joints were glued well with an unidentified epoxy type resin, not hot glue.

The covering is another Ultracoat/Oracover derivative. I tested it at 300 degrees and it irons out nicely. Of course there were no wrinkles on the plane at all! The covering job is excellent, say, 9 out of 10.

I would rate the hardware 7 out of 10. This usually means for me that I will use most of the hardware while tossing some. I believe in this case if you used all of it, you would not be dissapointed, I just am pickey about some things.

Although built well, this plane will come out light even with the RCS 1.44 that I plan to put on it. With the large wing, (over 1000 squares), the wing loading will be light and it will have no problem landing like a trainer.

Here are the weights of the parts in oz. to give you a feel for what it will weigh with your setup.

Vertical Stab 2.3
Horiz Stab 5.7
Right Wing 17.5
Left Wing 17.2
Cowl 4.5
Pants 2.0
Pilot 1.0
Canopy 3.1
Hardware Pack 21.2
WIng TUbe 4.0
Fuse 23.2
Decals 2.3
TOTAL----------------------------
104 oz. *16 = 6.5lbs (no engine or electronics)

OS .91FX 22.5 (with pitts muffler)
Prop 3.2
Glue & Epoxy 4.5
5 servos 8.1
Receiver .8
Battery and harness 3.5
TOTAL----------------------------
42.6

Grand Total 146.6 oz or 9.175 lbs with the .91FX. Of course, I will be going for the gasser which adds 15oz. to the nose

pequeajim

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The manual is sparce at best with very little if any descriptive text. If you have ever built a Kyosho ARF, you will recognize this construction guide. It looks like the same person wrote it, (or drew it) The nice thing is that the plane is so easy to put together, you almost don't need a guide, and the drawings while not descriptive, are detailed enough to guide you along in the construction.

The first thing I did was cut a small hatch in the bottom front of the fuse. I did this for two reasons, first, I wanted access to the RCS electronics without digging in from the center of the fuse. Secondly, it made it easier to work on the firewall which I wanted to reinforce because of the gas engine.

The firewall is plenty sturdy, but I glassed it anyway. I also used about 1 oz. of 2 hour eposy thinned out 30/70 with alcohol and brushed it on the forward hatch and wing saddle area. I usually reinforce the wing hold down, but this one is very beefy, so I just coated it for good measure.

(don't be fooled by the discoloration of the wood in the pic, I had just epoxy coated it when I took the pic....)

pequeajim

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The wing is a two piece fit with a fairly heavy wing tube. The tube slides into the phenolic receivers snugly, but not too tight. The dihedral is pre set and the rear alignment dowl fits perfectly. The wing fits perfectly in the saddle.

Once you slide the wing halves together, you just bolt the wing in place with two hold down bolts, just like any 40 sized plane, neat!

pequeajim

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Man, they installed the hinges for me! THANKS! Heavy ones too!

Since the hinges were already installed, (and checked with a good yank!), the next step is to install the servo, and control horn. The included hardware looks a little like a Rocket City post type of horn and installs easily. I like this type of control horn as it allows you to "fine tune" your aileron throw by adjusting the height of the link on the post. This way you can closely match your aileron differential pretty easily A little hint here. When you cut out the covering over the servo well, start at each corner and cut and "X". Now iron down each piece of excess covering inside the well. This will keep the covering from lifting later in flight.

Another nice touch is the fishing line that they placed in the wing so I could easily pull my servo extension through. I used an 18" extension. Make sure you wrap the connector with tape which will help to keep it from coming apart.

I'm using Hitec 605s on the ailerons. They have plenty of torque for this application. Of course I'm not flying IMAC competitions with this plane anyway, so they will work just fine.

Install the servo, arm and control rod. The control arm should be pointing to wards the wing tip, not the fuse.side. Place the control horn on the aileron and line it up with the control rod. The rod should be parallel with the servo side. Now mark the holes with a fine felt tip marker. Drill through the hardwood insert and screw it together and you're done.

One note here... There are two different lengths of screw, 20mm and 25mm. The two longer screws go in closest to the hinge line and the smaller one to wards the back edge of the aileron. Don't screw them down too far as you can crush the wood. You should have about 2-3mm of screw sticking out of the bottom piece, that's it.

(more tomorrow...)

pequeajim

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Well, I finally ran into something with this model that I do not like. Althought not a big issue, the landing gear wire axle section is a tad bit too long and the inside of the wheel pant needs additional support, (more on this later). Otherwise, the gear wire is robust and the pants look like a new car, perfect. I just want them to stay that way.

The next step for me was to attach the landing gear wire. The gear is supported by a generous hardwood block and slides into this with a perfect and snug fit. You hold it down with some gear hold downs and heavy screws.

(I wish that these guys would use socket heads instead of phillips!!)

When you cut the covering before putting the wire in place, just make a single slice right down the middle. The gear will mash it down from there, and you will have a little protection from the fuel. Make sure you pre-drill the hold down holes so you will not crack the hardwood.

Now on the Pants, I felt like I needed to add a little ply to reinforce the locking hole inside the pant. See the pic. I just cut a rectangle and drilled the hole to fit. I then pushed it on the axle and glued and clamped it in place. Then I pulled out the axle, simple and adds support.

In order to make the pant fit correctly on the gear wire, I had to grind the end down about 5mm. No biggie, grinder and 30 seconds was all it took. (Thanks Mom for the grinder!)

pequeajim

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The pants are really pretty and the fix makes them a little more impervious to breakage. I did however, have to sand down one of the wheels about 2 mm as it was binding on the top of the pant once mounted.

When attaching the pant to the landing gear wire, be careful to drill the pilot hole for the screw, and then drill a shallow hole that is just under the size of the screw that you are attaching the pant with. The bigger hole and a little masking tape will help to keep the pant from cracking.

You can see in the pic that I had a brain cramp and forgot this on the first pant I did. After going back and doing it the right way, I added a little 2 hour epoxy with a 55% epoxy/45% hardener over top to keep the crack from going any farther.

Here's what the pant looks like with the wheel installed.

pequeajim

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The horizontal stab and elevator are already hinged. Give them a yank to make sure everything is glued in properly.

Now you need to make a decision as to if you want a removable, or a permanent stab. I usually opt for a permanent stab, but this time decided to go for portability instead. The thing looks pretty robust with two hold down dowels and a screw, what the heck...

I used 2 hour epoxy and added a foam piece inside the pan for additional support. Make sure everything is lined up properly by laying the stab on the fuse, screwing in the hold-down screw, and measuring for squareness. Now put the pan in place and mark along the pan with a felt tip marker so you know where to cut.

When gluing the bottom stab attachment pan on, make sure you are gluing balsa to balsa, not balsa to covering! I cut away a little covering from the stab, and the pan. Make sure you do not cut too deep as you will create a weak area and "snap"... pile of sticks!

Hold down the pan with a heavy object and go do something else...

pequeajim

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Gluing in the vertical stab couldn't be easier. In fact, they use a really neat hinge that once installed, will tear the balsa before it comes out, (see pic). I used 2 hour epoxy and glued it in place. Check the alignment and use masking tape if necessary to hold it straight while the glue sets up a dries. Mine went in perfect.

Oh yeah... If you coat the hinge (shown on the bottom) with vasoline before gluing, it will keep the epoxy out of the hinge gaps. When the glue drys, wipe it off and you have a clean hinge that moves freely. (Thanks IMAC guys for that tip)

(more tonight)

pequeajim

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They have come up with a pretty nice bellcrank assembly that is smooth and eliminates the differential throw that you get with a two servo setup, or "Y" type arrangements.

It installs very easily and the only thing I saw that needed help was that I ended up adding a spacer on each side between the fuse and the control horn to keep the slop out.

Don't forget to add the holding screw for each control horn.

pequeajim

My Feedback: (1)

A nice heavy duty servo tray is provided and glued in well. I did however, switch the elevator and rudder servos as I thought there was potential for the rudder pull-pull to rub with the elevator, now it does not.

Remember to put the little white tubes on the wire before you put the ends on the pull-pull. Install these in the slots in the side of the fuse. This will keep the wire from cutting into the sides.

Another Senior Pilot told me that he used longer tubes and ran them in past the former up from the exit holes, (to wards the front). He said that this eliminated the wire rubbing against the former. I can see how it would do this. With the servos switched, there is just a little bit of rub. I'm going to replace my tubes as well after a few flights.

pequeajim

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The engine mount is a really neat contraption and hefty too! I decided to use it for the RCS. The mount is adjustable both ways so you can mount your engine however you like.

I put the engine on the mount and heated up a wire with my torch, then pushed the wire through the engine mounting holes, burning a small hole in the mount where the mounting hole is.

This gives me a clear place to drill and the proper alignment for the engine. MrBonk noticed a slight upthrust in his mount and I have not noticed this with mine. If you have this problem, a couple of washers can be used as shims to take this out.

The cowl is big enough that the engine will fit inside with the pitts muffler. I love the clear plastic practice canopy. Make the cuts you want with that, get it right and then transfer the cuts to the real canopy.

(More tonight...)

pequeajim

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With the RCS, you can run a Nickle Mh pack and in order to keep things light, I decided to go with a 700Mhr NiMh pack, AAA cells, very light.

As you can see in the pic, I mounted the ignition up next to the firewall. Some tack spray, and velcro was all that it took. I mounted it to the opposite side of the exhaust port on the engine as there is a little excess muffler on that side, and this will help to balance things out a little.

pequeajim

My Feedback: (1)

The logic with a gasser and electronics is to keep the radio gear as far away from the ignition as possible. (Unless you're using those neat fiber optic servo leads...)

I decided to put the tank over the cg, the receiver and 1800 Mhr battery under the servo tray, and the throttle servo all the way back just in front of the main servo tray. I am using a Hitec HS-81MG on the throttle, strong and FAST. I made up a piece of ply to fit the HS-81 on the throttle servo tray they give you. I then screwed it to two hold down blocks that I glued to the sides of the fuse..

pequeajim

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I ran a plastic cable to the engine rather than use the one they give you which is prone to interference with a gasser. A little piece of scrap ply made a nice guide hole. Just epoxy it to the former.

pequeajim

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The RCS mounts on the supplied engine mount perfectly. I drilled through the mount and used hex head screws with lock nuts on the bottom side.

pequeajim

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They supply a cute pre painted pilot... kool...

(notice the blue eyes with the black hair...)

pequeajim

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Going to try to fly the plane tomorrow. I have mounted the wing, ignition battery, all servos, and here's the plane without the canopy and cowling.

The plane balances out perfect with the RCS by just moving the flight battery. No weight was added!!

Maybe I'll finish it tomorrow and fly!

pequeajim

My Feedback: (1)

Well, we finally tested the engine and today took her out to the field. When we got there, I fueled the plane up and flipped the prop and the RCS turned over on the first flip!

Unfortunately, the engine was running very erratic so I stopped it and took a close look only to find that I had not tightened the nut down on the ball link to the throttle.

Man, I'm glad it came off in the idle position!

A quick fix and a flip and I was back in business. Engine running, we did a range test at idle, half and full throttle and the plane passed with flying colors.

The RCS was idling very well. I bought it used, but it was not broken it yet, so I can look forward to it getting better each successive flight.

I taxied out to the runway and drove her around. The ground handling was ok as long as I stayed on the rudder. Of course I did not connect the tail wheel as per the instructions. I used fuel tubing which tends to be a little sloppy on the ground, but really saves the rudder and servo.

I pointed her into the wind and ran down the runway at half throttle and the plane jumped into the air! One click of up and one of left aileron and I was tracking straight as an arrow, nice flying plane!

The rolls are much like a spacewalker, gentle and non axle, but easily corrected with rudder and elevator. The BIGGG loop was perfect and the plane tracked straight with no slippage to the side. Up side down flight required a little down, and the roll rate is gentle, again, like a FlyBaby or Spacewalker. This plane can move along at a good clip, much like a Cap, but lands like a trainer. I MEAN IT REALLY LANDS LIKE A TRAINER!! On approach, you put the wings were you want then, and it stays there. This is BY FAR the easiest plane I have ever landed.

I did not test the knife edge capabilities, but will tomorrow. All in all I shot about 15 landings and greased almost every one.

The plane does not tip stall, but kind of mushes forward causing the nose to lower which takes it out of the stall. Slow flight is responsive and precise.

Except for the slower roll rate, I could probably do well in an IMAC Basic event with this plane. At least it will be a nice practice plane until my Cap is ready. After that, I will probably fly it for fun.

My brother in law is picking up the purple one and we will be working on formation aerobatics.

Conclusion:

The World Models Super Sports Senior is well built, easy to assemble with a great covering job. The airframe will support anything from a 90 2/4 stroke to a RCS 1.44 or Saito 1.8.

If you are looking for a snappy stick banging plane, save your money, this is not the one that you want.

However, if you want to step into a big plane, ESPECIALLY if you are looking for a light airframe for that RCS engine, and want to do mild aerobatics with a well behaved airplane, than this is for you.

The Super Sports Senior will keep me happy for quite a long time and I can't wait to put a glider tow rig on it so I can tow a few 1/4 scale gliders up in the air!!

Have fun!! (I know I will...)

pequeajim

My Feedback: (1)

I've had the chance to fly the Super Sports Senior several times now and am still very happy with it's flight performance. Flights have been in varying weather conditions, high/low winds, and the plane tracks very well. In a higher wind, there is a slight tendency to weather vein, but that is really true of any of my planes except my Ultra Stick.

I did move the CG back and the plane knife edges very well. If i move it back more, I imagine it will climb in knife edge flight.

Flying with a gasser, one is always suspicious of what the vibration from the engine can do to the airframe. I have inspected the frame several times and things are holding up just fine, nice plane!

I put together a very easy design for adding a tow release for towing gliders. When I put this in, I will post a pic.

One last thought. I did use the detachable tail assembly and it has held up perfectly. I will probably install wires on the tail just because it helps keep the tow line from getting caught on the stabs. I could also use some weight back there anyway.

If you have an interest in flying a smooth aerobatic, but gentle plane, take a look at the World Models Super Sports Senior, you'll not be disappointed!

pequeajim

My Feedback: (1)

I would hate to write a review without a finished pic of the plane, but I had to wait till I got it out to the field with the cowl on.

Here you go... Now I'm a pretty big guy, (6'-3"), so the plane is really a little bigger than it looks in this pic...

tirley154

I must say, I really enjoyed reading your review! I built a purple one of these last Xmas and found it a real pleasure putting it together due to the extremely high WM's quality! I chose it because I fancied something bigger with plug in wings, but not common and no push rods(I hate pushrods). The elevator bell cranked linkage is solid as is the closed loop rudder (no pushrods) and it builds so light! She flys quite gently and rolls ever so slowly(even with maxed throws) with a powerful elevator to boot, a real joy and a floater on landings! I balanced it to give a neutral feel inverted ie: no down elevator input, but I struggle to get it on a knife edge. Any help on this point would be most welcome! It initially had a Lazer .100 up front, but I ended up going to an Enya 1.20GP(pumped) goes straight up now!!! All in all, I would rate it 9/10 well done World Models.

Thanks again pequeajim for an excellent review!!! Dave

jay s

Has anyone here built one of these so the whole tail section "elevator and stab' so its permanently epoxied instead of removable like the instructions say? I am stuck right now on glueing the rear elevator pan. I guess just line it up and glue. When I dry fit the thing there seems like there is a gap between the fusealage and the elevator. I may just do the best I can with it and call it good. Split the difference so to speak.


Jay

60ndown

nice work, nice plane, i guess im a new breed of flyer, if i can get an rtf im happy, but i doubt ill ever spend 30+hours building a model, not if i can get an rtf.

im sure i can destroy an rtf as easily as a kit built plane, 1 wrong move, 1 component failure, 1 mistake. it would kill me to destroy 30+ hours of work but im sure a $40 rtf and 2 hours hurts less.

i gotta tell you tho im loving my real flight g4, lots of planes like this in there, and i can knife edge and 3d and generally do stuff id never try in real life.can swith from a thermal field to a 40mph slope in 20 seconds, with any model!

DL8698

I was looking for a review of this plane, found this review on google and started reading, and then I realised, this review was dated 2002!. That's 10 years ago! And the plane is still on sale. To me, it seems this plane must be very popular to be still on sale after at least 10 years.

I really would love to get this plane for the RCG 15cc I bought. I would prefer to buy a plane from a LHS, but it is very hard to find any balsa plane for a 15cc gasser. The shipping cost to get this plane from rc711 is about US$40, making it a US$200 by the time I get it.

Still looking around, as I think shipping is expensive.

seldredg

It's 2018 and they are still selling the Super Sports Senior. I bought one to get into a larger plane, and I needed something to mount a Saito FG-30 in, which I bought to replace a 2-stroke that I decided to leave in place in another plane. After reading and researching a little, I discovered that the Saito weighs about 16 ounces more than the engine the plane was designed for. I was concerned about the CG, and also about the shaking, as the plane looked to be somewhat lightly built. The provided motor mount is a complex multipiece build with vibration islolators, so apparently World Models also considers vibration to be an issue. So in the end I built it as an electric model, which worked out extremely well. I used the setup I had in a crashed plane--an Eflite Power 60 470KV, Castle Talon 90, and 5500 and 5000 6S lipos with a 15x8 propeller. I mounted a battery tray that allowed the lipos to be slid as far forward as possible. To mount the motor I used a motor box from a Tower Hobbies Kaos 60. I needed weight up front to balance, perhaps about 4 ounces. The plane flew seemingly a little tail heavy, so I added a little more weight, which made no difference. Then I figured out that the issue was downthrust, not nose weight. I added two washers to the top of the motor mounts, and the plane flew perfectly, so I removed I removed some of the nose weight.

The Kaos motor box put the prop at the same location as the manual shows for the IC engine. But if I built another electric, I'd use motor mounts to extend the motor out a little and require less or no added weight. This would also allow the fiberglass nose to be screwed in where there is thicker wood behind the holes.

Plane is great fun to fly. I really like the larger size. It has plenty of power--it has as much vertical as I like for hammerheads (during which motor pulls about 75 amps, the max I've seen). For laid back sport flying, cruising, and slow passes, I can fly 20 minutes; 15 minutes for more aggressive flying. I have telemetry that tells me the mAh usage as I fly, so I don't have to guess on the time. I do use a timer I can fly to 80% drained. I do have to unscrew the wings to change the battery, but that hasn't been an issue because I get several flights per battery.