Contributed by: Greg Covey | Published: December 2006 | Views: 60230 |  Email this Article
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Review
by: Greg Covey
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Flying
Photos: Papa Jeff Ring
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Video
Pilot: Lynn Bowerman
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Easy
to Assemble
Motor Included
Great ARF value
Excellent Flight Response
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Short
flight times using stock NiMH pack
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Cox
Models has a new line called "Wings" which, among other
designs, has a series of Micro
Warbird ARFs. These micro models sell for only $20! They come
highly detailed, pre-painted and also include a Speed 130 motor.
The warbird series has the following features and specifications.
Features:
- One-piece
snap-on wings
-
130-size motor
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2 props
-
scale spinner
-
water transfer decals
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On/Off charging swich plate
-
charge plug
-
control linkage
Specifications:
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Wingspan: 20" (50.8cm)
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Length: 17-3/4" (45.1cm)
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Flying weight: approx. 5oz (143g
All
that is needed to complete the ARF are the following items:
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3-4 channel transmitter and micro receiver
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2 micro servos 7-10oz/in torque (Cox item #005500)
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7-10 amp ESC (for brushed motors)
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2/3AAA 6-cell, 7.2v, 220mAh, NiMH pack (Cox item #005501)
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hobby supplies like glue, servo tape, razor knife
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The
history of COX electric micro warbirds goes back many years
and the first R/C conversion was done about 6 years ago by Mike
Blott on a Cox Sky Cruiser Viper P-51 electric free-flight model.
This was back when a micro flight design was considered anything
less than 10oz and using an inexpensive electric free-flight
model was a very innovative approach.
My
COX Viper conversion
page documents the first use of an Astro Flight Firefly
motor using a Zagi-like Gunther 5x4 "spoon" prop for
this purpose. These ideas were conveyed to Bob Boucher of Astro
Flight and the prop now comes with every FireFly motor purchase.
It also comes recommended by COX as an alternate choice for
a power system. The coreless Firefly motor draws much less current
than the included stock Speed 130-size motor.
Today,
we have many new choices for small brushless motors which are
much more efficient than the stock DC brushed Speed 130 motor.
Further, the small NiCd and NiMh packs have been replaced with
lighter Lithium Polymer packs having higher capacity for longer
flight times or simply reducing weight.
With
this history and today's choices in mind, I will use the stock
motor and NiMH pack for my review to see how it performs and
then add a list at the end for possible modifications and hop-ups.
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For
the low cost of $20, the COX Micro Warbird comes exceptionally
packaged. All the parts were protected by plastic wrapping and
custom styrofoam compartments. The decal sheet and 12-page color
manual are both well designed.
My
review kit came with the COX (005501) 6-cell, 220mAh NiMH pack
and 3 COX (005500) micro servos. I will only use two of the servos;
one for rudder and one for elevator. A third servo could be used
in conjunction with a Dubro Micro Aileron System kit (#850). I'll
also be adding an M5v2 micro receiver and Super-9 ESC from FMA
Direct.
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The
assembly starts with the elevator and rudder. The manual has very
good color photos and step-by-step instructions so I will only
briefly cover what I did.
The
elevator and rudder are attached with the supplied clear tape
and the pre-bent metal joiner and controls horns are glued into
place. I used Zap medium CA and kicker for the joiner bar and
UHU POR for the control horns.
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Radio
installation comes next where the motor, ESC, and battery are
soldered to the charge plate. Again, complete photos and steps
are well described in the manual.
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I replaced the long heavy wire antenna with an M-72-6 Micro
antenna from E-Cubed R/C.
The
smaller micro antenna weighs less than coiling the long wire
antenna around a bobbin.
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It
didn't take very long before my P-51 was ready to glue together.
I glued the two halves together with UHU POR.
Note
that I replaced my M5 v2 receiver with an Encore receiver for
easier side connector access.
The
receiver and servos were held in place using double-sided servo
tape. The Micro antenna was tacked glued into position with a
small amount of CA and kicker.
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Tail
and Linkages:
I
decided to simplify the tail linkage by only using the long
wires with "Z" bends in one end for the servo arms.
After gluing the stabilizers on with a small amount of epoxy,
I cut the wires to length and put an "L" bend in the
end for the control horn. A small piece of insulation from the
charging cable works perfect to help secure the wire onto the
control horn. Note that the servos are first centered electrically
with the transmitter and receiver energized per the manual instructions.
Canopy:
The
pre-painted canopy was attached with UHU POR. Note that using
POLY
ZAP(tm) from FTE would also work here for a quick seal.
Pre-Test
Flying:
A
nice weather day arrived so I decided to test fly my P-51 before
adding the decals. I temporarily taped the clear protective
nose cuff in place and headed to the park. My buddy snapped
a few photos using my camera.
The
P-51 actually flew quite well. I added about 30% expo into the
elevator and none into the rudder. My linkage used the center
of 3 holes on the control horns as described in the manual for
the first flights. The CG was a bit nose heavy using the recommended
locations so I left it there. This was likely due to not having
any antenna wire hanging out the back. Although the flight was
a short 3 minutes, the plane was very responsive and landed
gently without motor power. I was happily surprised as I expected
the nose to drop much faster.
It
was a perfect flight with no damage so I decided finish up adding
the decals and get a video.
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I
finished the assembly by adding decals only on the top side.
This would keep things a bit lighter and provide better orientation
in flight. It doesn't take long for these micro Warbirds to
get small on you in the air. My COX Micro P-51 was Ready-To-Fly
at 5.2oz using the 1.3oz, 6-cell, 220mAh NiMH pack and stock
motor
The
plastic protective nose cuff was glued in place using POLY
ZAP(tm) from FTE. PolyZap is designed to work on space-age
plastics; Lexan(tm), delron, polycarbonate, nylon, and rubber.
It is ideal for clear canopies and all ARF kit plastics. It
did not hurt the foam on my Cox Warbird.
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It
was a grey day with winds between 5-8mph when we shot some video
of the micro P-51 but the little warbird flew just fine. Although
I missed it on the video, we did loop it without a problem.
After a few flights, we increased the rudder throw a bit using
the ATV setting on my transmitter. Alternatively, you could
move the control wire to the next hole closer to the rudder
surface.
CLICK
HERE (3.6meg)
Summary
The
only issue I had with this little warbird was the short 3 minute
flights using the stock NiMH pack. By using the recommended parts
and locations in the manual, the CG worked out fine and the plane
performed very well in the air. Although a beginner may be tempted
to fly this inexpensive micro warbird, it really requires intermediate
flying skills for a successful experience.
The
easiest hop-up would be to replace the stock NiMH pack with a
2-cell Lithium pack like the ThunderPower 730mAh pack. This would
provide a greater than 3:1 increase in flight time. I feel that
COX did a great job on making their micro warbird ARFs easy to
assembly and deliver good flying performance. The manual is also
well written which makes the assembly easy to follow. It also
provides some good alternatives for lighter weight components
and longer flights.
Modifications
and Alternatives:
1)
Triple the flight time while dropping weight
Replace
the stock 6-cell, 220mAh NiMH pack = 1.3oz
with a ThunderPower 2-cell, 730mAh LiPo pack = 1.1oz
2)
Use a third servo in conjunction with a Dubro Micro Aileron
System kit (#850) for realistic rolls.
3)
Use an Astro Flight Firefly Coreless motor w/4:1 Planetary gearbox
for lighter weight and lower current draw for longer flights.
4)
Increase stock motor longevity by adding more cooling air flow
to decrease heat build-up.
5)
Try a Feigao (43 gram) brushless motor at BP
Hobbies.
6)
Cut your own hatch to access the battery for swapping or balanced
charging. Use tiny rare earth magnets to secure the hatch.
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Cox
Hobby Distributors
PO Box 274
Penrose, CO 81240
877-269-9235
www.coxmodels.com
FMA
Direct
5716A Industry Lane
Frederick, MD 21704
Website: www.fmadirect.com
Sales: 800-343-2934 or 301-668-7614
ZAP
Glues On-line at Frank Tiano Enterprises
Pacer
Z-42 Thread Locker
5-minute Z-poxy
Pacer POLY ZAP(tm)
Dubro Micro Aileron System kit (#850) at Tower
Hobbies
E-Cubed
R/C
P.O. Box 144
Medway, OH 45341
937.849.0418
www.ecubedrc.com
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The comments, observations and conclusions made in this review are solely with respect to the particular item the editor reviewed and may not apply generally to similar products by the manufacturer. We cannot be responsible for any manufacturer defects in workmanship or other deficiencies in products like the one featured in the review. |
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