ORIGINAL: lrglnman
tips techniques, the whole nine yards. things to watch for
Hi lrglnman,
I have not finished it yet, but what is not good in original box.
1. Elevator and rudder push rods which are flimsy even for 2mm strange steel wire. I changed push rods to 2.5mm carbon rods. 4-40 steel musical wire is too thick for the pre-built plastic tubes. Actually you may squeeze 4-40 in, but the servos will get a lot of pressure and I do not recommend using 4-40 (2.8mm) musical wire, go with 2.4 – 2.5mm carbon or steel. There are plenty of online stores where you can order wires or rods of that diameter.
2. The white strips on the tail and the wings are made off vinyl. They are not Oracover/Ultracote strips; therefore, it’s almost impossible to tight the film without melting the strips. Good point - you may remove them easily and replace by Oracover/Ultracote ( I used Orastick).
3. The canopy is clued and taped by vinyl tape. It’s a usual Hobby King practice, which is not appropriate for an expensive ARF as Decathlon is. The canopy needs to be removed to give an access to the servo tray. When you remove the canopy the covering probably will be damage. I re-covered the nose of my plane.
4. The landing gear is a way too heavy, massive and high for the scale look and I replace mine. I use GP Extra 160 landing gear. However, this is an optional step - just for a better look.
5. You do not need to make holes in the wings to install control horns, use big Sullivan steel horns and screw them to the plywood rings on the ailerons. If you want to do the same for elevator, you have to make some mods on it. It does not have any plywood for screws. (optional as well)
6. Look at the picture how I placed a smoke tank in it