New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

I am fortunate to be one of the first few to build the new TufFlight Bouncer(below is a picture of the prototype and a link to a video). I have watched the development over the last several months and have had the opportunity to fly it several times. What I like about it so far... fly's extremely light, knife edge without coupling, very easy to torque roll, locks into both upright and inverted hover, offroad type landing gear (this thing will roll over anything), and last but not least - it's constructed with the TufFlight durability.

The way TufFlight has designed the engine mount and landing gear is very clever. There are no instructions yet so they sent me roughly 180 pictures of the assembly process. I have been building RC airplanes for over 25 years and I am one who follows instructions to a tee, so I was a little hesitant when I found out the typical very detailed TufFlight instruction manual was not available yet. I have reviewed the pictures a couple times and the build seems to be very straight forward and should be fun.

When I can't fly my 33% Yak, I am hoping the Bouncer will allow me to tune my 3D flying skills. Please be patient with me as I have two young kids and as you might expect many distractions.

Steve

http://tufflight.com/whats_new.html#bouncer

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Looks interesting Steve. Keep us posted. Any idea of the cost yet?

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

I think the base kit will be around $70 and the deluxe kit which will include motor, esc, and servos for $245

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

I will be outfitting my Bouncer with the flight equipment recommended by TufFlight.

Himax HC3510-1100 Motor swinging APC 11x5.5 E prop
Castle Creations Tbird 36 Brushless Speed Controller
4 Hitec HS 65’s
6100e receiver
I have six 1250 batteries from my Super Zoom

Controlled by my 2.4 JR 9303 xmitter

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

I started off hinging the ailerons. I made a hinge slicer out of a balsa stick and a single edge razor blade. Using weights, I held the aileron and wing down on a flat surface and just ran the slicer through both to cut the hinge slot (Wow - I wish hinging could always be this easy). The hinge material is made of Mylar and runs the whole length of the surface. I cut two pieces of mylar 3/4" wide. I slid the mylar hinge into the aileron slot first. While holding the aileron flat I wicked CA into one side and then kicked it. Flipped it over and repeated for the other side of the aileron. I then inserted the aileron into the wing, held it flat and CA'd/kicked. Repeated for the other wing panel. Very easy process and I like the continuous hinge.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

I'm not a 3D pilot (yet).
But I absolutely love flying this thing!
I so far have dunked it straight in, once from 25 feet straight into the turf, and flew again a couple of minutes.
The second time, it was straight into the road out in front of my house. That is an overnighter, but will fly again tommrow.

Awesome handling, and super tough. I don't know if they are going to market it as a "3D trainer", but it certainly could be!

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Next I glued the fuse halves together. I applied white Gorilla Glue(GG) and taped the joint. I have used the original GG in the past but never the white. I really like it, it dries fast and blends into the foam.

Next step was to glue in the glass longerons that run the entire length of the fuselage on both sides. I cut an 1/8" slit down the center of the ridge from front to aft, applied some Gorilla Glue and laid in the glass rods. As the glue expanded out, I took a paper towel and cleaned it off. I sighted down the fuselage to ensure straightness. Once the glue cured, I took some 36 grit sand paper and cleaned up the entire fuselage.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Next step is to attach the wings to the fuselage. The wing spars are made of two full length glass rods, one top and one bottom. I measured back 9-15/16" from the front of the fuselage and inserted both glass rods through the fuse. Following the wire melt lines that mark the spar location, I cut an 1/8" slit top and bottom on both wing panel. I used two old pieces of shipping Styrofoam that came with my JR transmitters to evenly block up both sides of the wing. Insert one wing panel onto the fuselage starting the rods into the first couple inches of wing to get the root close. I CA'd the leading and trailing edge to hold the wing to the fuse. I then applied gorilla glue into the wing spar slits and pressed the glass rods down burring them into the wing. Repeated for other wing panel. Once both panels were installed I measured to ensure the wing was aligned properly before the glue dried. I was very pleased with the ease of this step and how stiff the wing and fuse is after the glue cured.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Here you will see how the white GG expands. I found that if I flip the hinge slicer tool I made, it worked very nicely to trim the expanded GG.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Next I attached the front reinforcements which strengthen the front end and support the glass rods for the motor mount. Using the template supplied I marked/drilled for the glass rods and attached the reinforcements to the top and bottom of the fuse with Gorilla Glue. I wanted to make sure I got even pressure while clamping so I made four plywood pieces covered in saran wrap.

Before applying all the clamps I checked to ensure the rods were aligned and had 2 degrees of right thrust.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

I then worked on the stab/elevator. I first cut out all the pieces and cut the slots for the carbon fiber reinforcements. When I glued everything up I made sure the leading and trailing edges were straight. I cut the slots for the hinges and glued them in with thin CA just like the ailerons.

I then glued the stab/elevator onto the fuse measuring to make sure it was square and level to the wing.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

I marked the location for all the servos and cut out the holes. With my #11 knife I cut around the perimeter and then used my dremel router attachment to remove the material. This worked very nicely. Using Gorilla Glue I glued the servos in.

So far I have been very impressed by the fit and finish of the Bouncer, and have really enjoyed this build so far.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Check out this video - I had another opportunity this weekend to fly the Bouncer, I think I'm going to like it more than my Zoom. I can't wait to get mine done. Couple more days!


http://tufflight.com/whats_new.html#bouncer

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Next I worked on the landing gear. First marked the lines for the glass support rods and the slots for the gear mount. I cut the slots out for the gear mount and made a slit for the glass rods. I then glued up the two gear mounts. Once the mounts dried, I spread a thin layer of GG in the dowel and gear mount slot. I slid the dowel through the fuse and through both gear mounts. Pushed the gear mounts down into there slots and let dry.

I will have more pictures of how the strut attaches to the gear mount. This landing gear mount is very cool. I have seen the prototype taxi through gravel, stones, mud, etc…

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Here are a couple pics of the finished landing gear...

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

The tail wheel is made from 1/16th wire. I bent the wire, cut a slit in the rudder and glued it in with GG. I then glued a piece of G10 on each side to support.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Worked on the radio gear next. I like to solder the extensions from the rudder and elevator servo. This way I can make them the perfect length. I plugged everything into the receiver. After testing I cut shallow slots in the foam and buried the wires.

I then installed the pushrods and set the surfaces for max deflection.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Hi, Ultra:
Since the first post I was stuck on your threat. You have call my attention on this proyect, excuse me if I make a silly question, but I'm a builder and I want to know if this is a kit or your own design.
Rgds.
Angel

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

This is a kit from TufFlight Models and from what I hear it should be available in about a week or so.

http://tufflight.com/whats_new.html#bouncer

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Don't stop now

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Don't stop now +2 [8D]

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

He is not stopping. Just "out of the office" for a few days.

Hear me now, and believe me later, this is one AWESOME airplane. Takes a beating and still flys like a new plane.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

I just couldn't resist the urge any longer to open my new Bouncer. Wow.... I have built other EPP kits in the past but nothing comes even close to this kit. There is a beautifly illustrated 32 page instruction manual detailing 185 different steps in the build. All of the contents of the kit are very carefully packaged. The kit is extreemly complete and everything is of excellent quality. I cant wait to get on with the build. I will post back when she's done. Kevin

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

Sorry guys it's been a very busy week. Well the last step was to mount the motor. Like I said in the beginning, the motor mount design TufFlight developed is revolutionary. The “O” rings should allow the motor assembly to give enough, minimize any damage to the airframe.

Using my drill press I made grooves in the motor mount to key to the two glass rods. I then attached the motor to the mount and installed the whole assembly using four “O” rings.

RE: New TufFlight Bouncer - Build Thread
 

At last I finished my Bouncer. Using an airbrush and some water base paint I added some color. I really like that the Bouncer is a blank canvas and I can customize the scheme just the way I want to.

I have to say this build was very enjoyable for me. I learned some new building techniques and got to like using the white Gorilla glue. Like I said in the beginning the instructions were not available so I worked from pictures. I only had to ask TufFlight a couple questions throughout the build. The usual TufFlight very thorough instructions will make this build even easier.

Now for the most important step – test FLYING! First flight was awesome, just one click up and two clicks right aileron. After about six flights, I must say I like the Bouncer more than my Zoom I have been flying for several years. Hands off Knife Edge flight, very easy Tourqe Rolls and Rollers, great Pin Wheels with throttle management, and overall solid flight characteristics.

I plan on flying this a lot before work and during lunch hour so I will update soon. As soon as I can, I will post a flight video of me flying in front of my house.

My expectation was that the Bouncer would allow me to tune my 3D flying skills while it’s not feasible to fly my 33% YAK. So far…. It has met my expectations!