"Anybody put them into some kind of mini glider yet to ride thermals?"

Some people have put a larger wing on the Aero Ace which makes it very floaty. One method is to remvoe the lower wings and attach them to the ends of the upper wing. It might thermal like that.

If it does, you may lose the plane in a few seconds. The range is very limited. I think there are ways to hop up both the trasnsmitter performance and receiver antenna for more range, though. But it would still be tight for thermalling.