Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

Ok, I’m going to attempt to write my first build and product review it will be somewhat different from others since I had the opportunity to build and fly the prototype model and I now have the production kit. The second crazy part will be the ATTEMPT to convert the plane into a biplane that can be flown as the original low wing and converted to a biplane at the field for the next flight.

I don’t really plan to bore you with a item by item build list, if you want that, go to Cedar Hobbies website and download the assembly manual, it’s actually not a bad publication and contains several building tips.

So why am I going to attempt this? I’m crazy, love biplanes, and the prototype performance was so much better than I ever expected just to name a few. There were several things that needed to be improved on the prototype and from a first look at the production kit it looks like most have been addressed. This is one very big low wing trainer, several people have flown the plane and they all have the same opinion “It’s a ***** cat, no bad traits”, and while it doesn’t have unlimited vertical with a MDS 148 it does have authority to do many aerobatic maneuvers. Even given the problems that I’ll undoubtedly find and report during the build I believe this is a worth while project.

So how big is this bird, let’s just say this is not an apartment or bedroom build you need access to the living room or a single car garage.

Some specifications and weight details;
ARF sold by Cedar Hobbies, www.cedarhobbies.net advertised price $275.00
Box weighs 18.9 lbs, measures 49 in long, 17.5 in. wide, and 14 in. tall as delivered

Airplane Specifications;
Wingspan advertised 96 in., actual 97 in. aileron tip to tip
Fuse length advertised 77 in., as measured 71 5/8 in. prototype 71 1/2 in., overall assembled length nose cone to vertical stabilizer 87 in.
Prototype assembled weight 20 lbs., 7 oz. (3 1/2 lbs. lead to balance, at 30% wing cord), MDS 148, single 5 cell nicad 1300 mah battery, 8 channel receiver, 6 servos, and other misc. items necessary to make a plane fly.

Since no parts were wrapped in foam I expected some shipping damage. After unpacking the parts and inspecting them for damage to my surprise there was none.

Attached are some photos of the prototype in an attempt to give you some size reference and a photo of the production plane as received.

Well thats as far as I got today, let me know if your interested in hearing the rest of the story.

RE: Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

I love Fokkers......even Faux Fokkers.....good lookin' stick!

FA

RE: Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

Second Report

Time to do a closer inspection of the individual parts looking for assembly concerns and/or build problems. While these low cost ARFs are a good buy I consider them to be builder ARFs, in other words to have an enjoyable flying experience more than simple assembly is required.

I strongly suggest reading and following the manual it does a good job of pointing out areas that need attention.

Some important things to look at are wing incident and flying surface alignment, wing to tail relationship, fuselage joint alignment, and tail to fuselage alignment. I use T squares, levels, and lasers (if necessary) to check the straightness of these parts and mark the problem areas so they can be addressed before and during assembly.

Having already built one of these the first thing I did was reinforce the framing in the wing saddle area. It is very natural to use the fuselage ribs to handle the air frame unfortunately they’re not strong enough to be used as grab handles, so reinforce them now, you will break them.

Additionally look for broken parts, parts that don’t fit well, and loose joints. Other than what I just listed I found two areas that will require some thought and careful rework. First the pull – pull cables interfere with the elevator servos and second the wing tub opening in the wing ribs do not align with the wing tubes. I’ll address these issues in future post.

It took one evening of CA, epoxy, and wood gluing to feel good about the fuselage. While test fitting the fuselage together their was some interference that was addressed with a Dremel tool. Use a couple of levels to insure that the top of the fuselage and the horizontal stabilizer mounting surface are flat and level before securing the two halve together.

Time for club meeting, watch for report #3 in the near future.

RE: Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

Who in their right mind would pay $275.00 for an ARF and then have to re-build, re-design, modify (with a dremil tool) repair and re-glue all the critical joints? If you need to do all that, you might as well just buy a box of sticks!

Sounds more like an ARTB (Almost Ready to Build!!)

Get a quality ARF and forget all these things!

RE: Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

hello RC Lars,
I am building one of these also just as they did in the manual.
It is a bit of work but worth it in the end.
There are a lot of unfinished bits to the arf but they are not that hard to fix.
I would rather fix the little issues than pay the $760.00 that I have seen a kit version of this size go for not to mention the 1,200 hours it takes to build it.
You said you were about to tackle the main wing.
I had to red rill the wooden dowel holes in the fuse and in the wings as they were way to small. I also had a bit of a problem finding the mounting holes in the wing haves as they were covered over with sheet wood. The only real major problem I found was that I had to file a bit of the wood from the back end of the wing saddle area to allow the trailing edge of the wing to fit the fuse properly. All in all not that hard but it did take some time.
Finished it last night here are some photos of what I did hope it helps. Also I had to sand the openings of the wing tubes so they would slide in properly. You can see this in the photos. Here is a link to my post on this plane.I am building one of these also just as they did in the manual.
It is a bit of work but worth it in the end.
There are a lot of unfinished bits to the arf but they are not that hard to fix.
I would rather fix the little issues than pay the $760.00 that I have seen a kit version of this size go for not to mention the 1,200 hours it takes to build it.
You said you were about to tackle the main wing.
I had to red rill the wooden dowel holes in the fuse and in the wings as they were way to small. I also had a bit of a problem finding the mounting holes in the wing haves as they were covered over with sheet wood. The only real major problem I found was that I had to file a bit of the wood from the back end of the wing saddle area to allow the trailing edge of the wing to fit the fuse properly. All in all not that hard but it did take some time.
Finished it last night here are some photos of what I did hope it helps. Also I had to sand the openings of the wing tubes so they would slide in properly. You can see this in the photos. Here is a link to my post on this plane.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_60...tm.htm#6131368

RE: Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

I agree with your feelings about the cost, labor, and since I've already flown one the end result. I also think it is a good value keeping in mind that it takes a little work. Personally I like to build, modifiy, and improve before I fly. In this hobby it's all in personal choices that's what make it so much fun.

I found the same problem with the wing tube fit, I did sand the ribs, but haven't fit the wings together to check the alignment.

The dowl pin holes are predrilled in my wings, but haven't got to the installation point.

Thanks for the tip on the wing saddle, good reminder since the prototype had a similar issue. The new wing is greatly improved over the prototype which I had to make into a single piece wing due to some alignment issues.

I liked your idea about sheeting the horizontal stab, Cedar Hobbies suggested flying wires on the prototype, so we rigged up some crude but effective wires. Sheeting will eliminate the flying wires.

RC Lars

RE: Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

Where is this model still availible? I"ve looked at a Cedar hobbies but it doesn't have the Low Wing Big ugly Stick. Who makes it now?

RE: Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

Cedar Hobbies.. When I click on Cedar Hobbies in the first posting it just goes to a dead site?? Who can give an old codger who is not a computer wise person the web site?? Brian

RE: Cedar Hobbies – Low Wing Stik 96 one Giant Big Ugly Stik
 

BTW... I saw one of these NIB at the Huntsville Al. swap meet a couple weeks ago. Brian