RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Nice looking STIX. I'm not big on Green as I've always had a lot of trees around and I hate loosing site of it in the trees. That also goes for gold & brown in the fall.
When laying out my colors, I like to get 3 views on paper then take the color pencils to it till I come up with a good design. Besides it's something to do while watching the boob tube with the family.. They get a kick out of me with my color book!!! ENJOY !!! RED

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Hi guy's,

I've builded this plane 5 years ago and is still in my collection. But last summer I made a mistake by goin up and forgot to connect the ailerons to my receiver. Luckely it crashed into the trees and fell down with a ripped tail. Now it is repaired and shines in a red bull appearence.
Have a look, maybe an idea for a scheme.

For the rest, it is an easy plane to fly, but be carefull on landings. It slows down faster then you think because it's bigger then a .40 size airplane. Play a little with your throttle otherwise it will be stalled at the end of the runway.

That's my tip. It was my first gasser and big scale to.

Cheers,

Thierry

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

This kit comes with a covering layout in the manual. I need to scan and print a few copies and see what I can come up with. I havn't sold on the green/white, just a thought. Pink, white and purple sound interesting though. Blue is another color I like, this Sukoi is one that was for sale on RCU some time ago and I thought it looked really sharp.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Aeromove, I have heard that said before, little higher stall speed. hotter landings. I actually like landing with a little more power than I need anyway. I do tend to roll a little longer than most but thats part of it. I will probably be thinking about this planes flight characteristics when I fly from here to maiden, although it will be a while. Note to self: practice hotter landings.
By the way,
Red Bull scheme looks good.[sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Well I got a little help (pun intended) in the shop this weekend so I almost finished the right stab/elev.:D:D Here are just a few pics to show the progress.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Ok, sorry about the brightness of these pics as I had my camera setup for something else when I shot these. This is the first shots of the vertical stab build. As you can see I over cut all the joints on the leading edge to sand off after completion. The first pic is of all framing pieces cut, pinned, and glued in place over the plan. The ribs in the stab needed to be trimmed on the ends for the proper angles on the ends before gluing, just used sand paper. The second pic is first side with cap strips on. The pics don't really show, but the stab is slightly tapered front to back.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

This is the completed stab with ends trimmed and sanded. I have been trying to clean up the glue joints a little better as recommended. I think my problem is the camera. Resolution too high!! Shows all my dirty little secrets, LOL[sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif]

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

After a long weekend, I finally got back at it. Started building the rudder assembly and I am a little disappointed with the pieces that make it up. The ribs or t1-t10 are not long enough to trim for proper fit at the trailing edge. What I mean is, with the leading and trailing edge in place directly over the plans, just an edge of the rib will contact the anchor point. It may be that the cap strips are the structural element in this design. Either way, if the structure dosn't pan out I will re-build with custom pieces. Maybe I am being too picky here.It just dosn't look right. [:@]

Any way, I layed out the trailing and leading edge for the rudder and pinned them to the plan. Then layed in the ribs t1 - t10. I glued the top and bottom double ribs together (t1 and t8), the double gusset block, and the 4 front blocks together. While they were drying, I started gluing in the ribs carefully. This is where the short ribs bugged me. When the double front blocks and the gusset blocks were dry, I glued them in place.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Then I removed the pins and flipped the rudder over and sanded the front block and the gusset block flush between t7 and t8. Also sanded the other side flush. Very fragile assembly as the trailing edge is only 1/8" thick before the double cap strips. I still need to flush sand the ends and the corner on the trailing edge bottom before placing the cap strips.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Finally got back to the shop to do some more building. I decided not to do any sanding on this piece until I get the cap strips in place for additional strength. Would hate to break it and end up re-building from scratch. Started cutting the cap strips for the top, bottom, and then the leading and trailing edge with a hobby knife, leaving a little extra to be sanded off later. I then glued them in place with CA and started cutting and sanding to fit the remaining rib cap strips, excluding t9 and t10, and the small piece on the counter balance. t9 and t10 are the diagonals in the counter balance section of the rudder and do not get cap strips. After gluing all the rib caps in place, I flipped the rudder over and did the same sequence on the other side.

After gluing the cap strips on both sides, I sanded all the ends flush and did a little sanding on the cap strip joints to flush all of them using a bar sander.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

I then squared up a 3/4"x3/4"x3/8" plywood block to fit snug in the rudder front block opening. I used 30 min epoxy to glue in place. Next I cut a 1/8"x1" plywood block to fit in place over the 3/8" block on both sides of the rudder front and glued them in place as well with 30 min epoxy. I then Clamped the blocks in place to dry overnight.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

After the blocks dried overnight, I sanded them flush with the cap strips on t7 and t8. Then I drew a straight line down the center of the leading edge (close enough) to begin shaping the bevel. I also marked a reference line on the end of the leading edge to act as a guide to shape to. Next, started shaping the bevel with a block plane to remove most of the balsa and rough sanding to the angle with a bar sander. In pic #3 you can see that all the bevel could not be shaped using the sander or the block plane, so I made a back cut with a razor saw and carved the remaining bevel tips out with a hobby knife. This is the same as when I did the elevator bevel. The end result came out pretty good.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

I then began rounding the trailing edge bottom corner, the trailing edge, and the leading edge on the counter balance. Also did some general sanding and flushing things up a little more. As you can see I will still need to do some more sanding before this piece is ready.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Next I placed the rudder and the Vert/stab on the plan and marked the location on each for the hinge doubler blocks and glued them in. I also rounded the leading edge of the vert/stab.

After this is said and done, the rudder I mean, it dosn't appear my concerns of the thin trailing edge and the rib attachment were with any merit. The rudder seams to be pretty strong as built. I still think, however, that Midwest could have done a better job of laying out the sizes on the ribs in the rudder.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Finally got back to the shop, I had to break for a few days to fly, the weather has been fantastic.

Well I screwed up but "I think" I fixed it right. The first pics are of the horizontal stabs lined up on a straight line and you can see in the first pic that everything seem ok, but wait. The back side has a 1/16" to 1/8" gap. So what I did is took a piece of 1/8" balsa and epoxied an end cap on the stab. Then sanded the end with the proper angle to fill the gap solid. I must have missed the end rib moving while setting the first top spars on the assembly. This looked like the most obvious fix to me, can't think of another way to do this. Any way, after sanding the end cap to fit, they lined up well and no gap. Then pinned one side to the board making sure to center exactly on the line. I glued the two sides together with 30 min epoxy and clamped at the tip to let dry overnight. Next step will be to shape the leading edge and fill and sand the rest of the surface.

Then I took another break to go flying. Be back soon.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

That'll work !!! I'm going flying tooooo. ENJOY !!! RED

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Just to let everyone know, I will be back to the shop soon. I had some things to take care of around the house as well as taking advantage of the great flying weather to maiden my first build. I will pick up where I left off shaping the leading edge of the horizontal stab.
Bob

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Well, just wanted to let everyone know that I am still building.My home PC crashed, (processor went bad) and I get to build another(AMD-64 3800), It's not worth replacing the processor, at least thats my story and I'm sticking to it.. I Will get back to posting when I am running again, hopefully by the end of next week.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Hey there looks like your doing good so far . I just framed my extra 300 xs ,still need to fiberglass the wing joint and assemble the tail feathers to the fuse.Its a fast builder I think .Ok a few points to watch out for , if you haven't up graded your plans with the new addendum's supplied .for your sakes do it ,will save you some real probs later on .Oh before I forget this ,they show adding pins to the engine mount (wooden dowels ) but they don't show anything about doweling the landing gear plate .I added 2 per side to mine 1/8 !" dowels ,plus I also added some extra tri stock to the motor mount plate and box. Your right about the hardware its ok for a 60 -90 maybe???the tailwheel assy is really a joke all that will hold it in place is a hunk of fuel tubing Shakes my head I wouldn't trust this set up on a parkflyer *LOL*
As far as the 6-32 screws in the elevators coming loose a drop of thin ca will keep them tight as long as the planes around , but I did fill mine in also with some extra wood.cant hurt !
I was sort of angry that the kit did not come with decals nor cowl or pants ,not even a dash decal,For the price of this kit it should be more than a box of wood .
I'll be following this and looking to see if you have any more questions, if you need some advice and cant wait, you can email me at [email protected]
I'll post a pic when I get the tailfeathers in place should be monday the 14th
Keep up the good work.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Thanks for the info Cyberwolf, I will definitely look at the landing gear mount construction when I get to that point. So far for me it has been a pretty slow build at this point. I will be starting on the fuselage this week hopefully. Keep getting interrupted with daily responsibilities and work, not to mention the crashed processor. Thought I had lost all my data as I had the previous PC's drives set up on a raid controller. Turns out the new mother board was not compatible with with the Promise Raid. Had to get another loaner PC and set the raid drives up in it to retrieve data, all is well though. I didn't get any plan(drawing) addendum but I did get the manual addendum if that is what you mean. That is the first thing I did. I will be using the fiberglass wheel pants and cowling from Stans Fiber-tech. Your'e very right about the hardware and accessories in this kit, they are sorely lacking. I am looking forward to your pics on this build as well.
Thanks, Bob

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Heres a couple of it sitting together ,the wing is attached but the tail feathers are just setting in place .

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Cool!!

I remember those days when I was building the plane. It was fun to imagine how the plane will be at the end.
Last weekend I maiden my MW extra300S again after last year crash. I crashed because I fogot to connect the ailerons after a short stop and go. My smoke system failed to work so I landed the plane quickly and removed the wing, fixed to smoke tank and attached the wing (without connecting the ailerons) and flew again without a pre-flight check.
In the air, whoow, into the trees and fell down 40 meters, ripped my tail completely and stripped my wingtip. And ofcourse all plastic parts were broken.

But now my I've got my extra up and running again and better then ever. Finally I've got the best stripescheme I have ever made.
And I installed a little down trim on my engine. It seems like really helping landing the plane. The first and last two landings this weekend were landings like the real one. I mean a touchdown with two wheels and a long after run.

And again I felt flying this plane almost better then ..... You know.

You better get it finished quickly. :-)


Greetz,

Thierry

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Man have I got some work to do!! I am no where near that stage yet, although I will be starting the fuselage soon. Looks like your'e almost there.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

I have a good start on the covering ,heres a couple pics .if it looks familar its because I copied the patterns of this months Model Aviation cover page ,well sort of *L*

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

[sm=thumbup.gif]Nice colors, I really like tail detail. Looks like it was pretty tough to do though. Did you use the Monocote on Ultracote with windex or something else for the detail?

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Its all in monokote trial and fit untill it looked about right them ironed it on with my trim iron on low heat .its a real pain I should have maybe got in touch with a guy that does graphics and had him do it , I still just may on the wing .

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Well I heard the windex method works pretty good, and left to dry overnight, won't peal off. That looks great, wish I had the patience. I might try the windex, that is if I ever come up with a covering scheme.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

I started building the fuse today but before I get to that I have a few pictures of the leading edge shaping on the stab. After shaping, the tip is marked, cut off, and saved for fitting later on when installing the stab in the fuselage.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Started by laying out the fuse sides and doublers and checking for the proper curve and marking the insides of each half. The curves needs to be toward the outside of the fuselage. After matching the sides up, I measured and marked the 6mm lines for the doubler edges on the front of both front sides(inside). In picture 3, I pinned the front and rear fuselage side to the plan with the inside facing up.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

After pinning the side to the plan,I glued the seam with thin CA. Then I added the top and bottom fuse doubler and glued them as well. Nest I added the Stab doubler to the rear of the fuse side.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

When I started to do the opposite fuselage side it dawned on me that I couldn't pin this side to the plan with the inside that I marked facing up. Only one side will be correctly oriented over the plan with the inside facing up. So what I did was clamped and pinned the completed side to the other as a guide for correct alignment. I also put wax paper between the two sides to avoid gluing them together. After alignment was correct I glued the doublers on and started laying out the fuse top above the top view of the plan.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

I placed both FT1 pieces over the plan and glued them together. Then cut the doublers for the front and rear and glued them in place. Next I added FT2 over the plans and sanded the ends for a good fit and glued in place. Again the same process for FT3.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

After all 3 fuse tops were pinned and glued to the plan I decided to do a dry run with the formers f3 -f7 and both fuse sides to check for any mistakes and squareness. I might also see any tab misalignments at this time before gluing everything up. I used painters tape instead of glue for the dry run.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Hi
I was just wondering who has ever flown this model before, how are the 3D flight performance on this beauty.

Keep up the great work !!! So far looks awesome !!! :D

And another question... how those Brison Engines run?
And which other gas engines would you recomend?

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Can't say personally how the Midwest flies, however from all the reading I have done, it will pretty much do what the pilot skills allow. As far as 3D, It's a matter of equipment, setup, balancing and such.

The Brison 3.2 engine is awesome. It came off of a 29% Ultimate a friend of mine had. The DA 50 would probably be another good choice for this plane, its a little lighter, yet it does cost more.

There are probably others who have owned this model and will chime in for more accurate flight reports. Personally, I can't wait to fly this build, however IT will be far more capable than I am.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Looking good ,you will be supprised at how fast the fuse builds.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Looking good!!!

Great Job building !!!

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

Cyberwolf, Yea, it's not really that slow, I just can' get more than an hour at a time to build. Seems like I get started and something else comes up that I have to take care of. How is the covering on yours progressing? Oh yea, I meant to ask what motor and servo's you were going to use.

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

After the dry run on the fuselage checked out ok (with the painters tape instead of glue), I proceeded to glue the formers f3 -f7 and both sides to the fuse top. Leaving the bottom of f5 unglued to install the rear wing brace. Starting at the front and working toward the rear I glued and clamped as I went, checking with a square to make sure every tab was properly seated and the sides were tight to the top

RE: Midwest Extra 300xs Build
 

These pics show some of the progress and the rear wing brace glued in place.

Thats about all I got done today, hopefully with the holidays approaching I will have more lazy days to enjoy at the house and therefore more building time.