R_G

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Hey guys!

Several months ago I was fortunate enough to become the owner of one of the first UFO .25 short kits hot off the presses from David(doxilia). I've been a bit antsy to get started on it and now is the time. Not sure how fast this build will move along since I plan to make my UFO .60 build the priority, so here we go!

This will be my first laser cut kit. The laser cutting looks very good and the wood weight/quality also looks to be very good. David also included a parts list as well as a list of materials needed to complete the model which will come in handy.

Power for this model will be an O.S. MAX .25 FX on a Macs 3.5 Quiet Pipe. Plus, ya gotta have retracts, right? E-flite .15-.25 size gear will handle that chore. Haven't settled on radio gear yet other than it will be Futaba. The finish will be film, most likely Ultracote.

I started this afternoon by taking inventory of the kit contents and checked it against the included parts list and as I expected, it was all there.

RG [8D]

R_G

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Generally I like to start a new build with the tail feathers, so I began by removing the stab ribs from their sheets. David had advised me early on that the stab ribs were meant to have building tabs attached but they were overlooked. Not a big problem! What I will do is to build the stab in the same way as the UFO .60 stab is built.

I took the provided leading and trailing edges and ripped 1/4" off of them on the band saw. Then a piece of 1/16" sheet balsa was sandwiched between these pieces using Titebond. They were backed up against a straight edge to keep them nice and straight. Once dry I'll sand the 1/16" sheet so it projects about 3/32" from the main part of the leading and trailing edges.

The stab ribs all have a nice center line burned down their length which will make it very easy to notch them to match the leading and trailing edges.

RG [8D]

doxilia

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Goody, goody!

And so it begins. I just hope it comes together as it should.

I'm glad you're doing the proto build Ralph!

David.

P.S. One less "l" in my name for the record.

R_G

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OOPS! [X(]

AllTheGoodNamesAreTaken

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Hmmm.... How can I get one of these???

viva_peru

I tried zooming into the plan image but I could not read the spec box. Any info about general size and weight?

Thanks,

Teo

doxilia

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Teo,

A tad over 51" span and 56 oz (3.5 lbs) give or take. I'll post detailed specs later. There's also a thread with some info on the development and how the model came about - I'll post that too.

It should do very nicely on any good 25 on a pipe.

By the way, those aren't the actual build plans - just a 2-view assembly of them.

David.

viva_peru

David,

Thanks for the information. You are right, they are not plans, I just did not know what to call the drawings. Hmmmm, just about the right size for a 3S or 4S electric...

Teo

doxilia

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Yup, 4s would be better or else you'd need a large 3s pack. I think that 2500-3200 mAh 4s packs are probably ideal. About 600-700W on a 10" prop - the design won't accommodate much more than a 10.5" diameter so one needs a high kV motor as is the case on most classics with trike gear. Oh..., no, we're not allowed to convert them to conventional - it's just not honorable... Ralph's build should turn out just like how I envisioned it. I made no provisions in the kit or the plans for fixed gear not that it is rocket science to do if one wanted to.

I'm going to direct Michael who bought a kit for e-power to the thread. He might have some further thoughts on the subject. I did alter the e-version slightly so it should be a little lighter. I'm thinking 48 oz dry, 56 oz "wet".

Looking forward to seeing that stab come together Ralph!

David.

doxilia

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Here's the original thread on the development:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9312876/tm.htm

Unfortunately RCU managed to break it so some images are missing and the posts are no longer editable to replace the pictures.

Here are the detailed specs. 50-1/3" span so just under 51" not over - thought it was closer to 52".

David.

R_G

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Made a little progress on the stab today.

I used a length of 3/32" music wire as a gauge to sand down the 1/16" balsa that was sandwiched between the leading and trailing edge pieces. The leading and trailing edges were then roughly cut to 1/4" or so longer than needed. Once cut they were pinned to a couple pieces of hard 1/2" balsa to hold them square to the plans.

The ribs were notched to fit the leading and trailing edges using a #11 blade. The handy burned center line on the ribs helped to make this an easy job. I was able to just eyeball the notches.

With all the lightening holes in the 1/16" ribs they are very fragile and I had to be very careful to not break one. I think this stab will end up being very light!

RG [8D]

R_G

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OOPS! Double Post! [X(]

doxilia

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Ralph,

nice work as always. Are you planning to use 1/32" or 1/16" to sheet the stab?

David.

mrshea

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hey david. How would one going about getting one of these here kit's and what is the going rate. I have plans for one but this sure would save alot of cutting. Phil

viva_peru

Ditto. I might be interested in one as well. Although in my case, I will probably do unspeakable things to the plane such as converting over to electric power and using a conventional landing gear (aka. taildragger).

Teo

doxilia

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Phil,

I'll get in touch with the cutter since you are the third person to express interest in a kit since the first round of kits. When I have some news from him, I'll post in the development thread. I'll also a post a comment here on Ralph's build thread to let you know.

Would you be interested in a glow or electric version? They are very similar but the wood in the electric version is slightly lighter.

Thanks, David.

mrshea

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not sure which i have a few 20 size engines around and i have a few electric motors around. Would have to give that some thought. Maybe one of each i don't think the better half would like that though. Phil

R_G

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David,

I think 1/32" sheet might be a little thin for a film covered model. I have some small pieces of .050" sheet left over from a previous project that are just the right length and should work out well for the stab.

RG

doxilia

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Ralph,

as I was thinking about it after posting, I realized that you are right. 1/32" on a hollow stab would not be very robust. It works well for foam cores on small models. 1.5 mm (0.05") sounds ideal actually. Less than 1/16" but a fair bit more than 1/32". 1/16" would be fine in the absence in 1.5 mm.

So for everyone else out there who may eventually build a UFO 25, this might be something to keep in mind. The plans indicate 1/32" sheeting on the stab but please use 1/16 if you don't have any 1.5 mm.

David.

R_G

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Had some time today so I added a few more pieces to the left stab.

First I made an angle gauge from a piece of light ply using the template provided on the plans. Next the root rib was glued and set in place using the gauge to to set the proper anhedral angle.

Next the 3/32" stab braces were made and glued in place. Since I went in a slightly different direction with the leading and trailing edges than what the plans call for, the braces needed to be notched like the ribs were. Since the ribs are already glued in place, one end of each brace had to have a corner removed to get it into place. When the stab is turned over I'll glue the corner pieces back in place.

I could have avoided having to remove the corners from the braces by putting them together at the same time as the ribs were attached. But I felt there would be less fiddling around if I had at least a semi ridge assembly to work with before adding the braces.

RG [8D]

doxilia

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Sweet! I see an anhedral stabilizer in the making...

might be all sheeted up by the end of the weekend!

By the way, I know you are a Futaba man but Spektrum has come out with a nice lineup of servos - some of which would work nicely on the UFO 25.

I recently purchased some in the 3000, 4000 and 5000 series (and a couple in the 6000's). The last two are aimed at 15-25 size models and 25-32 size models, respectively. The 4010's look good for ailerons on the UFO 25 while the 5030's look good for elevator/rudder control with a 3010 for throttle. I will be using a very similar setup on another 30 size model.

Here are some pics of the various servos - unfortunately with no quarter for scale reference. Basically, they are micros (3000 - similar to HS65), larger micros (4000 - similar to HS82) and mini's (5000 - similar to HS225 although slightly smaller). The two 5000's look to be very good on paper, I will be trying them soon. They all come in specification pair sets with one having nylon gears and the other metal gears. The four 3000's series are geared for speed (3010, 3020) or torque (3030, 3040).

David.

R_G

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Futaba man I am! Recently purchased a couple of S3016's. Also have a couple of older S133's that I could use for the ailerons. I need to increase my servo inventory, don't have many "extra" servos!

RG [8D]

R_G

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The left have of the stab is now sheeted with .050" balsa and I've started work on the right half. Actually, now that I think about it, the left side on the plans will be the right side on the airplane.

RG [8D]

doxilia

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Amazing!

It's nice to see that the finished panel actually matches the plans!

Until the first is built, one really never knows... [X(]

Ralph, how's the elevator stock looking? In your kit it was cut from 3/8" balsa; is it thick enough for your stab TE?

David.

doxilia

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Fellow UFO 25 fans,

please see the post below for information on the new run of kits. Jeff, Mike, Lorin, please send me your complete coordinates for shipping purposes. Kits are not cut yet but I'm working on getting pricing sorted out.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10606729

Thanks, David.