Mike Freeman

Thanks KC, Three A1 sheets of 5mm foamboard are needed and that will leave probably half a sheet spare to practice on or try again as you learn how to handle it. I found UHU POR and Gorilla Glue Clear best for most of the build but I used the expanding (brown) Gorilla Glue for gluing the top skin onto the ribs and spar when folding the wing up. The recommended equipment is... 4-Max 50mm PowerFun 3S 5400kV EDF 4-Max 50A ESC 4-Max 3S 1800mAh Lipo Cheers

My April issue arrived this morning and I'm really pleased to see my St8us in print! As promised here are some more details and explanations. First we must talk about the foamboard product. Sadly, it isn't like balsa which comes in soft, medium or hard! It appears different manufacturers use different methods to produce something that all look very similar! The prototype St8us' were built using Westfoam foamboard which has turned out to be a very versatile product and would be my first choice if I could find a convenient outlet! I mention in the article the alternative, un-named foamboard "Hobbycraft" have been selling recently which can be used but is a little less convenient. I have since discovered that "The Range" sell foamboard manufactured by "Art Studio" and I have tried this. Thankfully it does react to heat but the samples I bought are 5.5mm thick so if using this a little trimming of components might be necessary. If you do an internet search for "Westfoam" ignore the stuff sold on Amazon by "Protectafile" as I tried it and it is similar to the Hobbycraft stuff that needs soaking in water to remove. I've contacted Westfoam and asked them for some details of outlets and I'll pass on any info I receive. Now down to some details..... On page 55 there are photos of a tool that needs to be made to trim the efflux nozzle. The blade needs to be 20mm off the building board. Dead easy with accurate 5mm foamboard but if using one of the others you'll have to trim or build the tool from balsa. On the plan I show a slot in the top wing skin for the fins. Due to the different foamboard thickness options I had to show a narrow slot which is opened up when the wing is folded up and glued. In truth this is a bit of a fiddle and I've subsequently thought of a better idea which means the slot is positioned accurately irrespective of the foamboard used and is cut out in one go. Hopefully the attached photos will show the idea - once the paint patches identify the four corners of the slot simply push pins through to the top skin, join the dots and cut out! you can use the bottom of the fin on the drawing as the slot marker and trim to the profile in the photos. Let me know if anything needs explaining.

I'm really pleased to see my St8us flying wing design is being featured in the April 2025 issue. It's built entirely from Foamboard, card and brown paper, there's no traditional building materials in there at all! As the construction is a little unorthodox I thought I'd start a thread here to answer any questions and discuss any mods that have evolved. As soon as the April issue hits my door mat I'll start adding some additional details and new ideas that have materialised since I sent the package to Kevin. Hopefully these will make the construction a little easier (it isn't difficult to build, just a bit different!!) and help anyone thinking of giving one a go a head start! Cheers Mike

Thanks PDB. Yes that's it, its the same description they've used for a long time but the stuff they sell now is different. It's actually 6mm thick and the card cannot be removed with a hot iron. It looks like they've changed supplier. The original 5mm foamboard is called "Westfoam" and it looks like Amazon sell 10 x A1 sheets for £28.99. I'm hoping to find an outlet that sells single sheets. Hobbycraft sell 4 sheets for £12 but the stuff they sell now isn't suitable.

With balsa prices so high I thought I'd found the perfect alternative for my latest own design - Hobbycraft 5mm Foam-board. After a year or so of experimenting with this mysterious material and picking up tips from this very informative forum I ended up with my EDF powered flying wing called "St8us" as seen in the photo. She's made 100% with 5mm Foam-board and brown paper, there's no wood at all - even the control horns are made from 5 laminations of the card removed from Foam-board. I was so chuffed with it I drew up a plan and Kevin was about to publish it in RCM&E. BUT, I've just discovered that Hobbycraft have changed their Foam-board supplier and the stuff they sell now isn't compatible with the design. The new stuff is 6mm thick (although they still sell it as 5mm) and it isn't possible to remove the card with a heated iron - a very handy feature for saving weight and easing bending and a crucial requirement of the St8us build!! Amazon and others sell 5mm stuff but there's no hint if it's possible to remove the card with heat and you have to buy 20 sheets - St8us only needs 3 - 2 at a push!! I'm hoping someone knows a supplier who sells the original 5mm stuff that Hobbycraft used to sell in quantities of 3 or 4 sheets. I've been experimenting with the 6mm stuff and it is possible to remove the card by soaking it with water and gently rubbing it off but it takes a while, is rather messy and much harder than simply removing it with a heated iron. I can adjust the plan and article text to work with 6mm but I'm hoping to be able to leave it as designed and point readers who fancy having a go at building a St8us themselves where to easily get their Foam-board from. Here's hoping!! Cheers Mike

Hi Paul, Sorry for the very late reply, I've been away. I ended up moving the CG 15mm behind X-Fly's recommendation! As spec'd I found the model almost impossible to fly!! I know manufacturers quote "safe" CG's but this was way too far forward!! I found the take off run extremely long, even with the better CG so I upped the elevator throw by 2mm and linked it to a flight phase to help get the model off the ground. Once airborne the recommended throws were ok for me. In the end I took the u/c off, whipped the nose wheel servo out and now hand launch it. It looks so much better without the gear dangling down!! Good luck Mike

Hello All, My Weston Park 2023 article is in the September issue of RCM&E, out today. I hope you enjoy it!! Al and I had a great time in amongst all the fabulous models and talented pilots and took over 4000 photos over the two days we were there. We managed to whittle them down to around 90 which we sent in with the article. Kevin and the RCM&E team used 34 of them and I thought I would share a few of the others that we are proud of here..... Luke Oliver’s Hanger 9 MB-339 performing a lovely knife edge up the strip. One of the CARF Models Havard duo on a fly by. Gary Oliver's Yak110 on a traditional Farnborough Pass. Piloted by Gary's son; Luke. The CARF Models GeeBee on a fast flypast. The CARF FlyBaby about to touch down after a lovely display. George Shone's 19ft wing span Boing B50 beats up the strip. Dave Franks’ 1:5 scale F-16 gets away for another super display. A Dawn Patroller’s Sopwith Pup makes a safe return. The colour scheme of Steve Kilbon’s FlyEagle 1:4.5 scale F-16’s looked fabulous against the dark trees that surround the strip at Weston. The AZAerosports F-86 Sabre duo pair looked fabulous in the Saturday evening sunset slot. Finally, a small correction to the "On the cover" caption on the contents page of the September issue.... I am part credited for the photo but the photo is All Al's work, I had nothing to do with it!! He's dead chuffed to have one of his photos on the front cover!! Cheers Mike

Oh, and the white wing tip flashes are solid white Oracover! Cheers

Hello, The covering is transparent red Oracover. I thought about using the light weight stuff but a quick calc showed it would only save a few grams and as I sometimes fly off thistle covered slopes in Derbyshire I went for the full fat version for added strength and protection. I think it's essential to use a transparent covering to show off that fabulous geodetic wing construction!! I'd love to see some pics of yours when it's finished. Where do you fly? Cheers and a happy new year!!

Thanks Zflyer, That's a good idea, I'll try that on the 2nd prototype. I've got a list of things I'm going to try differently next time. It's been 28 years since I last dabbled in foam board and I'm really enjoying the "different" design development and building a model from something other than balsa and ply. What other hobby can throw up a whole new avenue of techniques and ideas for someone to try and enjoy after 28 years!!🤣 Being a flying wing my model has quite a steep wing taper so I used another implement found in the Kitchen drawer.... a pizza wheel 🤣 to score lines in the foam on the inside of the top sheet at the leading edge. I scored 6 grooves in the foam which follow the taper from root to tip. It's surprising how hard you can press without fear of cutting into the foam but you get some lovely deep grooves which helps bending the top sheet immensely. Do this on a hard surface and the grooves don't show through the top skin but the leading edge folds nicely round the ribs. This is a small model with some quite tight curves and I've been using a wall paper edge seal roller to good effect to form them. I like the idea of a rolling pin though. I'm sure we've got one but it's not been used in years.... maybe another 28!! Cheers, Mike

Thanks Ron, Martin and Eric. I'll be keeping all the joints water free then! 😁😁 Gorilla glue expands quite a lot without any water and gives a very good bond, I'm impressed! I'm enjoying building with this new ( to me) material. I recon I'll have the whole model built out of 2 sheets of Hobbycraft foam board costing £8. If I'd built it in balsa it'd be 2 or 3 times that!! Cheers

I've made a bit more progress, the wings are now built and I've been experimenting with fuz corners to try and achieve radiused corners rather than a square box shape like my last attempt 28 years ago!! I've been using the original brown Gorilla Glue which works a treat!! I tried to find some of the white stuff recommended by Martin but can't find any at the usual places!! A question for the seasoned foam board builders please.... The Gorilla Glue instructions say wet one surface to activate the glue. I was a bit worried about wetting the card so just glued the wings together "dry" in the hope the moisture in the air was enough to set the glue. It seems to have worked but what do others do please? I've drawn the fuz up on CAD and I'm hoping the EDF unit arrives tomorrow so I can get cracking on building the fuz. Cheers Mike

Thanks Martin. It was your foam board posts that gave me the inspiration to have a go. Thanks, it's quite exciting!! I've just spent a satisfying few minutes with my film iron removing the paper surface on the inside of the top skin. It's surprising how much weight can be saved, plus it makes the skin easier to bend over the top surface. The wing section on this model is about 8% thickness and I was a bit anxious about folding the LE over along the 450mm long wing panel but it went ok and is currently on the building board weighed down while the foam compresses on the inside of the LE. Once the tension has gone out of it I'll glue the spars and ribs on the bottom skin and roll the tip skin over. I was planning on using UHU POR mainly but I like the idea if Gorilla Glue. I have the usual brown stuff. Is the white more suitable or will the brown do? Cheers

Haha! I hope you enjoy it. I was flying mine at the weekend. Great fun except a blade just clipped a gloved finger on launch! 😬😲 No damage (except a snapped off blade tip) but it fired my enthusiasm for an EDF version!

Hello All, Back in 1994 I designed the fuz for a model built from foam board. The model was called "Omnibox" because the fuz was a basic box shape! It appeared as a free plan in the June 1994 issue of Radio Modeller. 28 years later and having found some very helpful info on this wonderful forum (thank you very much!) I'm having another go, hopefully with a bit more design development and more shape this time!! It's a flying wing based on my Hi8us design featured in the July 2022 issue which I'm enjoying flying but this new flying wing will have an EDF unit rather than a prop. I've been talking to George at 4-Max and one of his 50mm EDF units has been ordered! Two A1 sheets of 5mm foam board have been liberated from Hobbystore costing £8 and I recon I'll use 1 1/2 sheets to build the whole model. There'll probably be a some balsa/liteply too but only a small amount from my scrap box. Covering will probably be coloured tape. A complete airframe for under a tenner.... can't be bad!! I've done some experimenting with the wing section, doing a mock up of the root and tip sections and this went well so I'll get cracking with the wings and start the fuz design when the EDF unit arrives. I'm quite excited at this new building experience and I'll post more details as things develop. BTW I've discovered I haven't got a copy of the June 1994 Radio Modeler with the plan in it. If anyone has a copy in good nick looking for a good home I'd love to here from you please!! Cheers Mike