Mini E Panic

[Craig Spence]

Hi all,

 

well if anyone has a full size Panic they may be interested in this model.

Its the Mini E Panic from Avicraft and my first impressions of the kit so far are great, ill be starting the build tonight with photos for every part.

 

The kit can also be made for IC but I will be doing it for electric.

 

So ill be back tonight at 19.00 and hopefully get quite a bit done.

 

Cheers all.

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 26/08/2013 23:12:55

[Bob Cotsford]

great little model, you will love it.  I added a couple of extra ribs in mine around the cabane/fuselage sides position to spread the loads a bit. Just remember, no matter how much you sand off the rear of the fuselage, you can bet it will end up tail heavy so don't worry about putting a big beefy motor on the front.

Edited By Chris Bott - Moderator on 26/08/2013 23:05:16

[Ernie]

Hi guys

I'd dearly love to build an original panic, does anyone know if plans are available?

 

ernie

[Bob Cotsford]

Ernie, have you asked Avicraft, the producers of the Panic?

[Craig Spence]

Hi all,

 

glad to see there is a bit of interest here.

 

Ernie Id do as Bob said and phone Avicraft, I know the ARTF isnt an option at the mo but they could sort you out a kit if you asked nicely.

 

So on with the build fellas, ive started the bottom wing and here's where ive got.

 

Photo comentary.

 

The lazer cut kit is very goos and I cant wait to see how this turns out.

 

The ribs although very thin and light are surpriseingly very strong.

 

Included in the kit is a foam spacer and its very good which you will see later.

 

So ive started the build, the instructions in the kit are limited but they are being improved as we speak and im sure they will have some very clear ones soon. They have however given written instructions on thier website which I have been following, so they say to glue the end ribs to the leading edge and the spar as so.

 

Then work your way along glueing the ribs to the leading edge.

 

 

Insure if you are doing the bottom wing that the two ribs that are close together are inermost to the fuselage, these are for the servos.

And when it comes to making the top wing that you remove the extra rib as servos are not used on the upper wing, as you will see as the build progresses.

 

Glueing the spar at the end and then work along the ribs.

 

So to recap, glue the end rib to the spar and leading edge and then work your way along the ribs. Insure that your spars, leading edges and trailing edges are all of the same length, which is 36", if slightly smaller this isnt a prob as you have solid balsa tips.

 

At this point I checked that the trailing edge of the ribs were all in line and I wasnt building a warp in. The instructions do not specifiy how you put the ribs in the foam but I have chosen this way for support and line and so far its working great.

Avicraft suggest that you also follow along with the shear web as you do this to keep the ribs straight and true.

I missed this and incorporated it in later, sorry guys.

 

So what i didnt mention before was that the foam spacer was for one wing half, once you have done this half you simply remove the frame and turn it round on the other side of the wing insureing the servo ribs are inermost and start again from the outside in.

 

As so. If you want to be bang on Avicraft recommend that you get 6mm carbon rods and put them through the holes in the ribs, this will keep all straight, a good idea i think.

 

Also remember to cut your holes in the ribs for your servo wires, which I forgot before assembling.

 

 

 

So heres the wing without the trailing edge, sheeting or sheer webbing.

 

Once you have done both sides with the foam spacer remember to place an extra rib in the centre for strength.

• Quote

[Andy Green]

Ernie,

 

I've built 2 panics in my time, and I dont think they ever came with a plan, they were foam wings and all the wood was cut for you, all you had to do was assemble.

 

Andy.

 

PS Craig, gonna get me one of these

[Craig Spence]

Hi Andy,

 

yeah they do look very good little models and ive been told they fly great.

As for the full size Panic as a kit, I know Avicraft have a lazer cutter now, im sure they could do a one off for you Ernie.

 

Well I will carry on from what I did last night as half my thread got cut off lol!.

 

When you place in the centre rib insure that it has an equal gap each side.

 

I waited till this stage to put the bottom spar in, obviously because of the centre rib.

 

Avicraft recommend that you leave the trailing edge until the webbing is in, however I had a slight warp in the leading edge which is why I attached the trailing edge to pull the warp out.

 

Remember I said to cut your holes for your servo wires before you assemble lol!.

 

No matter it can be easily done once assembled, just remember to be very carefull so as you dont break a rib, use a very sharp scalpel.

 

Right ill post this one as I dont want to have to keep loosing half a thread.

[Craig Spence]

The wing continues on.

 

Heres the webbing all cut to size for you.

 

Heres the webbing glued in place, remember that you should always check the wing when doing this as you could build in a warp.

 

The sheeting, I glue the leading edge of the sheeting to the trailing edge of the leading edge (that should make sense lol!).

Once this is done Avicraft reccomend that you tape the trailing edge of the sheeting down and glue from the other side with thin super glue.

 

Taped in position as so, just remember to check for line when doing this, you will have it off the board and could cause the wing to warp, take your time and do it right.

 

Glue from other side as so.

 

Right again ill start another thread.

[Craig Spence]

Here we go again.

 

So once you have done this remember to remove the tape and then we go to work the other side.

 

Right this is where I deviate from the instructions slightly again, when it comes to apply the second sheet glue the leading edge of the sheet on as before.

Avicraft now suggest that you tape the wing down as before, you will not be able to access the other side so what they say is to prick holes through the sheet to the ribs and apply thin super glue through the holes.

I know from personal experience this is an excellent way of sheeting the wing, however I havent got any thin cyano, so you can get round it like this, use super glue to glue the edge then apply pva of your choice to the ribs and then tape down making sure all surfaces are in contact.

 

At this point if you have a warp you can apply books to the newly sheeted wing and this will take the warp out when the glue dry.

 

As so lol!, I had a slight warp, this is because I had a slightly warped leading edge, sorry to include my feet lol!, at least you cant smell them.

 

The books wont remove the warp completely but does reduce it alot and in my limited experience it has not affected one of my other models.

 

So there will be more to come later fellas.

[Craig Spence]

Started the cap strips.

 

The whole trailing edge with its cap strip.

 

And the other side, check for line with a straight ruler and I measure the gap under the trailing edge at each wing tip, this will tell you if you have a warp IE.. one side 1cm and the other 11/2cm.

 

Later I will add the cap strips to the ribs.

[Craig Spence]

So I cant get much done during the day because im looking after my boy's, but I managed to get a bit of light sanding in before they tore apart some old packaging in the back garden lol!.

 

So heres the leading edge before shaping, some people plane this done but I just sand it in case you take too much off.

 

Permagrit, I honestly couldent have enough of this stuff, brilliant!, I will be buying some more blocks soon and a couple of files I think.

 

Here you can see the step from the leading edge to the sheeting, I sand this with the rough grain and smooth out with the fine.

 

 

Almost complete now.

 

Here you can see the leading edge has been sanded to the sheeting.

 

And heres the finished product, when the cap strips are on tonight I will probably sand a little more but this is good for now.

[Craig Spence]

Hi all,

 

a little more work done today.

 

Heres the center sheeting and end ribs.

 

Ends need sanding a little.

 

Ends glued on after sanding.

 

Here are the markings for the center sheeting, I cut this and used it as a template to mark the rest.

 

I always trim these sheets a little oversize, this enables a really good fit, you have to push the sheet down. I glue from the back.

Oh before fitting the sheet i glue the leading and trailing edge, then fit and push down. Then glue the rest from behind or apply onto ribs before pushing down.

 

Here you can see the hole ive left for the servo wires, this is the top of the lower wing.

 

Back soon.

[Craig Spence]

Hello all,

 

well the next installment.

 

 

So last night I added the cap strips, once they were all glued in place I gace them all a good sanding.

Now the whole wing is smooth and has no major gaps.

 

One complete wing minus ailerons.

 

And heres some I made earlyer, only joking these are lazor cut and you only have to glue the tips on, very good and time saveing.

 

So after this I decided to do the fuselage and do the other wing after that.

[Craig Spence]

So the fuselage begins.

 

So you are tols to glue the ply upper wing supports into the balsa fuselage sides, I layed down grease proof paper for this and made sure they were flat to the board, I also used thick super glue just incase I needed to move it a little.

 

Then you have four little ply reinforcements for the carbon fibre dowls.

 

I glued these again with thick superglue just incase i need to move them a little.

 

You then glue the firewall/ bulkhead on insureing you keep a 90% angle.

 

Then I apllied the rest of the triangle stock, insureing a good fit with the firewall angle. Remember that when you add the triangle to the rear of the fuselage that you have to be able to pull the fuselage together I trimmed mine a little at the tail.

 

Then I mirror imaged the other fus.

 

Then you join the two fus halfs at the firewall, insure everthing is straight and the angle is correct.

 

After this Avicraft say you need to add the ply undercarriage plates these go 1 flush with the firewall and the other one goes up against the leading edge of the wing.

Then add your supplied and cut balsa spacer, this may have a slight gap but just add some cap strip to fill.

 

Then you can add the balsa for the top of the fus on top of the firewall up against the ply wing supports.

 

Pull in the tail and add the top fuselage sheeting, ignore the sheeting at the end of the tail, this goes in at the very end and should go between the fus sides as extra surface area for the elevator.

At the same time add the lower sheeting.

 

Then add your upper balsa sheet which fits snugly between the ply wing supports and add balsa sheets between the ply wing supports.

 

As so.

 

Avicraft and I reccomend that the lightening holes are cut before construction, however I left this as I didnt want to damage the fus side, instead I did it when it was glued together and there not off.

Just a little measureing is required.

 

Now where or how you cut the lightening holes is down to you I have chosen to do the sides and the bottom of the fus only as i wish to have a tail mounted servo.

When you make the holes avicraft reccomend glueing a support in the centre of the holes for the film to glue to during covering.

 

Included in the kit are four carbon fibre dowls for the wing elastic, very nice toch and very strong.

 

One thing I would suggest to anyone building this model is buy some thinner triangle balsa for the bottom of the fus, or just ask to exchange it.

 

Wow what a quick bui

• Quote

[Craig Spence]

Well last night I started and finished the top wing, the only difference is that you miss out two ribs, Ill post the picture later.

It need sanding but I have very little left to do now.

Its took me three nights to build a fuselage and two wings an approximate time of 18 hours so far.

 

All thats left to do is fit the tail fin for size, chamfer the leading edges of the ailerons, elevator and rudder.

Cover everything then hinge, at this point its almost ready to fly. All I have to do is add the horns, loop system and electrics.

 

Cant wait to fly it.

[Bob Cotsford]

I like the laser cut ailerons, mine were supplied as a  bundle of strip pre-cut to length. 

Are you intending to drop the bottom wing for battery changes?

I cut a hatch between the cabanes, it's fiddly but quicker than removing the wing.

here's an old pic from when i built it:

 

 

 

 

 

[Craig Spence]

Hi Bob,

 

Thats a brilliant idea, I think ill leave mine as it is though, I see that you rounded your fuselage and it looks very nice like that.

For some reason, I dont know why, I prefer the lightening holes.

 

Cheers Bob, Ive got a little more done tonight.

[Craig Spence]

Hi all,

 

So I completed the top wing, sanded and all. Its exactly the same as the bottom one apart from you miss out one rib either side, as pointed out below.

 

 

Heres a picture of me sizeing the wings to the saddles.

 

Then i tried the fin for size, I had to trim back the stabilizer seat a little and trim the stab itself for a better fit.

 

I just marked this up with a pen then cut away the needed balsa.

 

 

 

The fin needed triming down a little where it sits but other than that a good fit.

 

Onto the next thread now.

Edited By Craig Spence on 31/07/2010 22:54:04

[Craig Spence]

So now I prepared the stabilizer so it can be hinged later.

 

To do this I drew a straight line slightly away from the trailing edge of the stab. 

 

Then simply sanded each side at an angle of 45% until I hit the line, I found this quite effective.

 

The same process was repeated for the fin, I personally would not do this to the lazer cut controll surfaces, there will be more than enough movement doing it this way, I wouldent want to damage those surfaces.

 

 

Then I started the lightening holes in the stab, Do not try this on the fin, it would not work due to the size of the fin.

 

Once I did the holes on one side I drew a template of one half of the stab and made a mirror image on the other side.

 

Simply pushed the soft bore through the paper.

 

End result is a clean mirror image pattern.

 

The ailerons, elevator and rudder are all lazer cut, however there are parts on the end of them which will need glueing, you can see them in this photo.

Excellent idea by the boys there.

 

And thats me untill I receive my next installment of supplies, I expect to see it completed very soon depending on when I get the kit.

[Craig Spence]

Hi Bob,

 

I dont know if your still following this thread but after you told me about the hatch I asked Avicraft and they told me that the way you have done it is correct.

 

So I have now made my hatch, I have pictures of the progress and will be posting them soon.

 

Many thanks Bob.

[Craig Spence]

So After realising that I had done the battery hatch the wrong way I set about doing it right.

I cut away the hatch and sanded the ends, I then sorced some extra thin ply and shaped it so it fitted inbetween the ply wing supports and overlapped the exsisting hatch.

 

I then glued the two peices together.

 

Trail fit was very good.

 

I then installed a floor for the battery.

 

And again a trail fit, when I have completed the rest of the model I will sand the ply cover so its sides are flush with the balsa.

 

When the model is covered the hatch will be covered seperately and for speed of access the hatch will be secured with velcro opposed to a latch.

 

Next thread.

[Bob Cotsford]

Hi Craig,

if I'm honest, I only used the hatch cover once or twice, it's the nature of the beast that bits hanging out don't detract from it.  I put slots in the battery bay floor and use a velcro strap to stop the battery dropping out.

one thing I did was to add strips either side of the hatch inside the fuselage to brace the opening and strengthen the cabane to fuselage butt joints.

 

Plan for as much movement on rudder as you can get, I've still not got mine to do a full 360 degree cartwheel from stall turn, but it's close.  I think I need more power   

[Craig Spence]

Hi Bob,

 

Mny thanks for the feedback again, I will definatley go for the movement on the rudder it does make the plane so much better with it.

 

Bob where did you mount your elevator and rudder servo's, have you got a picture of that.

If you did it would be great cheers Bob.

[Craig Spence]

So now to fitting some hardware. I got the mount and used it as a template to draw the bobbin holes, cooling hole and wire holes.

 

As so, later I found out that the wire hole had to be made larger to accomodate the plugs.

 

Some light drilling.

 

And the holes are complete.

 

Next thread.

 

 

[Bob Cotsford]

the elevator servo is conventionaly mounted at the rear of the lower wing cutout, the rudder servo in the top deck immmediately behind the cabanes, the reveiver on the bottom fo the battery floor in the lower wing openeing, the esc  under the battery floor in the nose.  I'll try to remember to look what pics I've got when I get home tonight - photobucket is not an approved site for corporate connections by the look of it.

I can' t remember what the motor I'm using is, it came from GC and is marked 1300kv and is orange, other than that it burns up a 2300 3s lipo in about 5 minutes on a 9*6 or 10*4 prop.