Formosa mk 2

[Bob Cotsford]

I couldn't face rebuilding my Easystreet yet again after treeing it, so I needed a new hairybatic leccy job to use the gear out of it - 300W brushless, 3S, mini servos etc.. I like the GWS Formosa, but they really need a smaller motor and battery, then I saw RC Model Centre was advertising the bigger Formosa 2 for under £37 so I ordered one.

"

GWS FORMOSA II EPO ARTF (NPS) (WHITE)

• Wingspan - 42.5ins (108cm)
• Wing area - 368.9sq. ins. (23.8dm²
• Flying Weight approx - 21.2-25.4oz (approx.600-720g)
• Suits - 4 ch R/C
• Power system - EPSD and Brushless systems
• Propeller - EP1060 - EP1280
• Battery: 1600 - 2200mah 11.1v Lipo
• Servos: Micro to Mini - 9g to 16g
• Made from EPO Foam

GWS FORMOSA II EPO Features

• Its landing gear comes with spring for absorbing shock.
  
• It comes with adjustable push rod connectors, easy to apply and adjust.
  
• Bigger air intake applied on cowl for better cooling.
  
• Made from EPO so Will take knocks
• Most Popular Aerobatics Plane"

EPO appears to be somewhere between EPP and styro, bendy like EPP but not as tough. We shall see...

 

Has anyone got/had one of these? any useful tips?

[Devon Flyer]

I'm running a Formosa 2 with an Axi 2012/20, 3s lipo and a 8 x 4 Camprop. Perfomance is excellent - unlimited verticals.

 

Flight characteristics are excellent, with a very wide speed range and accurate airobatics.

Make sure your canopy is well secured - mine blew off in a spin, never to be found. Had to craft one from a pop bottle as a replacement, which actually looks better than the original.

Don't worry about the sloppy ailerons - they don't seem to make any difference.

 

[Bob Cotsford]

Thanks, can you tell me how you mounted your motor? I'm thinking of a liteply box let into the fuselage, maybe with a couple of dowels through, embedded in the foam. It's a bit of a mish-mash of a kit, there are what look to be universal moulding sets with all manner of brackets and fittings, indoor type folded plastic clevises, 3 inappropriate 2' long pushrods and some pretty useless instructions.

Although it's advertised for LiPo and outrunner, the instructions show Nixx and stick mounted brushed motors.

Are all GWS kits like this? Bare basics only?

 

Oh yes, is the supplied GWS contact glue any good, or should I stick to using Gorilla Glue? I know it works well on Elapor, but this feels more greasy.

 

 

[NigelH]

I've seen other GWS models with a liteply firewall secured with the 10mm stick mounts inserted into the foam.

 

I really like the way that you have to spend all day taking everything out of a GWS box

 

A lot of those spare parts may well come in handy some time or other.

 

I've found the manuals to be good enough.

 

All the GWS kits that I've seen are pretty much the same and all flew well.

 

I've always used the GWS glue and it's been perfectly ok.

 

As the foam which takes the torque rods is thin and flimsy, I've always made larger holes and inserted short lengths of brass tube with a little epoxy. I've then slotted the rods into those, meaning much less strain on the foam.

 

Mine have all been made of the cheap foam but I've still found that with care, really good hinge lines can still be achieved. I also used their hinge material.

 

[Bob Cotsford]

If there's hinges in there, I couldn't find them last night! I've got some GC furry hinges in stock, I'll just use those. This model is designed for twin aileron servos, so torque rods are not a problem. I'll leave the UC off, fit a folding prop and reinforce the underside with glass tape as I fly from grass.

I'll try various paints on the foam spinner blank tonight, I've got a nice bright orange from the old Powermax Polycote range that should aid orientation.

One tip I saw was to position the rudder hinges when joining the sides, makes sense rather than trying to insert them into a glueline.