Model Designs Balsacraft Electric Warbird Range

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[kc]

Nobody else seems to have answered. I seem to remember the name Pete Nicholson connected with Model Design. A google search for this came up with a reference on Glue-it.
This may help a little.

[John Francis 3]

I have a kit of the Model Designs FW 190 which I will be puting on ebay shortly.

[Geoff S]

I'm pretty sure the whole Model Designs range was adopted by Slec and, like kc, I also associate the name of Pete Nicholson with the range. You must appreciate that electrically powered models was very much a minority interest at the time and most of them were marginal in flight. One limit was that readily available chargers ran off 12 volt sources and were only able to charge 7 or 8 cell NiCad flight packs because switched mode power supplies as are common now were expensive to make.

In other words I think range you mention was all there ever was.

Geoff

[leccyflyer]

The Model Designs range of plan packs, produced by Pete Nicholson, consisted of the Sea Fury, Bearcat, Hurricane, FW190 and Blenheim, before they were taken up to become the Balsacraft set of kits, which then incorporated the Spitfire. There were also at least another couple of plan packs - the Dart Kitten and a 400 sized Focke Wulf 190A.

I'd dispute the frequently expressed contention that the models didn't fly well with NiCds - with an 8 cell pack and a hotter sp600 motor - a 7.2v motor, rather than the 8.4v motor that some folks used ( 7 cells is 8.4v, so surely that;s the right motor to use, no?) their performance was reasonably good. The upgrade available by using a hotter buggy motor - for instance the Magnetic Mayhem - was well worth making, especially if the bearings were also upgraded.

The kits were years ahead of their time, - they were very complete kits , especially compared with the typical cottage industry style kits available at the time. SLEC have reintroduced the Bearcat and presumably will be looking at doing the same with the other models, but they now have to compete with a large range of RTF PNP and ARTF funfighter sized warbirds often retract equipped and superb flyers right out of the box.

[Erfolg]

I could have bought the Fw 190A kit that Andrew sold, from the "Classified" section here.

I have built a modified kit version, the D. I am at present in the last throws of building the actual kit, the "A".

It certainly flies very, very well, that is the opinion of my test pilot.

I do use a Outrunner on this version. The only issue is that a Lipo of slim girth just fits.

In the case of the "A" I am using a low Kv Inrunner.

The weight of the two models appears to be pretty much the same with the "A" being the lighter.

What ever opinion might have been, it is just not true today.

[Erfolg]

I have just reflected on having a plan and the basis for a self build. I am not sure it would be quite as useful as with a standard type build.

The Balsacraft was possibly one of the first laser kits, the accuracy is outstanding. The other aspect is that the model assembles like a interlocking eggs box. The combination of these two aspects does require you have some idea how that lot fits together. This aspect is not to obvious on the plan.

Unlike a traditional build, pre-laser, there is no need to build on a board. It slots together accurately. I did use a jig to get the wasting and accuracy of alignment. Although with a kit it is debatable if this is necessary at all.

[PatMc]

Erf, I don't think any of the Balscraft kits were laser cut. AFAIK they were all CNC router cut, no burnt edges on the wood.

[leccyflyer]

That's right Pat the Balsacraft kits were all CNC cut, as were the formers in the Model Designs plan packs.

[Erfolg]

Yes you are correct CNC, the important aspect is the accuracy, a step change from die cut. Arguably the accuracy of CNC compared to Router is very much comparable.

[leccyflyer]

I've just checked, the offcuts, because I vaguely recall having to sand the charred wood on my little sp400 Model Designs build and in fact that kit was laser cut. The larger Balsacraft models were CNC router cut.

[PatMc]

As Erf said, both modern cutting methods are much prefrable to the old die crunch or printed wood parts (who remembers them ?).

[Erfolg]

I am not trying to be critical of the RCM&E laser or CNC semi kits, other than all they save you is the time in cutting a few formers and wing ribs out.

Balsacraft on the other hand produced a level of kitting that had never been seen before, where a frame simply slotted together absolutely accurately, no jig required at all.

Not true for the wing which is traditional construction, although a bit of a surprise to me, having no spar structure as I would expect. Again a egg crate spar, I have seen them, although I have never trusted them. Much preferring spruce spars and shear webs. Yet the 190D built as the kit, seems strong enough, time will tell with the A.