Mike Freeman Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) 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 Edited March 11 by Mike Freeman 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 1 hour ago, Mike Freeman said: 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 Yes please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Some people might find it handy to know in advance what materials to have in stock - size of board, glue used and what motor/fan unit it needs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learner Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Haven't bought RCM&E for years, but that looks interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan M Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Looks ace Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Freeman Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Freeman Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 On 11/03/2025 at 16:02, kc said: Some people might find it handy to know in advance what materials to have in stock - size of board, glue used and what motor/fan unit it needs. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futura57 Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 Congratulations @Mike Freeman on getting your design published in RCM&E. I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive before I can read your article. I had my first design published last June (also put out as a free online issue last year). I've been working on another, a foam EDF, coincidentally. Too many distractions for me at the moment to write a build article. Good luck with it all. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Griff Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 Hi Mike Freeman, Still waiting for April rcme to land in whsmiths... Do "the range" stock the foam board in A1 size ? My closest branch are not good at stock levels. Product numbers...or at least these were the stock numbers in Bangor branch North Wales before the students went back to uni... A1 white foam board 823 571 A2 white foam board 823 578 A3 white foam board 823 576 A2 black foam board 823 580 A3 black foam board 823 579 A4 black foam board 823 581 Sometimes if you phone your local branch, a nice girl will interogate the computer to see if any is in stock for you. Are single A1 sheets needed ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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