BP Hobbies Fun Foam
BP Hobbies sells these 25" foam-plane ARF kits for $12:
Fun Foam SU-26 25" Kit $12.00
http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=A0720163&pid=V783568
Fun Foam Extra 25" Kit $12.00
http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=V972623&pid=V546177
Fun Foam BP Flyer 26" Kit $12.00
http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=A0720164&pid=W757046
One of these can be put together for a total cost of $60 to $70.
They're very agile, can handle wind well, and (using the motor and ESC
noted below) have lots of power.
In my flying club we've been taping streamers onto them for fun
mini-combat sessions. The foam tends to crack on impact, but a bit of
tape or glue fixes it right up. Putting a strip of tape, sticky side
out, on the leading edge of the wings can make it easier to score hits
on the streamers.
The build is easy and can be done in an evening or two. I used 6-minute
epoxy; others go with foam-safe CA. When beveling the control surfaces,
the LightFlite Easy Bevel (lightflite.com)
works well. On my plane I beveled both the control surface and "plane"
sides to get more throw; others have done just one side. Using 3M
Blenderm Hinge Tape works really well. I put it on both sides of the
hinge, holding the surface at about 90 degrees while taping. (Dubro #916 is 3M Blenderm, though is can often be
found cheaper from other sources.)
I also used Blenderm tape to reinforce various areas of the plane, like
the bottom of the fuselage (and rudder), the "fingers" around the
motor, the main wing leading edges and wingtips, and the front
cantilevered part of the elevator. When gluing the wing, it's better to
not glue the leading edge to the fuselage because it will make the wing
more likely to crack there. I used Blenderm there instead.
For servos, three of the HXT500 5g can work, or two of the HXT500 5g and
one HXT900 9g (with the 9g servo on the ailerons). I
installed the servos with hot glue, and connected the rods to the servo
horns with Dubro Mini-E/Z Connectors (#915). The holes in
the E/Z connectors and the holes in the servo horns need to be opened
up a bit with a drill. I used the outermost holes on the servo horns
and the innermost holes on the control horns to get the maximum
throws. The kit comes with 0.098" carbon rod for wing
reinforcement, and 0.050" (or maybe 0.040") carbon rod for control
pushrods (with z-bended music wire attached to one end using heat
shrink).
On the motor mount, I drilled holes in the wood piece for the mounting
screws before gluing it in. For a prop, 7x3.5 works well. I
taped the 72Mhz receiver antenna along the bottom of the main wing (it
seemed glitchy when I had it along the bottom of the fuselage).
To make some decorative lines I used colored markers, using a scrap
piece of balsa as a straight-edge. The balsa absorbs excess ink from
the markers -- with tape or a metal ruler, the ink bleeds messily onto
the foam.
I put a long strip of velcro on the fuselage for the battery. The plane
flies well with the battery in a wide variety of balance-point
positions. With the battery placed far back, the plane can do 3D
hovering. I recommend using a battery monitor alarm.
Click
here to view an album of pictures I took during the build.
Here is a parts list:
FC 28-12 Brushless Outrunner 1534kv 16A 39g FC2812 $5.95
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=5423
Hobbyking SS Series 18-20A ESC (card programmable) HK-SS20A-HW $7.38
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6548
Turnigy 800mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack T800.3S.20 $7.09
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9173
HXT500 5g / .8kg / 10sec Micro Servo $3.49
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=663
HXT900 9g / 1.6kg / .12sec Micro Servo $2.99
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=662
Corona RS410 Full Range DSP Receiver $11.00
http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=A3067651&pid=A3067642
UM5 Micro Crystal $2.50
http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=A3067655
GWS EP Propeller (DD-7035 178x89mm) (6pcs/set) $3.35
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10045
3mm Prop Saver w/ Adapter & 3 bands 3MPRPSVR $1.99
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=3738
Hobby King Battery Monitor 3S HKing-3S $3.99
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7223
------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some parts alternates:
BP 21 Outrunner Brushless Motor 1400kv 13A 50g $12.50
http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=A1190097&pid=U422859
Hobbyking SS Series 15-18A ESC HK-SS18A $7.80
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6456
ZIPPY Flightmax 800mAh 3S1P 20C 73g Z8003S20C $8.66
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6784
Rhino 750mAh 3S 11.1v 20C Lipoly Pack 66g R750-20-3 $8.99
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7292
Dynam 6CH CCPM Receiver - Futaba $12.99
http://www.helidirect.com/dynam-6ch-ccpm-receiver-futaba-p-1320.hdx
------------------------------------------------------------
Instruction Manual:
http://www.bphobbies.com/pdf/FunF/man25.pdf
Here's a great pic of the fun foam planes in action (photo by Erin
Dack):
Click here to contact me
Return to previous page
