Fancy Foam Models MX2 User manual

Wing Preparation:
Apply hinge tape to the ailerons. On the “vee” side of the
hinge, apply a 1” long piece of hinge tape in the area of
the bottom wing where the control horn slots are (near
the center of the wing).
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Fuselage to Wing Sub – Assembly:
Lay the wing pside down on the table (vee groves
visible). Locate the front f selage section and gl e it to
the leading edge of the wing. Use a straightedge along
the f selages slots to align the front f selage.
Next, locate the f selage aft section and gl e it to the
trailing edge of the wing. Use a straight edge to make
s re the slots are in alignment from nose to tail as the
gl e c res.
Elevator Preparation and Attachment:
Locate the horizontal stabilizer and elevator. Apply hinge
tape along the entire length of the elevator hinge. C t to
length (2.5”) and gl e the flat carbon strip to join the
elevator halves as shown.
Gl e the stabilizer to the back of the f selage. Make s re
yo take time to make this joint in perfect alignment.
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Lower Fuselage Attachment Preparation:
The lower f selage m st be “c t away” from the pper
section. There are 3 small tabs holding the two parts
together that can be removed with a hobby knife. Lay the
wing assembly on a flat s rface, vee side p and weight it
down so it is perfectly flat. Position the lower f selage
into the wing assembly. The tabs on the lower f selage
line p with the slots in the wing assembly. Use a sq are
to keep the lower f selage sq are as yo gl e it. Do not
gl e the pper f selage in place ntil later.
Carbon Strut Preparation and Attachment:
Use 8 of the ½” foam disk and gl e them to the wing and
f selage as shown. There are locator marks milled into
the foam.
The 1mm carbon rod is provided in b lk lengths. Yo ’ll
need to c t the carbon to the proper lengths and
instr cted below Always sand the ends of the carbon
rods to improve glue adhesion
C t 4 wing str ts 11 1/2” long. Lay the wing on a flat
s rface and weight it down so it is perfectly flat. Insert
the fo r carbon wing str ts into the foam disk. Make s re
the lower f selage remains sq are to the wing. Once yo
are happy with the alignment and fit, gl e the carbon rods
in place.
C t 6 carbon rods abo t 1 ¾” long. Constr ct a triangle
from the wing to the carbon wing str ts as seen in the
pict re. It may be helpf l to wrap some thread aro nd the
joints.
C t 6 f selage str ts 4 ½” long. With the f selage still on
a flat s rface, weight it down so it is perfectly flat. Insert
a str t into the f selage foam disk (where the wing str ts
attach). The end will extend backwards towards the tail.
Use a hobby knife to c t a slit in the f selage foam to
accept the carbon rod end. Gl e the carbon end into the
foam.
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The other five str ts contin e rearward in a zig-zag
pattern down the f selage. C t small slots for the rod
ends to be gl ed into the foam. Once yo are happy with
the fit, gl e the rod ends into the foam and disks.
Lastly, gl e two carbon rods from the stabilizer to the
bottom of the vertical stabilizer. Make s re this joint is
perfectly sq are or flight performance may s ffer.
Landing Gear Preparation and Attachment:
C t 2 pieces of the 1.5mm carbon, 6” long and two pieces
1” long. Gl e them together as shown with a 1/8” overlap
at a 45 degree angle. C t a 6” piece of string and wrap
the joint with it in two directions. CA the string to sec re
the axel.
Gl e 4 foam disks to the marked locations on the bottom
of the nose and sides of the f aelage. Install the gear legs
thro gh the vertical f selage foam disks and into the disks
on the bottom of the nose b t not thro gh the nose.
When yo have the axles parallel and even gl e the gear
legs in place.
Gl e the gear pant to the gear leg and the f selage side.
Drill o t the axle hole in the wheels with a 1/16” drill bit.
Slide the wheels onto the axel. Slide the wheel pant onto
the axle and sec re in place with a drop of CA leaving
eno gh room for the wheel to spin freely. Add two 1mm
carbon braces from the gear pant to the wheel pant so it
will have proper s pport.
Yo may wish to add some more carbon tr ssing to the
nose section. This will eliminate any forward f selage
twist. Gl e the carbon rods as shown.
Upper Fuselage Attachment Preparation:
It is easier to pre-install the aileron servo now. Once the
pper f selage is gl ed in place, it is more diffic lt to get
the servo installed (b t not impossible).
Position the pper f selage into the main assembly. The
tabs on the pper f selage line p with the slots in the
wing assembly. Use a sq are to keep the pper f selage
sq are as yo gl e it.
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Rudder Preparation and Attachment:
Locate the r dder. Apply hinge tape along the entire
length of the r dder hinge.
Attach the r dder to the vertical stabilizer on the f selage.
Apply tape in the area where the control horn will be on
the “vee” side as well. Lastly, gl e two carbon rods from
the stabilizer to the top of the vertical stabilizer. Make
s re this joint is perfectly sq are or flight performance
may s ffer.
Spade Assembly and Attachment:
Locate the spades and spade arms. Assemble the spades
as shown.
Gl e the spades on the bottom of the ailerons as shown,
with the spade pointing forward.
Tail Skid Attachment:
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Yo may also wish to make a tail-skid to prevent the
r dder from dragging on the gro nd. Use a piece of
leftover 3mm carbon strip to make a skid and install it in
front of the r dder hinge as shown.
Radio and Motor Installation:
The following instr ctions apply to the electronics as
s pplied in o r combo kits. If yo are sing other
electronics, the following will give yo the basic concept of
yo the radio gear is to be installed.
Solder the BEC connector (red connector with black and
red wires) to the speed control and ins late the
connections with heat shrink. Solder the speed control
leads to the motor. Make s re to slip shrink sleeve over
the speed control leads first. Before proceeding, connect
the controller to the receiver and a battery and make s re
the motor is t rning the correct direction. If it is not,
nsolder any two motor leads, reverse them and re-solder
(some controllers can j st be re-programmed). Once the
motor is t rning correctly, heat the shrink sleeves over
the motor connections. Pl g all servos and speed control
into the receiver. Attach a battery and check for proper
servo rotation.
The aileron servo is installed in the forward most servo
location. The r dder servo is installed in the rear slot on
the left side. The elevator servo is installed in the rear slot
on the right side. Use a co ple of spots of hot gl e on
each servo tab to hold it in place. Mo nt all servos in the
same manner. It may be necessary to make the servo
mo nting c to ts larger if yo are sing servos other than
those recommended. Connect the receiver, speed control
and servos.
If sing a firewall-mo nted motor, gl e the motor mo nt
to the front of the f selage. C t the depron g sset into
fo r pieces where marked and gl e to the back of the
firewall and to the f selage. Mo nt the motor with 2 servo
screws. The Speed control, receiver and excess servo wire
can be t cked away in the forward f selage g sset area.
If sing the recommended Hacker motor, se the s pplied
X-mo nt and mo nt the motor with ½” hinge tape or
strapping tape as shown.
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Push Rod Installation:
Gl e all of the control horns in place with CA. All
p shrods are made as shown. Use the .032 wire to make
the Z ends. Install the Z ends to the control horns and
servo arms. Test fit each carbon rod and trim as needed.
Add a small drop of CA to the wire/carbon joint. The
1/16” heat shrink is sed to sec re the 1mm carbon
p shrod to the .032 wire. Make sure the control
surface and the servo are centered before heating
the shrink sleeve Any adj stments past this point m st
be made with the s b-trim f nction of yo r comp ter
radio.
Note: The aileron pushrods are made from the
thicker 1 5 mm carbon rod to reduce flexing
When installing the long elevator and r dder p shrods,
make s re to install the incl ded plywood p shrod g ides
as needed along the f selage sides. Slip 3 of these
standoffs onto the elevator and r dder p shrods before
attaching the z ends. C t small slots in the f se and gl e
the p shrod g ides in place as needed to eliminate any
p shrod flex.
Flight set-up:
Use do ble stick Velcro on the battery and airframe to
sec re the battery to the bottom of the horizontal
f selage in a location that gives the model proper
balance.
A good starting balance point is abo t one inch in front of
the canopy. Adj st the battery location back and forth to
s it yo r flying style. Use yo r comp ter radio to set the
final s b-trims, exponential and d al rates. Do ble check
the control directions before yo r first flight. With
proper CG, the plane should fly nearly the same
upright or upside-down Good pilots experiment with
vario s battery locations ntil the CG feels j st right.
For indoor flying, we se 2 cell lipo packs rated at 20C.
Batteries of 300 to 480 mah are perfect for giving good
flight times and plenty of power. The final airplane weight
sho ld be between 5.0 and 5.5 oz.
We hope yo like the MX2. It was designed by Champion
pilot RJ Gritter to meet the needs of the indoor contest
pilot and the backyard sport pilot.
Thank Yo ,
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Fancy Foam Models
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