40" EDGE 540
Manufacturer/Designer:
3DHobbyShop & Aerobatics Authority Scott Stoops
Product
Construction Type:
Balsa/Light
Ply
Aircraft Type:
ARF Parkflyer - Precision
3D/Advanced Aerobatic
Pilot Experience Level:
All Levels
Controls:
Full 4 channel
Dimensions:
40 inch Wingspan - x inches Long - 337 sq. inches of wing
area
Approx.
Flying weight:
25.5oz-30oz
Flying weight as
tested: 28oz. w/ additional ADC Vinyl Decals
Specs.:
- Laser cut wood
construction - Lightweight covering film - High strength Carbon Fiber wing-spar
tube and Landing Gear - Magnetic Canopy Hatch with 3DH Hatch Latch (no gluing, drilling
or canopy blowing off) - Sturdy
Metal Control Linkages - 3DHobbyShop Aluminum wheel axles for free rolling take-offs
and landings - Easy access Thumb Screw wing attachment and removal -
Steerable Tailwheel Assembly - Fiberglass Cowl & Wheelpants - High quality
Hardware Package including Phenolic Control Horns
Equipment Setup
Used
Motor:
Reaper Gr25 -
1120kv 285watt, Brushless Outrunner w/
APC 11x4.7SF Electric SlowFly Prop. &
Extreme Flight 40mm Elite Series Electric Spinner
ESC:
Hacker X-40-SB Pro Series
40amp Brushless
Receiver:
Spektrum AR6200 2.4 ghz
Servos:
HiTec HS-65HB
Karbonite Gear - All Around (4 total)
Battery: TP1320-3SPL
- Thunder Power Pro-Lite Series 1320mah 3 cell 11.1volt LiPo 13C-20C
(17amps-27amps)
Initial
Impressions
For those of you who have already sampled what
3DHobbyShop has to offer, this is a normal sight, but for those who have not
here is your first glance at the 3DHobbyShop product as it comes off the UPS
truck. All ARF Kits are shipped in a triple boxed packaging system that
just about ensures there is no chance of damage. The lightweight interior plane
box contains all of the kit's components, taped down and secured to prevent
over-shifting during shipping. This box contained multiple cardboard
stiffner sections strategically located to accept the load or force in the event
of mishandling or the occasional boot print, and help to keep the box it it's
intended, original shape while (most importantly) protecting the kit's contents.
That interior plane
box, was then located inside a thicker, larger sleeve box, which was then placed
inside a completely separate outer carton box, that was even thicker.
So 3 total boxes
in all, working together to protect your kit. It
was just a breath of fresh air to see a well developed thought and engineering process put into the
packaging of a kit to ensure the aircraft arrives to the customer the way it is
supposed to. Truly well-engineered.
The Build
All of the kit's components un-boxed, all laid
out and ready to go. This is an impressive package for a 40" ParkFlyer
sized airframe. All of the upgraded goodies are here that you would
typically see in larger ARF kits:
Carbon Fiber wing-spar tube - Carbon
Fiber Landing Gear Legs - Magnetic Canopy Hatch with pre-installed 3DH Hatch
Latch (no gluing, drilling or canopy blowing off) - Pre-installed Phenolic
Elevator Joiner - Sturdy Metal Control Linkages - Aluminum wheel axles - Easy
access Thumb Screw wing attachment and removal - Steerable Tailwheel Assembly - Fiberglass Cowl & Wheelpants - High quality
Hardware Package including Phenolic Control Horns - and yes, even the hook and
loop tape (velcro) for the battery tray, battery and extra battery seatbelts as well.......everything you need and more.......there's even some extra
hardware pieces. The
covering is absolutely beautiful, maybe one or two little baby wrinkles on the
entire kit. Paint matching on the Cowl and Canopy was dead on with the
covering, very nicely done, and you have to love the carbon fiber landing gear
legs and the little three color painted Wheelpants.
Step One per Manual - Landing Gear Installation:
The experienced 3DH modeler may find this a bit
over the top and unnecessary, but hopefully the information will help out some
people looking to step up to the 3DH lineup for the first time, and looking for
a little assistance in doing so. The manual is pretty straight forward and
well written. There are a few little quirks & small tidbits of
miscellaneous info. that I am going to cover so anyone building the plane,
especially the 3D beginner/novice getting into ARF balsa/ply construction, can
get through it with very little fuss.
The first thing I did was apply a little thin CA
to all of the wood joints/connections in the motor box and fuselage area,
including around the landing gear plate. Just to make sure everything was
firmly adhered.
Kit Parts Required: Main Wheel Set, Aluminum
Axles with wheel collars & locknuts, Wheel Pants, Carbon Fiber Landing Gear Legs
with mounting bolts & washers.
First, slide the axles through the wheels, then
grab the wheel collars, loosen the set screw so the collar will slide over the
axles freely. Apply a little pressure to get the collar against the wheel
hub and tighten down the set screws. A very small amount of blue locktite
may be used on the set screw to keep it in place. Make sure the wheels
spin freely and does not grab or bind on the axles. Next, insert the wheel
and axle assembly into the wheelpants as shown below.
Now install the wheel assembly with wheelpants
onto the Carbon Fiber landing gear legs using the locknuts provided. You
will need to hold the axles from the inside of the wheelpants with needle-nose
pliers to keep them from spinning while you tighten down the locknuts. Do
not over-tighten the locknuts, doing so may cause the fiberglass wheelpants to
crack, just get the locknuts snug. There is a slight taper to the Carbon
Fiber legs, when installed correctly, the legs will taper ever so slightly
towards the nose of the aircraft. Make sure you check this on the fuselage
prior to installing the wheelpants.
The landing gear installation on the 40" EDGE is
a little unique. You will need to remove a section of covering on each
side of the fuselage to insert the landing gear legs as shown in the picture
below.
Now insert the landing gear leg assembly with
wheelpants and wheels into the slot in the fuselage. Install with the
provided bolts and washers from the interior of the fuselage. The easiest
way to get this done, is to flip the fuselage upside down and hold above your
head so you are looking at the interior of the fuselage and the landing gear
plate blindnuts. Then using a hex driver, insert the bolts and washers and
tighten down snugly.
Completed install.
Step Two per Manual - Misc. Covering Removal &
Horizontal Stabilizer/Elevator Installation:
Remove the covering on the fuselage as shown on
both sides.
The areas being removed are for the wing spar tube, wing anti-rotation pin,
servo wires and the wing attachment thumbscrew.
Next, remove a section of covering towards the
tail of the aircraft for cooling purposes, allowing the warm air to escape from
the fuselage and keeping cool air flowing over your components.
Remove the section of covering on the
fuselage at the Horizontal Stabilizer/Elevator slot. Then carefully slide
the elevator section (with the hinges) by itself through the slot in the
fuselage. You will need to insert the elevator section at an angle and
gently work it back and forth while inserting to get it to the point where the phenolic joiner is located in the slot in the fuselage. Then slide it all
the way back to allow room for the horizontal stabilizer to be inserted in front
of it and then insert the horizontal stabilizer through the slot in the fuselage.
Insert the elevator section hinges into the
horizontal stabilizer hinge slots. Check the left and right alignment of
the stabilizer to the fuselage and make sure both sides measure the same
distance. Then insert the carbon fiber wing spar tube into the slot in the
fuselage and align the horizontal stabilizer to the wing spar tube using a tape
measure as shown in the manual, making sure you have the same distance on both
sides. Adjust as needed to get the distance up to the wing spar tube and
the distance from the fuselage on either side equal. Lastly, do a quick
eyeball check and make sure the stabilizer and elevator align horizontally with
the wingspar tube when it is inserted in the fuselage.
Once you are completely satisfied with the
alignment, apply THIN CA along the stabilizer to fuselage joint both top and
bottom, allowing the CA to wick into the joint. There is no need to remove
any of the covering on the stabilizer when gluing in place. I also applied
a little MEDIUM CA along the fuselage to stabilizer joint on the interior of the
fuselage where the cooling hole was cut for a little added insurance.
Allow plenty of time for curing before proceeding to the next step.
After the stabilizer has has plenty of time to
cure, set your hinge gap by flexing the elevator to 45 degrees up and down.
Make sure the elevator section is centered on the stabilizer and apply THIN CA
to each hinge. The manual says to
apply 2 drops to each hinge, but I applied 2 drops to each hinge, on each side
of the elevator, top & bottom. Thus Applying one drop on each hinges' left
& right side. So each hinge received a grand total of 4 drops to insure a firm
installation. Make sure you allow ample time for the THIN CA to dry and
completely wick in after each application (top & bottom ). Also, flex the
elevator up and down after each application to make sure the hinges break-in,
stay loose and allow for free travel. Allow plenty of time for curing
prior to proceeding to the next step.
Side Track - ADC Vinyl Decal Installation:
Once the horizontal stabilizer and elevator where
installed it was time to install the optional vinyl decal package. This
seemed like a good time to get the graphics installed, before we start
assembling servo's and linkages and lose the ability to fully deflect the hinged
surfaces for decal trimming purposes. You can install just about all of
the graphics prior to the start of assembly if you wanted to, except for the
horizontal stab. and elevator. Since the gap in the fuse is so tight when
sliding the stab. and elevator in place, the vinyl graphics could catch an edge
and potentially get damaged during the installation. So better to be safe
and get the stab. and elevator installed first.
The decals come with a set of
installation instructions and a
vinyl installation squeegee, so I will just cover a couple quick points.
First, just make sure that you clean all surfaces prior to installing any
decals. A paper towel and Windex will work, just make sure you blow off
any of the lint left behind by the paper towel. If you take your time, and
test fit the decals prior to removing them from their paper backing and starting
the install, everything goes pretty smooth.
Fuselage
Rudder
You will need to insert the rudder section and
hinges into the fin and hold the rudder still with some low tack blue painters
tape in order to install the decals properly without the rudder constantly
moving.
Once the decals are installed, and before you
remove the clear application tape layer, you will need to slice the decals along
the hinge line. Cut through both the clear application tape layer, and the
vinyl decals themselves. At this time you can separate the rudder from the
fin. Then, with each of the pieces separately, you can either run your
finger along the trim line and smooth the excess/overhang section of the decal
over the edge, or you can trim the edge clean at the overhang point.
Elevator
Same notes on the low tack blue painters tape,
and on the trimming.
Wings
Same notes on the low tack blue painters tape,
and on the trimming.
Typical wing trim/overlap area.
Step Three per Manual - Vertical Fin/Rudder Installation:
The fuselage is pre-slotted to accept the
vertical fin. Test fit by inserting the vertical fin into the slot in the
fuselage, then insert the rudder section by sliding the hinges into the hinge
slots. The top two hinges on the rudder section will go into the slots on
the fin and the bottom hinge will go into the slot in the fuselage. Do an
eyeball check and make sure that the fit of the fin is snug, and that the fin
and rudder are as close to 90 degrees to the horizontal stabilizer/elevator as
possible. Lightly sand as needed, just remember that this is not overly
critical, and as long as your eyeball check was fairly close, the plane will fly
just fine.
Separate the fin and rudder sections and
apply some MEDIUM CA to all of the exposed wood sections on the fin, including
all sides and the bottom. Install the fin into the slot in the fuselage
and push it all the way forward so that the trailing edge aligns as close as
possible with the end of the fuselage. Allow plenty of time for the CA to
cure before proceeding.
After the vertical fin has had plenty of time to
cure, insert the rudder section back into the hinge slots, and set your hinge
gap by flexing the rudder to 45 degrees left and right. Vertically, make
sure that you are aligned with the bottom of the fuselage, and have an adequate
gap from the top of the fin to the rudder and that the rudder is not rubbing on
the fin while traveling side to side. Once you are satisfied, apply THIN CA
to each hinge. The manual says to
apply 2 drops to each hinge, but I applied 2 drops to each hinge, on each side
of the rudder, left & right. So each hinge received a grand total of 4 drops to insure a firm
installation. Make sure you allow ample time for the THIN CA to dry and
completely wick in after each application (left & right). Also, flex the
rudder left and right after each application to make sure the hinges break-in,
stay loose and allow for free travel. Allow plenty of time for curing
prior to proceeding to the next step.
Step Four per Manual - Tailwheel Installation/Assembly:
Kit Parts Required: Tailwheel wire, Tailwheel
bracket/brace, Tailwheel, Small wheel collar, Two medium length wood screws.
The EDGE comes with a steerable tailwheel
assembly and all required hardware for installation. First, follow the
manual and slide the triangular shaped tailwheel bracket/brace onto the
tailwheel wire as shown in the provided picture. Next, test fit the
assembly on the bottom of the rudder and fuselage, placing the triangular shaped
bracket flush on the fuselage section, and aligning the pivot hole on the
bracket with the center of the hinge gap between the rudder and the fuselage.
Mark the bracket hole locations on the fuselage and the approximate location
where the end of the tailwheel wire will insert into the rudder.
Carefully, by hand, drill a 1/16" dia. hole in each of these locations.
Remove a thin section of covering and carefully cut out approximately a 1/16"
deep channel on the rudder, leading all the way to the approximate location
where the end of the tailwheel wire will insert into the hole. This will allow for the
tailwheel wire to sit flush and recess into the rudder.
Test fit the tailwheel assembly and bracket one
last time and make sure everything aligns properly. Drip THIN CA into the
two hole locations drilled into the fuselage to harden them up, and fill the
channel and the hole created in the rudder with MEDIUM CA. Install the
tailwheel bracket/wire assembly into the rudder and snug down the screws on the
bracket/brace into the fuselage while keeping the tailwheel wire located in the
channel in the rudder and the end of the wire located in the hole drilled at the
end of the channel. Allow plenty of time for the assembly to cure, then
finish up the installation by installing the tailwheel and wheel collar.
Step Five per Manual - Elevator & Rudder Servo
Installation:
Kit Parts Required: Two short Phenolic surface
control horns, two longest linkage pushrods and EZ connectors
When the plane is upright, looking from the tail
at the top of the plane, the elevator servo and surface control servo horn will be installed on
the left hand side of the fuselage. Find the elevator control horn slot on
the underside of the elevator section. Remove the small rectangle of
covering over the slot. The kit comes with four phenolic control horns,
two long and two short. The elevator and rudder use the two shorter horns
and the two longer horns will be used in the ailerons. Test fit one of the
shorter horns into the slot in the elevator and make sure the horn inserts
properly and the notch on the horn sits flush on the surface of the covering.
When installed properly, the tip of the control horn with the hole for the servo
linkage wire will point towards the nose of the plane. Drip a couple drops
of MEDIUM CA into the control horn slot on the elevator, and coat the mounting
tab area on the control horn as well. Install the control horn into the
elevator slot and allow plenty of time for the CA to cure.
Once the control horn has cured, remove the
section of covering over the elevator servo opening on the fuselage. There
are two opening slots available on the fuselage for servos. The elevator
servo slot is the one closer to the nose of the plane and furthest from the
elevator. Install your 12" servo extension on the servo lead and test fit
the servo. The HS-65 series servos are slightly larger than the slot
provided on the airframe, so the slot will need to be slightly enlarged in order
for the servo to fit properly. Mark the screw hole locations and drill a
1/16" dia. hole at each location. Apply THIN CA to each of the holes to
allow them to harden up. You can also apply THIN CA to the threads on the
mounting screws to help with a snug fit, just let the CA dry and cure before
installing the servo.
Install the servo into the slot in the
fuselage using the supplied servo mounting screws included with the servo.
Test fit the servo horn onto the servo, and install the EZ connector on the
servo horn. On the stock HS-65 single arm, the last hole should allow you
to achieve the recommended throws. Do not use CA or locktite on the EZ
connector at this time, you want to test fit everything and make sure you are
getting the recommended throws before you commit to a permanent installation.
On this model, I am using the stock servo horns that came with the HS-65 servos,
you can also use the 3DHobbyShop Long Arm Phenolic Control horns for extreme 3D
throws. There are 4 control surface pushrods that come with the kit.
The two shortest ones are used for the ailerons, the longest one is for the
rudder and the second longest one is used for the elevator. Plug the
elevator servo extension into your receiver, and turn on your radio. Then
plug the receiver battery pack into the battery slot and allow the receiver to
initialize and center the servo. Leaving the radio on, and using the
second longest pushrod, install the pushrod into the hole on the
elevator control horn and slide the other end into the EZ connector on the servo
horn. You will need to hold the elevator in place, in a neutral position
(blue painters tape can be used to accomplish this), then tighten down the allen
set screw on the EZ connector. Remove the tape from the elevator and
measure the distance of surface travel in each direction to verify that you can
achieve the recommended throws. Adjust the EZ connector location in the
servo arm/horn as needed. Once you have verified that you are getting the
recommended throws, you can apply MEDIUM CA to the end of the nut on the EZ
connector and use a small amount of light duty locktite on the allen set screw,
and tighten everything down.
On the rudder servo installation, when the plane is upright, looking from the tail
at the top of the plane, the rudder servo and surface control horn will be
installed on the right hand side of the fuselage, opposite from the elevator
servo. After testing the alignment of the servo to the supplied control
horn slot, I elected to make a new slot just underneath the supplied control
horn slot in the rudder. This allowed for a little closer to perpendicular
alignment of the pushrod to the control horn and servo horn, and ensured
ample room for clearance from the rudder control horn to the elevator when both
surfaces are being used. Again, the kit comes with four phenolic control horns, two
long and two short. The rudder control horn is one of the shorter ones.
Test fit one of the shorter horns into the slot in the rudder and make sure the
horn inserts properly and the notch on the horn sits flush on the surface of the
covering. When installed properly, the tip of the control horn with the
hole for the servo linkage wire will point towards the nose of the plane.
Drip a couple drops of MEDIUM CA into the control horn slot on the rudder, and
coat the mounting tab area on the control horn as well. Install the
control horn into the rudder slot and allow plenty of time for the CA to cure.
Once the control horn has cured, remove the
section of covering over the rudder servo opening on the fuselage. There
are two opening slots available on the fuselage for servos. The rudder
servo slot is the one closer to the tail of the aircraft, and opposite the one
utilized for the elevator. Repeat the steps followed on the elevator servo
installation with regard to the servo extension, trimming, hole drilling and
test fitting. Again, on the stock HS-65 single arm, the last hole should
allow you to achieve the recommended throws.
Install the servo into the slot in the fuselage
using the supplied servo mounting screws included with the servo and repeat the
same steps followed on the elevator servo installation with regard to the servo
horn and EZ connector test fitting. Out of the 3 remaining control surface
pushrods that come with the kit, the longest will be used for the rudder.
Again, Repeat the steps followed on the elevator servo to finalize the rudder
servo installation.
Step Five per Manual - Motor & ESC
Installation:
Kit Parts Required: Motor Mounting Bolts, Washers
and Locknuts
The EDGE is designed to accept a wide variety of
brushless Outrunners. That being said, the firewall is PRE-DRILLED for
20mm+/- motors such as the Reaper Gr-25, Torque 20T & 22T, Hacker A20 series and
other popular 20mm+/- Outrunners. After comparing the available power
ratings, the decision was made to go with the Reaper Brushless Gr-25. It
is capable of producing power levels equal to the larger 28mm+/- motors, such as
the Torque 2830T-1095, Hacker A30-28S and E-Flite Park 480 1020kv, but has the
benefit of the smaller X-Mount pattern that fits the pre-drilled firewall, so no
modifications to the airframe were necessary.......a big plus, and it is a good
0.4oz. lighter than the larger 28mm+/- motors, so the power to weight ratio is
fantastic.
Install the provided collar onto the motor shaft
at the back of the motor as shown. Loosen the set screw on the collar,
slide it along the shaft and up against the shaft clip, then tighten down the
set screw. It is a good idea to use a small amount of medium Blue Locktite
on the set screw to prevent it from vibrating loose.
Now install the included bolt-on prop. adapter
onto the front of the motor using the 4 allen bolts provided as shown.
Again, it is a good idea to use a small amount of medium Blue Locktite on the
bolts to prevent them from vibrating loose.
Install the included motor X-Mount onto the back
of the motor where the collar was installed using the provided screws as shown.
Once again, it is a good idea to use a small amount of medium Blue Locktite on
the screws to prevent them from vibrating loose.
Now the motor is ready to be installed onto the
firewall. Note: If using one of the larger 28mm+/- motors, at this point
you will need to drill new holes in the firewall to accept the larger X-Mount
bolt pattern. Line the X-Mount up to the holes in the firewall and install
using the provided mounting bolts, washers and locknuts. Position the
motor so that the wires are leading to either the right or left side of the
motor box for easy connection to the ESC. Install a mounting bolt through
the hole in the X-Mount, then add a washer, then push the bolt through the
firewall and then use another washer and locknut to hold the assembly in-place
from the backside of the firewall, as shown below. Do not completely
tighten any of the bolts/locknuts until all four mounting bolts are in-place.
The washers shown on the front of the firewall, in-between the X-Mount and the
firewall are not included in the kit, and are not required. They were
installed by choice.
Once you have all of the hardware installed,
tighten down the mounting bolts and locknuts. Since we are using nylon
locknuts, Locktite is not required.
Connect your motor wires to the ESC wires, insert
the ESC receiver wire into the proper slot in the receiver, and power up the
system and verify that the motor is spinning in the appropriate
counter-clockwise direction before proceeding. If the motor is NOT
spinning in a counter-clockwise direction, simply switch any two of the wires
and repeat the test. Secure each of the wire/bullet connector connection
points using either heat shrink, if you are fancy, or simply wrapping them in
tape if you're not. Then secure the ESC and wires onto the motor cage
using either zip ties or Velcro straps. Since I am using a lighter motor
in the Gr-25, I have my ESC as far forward as feasible to get a little extra
weight hanging off of the nose and potentially avoid having the need for motor
spacers to push the motor weight further forward to obtain an acceptable CG.
