Exciting electric combat videos!

[Lucam]

Hi,
As I posted a while ago, we are developing a brand new electric combat competition: "Profile 400", that means very simple wwii semi-scale profile models, 74 cm. wingspan; that means weights around 400 grams, 5 minutes for each hit.

Here

http://www.tuttala.it/or4/or?uid=tuttala.main.index&oid=7012

you cand find tons of pictures + two exciting movie taken in our last event, just a week ago; as you can see, the majority of models was reproduction of Macchi Mc 2002 (we are in Italy, and Macchi was by the far our best wwii fighter) but also Grumann, Zero, Focke-Wulf was represented. I was the only pilot fighting with a commercial model (Gws zero modified with Speed 400 for complain game rules) but I ranked just 8th out of 12 pilots... Zero had not enough speed to compete, but I totalled myat maiden my wonderful Savoia Marchetti SM 91 twin (the Italian answer to Lokeed P-38). :mad:

Jus a few hint for navigation: clic on the jellow labeled "video" link for the movies; the first three are the same, just with different resolution, and is taken onboard during combat session;
the last is a really beautiful (IMHO! ;) ) midair collision.

For browse pictures, "Avanti" means "Next Page", "Indietro" means "Previous page".

A few pics for those tath are too lazy to follow the link: :rolleyes:

[sheepy]

The videos were great. It looks like you guys are having a blast.

[feg]

Nice videos!
Me and my brother just completed two planes (similar to your planes) that were supposed to resemble WWII fighter planes but came out otherwise because we were lazy.
Ours are also speed 400 profile but we seem to be a little bit larger.
I saw that some of the planes on your site are direct drive and others are not. Is the performance comparable between the two?
What kind of material do you use for streamers?

The picture below shows our two speed 400 profile planes (soon to be combat planes) on a nice cover of snow.
The performance was exiting and the response on rudders was almost scary. The planes was almost jumping a round in the air when we touched the controls. To bad its going to be windy this weekend here in Sweden.

/feg

[drewjet]

Here is my first electric combat plane. It is powered by a double CD rom and I have flown it with 2 and 3 cell lithium 800 MAh batteries and 6 and 8 cell NimH batteries. Good power, no Rudder. So far all flying has been in my own field, with nobody to fly against. I am hoping to get some action in this morning with some friends.

I am already working on the second one. It will be smaller,lighter and fly on a singel can CD (Much cheaper easier and faster to build). I am hoping to eventually start an all electric combat class in RCCA for it. Therefore there will be a lot of testing going on, over a long time period.

Drew

[sheepy]

Drew, I am very interested in helping evaluate this. I have several GB kits to make motors with. Do you have more details? AUW, prop,rpm,watts... everything. I will be making one of roys cutting tables to do fuselages easier, and I might have to fire up the bow to make some wings. I do have a few hershey bar wings that I could experiment with too. It would be nice to have an almost disposable combat ship that performs nicely.

[drewjet]

Sheepy:

I really respect and admire what you have done to try and be competitive in RCCA combat. However I think you proved my point that it is currently too expensive and too fragile to be competitive. What Slam and me are looking for is a new class of RCCA style combat, with stipulation for motor(GB single) and battery(6 to 8 cell Kan).

The pictured plane is a sorta mustang(with oversized wing). About 32" long 48" wingspan. Double can motor, 9 turns 23 gage wire. With apogee 2 cell 850 APC E 8X6 about 7 amps. 12 ozs. Easy launch pulls streamer well, great climb, but overall too fast. I want it to fly slower and not loop so tight. I want pursuit flying , not furball. I experimented with different configurations. I tried 8 and 10 cell Kan packs and it flew quite well, but still too fast. I then tried a 6 cell 1700 nicad pack and it flew about the way I wanted, Much slower, heavier (scale like). It still pulled a streamer just fine and I think it would be OK with streamers on the wing.


The first plane is now dead. I built it using a combination of combat and electric techniques to keep it strong and light. I used too much electric and not enough combat. On a nose in the tail broke off.

I am hoping to finish up my second one this morning and fly it. I added some strapping tape in strategic areas, yet hope to keep weight below 9 ozs. It is a King cobra with only a slightly oversized wing (E203 airfoil).32 inches long and 38 inch wingspan. If it flies good I may cut them down. It will be powered by a single CD 14 turns 8X4 hyper drive ( the same as my shock flyer motor). I am really hopping to be able to run it on a Kan 6-8 cell 1050 pack as the cells are only $.95 a piece and no fear of fires in combat.

Hope to know more soon.

Drew

[drewjet]

All done. All up weight is 10 ozs. with 830 batts, 9 ozs with etec 450 batts. Just about 1:1 power, which I think may be too much, may try smaller props with lithium, But really want to try the Kan Cells.

Drew

[drewjet]

Test flights went great. I flew it on as heavy as a 1700 MAh Nicad and still flew good. My favorite is on an etec 450 2s at 9 ozs and a smaller prop MAS 5 X 5.5. Still had good climb, but not unlimited vertical. Speed was slightly faster than a shock flyer, Maybe 25 MPH.

I attached streamers and it didn't take long for a few of the guys to start trying to cut it. I let everyone who wanted to fly it get a turn. They all loved the way it flys.

A few brave shockies even tied some streamer onto their planes and start combat was on! I flew much less aggressively as I didn't want to scare them off, I managed a few cuts and i now have at least 3 guys wanting planes.

A buddy has a block of 3" thick EPP, so the next one is going to be built from that to see how it weighs in comparison to blue foam.

[Lucam]

Nice videos!
I saw that some of the planes on your site are direct drive and others are not. Is the performance comparable between the two?
What kind of material do you use for streamers?

/feg

Yep, comparable. But most models were just with 1.8:1 gearbox, useful for strong acceleration and sharp turns. Forgive my English, I don't understand what a "streamer" is. But all models were in foam; some of us sues Depron sheets glued with contact glue, some others goes with other kind of foam, mainly the ones used in building houses for insulatin purposes. Some models were hust painted, some others were covered in office paper and a moisture of water and vinilic glue.

[feg]

Thanks for answering.
I think your Einglish is as good or bad as mine. I'm from Sweden so English is'nt my native language either.
It might be that I don't know what I'm talking about but i think that the rope/string/line that you are dragging behind the planes for opponents to cut with their propellers is called a "streamer".

Seams that the building method i quite universal. I'm using insulation foam, depron, tape, UHU-por glue, plywood (just a little) and carbon fiber for pushrods.
Would be nice to use EPP but its seams to be extreamly hard to find here in Sweden.

/feg

[Lucam]

yep, also in Italy Epp is a "rare bird"... But Depron works fine for combat purpose. Ok, now I know what a "streamer" is, thank you! In Italian we call them "coda" :-) We simply cut off from a paper table-cloth... As them are sold in 7 meters long roll, you can slice the roll tiself as it was a salame, using a metal saw:D in that way, you can get a perfect coda... Opps, "streamer" just in seconds. ;)

[irone]

I just found this thread........ looks good...
If you have not done so check out another
Combat Page

"electric combat..... No Fear"

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=303127&page=1&pp=15

You will like it........

[PLANE FREAK]

Totally Cool ! That rocks :D :D :D