I just finished building the Radical RC Micro Stick today. Maiden flight a lot of fun. (-: Darkness fell otherwise I'd still be out.

Here are the specs from Radical RC's web page:

At Last! A small model that uses simple gear! The Micro Stick is hot at full throttle, faster than you'd expect, yet the wing loading is that of an indoor flyer. Weighing in at only 3oz it's hard to believe it only needs your typical park flier gear. 2 .2oz servos like Pico, HE2003, HE490 or HS-50, a Pico/Plantraco or FMA M5 RX and a 2 amp GWS or Pixie 7P speed control. Any 250 to 700 2S lipo pack works well. The prop reamer below is suggested as the 3-2 props are too tight on the 50XC motor shaft. Your sure to have fun with this little beast. Only 3oz, 88 Sq. inch wing area, 17" span and 14.5" long. Wing is held on with a simple magnet!

The kit is laser cut - the cutting is superb. A tab and slot interlocking system
is used on all assemblies. The parts all fit perfectly and the interlocking
parts align so well I didn't need to pin anything down. It took about one hour
to build the wing, fuse and tail feathers. The only adhesive I used was thin CA. My model is covered with transparent red UltraCote Lite. It's a little heavier than the recommended Solite, but it went on easily and looks good.

The motor mount is really clever - it's a GWS heat sink epoxied to the firewall.
The motor passes through a firewall hole and friction fits in the heat sink.

I used the following:
GWS 4P recvr
GWS Pico Servos Ail/Elev
GWS ICS50 Speed Control
GWS 50XC Motor
GWS 3x@ Prop
Thunder Power 2s1P 730mah Battery

Despite the plane's small size, everything went in nicely without a lot of fuss.
I did beef beneath the Ail servo mounting plate by placing a couple of 1/16x3/16 basswood rails so I could screw the servo down. Pushrod music wire and plywood control horns are supplied with the kit. They were easy to use. I glued the Elev servo to the fuse side just in front or the rear fuse former. The other radio stuff is floating around near the front former. My battery rests on the fuse bottom behind the front former.

OK - my experience with the kit was great and the instructions were fine.
I glanced at them, but really didn't need 'em. This is not a "glue part A to
Part B per the illustration" kind of kit. I'm guessing Radical RC presumes that
the builder will have some experience, since this is not a beginner's kit.

It finished out at about 4 ounces on my spring scale. When I find my digital scale I'll post a more accurate weight. If I had used a smaller battery and the
recommended covering, I believe I could have made the stated 3 oz. weight.

I didn't really care about the weight. I used to have an ACE Littlest Stick with
about the same dimensions as this model. It weighed six ounces and flew great. I wanted a lunchtime outdoor model with enough zip and lateral authority to handle some breeze.

I set the Elev for about +/- 3/16 and the Ails about +/- 1/4.
The plane balanced on the spar without any fiddling or shifting.

A level toss into the wind at full throttle sent this little plane skyward at
an amazing rate. The TX I used doesn't have expo or dual rates. For a few
harrowing seconds I wished it did. I got a feel for the plane quickly - it takes
a light touch. This is a very fast plane with a lot of roll response. The instructions warned that it's pitch sensitive due to its short coupling,
but I didn't notice any pitchiness.

I flew around for four or five minutes without doing any aerobatics. The 50xc
motor provides PLENTY of power. Most of the flight was at half-throttle.
I decided to land because the sun was low and clouds came up making it hard to stay oriented. I stopped the motor on the base leg and made the turn into final approach dead stick. The power off handling was smooth,
and the plane slowed comfortably without stalling. I didn't try to flare the landing. The glide slope seemed pretty shallow, so I just let the plane
land in the grass without using any elevator.

In summary, I recommend this kit without reservation.
I think I'm going to like it a lot. It's almost always breezy here in Austin,
and this little plane punches through like a bigger plane. It offers a lot of
performance for a very low price.

Here is a pic

Well, I just finished over the weekend the one I bought from the WRAM show (Sorry I took too long Dave!!!)

This one is full house(!!!) with the following setup:

Sky Hooks and Riggings RX/ESC Hybrid
2 WesTec 3g servos (Rudder and Elevator)
GWS BP101 servo (Aileron)
Dual N20 gear drive, 4.2:1 gearing, wired in series
Gunther 5" prop
3-cell 250mah LiPoly pack
Landing Gear and Tail Skid (Sorry again Dave!!!)
3.4oz AUW

Building was a snap. I did most of it while watching TV. Dave sure was right when he said it could be built on one's lap (well almost, in my case anyway). This was also my first ever Solite covering job. As such, it took me quite a while to cover this thing.

The dual N20 drive provides adequate power. Takeoff run was several feet. But, my setup is a bit tail heavy (CG was just behind the 1/4" rear of the spar limit as given in the instructions) and as such was very pitch sensitive. I also experienced some glitches with the RX/ESC Hybrid. As such, I still haven't flown it much other than a few runs to test takeoff and landing characteristics. I guess I have some rearranging to do. Even with the geared drive, it also might be a bit too hot for my 3-court flying area. My next sortie should determine that.

In any case, this thing is tough. I have dorked this plane into concrete twice (radio glitch) and worst damage was 2 cracks on the wing leading edge. The light weight and magnet wing hold must have prevented this thing from turning into a pile of toothpicks.

My intent was to initially turn this thing into a sport flyer instead of the intended little speed demon. I figured that at 88 sq.in., It should do just as well (if not better) as the DJAerotech Roadkills in the same weight range.

If all goes well, I will then configure it with a dual N20 setup that produces around 4oz of thrust on 3 LiPoly cells. That should put the rudder into better use.

Jun Nolasco

I finished my Ministick yesterday and had the first maiden this morning. It is 45 degrees in Wisconsin but the sun was out and the wind gods were kind. We have some many days of rain and wind that it was good to wake up to the sun. After a gentle toss of the Ministick into the sky a few harrowing seconds followed as I had to hand launch it myself. I launched at 3/4 throttle as it has the 300 motor combination. I needed a little down trim and after a few flybys did several rolls and loops. I had 3/16" throws on the ailerons and elevator; 3/8 on rudder. It is a fun neat plane. It will be a fun plane to take along all of the time in car. I liked the magnetic wing holder--Neat! I don't think I had it wide open for over 30 seconds. I flies great at 1/2 throttle.

My Ministick's final weight was 5.8oz., 166 grm. I am using the S-300 motor combination, DSP-4 rec.& ESC, 2S1P 340 Kokam HD pack, 2 GWS pico std servoes with an HS-50 servo on the ailerons. My bare bones uncovered weight was 38 gr. After it was covered and the horns and hinges installed it was 53 grm.

It was an easy plane to build but it took me a while to get the Solite on. I had read the threads on Solite and that helped a lot. The next one will be improved as the learning curve showed its face on this first one. The laser cutting was joy to work with and much of it can be built just holding it in your hand. The plane can be built as an Eindedker or a sport look. Parts are included for both of them. I chose the sport look. I may try a landing gear and steerable tail wheel as the plane flies with much authourity and a little more weight may even be good in a light wind.

Dave, thanks for another nice plane. Your instructions were great. Thanks for the throw information. I used dual rates but never got off of the low rates as they were plenty for the plane at this point. It will be fun to be more daring on the next flights!

Bill

Here are two pictures of the bottom and the inside. I just let the antenna hang out but will get a micro antenna soon. I want to try some range checks both ways. I widened the bottom and flattened the bottom of the front former so the lith. pack could go a little furthur forward. I used Velcro to hold the battery down with two thin rows (1/4") of hooks on the floor; then a small piece of velcro on the top of the battery to hold the DSP receiver. I really like the Dubr849 E/Z links to secure the pushrods. I used Z bends on the aileron but I think I will replace the pushrods and use E/Z links as they have a little slop as my Z bender is too big for the wire.

Bill

My second flight this afternoon with the Ministick was much easier. I gave a stronger launch under full throttle, this time pointed up about 30 degrees, rather than a straight ahead level launch. The Ministick just kept on going with no torque to the left like my mini pocket wing using a GWS 50 pusher motor. I flew for about 7 minutes in a 5-7mph wind with no problems at all. I went up to high rates on aileron and the roll rate was very acceptable and quick. The airplane is very quiet compared to some of the electrics and it will be a fun plane to keep in the car for flying on the spur of the moment. It can go up real high quite fast, really scoots, and probably is too fast for real small parks and fields. One could easily stay within a soccer field if one does not try to go too high and too fast. It lands easily. I am having second thoughts about installing a landing gear as for travel it would be easier without it, and with less damage possiblity on landing.

This is a real nice kit plane by Dave at Radical R/C. It is not a beginners plane but on the other hand it is much easier to fly than a mini pocket wing. Dave has done a nice job on this kit and was helpful at Toledo when I bought the kit. He suggested using a prop adapter rather than the usual push on flexible GWS plastic spinner arrangement. I fired up the motor, without the prop, and used a sanding stick to sand off the shaft corrigations on end of the motor shaft. I then used a 2mm prop adapter that Dave has. The GWS props need to be drilled out to #8 or#9 size to fit the adapter, using a drill press. I have had previous problems on a Zaggi wing with the soft plastic spinner-props coming off in flight and I think the prop adapter idea is worth doing right away. I needed more noseweight anyway and it all helps.

For the S300 GWS motor with direct drive using the supplied orange 4025 props (4" x 2.5 pitch I think) the amp draw with 2S1P 340 HD lithium cells was 5.7 Amps. The DSP receiver will handle 10 amps. The voltage on the lithium pack without load to start was 7.9V and under load running was 5.7v. This gave a total of 32 watts on the Astro watt meter. The rpms were between 17,200 and 16,900.

This is going to be a fun full house micro airplane. It is worth considering as a challenging plane to keep in the car for those spare moments when we would rather be flying than working!!!

Bill

I got 20 min+ with my 2s1p tp730 pack. The wind was 7-8 mph. I had a lot
of fun with the plane. I need to add some contrasting trim to help with orientation.

The 50xc motor and the battery were cool when I landed.
Had battery capacity remaining.

Alligood- That is great to get 20 minutes with the TP730 pack!! My experience with the 50xc motor is similar. In a pocket wing I was getting about 8 minutes with an FMA 2s1p 340HD pack. I will have to try the TR730 pack in the pocket wing. I can use a little more nose weight anyhow as I have several lead weights in front for balance. My Radical R/C Ministick gets about 5 minutes on 1/2 of the output of the 340 pack so I will have to be careful not to fly it too long. I imagine it will be safe to fly it for 7-8 minutes. We have had wind and rain for the last day so I haven't been able to get out for my 3rd flight. Your Microsticks sound like a very controllable small full house stick too.
Dave's planes are sure fun. I cannot believe how easily the Ministick flies and how stable it is for the small size. Yours is even smaller.

Bill

Billyboywdb -

I'm thrilled with the TP packs in the micro stick. I never thought I'd have a four ounce windy weather plane capable of 20 minute flights. It's the perfect
anytime flyer.

I bought two each of the micro stick and mini stick from Dave because I felt sure these were super value well designed kits. I'm really pleased with them.
I built one of each, but so far I've only flown the micro stick.

I bought the 730 packs with the idea that I could use them for either plane. I was gonna put a Johnson 250 in the mini stick but now I'm so impressed with the 50xc in the micro stick I'm tempted to try it in the mini stick too. If anyone has tried it in the mini stick I would like to hear how it performs

Dave from Radical here. We've got a shop Mini flying on the 50XC. I had predicted it would be anemic but acceptable on this motor as it was quite a bit smaller than the S-300 it was really designed to optimize. However, I was wrong. It's got good sport power on the 50XC, not 50mph, not unlimited vertical but you can loop at will from level flight, do as many as you want and roll all you want. It's really all the power the Mini needs to go out and have some fun. With the S-300 it's really a muscle ship. A surprising number of people are ordering with the 50XC as thats the kind of performance most are looking for. On the S-300 you have to use good power management skills to keep it from running away from you.

Thanks for all the good words!
Dave

Dave, thanks for the neat planes! The laser cutting and assemby are perfect. When I saw them at Toledo I knew right away that the ministick should be my next project. On my next Ministick I am going to put floats on it, as we have a lake right next to us. I am not sure what float length to build or buy yet but it will be another fun project. Alligood, I only got 5 minutes with my Ministick with the S-300 motor today with the FMA 340HD 2s1p pack before the cut off took over; I had switched to a Berg 4 receiver and Pixie 7 from Castle as my DSP receiver had a broken wire and I did not have time to repair it. (Thank goodness it happened on the bench!!) I was going wide open for the whole time and not paying attention to time. It was so much fun going up high, then diving, and doing rolls and loops comparing high and low rates. With throttle management the time could be increased considerably. The 50XC motor may be a good choice as far as length of flying time goes, at least with the 340 FMA packs I have. I like the transparent Solite blue covering on the bottom, any color will work, as when it is way up high the transparent color still shows through rather than the white on the top. When these small planes get high it is hard to tell what side is up. I have my Berg antenna wire dangling out the back about a foot or more so I don't have to worry about range. I will try a micro antenna some day but I don't like compromises.

Speaking of compromises, I must confess, I am a chicken and I have put a piece of scotch tape over the rear wing to fuselage connection. It just seems like the magnets might give way in a dive; anyway I feel more secure about it with the S-300 motor. The scotch tape hopefully will come loose in a crash, heaven forbid. This is probably overkill but at least I feel better about with additional strength. A free- flight friend of mine suggested a rubber band to go from front to back of the wing, under the fuselage forward and back, as he thought it would give some give in the wing on manoevers and would be better than scotch tape. Dave, do you think two magnets together will give us all the strength we need in sharp pull ups? If so I sure will try it without the scotch tape. I will await you comments before trying it without it. The magnets meet really tight as far as I can tell and I installed them as per your instructions. I wonder how much pull there really is on this connection in aerobatics. Maybe there isn't that much. The S-300 motor really does get the plane moving out!

Bill

Bill, Dave here,

My only problems with the magnets have been on the Mini-Stick with a Brushless motor. It seems to be fine with the stock can 300. I agree it seems a little crazy but it works. I'm working on several very large kits that have magnet holddowns (and wing keeper latches) at this time. It will be a theme in all my models to come. The Mini is pretty obnoxiously overpowered with the S-300 isn't it. :-)

Dave
Radical RC.

I just came in from two successful flights. That's noteworthy because the
wind is 17 mph variable in direction and gusting to 26 mph.
Was it fun? Heck yes. Was it a little harrowing? Only the first couple of seconds after launch. This plane goes up like a rocket at full throttle. After I got some air under it I didn't worry at all. The wind rocked the plane around a little, but it never got in any unusual attitudes and flew remarkably smoothly
considering how small and light it is. When I got ready to land, I cut power before turning on base, then let the plane fly fast on final. This plane is cool because it is light and tough (tolerates rough landings) AND it penetrates with power off. I wouldn't fly it in the wind if the landings required finesse.
I just point it into the wind and keep the speed up.

It's an awesome little plane.


I put a set of lightweight 1-1/2" plastic wheels on. There are a couple of benefits - they help with visual orientation and they protect the brittle gws 3 x 2 prop. I'm not complaining about the prop..gws has been a real boon to micro flyers, it's just not a flexible prop.

These little planes are bound to be a blast.. I've submitted a review of the Vertigo Dave Thacker sells.. I love that little plane, the Zone wanted some more pics for the review and I am away at flight school, so it may be a little while before it hits the presses, but the plane is awesome, I can't wait to get a stick!

I finally got a chance between wind, rain, work travel, and vacation...to try the Mini Stick I bought in Toledo. I used what I had, so it has HS-50 servo's, an FMA M5 Rx, Azarr lite antenna, Astro 010 on a 6x3 prop, and 3s1p Kokam 340's. It weighs 7.4oz ready to fly. I had to add a spinner to get it to balance, should have put the stuff further forward inside. It doesn't seem to mind the weight.

Holy cow...what a great little plane. WAY too much power, but that's what the left stick is for! Lauched at about 1/3 throttle...perfect. Zero trim required off the board. I have never in my life had that happen. Much better in the wind than the Lady Bug I also flew this morning. I only flew two flights, about 5 minutes each, but I can tell it is a great plane. Only tried basic aerobatics (loops, rolls), but I think it will alot of fun. 1/3 to 1/2 throttle is plenty, I only even tried full throttle in a "burst", and it has lots of vertical and is very fast if you do that...although I'm a bit afraid the magnets won't hold for flying it that way....