The desing is such that it eliminated the heavy red plastic parts that were used for the motor and nose gear mounting. Instead it uses a much lighter motor mount reduced the weight by almost 20% plus it now allows airflow though the motor and battery compartment so cooling is not an issue as it was with the magi.

The Mentor is also designed for a brushless motor where the Magister was not and adding it was not an easy task. So with the reduced weight and increased power the Mentor fly's much better and with more authority while still maintaining the stable characteristics of the Magister.

Furthermore the ailerons now use dual servos instead of the single servo which was connected to both ailerons via a pushrod making them much more precise.



Mike.

Now I want one. I guess I'll have to hope and wait until the price falls.

Ryan

Originally Posted by MikeMayberry

... plus it now allows airflow though the motor and battery compartment so cooling is not an issue as it was with the magi.

Mike.

Mike, got a link to anyone that has some pix of an AR7000 Rx installation in the Mentor? All my RXs are Spektrum 2.4GHz's ... and I'll eventually be using my Mentor as a towbird for my EG PRO (and Cularis after that if you ever get the nose fixed so that it doesn't fatigue itself into oblivion).

These backorder situations sure test this old man's patience.
Thx,

Thanks for the info Mike,
Wow...with everything you just described plus the nice large beefy landing gear to handle rough fields, this one is really sounding tempting.
Cheers Mike

Originally Posted by MikeMayberry

The desing is such that it eliminated the heavy red plastic parts that were used for the motor and nose gear mounting. Instead it uses a much lighter motor mount reduced the weight by almost 20% plus it now allows airflow though the motor and battery compartment so cooling is not an issue as it was with the magi.

The Mentor is also designed for a brushless motor where the Magister was not and adding it was not an easy task. So with the reduced weight and increased power the Mentor fly's much better and with more authority while still maintaining the stable characteristics of the Magister.

Furthermore the ailerons now use dual servos instead of the single servo which was connected to both ailerons via a pushrod making them much more precise.



Mike.

Hi Mike, I talked to you on the phone once about the Magister after it was discontinued and the eventual arrival of a similar but lighter plane. Looks like Multiplex did a good job.

Would the motor mount from the Mentor work in the Magister? I am just getting around to building my Magister and have a brushless for it, but the red plastic system doesn't inspire confidence.

Thanks....
Jim

rjmanzuk- Sorry no, your on your own with that one. What evidence do you have that the Cularis nose fatigues?

cloud-9- No, the Magister fuse is different and will not accept the motor mount for the Mentor. What brushless do you have? I've attached some pictures of how I mounted one of our old geared 480's but an outrunner would mount the same way. Note the cooling slot I added to keep airflow over the ESC.

Mike.

Originally Posted by MikeMayberry

rjmanzuk- Sorry no, your on your own with that one. What evidence do you have that the Cularis nose fatigues?
Mike.

Mike, No personal experience YET with that issue; but one RCG Cularis build thread is full of discussion related to Cularis motors flying off in flight and on the bench. It's a VERY long thread, with a lot of really good builders/flyers participating ... some beginners, and some well-seasoned; all constructively, and all bent on continuing to love their Cularis in spite of known limitations or peculiarities ... as an example, here's a fairly recent posting in that thread discussing the nose reinforcement one buyer is going through having already suffered a failure, on the bench, and very nearly in flight: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...postcount=1396

But there are others in that thread, which now has over 1425 posts. By the way, that "feature" isn't enough to discourage me from still wanting one, but it has delayed my purchase as I let others come up with reinforcement measures I can make during the initial assembly.

Some of us were speculating that maybe the nose-configuration of the Blizzard is an offshoot of Multiplex's recognition of the issues with the Cularis?
Good winds,
Bob

Most of the time there are problems is when much more than the recommended power is used... This is the case with the Acro Master too. But sticking with the recommended power packs rarely results in any problems unless there is crash damage.

The Blizzard is intended to be overpowered which is the nature of a "Hotliner" so the nose is molded plastic.

Mike.

Originally Posted by MikeMayberry

Most of the time there are problems is when much more than the recommended power is used... This is the case with the Acro Master too. But sticking with the recommended power packs rarely results in any problems unless there is crash damage.

The Blizzard is intended to be overpowered which is the nature of a "Hotliner" so the nose is molded plastic.

Mike.

You'll have to have a TX that can do V-tail mixing for the Blizzard, right?

Jim

I've lost the canopy for my Mentor. Those blasted catches came undone at about 500 feet and the canopy fell to the ground in some dense woodland and could not be found.

Does anyone have a spare or know where I can definitely get one? Any help much appreciated. I'm desperate to get a replacement within the next 2 weeks.

Originally Posted by MikeMayberry

rjmanzuk- Sorry no, your on your own with that one. What evidence do you have that the Cularis nose fatigues?

cloud-9- No, the Magister fuse is different and will not accept the motor mount for the Mentor. What brushless do you have? I've attached some pictures of how I mounted one of our old geared 480's but an outrunner would mount the same way. Note the cooling slot I added to keep airflow over the ESC.

Mike.

Thanks much, Mike. I've got a couple to try, a Tower Pro 3520-6 (262 grams) and a Scorpion 3020-16. I'm going to go with the 3520 first. I am making an aluminum plate front plate for the motor mount, I don't want to drill the stock plate. Speaking of which, I wish I could find a couple spare motor mount plastic kits, but haven't been able to. Seems like they go in crashes frequently.

Jim



Jim

cloud-9- No, you can build it with one servo in the tail for elevator only.

I think we have some spare mounts... e-mail service@hitecrcd.com with the request.

Mike.

Well, AH finally got their allocation, and I ordered mine yesterday, with the exception of the tow-servo. Any recommendations on what to install for the tow-release? I can't find a recommendation in the manual, but I would prefer to install it right away (at Step 6) rather than after the rest of the bird is assembled. Here's the mix I bought, and welcome any/all suggestions for changes before the build begins ... expect shipment arrival in a week or so.

motor: Torque 2814/605 (6.25 oz, 560 Watts) w/ APC 14x7E prop
battery: ThunderPower 3S-4450 High Performance
Speed Control: AirBoss Elite 45 Amp
servos:
Two HS-85 (ailerons),
Two HS-322HD (elevator and rudder)
Two 18-inch servo extensions
Two 6-inch servo extensions

Standing by to order the tow-release servo ASAP.

Forgetting anything? Thx.
Good winds,

Hi, Bob. This is a copy of an email message I sent you concerning using the Multiplex Mentor as a glider tug. My message may have gotten caught in your spam filter.

The good news is that the Mentor comes with the plastic mechanism that you can use to attach and release a towline. All you would need is a Hitec HS-81 servo, or equivalent, to operate the mechanism using your transmitter. However, the bad news is that if the towline is released at the tug, the towline would remain attached to the glider you were towing, which would not be good for the glider.

I think it would be better to keep the towline attached to the Mentor, just as you would with a full-size glider tug, and use a mechanism on the glider to release from the towline. Once the glider releases, the Mentor could land with the towline still attached, ready to tow up the next glider.

Multiplex currently makes a tow release mechanism for the Cularis and Easy Glider and Atlantahobby is trying to get a supply of them.


This is what the glider’s tow release looks like. (MPX Part #72 3470)

The white towline’s loop is captured by the purple pin (thin steel wire). The wire is routed back into the glider’s fuselage where it attaches to a servo arm. When the servo arm is moved, the wire is retracted and the towline is released. Simple, but effective. It should cost about $10, if we can get any. Atlantahobby is checking with their suppliers to see if any are available.

I hope this info is helpful to you.

Best regards, Joel Shreenan

I hope this info is helpful to you.

Best regards, Joel Shreenan

That's a good suggestion, but I think I'll install an HS-81 at Step 6, and then, if I elect later to do some banner-towing, I'll be able to release it at will ... or, for that matter, even if I do put the main release at the glider (which makes a lot of sense in retrospect, now that you mention it), I might have to dump the towline from the tow bird also for some reason, and the -81 would give me that option. Thanks again, Joel.

I checked my spam trap and your e-mail message wasn't caught in the filter, so I don't know why I didn't get it. But thanks for following up here. Typical AH service, which I always appreciate.
Good winds,
Bob