MS Composit Pitts S2 Bulldog Review

Daniel Switkin — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:02:33 -0600

Specifications

Wingspan	33.5 in.
Wing Area	Approx. 508 sq. inches
Weight	18 oz. AUW
Wing Loading	5.1 oz./sq. foot
Length	33.5 in.
Electric Motor Requirements	200 Watt brushless motor, 18A ESC, 3S LiPo 1000-1500 mAh
Radio Required	Four channels, 3-4 micro servos
Street Price	$80 USD

The MS Composit Pitts S2 Bulldog is a park flier-sized foam biplane with a true airfoil. The majority of the plane is made of heavy-duty EPP foam, with the exception of the tail group (stabilizers, elevator, and rudder), which is Depron. The kit comes prepainted with a yellow and black scheme and the basic hardware needed, and comes in a simple bag.

The entire kit comes in a bag.

All of the kit parts before starting construction.

Right away, you'll notice that this model has a lot of potential, and also a number of shortcomings. I'll skip to the end of the review a bit by saying that if you make a number of replacements and modifications, this can be a great flying plane. However, the kit as sold off the shelf is only mediocre.

The upgraded wheels on the left, the stock plastic ones on the right.

Let's get a few negative things out of the way up front. The manual is quite poor compared to other manufacturers. This eight page leaflet is vague and meant for experienced builders, and will leave beginners used to a step-by-step manual out of luck. Fortunately, there's not as much work to do as with a balsa ARF.

The included wheels are just lightweight plastic discs, and are fragile to boot. Plan on replacing them with some real rubber wheels, or moving the aileron servo(s) to the top of the bottom wing, and flying without gear. If you do attach the landing gear, you'll want to bend it forward, as the stock position will cause the plane to nose over on almost every landing.

Building

I began building with the wings. The bottom wing comes as one piece, while the top comes in two halves which need to be glued. Although the manual suggests CA with kicker, I used UHU for all similar steps with great results.

Cutting the ailerons out of the wing cores.

Hinging the ailerons with Transpore tape.

Transpore and Blenderm tapes compared.

The Bulldog has four working ailerons, which makes it great for rolls. MS Composit cuts their wings such that the ailerons are built it - the foam itself is the hinge. I didn't care for this arrangement, as it makes the surfaces stiffer than necessary, and more likely to warp when moved. I decided to cut the ailerons free like most other foamies. I applied a small amount of UHU to the foam before using Transpore tape for the hinge. If you have Blenderm on hand, it will work at least as well if not better.

EPP wings have a natural tendency to flex, and like many foamies, these need to be stiffened. MS Composit has a very clever and inexpensive way of doing this. First you cut a slot 2-3 mm deep from wingtip to wingtip. Then you insert a length of string (included in the kit) into the slot, and soak it in thin CA. The string gets hard almost instantly and is quite effective in preventing flex. Many people choose to substitute carbon fiber instead, but it's not necessary.

Using string and CA to stiffen the wings.

The string is used on top and bottom, then trimmed.

The Depron tail is somewhat disappointing, being more fragile than the rest of the plane. I would have preferred EPP, or EPP covered with a plastic film, the way the ElectriFly Yak 55 does. As it is, the rudder and elevator both need to be cut out from their stabilizers and bevelled at 45 degrees before being hinged. I found the best way to do this was to make a 90 degree cut to separate the pieces, then hold the piece on an angle and sand it down to create the bevel.

The beveled edges on the rudder and vertical stabilizer.

I would not have cut the elevator backwards if the graphics had been face up.

Plenty of throw on the rudder.

At this point I have to confess to a building mistake which is entirely my fault. I happened to cut the elevator out with the graphics facing down. By not paying attention, I cut it the wrong way. That is, I made the stabilizer oversized and the control surface undersized. While it functions fine, a serious 3D pilot would no doubt find this setup lacking. The lesson is, pay attention: the edge with the notch is part of the elevator, and faces the rear of the plane.

The elevator slides into a slot in the fuselage and secures easily. However the vertical stab and rudder attach poorly. The stabilizer simply abuts the top of the fuselage and is glued there, which has no strength. A better design would have been one or two tabs on the stabilizer which would lock into holes in the top of the fuse. The rudder has a single hinge into the fuselage which is fine.

I used this stronger hinge to connect the rudder.

The assembled tail with the too-small elevator.

Things are starting to shape up.

Installing the servos takes some improvisation. If you're used to scratch building foamies, this will be second nature, but for everyone else it might be disconcerting. To start with, the manual uses one aileron servo for all four surfaces. I don't like the geometry of these setups, and wanted more torque, so I decided to use two Futaba S3110s for the ailerons with a Y cable.

This step is easier to do before attaching the bottom wing to the fuselage. The holes for the servos need to be cut out, with special care not to cut too deeply. You could also mount the servos on their sides if desired. I spaced them out as much as possible without adding extensions so that the force of the linkage would be closer to the center of the control surface. If you place the servos (and hence the control horn) too far inboard, the ailerons will bend excessively. Even with my setup I found the ailerons warp rather than staying flat while deflected. One solution is to add carbon fiber strips to the trailing edges.

I anchored the bottom wing with two carbon rods.

The Y cable to the aileron servos, with nice straight linkages.

The placement of the elevator and rudder servos is also up to you. I used the approximate locations suggested by the manual, choosing the height of each to get a straight shot to the control horn. One thing I didn't care for is the way the pushrods and their plastic tubes are supposed to be sunk into the fuselage. This bends them a fair amount and adds some friction. In the end I went with it, but standoffs would have worked better. On the upside, the pushrods come with z-bends already made, and adjustable pushrod keepers which make setting the linkages easy. I glued all four servos in place with a hot glue gun to make them easy to remove if needed.

Cutting a hole for one of the tail servos.

The servo lead from the other tail servo needs to come through the fuselage to reach the receiver.

The pushrods can be cut down once installed.

The tail control surfaces hook up in the standard way.

Attaching the wings is not hard but it is important to pay attention to the alignment. Again I used UHU plus a lot of weight to keep everything flat. The struts between the wings interfered a bit with the top ailerons but were easy to trim back. The linkages between the top and bottom ailerons are thin metal and tend to bend a bit. You may want to replace them with carbon rod.

Using lots of weight to glue the wings.

The stock connector between the top and bottom ailerons.

Installing the power system.

Close up of the power system.

All the electronics mounted on one side.

Just one servo and the battery on the other.

For power I used the BP Hobbies 2217-9 brushless motor and the ElectriFly SS-25 ESC, which I happened to have on hand. The plastic motor mount does not secure well to the foam - you may need to experiment to make sure it is retained well. This motor is a bit on the heavy side at 2.6 ounces. I put the ESC and receiver on the opposite side to offset the battery, although lateral CG still proved to be a problem. Use the flattest three cell LiPo you can to prevent unwanted roll towards the battery, and attach it with a velcro strip so you can adjust the longitudinal CG (front to back).

Flying

Since I fly off grass, I always hand launch the Bulldog. There's room to grab the fuselage in front of the top wing, but be careful of the prop. I use an APC 10x4.7 SF with good results. The BP motor has plenty of power to climb out with a gentle toss.

For the maiden I used a 3S 1500 mAh pack, which worked but felt heavy in the air. A 1250 mAh LiPo felt better, and convinced me to order some 1000 mAh packs, which help offset the weight of the motor. With these smallest packs I set my timer at 8.5 minutes and never use more than 80% of the capacity. With very aggressive flying 7.5 minutes is still doable.

The Bulldog ready to hand launch.

Doing a harrier around the field.

Looks pretty...

... and flies great.

Flying the Bulldog makes the lousy hardware, upgrades, and modifications worthwhile. It's stable and floats very well at slow speeds. The roll rate is great as you would expect from four ailerons, and there's plenty of rudder available. Although my setup will hover and perform outside loops, it doesn't punch out strongly the way a 3D plane should. I'd suggest a lighter motor and leaving off the landing gear if you want that kind of performance.

Landings are pretty easy. I tend to keep a little power on, but you could glide in deadstick too. As I mentioned earlier, the stock landing gear is positioned too far back, and will cause the plane to nose over. You may be able to prevent this with full up elevator, but I just bent the gear forwards.

Long Term Report

I've been flying the Bulldog for four months now, long enough to get a good feeling for its durability. Overall it's pretty tough. Those nose over landings never did any harm, and the wings can handle an impact well. I don't hesitate to fly it on windy days, unlike my wood planes. The Depron tail surfaces can break though, especially the thinnest part of the rudder, next to the control horn.

Look how the motor's torque twisted the wires!

Another shot of the broken nose.

Notice the scotch tape on the Depron rudder.

Both chopsticks were inserted this far.

The one notable exception to this toughness is the nose. When built stock, it is almost guaranteed to snap in a crash. The simplest solution is to use some wood chopsticks or BBQ skewers and run them through the motor mount, down through the nose. Try to get it past the plastic landing gear mount to make the entire nose rigid. A side benefit of using chopsticks is that the motor mount will glue onto them in addition to the foam, for a stronger bond.

Conclusion

The Pitts S2 Bulldog is a lot of fun and a good flier. It's a bit expensive for what you get, and some of the hardware is junk, but it can be turned into a great plane with a little time and effort.

Be sure to check out this excellent build thread on RCGroups for additional upgrades and changes you can make, like building EPP tail surfaces.

Futaba R6004FF FASST Receiver Released

Daniel Switkin — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:20:24 -0600

The Futaba R6004FF micro 2.4 GHz receiver

Futaba has released the R6004FF FASST receiver, a micro four channel receiver running on the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Weighing only 3.8 grams, this unit is perfect for indoor foamies and smaller park planes. Featuring one external antenna and one internal antenna, the range is reported at 600-1000 feet. The R6004FF is compatible with the entire line of Futaba 2.4 GHz transmitters and modules. The receiver has standard servo connectors are is available now for a street price of $50 USD.

Our take: It's about time! Futaba has fallen behind in the 2.4 GHz market due to its lack of competitively priced receivers. Up to this point, the cheapest and lightest Futaba receiver was the R616FFM, which is only 4 grams but has micro connectors on 5 out of 6 channels, making it useless for most of us.

That meant modelers either had to modify the R616FFM to have standard connectors, or shell out $100 for the full range, seven channel R617FS. In comparison, the Spektrum lineup has been much more complete and affordable for some time. The DX7 transmitter also came to market before the Futaba 7C, which meant locking the early adopters into Spektrum gear.

This is a good first step towards getting Futaba back in the game. The R6004FF is a lighter weight 2.4 GHz equivalent of the Futaba FM R114F, which is also around $50 (with a crystal), and is in the same ballpark as the popular Berg 4 and 4L receivers, which are about $40 with a crystal.

Still, the Futaba full range receivers continue to start at $100, which can make the cost of converting a PPM or PCM fleet to spread spectrum daunting. We'll be watching and hoping that these prices fall over time.

The Internet And The Hobby Shop

Daniel Switkin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:46:47 -0600

Sales of radio control products, like many other categories, are moving more and more online. There's no disputing that this has taken a heavy toll on local hobby shops, which are struggling, and often closing.

There's an assumption that internet shopping is taking over solely because of lower prices. I'd like to dispute that. Certainly online stores can and often do have better prices, but I've been to local stores which are competitive, and the online shipping usually cancels out the local sales tax.

For me, a much bigger issue is selection. The hobby shops I've visited carry vastly fewer products than the big online retailers, and inevitably a number of things I need are out of stock. This negates one of the best reasons to go to a local store: instant gratification. I think most of us would pay a little more to have that new toy today.

To see how bad the selection problem is, I tried an experiment. I currently own six planes and four helicopters, ranging from a $100 RTF to a thousand dollar all-up heli. They come from a variety of major brands and are all fairly popular. I wanted to see how many of these ten I could purchase locally, regardless of cost:

ElectriFly Reactor
E-flite Taylorcraft 450
E-flite Enticement
MS Composit S2 Bulldog
Multiplex AcroMaster
LightFlite RC Bug
Esky Lama V4
Esky Honey Bee Fixed Pitch
Align T-Rex 450S
Century Swift 16

First, I had to locate some local hobby shops. This is difficult in-and-of itself. Searching for "hobby shop" on Google Maps gives some results, but it also turns up crafts stores, model train dealers, and the like. There are also dedicated sites like US Hobby Shops which can help. The AMA web site has a hobby shop finder, but none of these are complete. One surprisingly good source was to visit Horizon Hobbies and search for local dealers.

I was surprised to see how many listings were old and wrong. Those that were current often had only an address and a phone number. It's hard to believe that so few local stores have a web site with a few pictures, directions, and their hours posted. I'm not talking about a shopping cart - just a minimal presence to let people know you exist.

In the end I located and visited five local hobby stores in northern New Jersey. (The nearest was a 25 minute drive away.) Many were dominated by cars and trucks, which is surprising because there are AMA clubs in the area. Most had only one out of my ten models, the ubiquitous T-Rex 450. Even then, I had trouble finding the 450S kit with the plastic head.

The best store carried 3 out of my 10 models, and had only limited parts for them. In other words, if I was starting from scratch, I couldn't buy my fleet locally if I wanted to. I'd have to buy online just to find the planes and helicopters I prefer.

So why is the local selection problem so bad? No doubt carrying a lot of inventory is expensive, but I've been to a hobby shop in northern California that carries the majority of what I fly. I've seen one trend that explains this. In an effort to attract business, two stores near me have installed large, indoor tracks for racing small cars.

These tracks are great for RC car fans, but they take up a lot of floor space.

On one hand, bringing in customers to do something they can't do online, and getting repeat business from it, is smart. On the other hand, these tracks take up a ton of room. In both stores, the tracks occupy about 75% of the floor space. That's exactly where all the products I can't find would be! For every person who comes in to race on the track, there's another like me who can't find what he needs, and doesn't come back.

If selection is a problem, that means no instant gratification, so what other advantages do local stores have? A big one is the ability to get advice. This is still true for a lot of people, however the web is encroaching here too. Sites like RCGroups have an almost endless supply of good information. For helicopters, the Finless Bob build videos are better than the manuals. It's just not as important to ask questions face to face as it used to be, although I still enjoy the conversations.

The last big advantage to local stores is being able to see a product before you buy it. Depending on the item, this can be invaluable, and I'm willing to pay a little more for it. In practice, this doesn't always work out. For example, I'm in the market for a high end radio at the moment. Let's put aside the selection problem and assume I can find a store which carries the transmitters I'm considering. In my experience, retail stores tend to hide things like this behind the counter. I'd much rather be able to look them over by myself. Because the units are expensive, they can't afford to have a demo model, but the employees are also reluctant to crack open a factory fresh box. In the end, I'm not that much better off than buying online.

There is a flip side to this, for which consumers are to blame. Many people check out a product at the local store, then go home and buy it online. The store owners hate this, and I don't blame them. Unless the store is really overcharging, I think you owe it to them to buy the item locally. If the local price is higher, ask if they can come down to the minimum advertised price (MAP). That way, you get a fair price, and the store does too.

I wish I had a large hobby shop near me dedicated to planes and helicopters. I'd be happy to support them, and would probably spend $1000 a year there. Perhaps the situation is worse in the Northeast U.S. where the flying season is so much shorter. If you have a great local store, please give them your business and keep them going. Otherwise, for better or worse, the internet may soon be the only way to buy RC products.

NEAT Fair 2008 Report

Daniel Switkin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:07:28 -0500

The NEAT Fair tower at midfield.

The 2008 Neat Fair was held at the Peaceful Valley Campgrounds in Downsville, NY. This three day, annual autumn event is the biggest gathering of electric RC pilots in the Northeast U.S. I spent the day at the show on Saturday, September 13th.

Morning fog over Peaceful Valley.

Many pilots had their fleets on display.

A beautiful Burt Rutan Quickie.

All electric power, all the time.

An early morning view of the main flight line.

Nice Bronco twin on the right.

Last year the NEAT Fair attracted 300 pilots and 40 vendors. Despite the morning fog and drizzle, the attendance seemed to be at least as good this year. The line of pilots' tents stretched from the parking lot along the whole length of the field, with the vendors lined up behind them.

The 41" Brio in the middle looks tiny.

E-flite had a bunch of models on this stand.

The detail on these biplanes was amazing.

Lots of foamies at NEAT as expected.

Hand launching a hotliner.

This custom Black Pearl covering had a matching Captain Jack Sparrow pilot figure.

All flying at NEAT is done off the grass lawn. There were six main stations for larger aircraft, and four at the far end for park fliers. This year helicopters got their own flightline which required the use of 2.4 GHz spread spectrum radios. This seemed to make sense as so many heli pilots have left FM gear behind, and it was quite a walk to the impound tent.

A variety of Horizon models on display.

Unknown old timer design converted to electric.

This bomber was for sale by the owner.

Fly RC Magazine setting up their fleet.

A little taste of everything.

Nice dummy radial engine.

A number of the big manufacturers were present, including Hobby Lobby, Horizon Hobby, FlightPower USA, Hitec, and Castle Creations. These booths were set up to show off products and give attendees a chance to ask questions. To avoid competing with their resellers, they were not offering items for sale.

That job was left to everyone else. The NEAT Fair is almost as much about shopping as it is about flying. There were plenty of show specials and good deals to be had. I managed to limit myself to a Scorpion motor and some supplies, leaving enough money in the bank for the mortgage.

One half of the vendor row.

The Hobby Lobby Gee Bee family with the R-3 in red.

Coaxial helis have gone scale.

The Castle Creations tent.

The Castle ESC lineup.

Northeast Sailplane had a huge tent.

Two of my favorite smaller manufacturers were back this year. Karen and James Karpy from Millennium RC were showing off their line of micro fliers. There was good news for people who are interested in the Micro SSX Biplane but don't want to build one from a kit: an ARF version is coming soon. Karen also showed me a prototype of a new monoplane called the Micro 3D. This small flier (around 22" wingspan) has a full fuselage with a battery compartment, and uses separate servos for the ailerons. James is still putting the finishing touches on the design, and expects to have it available in a couple months.

The Micro SSX in action.

The prototype Micro 3D from Millennium RC.

Ron from LightFlite also had a booth and flew at the noon demo as well. He was showing off a twin autogyro called the Twirl, made entirely of foam and using the same power system as his original RC Bug. Apparently if you cut the throttle and give full up elevator, it will float down and land almost vertically.

Ron heads back with the Twirl autogyro.

The Twirl in the air.

The Twirl up close. Only two servos are needed.

The Super Bug harriers for the camera.

Ron also had someone flying a prototype of the Super Bug, a 47" wingspan, 32 ounce EPP monster. Have a look at this video of it flying at E-Fest in February:

Castle Creations was showing samples of their new outrunner motor line for airplanes and helicopters. The first versions are aimed at large models (600mm heli, or multi-pound fixed wing), and should be available by the end of the year. There are also plans to introduce smaller motors in the future.

The 12 foot Telemaster lines up for takeoff.

Dropping the parachuting figurines.

The mad dash on the field.

Mission complete, heading home.

Tom Hunt and the SEFLI team ran a great show.

Lots of giant scale, and lots of spread spectrum.

Hobby Lobby did their customary prize drop over the field again from their monstrous 12 foot Telemaster. They also had quite a few planes on display, including the drop-dead gorgeous Gee Bee R-3 Fantasy Scale Racer.

Dan Landis had every other power system beat with his 14,000 watt Great Planes Cap 580. This 100 inch ARF was designed for a 100cc gasoline engine, but he used a 15S LiPo battery from Tanic to drive a Hacker outrunner through a Castle SHV speed controller.

A Lil Tony racer makes a knife edge pass.

The Cap 580 lifting off.

Safely back on the ground.

The noon demo crowd was dense.

Three of the largest planes at the show.

Even seen a power system like that on a profile?

On the smaller end of things was a flat foam combat demo. Six identical Zeros were hand launched together, each with a streamer attached. The goal is to stay alive by keeping your streamer and cutting down those of your opponents. The low stress, low risk nature of foam made this a really fun event.

The combat foamies launch together.

Playing cut the streamer.

A beautiful scale fighter.

Almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Notice the detailed markings.

Not exactly a park flier.

During open flying hours there was a wide variety of airplanes in the air: scale, sport, jets, and everything in between.

Great craftsmanship in this World War I replica.

The same model quite high.

The Hangar 9 Carden Yak.

You get the feeling this is the normal attitude for this aerobat.

Carrying the Yak home.

The complete opposite end of the spectrum.

I only saw one serious crash on Saturday, but it was a heartbreaking one. An enormous scale glider crashed on takeoff as it was being towed by a Sig Rascal 110. It appeared to get snagged on uneven ground which turned it sideways, which caught a wingtip and flipped it over. Hopefully it'll be back in the air next season.

The scale glider and Rascal tow plane.

Picking up the pieces after the crash.

Pilots waiting their turn to fly.

The NEAT Fair continues to be the must-attend show for RC enthusiasts in the Northeast. For many people it marks the end of the flying season, and a good chance to pick up a winter project. If you can make it, I strongly recommend the trip.

The new entry level Spektrum DX5e.

A foam F-16.

Right at home upside down.

Not all jets need to be brought in hot.

An E-flite Eratix.

Knife edge figure eights.

Looks like a C-130 cargo plane.

Unidentified German flying wing.

Don't forget your folding chair!

An amazing 3D demo by a Beam factory pilot.

Low enough?

For even more photos, check out datazman's thread on RCGroups, as well as the entire NEAT 2008 forum.

Dualsky XMotor Review

Daniel Switkin — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:52:18 -0500

When looking for a new power source for my RC Bug, I ran across a very unusual motor from Dualsky. This tiny outrunner contains a 6 amp brushless speed controller in the motor housing. That means you get a matched motor and ESC with no hassles of soldering bullet connectors or checking which way the motor spins, and less wire clutter when installed. Read on for our review.

E-flite Blade Micro-CX Coaxial Helicopter Announced

Daniel Switkin — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:46:11 -0500

E-flite Blade Micro-CX Coaxial Helicopter

E-flite has announced the Blade Micro-CX helicopter, an indoor coaxial model with a main rotor diameter of only 7.5 inches. The MCX features two coreless motors which are powered by a single cell, 110 mAh LiPo battery. It operates using Spektrum's 2.4 GHz spread spectrum technology, and will be available ready-to-fly with a transmitter for $129, or in a bind-and-fly configuration, with everything except the transmitter for $99. Both versions offer proportional, four channel control and should be capable of all the same maneuvers as the larger Blade CX2. Horizon Hobby's web site indicates late September availability for both.

FMA Direct Cellpro 10s Charger Review

Daniel Switkin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:10:52 -0500

The FMA Direct Cellpro 10s is a balancing lithium battery charger, capable of charging a single battery up to 10 cells, or two batteries simultaneously up to 5 cells, with power up to 10 amps. It can handle lithium polymer, lithium ion, and the M1 lithium cells from A123 Systems. Let's dig in and put it through its paces.

SCCMAS 2008 Show Report

Daniel Switkin — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:21:31 -0500

The Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Skypark (SCCMAS) airshow was held July 12th and 13th in Morgan Hill, California. This free annual show spans a wide range of radio control flight, from gliders to gas powered acrobats, and helicopters to turbine powered jets. It's a great chance for existing pilots and those new to the hobby to see a little of everything that RC has to offer in the air. Keep reading to see these planes and helis in action.

How To Build A Servo LED Driver

Daniel Switkin — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:47:06 -0500

One way to get into night flying is to fill a plane with LEDs. You can do that by connecting them directly to the motor battery, or to a dedicated second pack, but neither approach gives you any control. Here's how to reuse an old servo to drive your LEDs, with either on/off or variable brightness from the transmitter.

Attending A Radio Control Show

Daniel Switkin — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:27:56 -0500

If you've never been to a radio control show, you're missing out. There are a number of annual shows like the NEAT Fair in New York and SEFF in Georgia which have an enormous variety of models, vendors, and activities, and give any AMA-registered pilot the opportunity to fly too. You can buy DVDs of last year's NEAT FAir or SEFF 2008 from SKS Video Productions to get a taste of what it's like to go. There are also conventions to attend like the WRAM Show, which is all about shopping instead of flying.

In July Zero RC will be attending the SCCMAS Airshow in Santa Clara, California. If you live in the area, come check it out!

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