Great planes: SlowPoke Sport 40

Model Airplane News, Feb 2001 by Van Tassel, Robert

As soon as I opened the box containing the Great Planes* SlowPoke Sport 40, I knew it would be a pleasure to build. My most recent projects have been ARFs, and though they were quick and easy to get in the air, I wanted the satisfaction of seeing something I built take shape and come to life. The SlowPoke Sport 40 was the perfect choice; it provided a true building experience and went together very smoothly.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model: SlowPoke Sport 40

Type: Sport

Manufacturer: Great Planes

Wingspan: 64 in.

Length: 49 in.

Weight: 6 lb.

Engine req'd: .32 to .46 2-stroke or .40 to .52 4-stroke

Engine used: O.S. 52 4-stroke

Radio req'd: 4-channel with 5 servos

Radio used: Futaba* T6XA

Price: $69.99

Features: CAD-engineered plan; simple interlocking construction; large wing area and light wing loading; ailerons; large radio compartment for easy gear installation; detailed, photoillustrated instruction manual.

Comments: this plane reminds me of the homebuilts of the 1930s. Great Planes has modified its popular original SlowPoke with the larger Sport 40 version, which incorporates ailerons. It is about the size of a .60 but flies well on a .52 4-stroke. It is a great, relaxing Sunday flyer. It is also a good way to experience the joy of a well-thought-out, fun-to-build plane that you can have in the air in a very short time.

Hits

* Can be assembled quickly.

* Excellent materials and die-cutting.

* Good flight performance.

* Detailed manual and plan.

Misses

* Leading-edge material isn't preshaped.

THE KIT

The SlowPoke comes with a detailed, 28-- page construction manual with clear photos of each step, well-written text and even a small copy of the plan in the center section. It contains line drawings of the top and side of the plane to work out your color scheme, and the side of the box pictures a few color options. There are also metric conversion and common abbreviations tables. The "Expert Building Tips" are a nice feature; they give valuable information at various stages of construction. The rolled CAD plan is detailed and has a ruler printed along one edge and a phone number to call if you encounter problems.

CONSTRUCTION

The overall quality of the kit-particularly of the wood-is excellent. Pay attention to the wood sizes called for during construction; you do not have enough to waste. I used Great Planes thin, medium and thick CA for most of the building. I used aliphatic wood glue for sheeted areas to ease sanding. I also used 6- and 30-minute epoxy.

* Tail feathers. I laminated eight pieces of 1/8-- inch die-cut balsa to form the rudder's curved trailing edge (TE). I added the leading edge (LE) and a few cross-braces to complete it.

Build the fin, elevator and stab over the plan using the supplied balsa; use laminated balsa on all the curved areas. Join the elevator halves using the supplied joiner wire.

I flat-sanded most of the parts and sanded the LEs round. I cut the hinge slots using my Great Planes hinge-slotting tool; what a great labor saver!

* Wings. The wings are built in three sections over the plan, starting with the center section. A wing-plug doubler holds the wings on the fuselage from the center section's LE, and two nylon bolts hold them at the TE. This provides plenty of support and goes together quickly and cleanly at the field. The center section is built around the wing-plug doubler and the center section rib, and it's sheeted on the bottom with an 1/8-inch skin. Be careful building this section; accurate alignment is vital if you're to join the outboard wing sections properly, Secure the polyhedral braces with 30-minute epoxy, then sheet the top in 1/8-inch balsa to complete this section.

Building the outer panels is straightforward: add the root ribs using the supplied dihedral gauge. The wingtips consist of two die-cut, butt-joined, 3/32-inch balsa pieces. I reinforced the top of the joint with a couple of scrap pieces of 1/8-inch strip balsa. The ailerons are made as part of the wing. I installed two pieces of string to act as drawstrings for easy servo installation.

I inserted the wing joiners (the ones that I had previously installed in the center section) into the wingtips and, using the supplied wingtip supports, I joined the tips to the center section using 30-minute epoxy. I sanded the wing LE to shape; this required quite a bit of planing and sanding. It would have saved a lot of work had Great Planes provided shaped LE material.

THE FUSELAGE

The fuselage is built upside-down on the plan. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, as the engine is mounted on the forward fuselage plate, and you can easily end up with a reversed thrust line. Fabricated die-cut balsa and plywood form the fuselage sides. Join them to the fuselage plate upsidedown and then add the formers. Next, glue the rear ends of the fuselage sides together, clamp them, and add the planking. Now turn the fuselage right side up and sheet the bottom front of the engine compartment. I coated the inside of the forward fuselage bays with thinned epoxy. I also cut a small slot in the lower sheeting, just in front of the firewall, to allow any fuel to drain out. Next, I added the upper formers and cockpit, and the fin, turtle-deck stringers and forward sheeting completed the fuselage.