FunAero R/C 1/4-scale S.E.5a

FLIGHT TEST

The dawn patrol lives on!

WW I designs are at an all-time high in popularity, and there are many great kits to choose from. I like the way the "older" models look and fly, and the FunAero R/C 1/4-scale S.E5a was one of those that caught my eye. This stand-off-scale model has all the appeal of a full competition scale model but Is a lot easier to build. FunAero uses the latest design and manufacturing technology to produce Its kits, and that's obvious when you open the kit's box. Let's take a closer look.

KIT CONTENTS

The S.E.Sa box is filled with many beautifully produced wooden parts and hardware. The kit includes a 40-page instruction booklet with building photographs that take you step by step through the model's construction. Also included is a materials list (with a description of all the laser-cut parts), wooden sticks, bag of precut wood, Du-Bro hardware pack, precut brass tubes, landing-gear hardware and an excellent set of CAD plans. Williams Bros. wheels and a pilot, along with wooden machine-gun kits, filled every inch of the well-packed box. I was impressed.

The laser-cut balsa and plywood parts are excellent, and they just fell out of their carrier sheets when I needed them. Some of the plywood parts showed signs of a very light sap residue, but it was easy to sand off and did not slow down the building process. The hardwood and balsa sheets are lettered and numbered, so they are easy to identify; this may not seem like a big deal, but with all the wood included in this kit, it helps you save a lot of time looking for parts.

CONSTRUCTION

I built the model according to the plan and manual and started with the wing. Each wing is built in three pieces: two outer panels and a center section. The outer panels can be removed from the center sections for ease of transportation and storage; I really like this feature. The two lower ailerons are individually controlled by a servo, and slave pushrods drive the upper ailerons. The wings have many parts, but the laser-cutting makes assembly easy. All the pieces went together without needing any sanding, cutting, or bending. The lite-ply wingtips, ribs and short ribs went together quickly and according to the instructions. If you use the plywood rib-setting guide, you're assured of accurate rib spacing and the correct angle for the spars. The rib guide is a neat idea and a great addition to the kit.

Fuselage construction, like the wings', goes along quickly and easily. It's built of balsa sticks, formers and lite-ply. The engine compartment is unique. From forward of the cabane struts and including the radiator, the top of the fuselage can be entirely lifted off to allow total engine access. Just about any engine in the recommended range will fit completely in the model's nose.

As directed, I built the two fuselage sides on top of each other. This ensured that both sides would exactly fit the other's bulkhead and former bracing. When I pulled the fuselage sides together (step 31), I used the lower edge of the top 3/8-inch-square longeron as a reference centerline. This gave me a perfectly straight fuselage, and I was able to attach the parts that fit in the rear of the fuselage without any cutting or sanding. It really reflects the quality of this kit's engineering.

On most biplanes, the cabane struts are difficult to build, but not on this one. I followed the directions and didn't have any problems. When you solder the joints, the instructions have you use fuel tubing to hold the bracing wire and mounting lugs together to ensure the correct alignment-a clever idea. I covered the cabane struts with wood after I had set the 11-inch spacing for the blind nuts in the wing center section.

The radiator looked as though it might be complicated to assemble, but it wasn't difficult at all. The parts are cut so accurately that they slide into their respective slots without any need to cut or sand them. On the finished model, the radiator looks positively awesome; it really makes the plane come alive.

The horizontal stabilizer, elevators, vertical fin and rudder follow standard construction techniques and use a combination of laser-cut parts and balsa sticks. When I had built them, I weighted the structures down on a flat board until I was ready to install them. I did this just in case the glue needed extra time to dry and to prevent the structures from warping.

Having finished the construction, I assembled the S.E.5a for the first time, and a few thoughts went through my mind, not the least of which was how big it looked. That the components all came together without needing any adjustments was amazing; I have never built a large biplane that went together so easily.

FINISHING

I sheepishly admit that after the plane had been framed up, I lost a couple of weeks finishing it because I really enjoyed looking at it in "bare-bones" form. To cover it, I used Nelson Hobby Specialties ColorFAB Khaki so I'd only have to paint the upper surfaces. ColorFAB is a polyester fabric, and it's applied using a little heat; it has wonderful shrinking properties, and I covered all four wingtips without having even one wrinkle. When I had covered the parts, I reheated the open areas to "lock" the fabric's molecular structure and prevent it from wrinkling.