World Models Mfg. Piper J-3 Cub, The

Model Airplane News, May 2003 by Onorato, Jim

I assembled the tailwheel (a leaf-spring type) and connected it to the rudder with small coil springs; then I attached it to the fuselage using two screws. I then made and attached the flexible-cable tailfeather braces. All of the necessary brackets, nuts, bolts and washers were provided.

RADIO INSTALLATION

With the Cub essentially complete, I installed the pushrods and radio equipment. The pushrods are made out of hardwood dowels to which you attach wire ends that are held in place with heat-shrink tubes. The pushrod lengths aren't given in the instructions, so you're on your own to measure the distance from the servo to the control horn. The elevator pushrod has two threaded wires at the elevator end (one for each elevator half), and it's a little difficult to install. Here's how I did it: I bent the wires to the approximate angles and placed a rubber band around the ends about 1 inch from the ends to hold the wires about 1/2, inch apart. I inserted the pushrod into the fuselage and fed a wire through one of the slots at the rear of the fuselage. I placed a brass tube over the now protruding wire end, cut the rubber band and slid the tube farther onto the first wire to prevent it from snapping back into the fuselage. This released the other wire and allowed me to feed it through the slot on the other side of the fuselage. The brass tube held the first wire in place while the second was inserted through its slot. I then removed the brass tube and attached the clevises.

I mounted three standard servos in the servo tray and hooked up the rudder and elevator pushrods. Because I don't like to use EZ-type connectors on primary controls, I used L-bends with snapper-keepers instead of the provided connectors. The throttle pushrod is a solid wire in a plastic tube. I wrapped the receiver and battery in foam and placed them in front of the servo tray, following the instructions.

FINISHINGTOUCHES

The final step is to install the windows and windshield. To improve the Cub's scale appearance, I added diagonal braces and wing fairings to the front of the cabin, and I glued the windshield in place instead of attaching it with screws. The instructions call for the cabin floor to be screwed into place, but there is simply no way to do this. Since the cabin door is already screwed into place, I put grooved rails inside the cabin to hold the floor without screws. I added a civilian DGA pilot figure, and the Cub was ready for takeoff.

CONCLUSION

I found The World Models Piper J-3 Cub to be a well-made ARF that went together easily and has a very neat appearance. It's manufactured with precision and includes some well-thought-out features that make it a pleasure to build. If you want to get a big plane into the air quickly for some leisurely flying, The World Models 1/4-scale Piper J-3 Cub may be just what you're looking for. 4

DGA Designs (716) 396-5964; dgadesigns.com.

Futaba Corp. ofAmerica; distributed by Great Planes Model Distributors Co. (800) 682-8948; futaba-rc.com.