Super Flying Models: Eindecker

Model Airplane News, Jun 2003 by Abbe, Peter

SUPER FLYING MODELS: EINDECKER

Classic, almost-ready-to-fly fighter

There is a certain nostalgia associated with early aircraft. Rickety airframes, rotary engines and flying wires seem to capture a sense of wonder and imagination. They remind us of a simpler time when aviation was new and exciting-a time when an aerial battle looked more like a "flying circus" than a dogfight.

The Super Flying Models Eindecker 46 delivers this sense of nostalgia and excitement to newcomers and seasoned pilots. Its quick assemly and scale-like details provide inexperienced builders with a great-looking semi-scale model. With its relatively light wing loading and flat-bottom airfoil, its flight characteristics are well suited to low-time pilots who are looking to move beyond a basic trainer.

KIT CONTENTS

The Eindecker's parts are well organized and come packaged in separate bags. While inspecting the contents, I realized that this was the most complete kit I had ever seen: virtually all of the hardware, including the fuel tank, universal engine mount, wheels, screws and pushrods, a transparent-plastic "machine gun," wing center section and pilot figure were all included. The fiberglass cowl was nicely painted but slightly cracked. One quick call to Horizon, and I had a new cowl in my hands in a matter of days.

All of the major components are made of built-up balsa and ply. Assembly is very clean, straight and strong. The wings, fuselage, empennage and control surfaces are covered with an adhesive-backed plastic film. Graphics come already printed on the film, eliminating the need to apply decals. Although the covering was very well done, I noted some small wrinkles on the bottom of the wing panels-nothing a little heat didn't solve.

The 20-page instruction manual is very easy to follow. More than 90 photos and drawings remove nearly all of the guess-work. Assembly is so basic that the average builder can complete most of the construction simply by following the photographs. Check off each step as you complete it.

ASSEMBLY

Wing. The first order of business is to attach the ailerons. The pinned hinges are supplied and come already installed in position. They must simply be removed and glued into place. I chose Gorilla Glue to install all of the hinges because it expands and fills the slots. All hinge slots in the wing panels and ailerons had been accurately cut. The ailerons are also predrilled to accept the factory-installed torque rods. A couple of drops of thin CA dripped into these holes eliminated excess play where the torque rods are inserted into the ailerons. I found it necessary to trim the inner portions of the plastic wingtips to achieve proper clearance for the ailerons.

Next, join the two wing panels with a laminated plywood spar. The spar slides into a tube built into each wing panel, and a laminated plywood plate is sandwiched between the wing panels. This plate provides the key that holds the leading edge of the wing to the fuselage. The servo mount is constructed of two pieces of ply and keys into this plate as well.

Fuselage. The fuselage requires very little preparation. Blind nuts are in place to accept the engine mount and the hold-down bolts for the wing. The universal cast-aluminum engine mount easily accommodated my Saito .56. The firewall is fuelproof, and the fuel tank fits perfectly into position. Mounting the servos was also a snap. Simply drop them in a plywood tray, drill holes in the tray, and screw the servos in place. Once this is complete, the tray drops in place inside the fuselage. As shown in the manual, the pushrod wires are bent and are then inserted into predrilled and slotted dowels. A length of heat-shrink tubing holds the wires in the dowels. Routing the pushrods through the fuselage required some time and patience. I found it necessary to tie the threaded ends of the elevator pushrod together to get it past the aft fuselage former. Once it was past this former, I removed the tie through the exit holes and carefully worked the rods into position.

Tail feathers. The stabilizer and fin are both built-up structures. The base of the fin slides into a slot in the stabilizer. This must be carefully aligned with a square. Glue the tail assembly to the fuselage before you attach the control surfaces. It's a good idea to take your time here and make sure that everything is straight and true.

Next, glue the hinges in place and attach the control horns to the control surfaces. A hole must be drilled in the rudder to accept the tailwheel-wire guide. Strengthen this hole with a few drops of CA before you glue the rudder into position.

Scale details and final assembly. You must trim the cowl to provide clearance for the engine and the forward portion of the landing-gear legs. It's important to work carefully here; the paint has a tendency to chip off where it is being trimmed. I covered the front of my cowl with silver MonoKote trim material. It was somewhat difficult to work around the compound curves, but with some patience and careful cutting, I was able to achieve a finished look.