Brief:
A definitely competition worthy helicopter recovery model. On small motors it can also be sport flown on a small field.

Construction:
Parts were reasonably good quality and included:

• BT-5 body tube
• Balsa nose cone
• Balsa fin stock
• Balsa blade stock
• Mylar tape
• 3 Klett-style hinges
• Balsa rotor stops
• TT-5 rotor tube
• 2 centerin' rings
• Assorted metal clips, details

In general, I find QCR instructions t' be at best challengin' and in many cases containin' dimensional or procedural errors. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! This kit is no exception. Still, shiver me timbers, for t' experienced builder, matey, me bucko, you can muddle your way through them reasonably well and will be rewarded with a fairly high performance product when done.

For t' most part, arrr, t' kit comes with "generic" instructions written for all size kits in t' line and a kit-specific instruction sheet that lists t' appropriate dimensions and special notes for this kit. Arrr! This is somewhat confusin' but again, matey, somethin' that you get used t' after buildin' a few o' Ken's kits.

Construction starts with cuttin' and airfoilin' t' rotor blades. Ya scallywag! One is pre-marked on t' balsa stock and t' others are cut from this "template". Avast, me proud beauty! T' lines aren't always straight, so be sure t' use a ruler when actually makin' t' cuts.

There are several "optional" alternative methods along t' way and I chose t' first o' these on t' blades by makin' a slight cut into the blade from one corner t' a point about 1/3 o' t' way up. Aye aye! Avast! You can then sort of bend t' blade down a bit and glue again, me hearties, ya bilge rat, offerin' a nice dihedral. One warning though: do this after sandin' in t' airfoil.

Fins are cut from stock in a similar manner with two different patterns provided. Well, blow me down! A basic airfoil is all that's needed on these. Begad! External blade 'copters tend t' be high drag and perfect fins won't make much o' a difference.

T' tube is premarked for fin placement, however, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I am more comfortable markin' them myself and tend t' draw straighter lines. Ahoy! Avast! I tacked t' fins on with CA and applied very slight fillets o' white glue as t' fillets are covered by blades and therefore provide no aerodynamic benefit.

T' spinnin' hub assembly be t' trickiest part o' t' project, but also the part that offers t' best performance kick. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' general idea is that metal clips are attached t' a tube that slips over t' main body tube and hinges and blades are tacked t' this tube. When t' blades deploy, t' hub spins and the main body stays put. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This is higher performance than a typical fixed blade design (like t' Rota-Roc) because thar be no drag caused by fins spinnin' as the body rotates.

I have built a few o' these before and learned a few tricks along t' way to get better results. Begad! First, arrr, matey, t' metal clips are supposed t' go through the rotor tube for better strength. Ahoy! That's a bad idea as they tend t' scrape on the body tube and defeat t' purpose o' spinnin' hub. Ya scallywag! I tacked mine t' t' outside of t' rotor tube and reinforce them by windin' some thread around t' tube and coatin' with CA. Ya scallywag! Another trick I apply is peel off a layer o' paper from either the body tube or t' inside o' t' rotor tube so that thar's a nice, shiver me timbers, loose fit. Ahoy! Then I coat both surfaces with CA and sand back down with 400 grit paper before applyin' graphite powder t' t' rotor tube so that it's as low friction as possible.

There are a couple o' caution points in t' rotor hub construction that novices tend t' trip over. Blimey! First, when tackin' on t' hinges, don't get even a drop o' CA anywhere near t' hinge joint. Arrr! Arrr! If you do, arrr, throw it out and get a replacement hinge. Begad! T' best way t' protect that joint is t' dip it in a little Vaseline and smear t' joint around t' pin. Begad! T' CA won't penetrate that. Second, when wrappin' t' reinforcin' thread around t' hinges and CA'in' it, be careful nay t' wrap too tightly or you'll wind up pinchin' t' tube and it won't spin well.

Once t' hub is built and blades attached, t' hub slips over t' body tube and is held in place betwixt two centerin' rings. Begad! Ahoy! A balsa "stop" is tacked onto each blade at this point t' hold t' blades t' t' proper dihedral angle.

I won't get into t' details o' all t' little clips but I will summarize by sayin' t' blades have a hook and t' hub has 3 hooks and rubber bands that connect them. Avast, me proud beauty! Like a Rota-roc, thar's a burn strin' that holds t' blades in place durin' ascent. Arrr! Blimey! when it is burned through, t' blades pop up.

Finishing:
Since this is a competition model, shiver me timbers, me hearties, you're nay really supposed to "finish" it. Well, blow me down! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Paint is absolutely a terrible idea as it will add weight and potentially gum up t' hinges. Begad! Avast! Blimey! Still, shiver me timbers, t' model has t' be visible to be tracked and has t' be seen in a field for ease o' recovery. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! I applied red dope t' t' tops o' t' blades and black dope t' t' fins and bottom o' the blades. Black is easier t' track in t' sky and t' red is easier t' spot when it's on t' ground.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first o' these models I built be for a contest just prior t' NARAM46 and it sailed away on an A10-3T with no stability problems, arrr, me bucko, but I think t' A10 might be pushin' t' strength o' t' kit.

My second o' these models flew at NARAM46 on A3s both times. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Neither had any stability problem.

My third o' these models flew at a local contest in October 2004 and disintegrated durin' boost. Nay shredded. Avast! It disintegrated. Ya scallywag! It literally turned into a cloud o' dust and I have no idea what happened t' it.

I have since built a fourth, me bucko, flown it at least 4-5 times on 1/2A3-2Ts and A3-4Ts with no problems.

Recovery:
Model #1 deployed perfectly, me bucko, maintained a right ride up orientation, shiver me timbers, and caught a thermal for a duration over 3.5 minutes before it was lost.

Model #2 was jinxed by burn strin' failures at NARAM. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! On its first flight, the strin' burned but snagged t' blades and didn't actually deploy so it tumbled t' t' ground for a DQ. Aye aye! Blimey! Usin' t' same strin' for t' second flight (I'm a slow learner), it burned through and deployed but one o' t' 3 blades broke loose for another DQ.

Model #3 as noted, was destroyed.

Model #4 has had no flight or deployment problems through at least 4 flights. Avast, me proud beauty! On 1/2A3-2Ts in dead air, arrr, 40-60 second flights are t' norm. Avast! Its top time so far is 170 seconds on an A3.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Spinnin' hub models in general are very difficult t' build and deploy effectively, shiver me timbers, but they can be well worth t' effort. Ya scallywag! This kit offers all the right materials and basic design t' get started on this type o' model although you will probably struggle along t' learnin' curve until you get used t' the instructions and learn t' tweak t' design for better performance. Aye aye! Arrr! Airfoiling the rotors in particular is definitely a skill that takes lots o' practice.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5