Video Build Log - EJF BabyCat - Pusher/EDF Parkflyer Review

[DIALED/CHUCK]

Hey guys,

Well, I did it...my second official review and video build log (I know, I know...finally).

Anyway, for those who asked if I would mirror this over here...here ya go. I can understand that cruising all the boards is not everyone's 'brand of whimsy' (I used to be a one-board dude)...I will mirror the info as quickly as I can.

Yours in brotherhood,

--C

Build Log - EJF BabyCat - Pusher/EDF Parkflyer Video-Blog

VIDEO INDEX

BUILD VIDEO 1 (preppin' your Cat)
Build VIDEO 2 (control surfaces)
Build Video 3 (hinge it)
Build Video 4 (fusin it)
Build Video 5 (wing and fuse unite)

About 8 months ago, my wife ushered me into the world of EDF’s (electric ducted fans) with the purchase of an F18 for Christmas. I remember my eyes welling up as I realized the work she put in to find out what I really wanted….by calling my flight buddies. I was floored!

After building the plane, I loved the scale performance of the model quite a bit; the silken turns and split-s maneuvers were truly a marvel. The only issue I found in making this flight experience ‘simple’ was that I needed to bungee launch or I needed to call my friend, Scott, to come out and hand launch this balsa model…oh, and of course…plenty of open space was required. It became a club-only or giant field only airplane….and I loved it! The main issue I had was TIME….I loved my EDF…but with two kids, a business, and twenty other things on my plate…flights got less and less…and then almost disappeared.

“WHY CAN'T I GET SOMETHING LIKE THIS I CAN FLY AT THE SCHOOL DOWN THE STREET??”, I would ask myself.

After going through several EDF models, I wanted to find a park-flyer model that was able to ‘Do EDF’ on a micro or nano sized setup without my having to spend too much time cutting depron and sanding it to shape. I also wanted a bona-fide airfoil on the wings. I do enjoy my flat-foam parkflyers very much…but I wanted something to fly in that size class with that ‘feel’ that only a solid airfoil can produce. Everyone knows what I am talking about with that ‘Feel’. With a solid airfoil, you just get that response like a canoe oar gliding through the surface of a still pond….smooth controlled turns that leave behind only a ripple that fades into the surface as the oar moves the mass of the boat forward across the water.

It was then that a Vendor directed me to EJF (www.ejf.com) and one of their newest offerings, the EJF BABY-CAT. I emailed and talked with Robert Wagoner (the proprietor) as I was looking for an EDF in this class. I had my criteria crystallized…

-Wingspan of 30 inches or less
-EDF and pusher compliant
-Small enough to fly in a park
-Stable at slow and high rates of speed
-Made of EPS or EPP foam
-As casual or as extreme as I wanted to go.

Within a day Robert had said that he was sending out a kit for me to evaluate. He asked that if I liked what found, to please post a review of the item…I agreed. As much as I love this sport…I love checking out new products and sharing feedback.

What I will be doing here is taking you along on a journey that I have documented on video with the EJF Baby-Cat. As I told Robert at EJF…this will be straightforward and honest… so unless he was ready for a review where something might ‘come out’ that he did not want to, please do not send the kit.

Two days later the box arrived at the door.

This is my story….how it ends…we all decide.

--C

[DIALED/CHUCK]

A designer towel...and plane parts.
This morning I woke up and cracked the box from EJF to find all of the core parts for my EJF Baby-Cat. It was an overcast morning, the kids were screaming for no apparent reason, and my wife was doing important things like curling her hair. After a quick round of damage control with the kids, it was Lilo and Stitch on DVD to the rescue.

I then stole away to the ‘Man-Cave’ to look at all of the parts and do a layout in order to get a bigger picture look at what was ahead for me on this project. Realizing I needed a soft surface to work on…I went over to the pool where my wife had left out a blue towel from the Nate Berkus collection of Bed Bath and Beyond. PERFECT!

Nate would prolly be proud as this plane is, in itself, a nice piece of design out of the box. Here is what was inside.

"From our Fall 2006 Line...Everyone in EPS Foam"

Wing-cores, fuselage, tail-booms, elevator, and to top it off...a canopy.







"Strut your stuff, brushed or optional brushless Pusher and EDF!"
Brushed 300 class motor, brushless 4600kv motor,
Spruce mounting stick, ESC,
Polystyrene glue (wont use that), and motor mount assembly



"Lets Accessorize With Some Flare and Hardware"
Decals, linkages, pushrods, EZconnectors, horns...
pusher props...it's in there!



"Be sure to add that final element to light up the ensemble"
The ubiquitous ELECTRIC POWER 1300mAh 3s (for the brushless setup)

As all of this stuff sat on a Designer towel that my wife had no idea I had scammed from the back of a chair next to the pool...joy slowly overtook my soul. Get the razors, epoxy, and paint gents...we're gonna build stuff!

--C


...thats it so far...more tonight.

[DIALED/CHUCK]

Video 1
Well, today proved to be quite productive…once I got past the fact that there was so much humidity that my neighbors called me on the cell in the front yard instead of walking over to see why I was sitting in a shed talking to myself!

With that....here is the first Video of the EJF Baby-Cat build.


VIDEO 1 (preppin' your Cat)


--C

[firemanbill]

Very nice Chuck... I am looking forward to seeing the rest of these. A lot can be learned from this format. Thanks for taking the time to do it!

And boy it sure has been hot around here eh?!

[DIALED/CHUCK]

Okay...I'll bite...

HOW HOT IS IT BILL?!?!?!

It is a pleasure...this thing is nothing short of a passion for me. I recall when I first started building planes how I had wished (being an extremely visually oriented person) that I had someone to show me how to do something for the first time.

"Cut out excess area and Install the servos" is fine...but "exactly how much do I need to cut out to do so?" is the real 'meat and pataters'.

Thanks for seeing what I am trying to do with these....help others out.

See you soon,

--C


ps....I re-index the first post to add video as I know how much of a pain it can be wading through a thread to find the next vid. ...makes it easier when threads pass the 30 post mark.

[firemanbill]

It's so hot it isn't worth trying to come up with a punchline that's for sure.

We played two softball games in Hampton last night in this crazy heat. Am I nuts or what!?

Anyway... I'm with you on the visual thing. That's why I think is a great idea! I was in the same boat when I started. People would say what to do but then it was left to my interpretation as to how I understood it which was usually way off.

Look forward to seeing more!

[DIALED/CHUCK]

It's so hot it isn't worth trying to come up with a punchline that's for sure.

Okay, I'll run with it....

"It's so hot, last night I saw a squirrel putting ice on his......uhhhhh....." Well, then....

I was out at City Center in NN last night watching a band play on the stage they have up there in the little park. I stuck with water, myself. I said "If I have one brew, I am done in this heat!"

--C

[DIALED/CHUCK]

Video 2 Removing and prepping control surfaces.
Okay...

So I finished mowing the lawn in the back yard and dealing with some weeds out there in the abyss....

Here is Video 2

Video 2 Removing and prepping control surfaces

With any luck, I should be airborne by mid-next-week!

The full review will be done as soon as I get her dialed in and can make a good judgement. In the 'Man is this EPS foam the most Dense you have ever seen or what?', department....better get a bunch of GOOD SHARP hoppy blades to do the initial trim on the control surfaces. I wound up using 3 blades to cut 3 control surfaces out....but hey, I am NOT complaining on this one...until now, I had no idea EPS could be packed and molded so densely.

The energy retention should be awesome!

--C

[firemanbill]

Another good one Chuck... Hopefully you didn't cut into that designer towel of the wifes!

[DIALED/CHUCK]

She'll get over it!

Besides, I was a little concerned that I knew who 'Nate' from the Oprah show was....I had to go hang out at Home Depot for a few hours in the roofing section...and I don't even know how to Roof a house!

--C

[Crash Test Dummy]

Nice Chuck,

I'll be watching this very close. Great job as usual, if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is .............well there aren't enough words to say how high you just raised the [cool thread] bar. Keep it up buddy.

CTD

[DIALED/CHUCK]

CTD,

Hey Brother....thanks! I have had people ask if I get paid to do these kinds of things....and you understand, to put a price on the work alone would price me right out of the game. It's more of a 'pick and choose' type thing, I guess. When an opp comes to review a plane, if it makes me excited....I can only hope it conveys in the thread.

The big thing that takes so long with these kinds of vid-build/review things is that I can't get too far ahead....build some...come in...chop it up...go back out...build some...etc...etc...

I actually have her body all together (minus servos, linkages, esc, rx, and lipos)....here is what she looked like tonight at 6pm.

She's ready for EDF or Pusher....I think I will go EDF first. Alas...the video needs to catch up....should have more tomorrow afternoon.

As always, thanks for checking in, brother.

--C

[Crash Test Dummy]

Looks Great!!!

What power system are you putting in the EDF? The stock brushed 300 motors? I could see myself glassing this bad boy up. Yeee Haaaw!!

CTD

[DIALED/CHUCK]

STOCK? What is that? :p

Seeing this is a bona-fide review...I will be using both of EJF's recommended apps. 4600kv Brushless (for EDF) and the 'Brushed motor'.

Plus, the ESC they put in the box....its a brushed/brushless esc (first I have ever seen).

Later I have some motors I may try....I have a 5400KV brushless which I used in an EDF 55...pulls 22amps static with 245watts (with nacelle) and 225 without at 19 amps....but it is an 'edge of the motor' setup.

--C

[Crash Test Dummy]

Originally Posted by DIALED/CHUCK

STOCK? What is that? :p

Seeing this is a bona-fide review...I will be using both of EJF's recommended apps. 4600kv Brushless (for EDF) and the 'Brushed motor'.

Plus, the ESC they put in the box....its a brushed/brushless esc (first I have ever seen).

Later I have some motors I may try....I have a 5400KV brushless which I used in an EDF 55...pulls 22amps static with 245watts (with nacelle) and 225 without at 19 amps....but it is an 'edge of the motor' setup.

--C

Ha Ha Ha Ha!! I think the last plane I flew with a stock system was my orignal Stryker. Hummm, I have a 20MM park 400/4200 laying around. That might work in there. I think it is rated at 18 AMPs Cont [24 burst] and 200 watts. I have a heat sinc on the motor, those motors were known to need them to keep temps in check.

CTD

[DIALED/CHUCK]

You are correct sir...those Park 400's are about the only motor I have seem that give you ONLY what is listed on the box. W/o heatsink I have smoked em at 20 amps....

With other motors, we'll all run 30+amps and 500+ watts more into them than they are rated for...but the Eflite line needs to put a big disclaimer on it for people like me that says:

19amps, Chuck...and WE MEAN 19...not 25, not 38....JUST 19....KEEP IT AT 19 AMPS, Chuck.

The motor is this setup is a 4600KV 'name not listed' brand. It has a heatsink...but the flutes are parallel to the head and tail of the motor...always a question to me of why some motor makers do it that way....

More soon!

--C

[DIALED/CHUCK]

Okay...on to hinging...hope you enjoy the fun.

EJF BABY-CAT Build Video 3

Although the EJF Baby-Cat comes with some pretty stout hinges in the 'box setup' comes with it's own hinges...I went with some vinyl hinges that I have been using lately and really enjoy.

Couple of notes:

You do NOT need to put a 45 degree angle on the control surfaces...so long as you mount your hinges into the 'ridge' halfway down the trailing edge of the wing/elevator stab and halfway down on each of the surfaces. This 'Ridge' was designed to do the work for you...and flutter will not be an issue provided you keep the plane under 150MPH .

This EPS is so dense...I love it...but man is it different from cutting out those other EPS models on the market....


Enjoy!

--C

[Crash Test Dummy]

Chuck,

I don't know if it is my crummy work computer or what, but the video stopps playing at the part after you show the cut on your finger. It's probably my computer. I sent you a E-Mail back, I'll have to send you the file of the V-Diamond from home.

Thanks,
CTD

[DIALED/CHUCK]

Working fine on mine, brother...

Check them again...I just re-uploaded all the files to my server. I am suspect as I have business-class speed here at the house but 18 megs uploaded in about 3 seconds (normally takes about 90 seconds).

--C

[DIALED/CHUCK]

Nope....server is screwy....only uploading 1/8 of each file.

Amazingly...I just upgraded my antivirus software....interesting!!!

I'll work on it!

Thanks CTD...

--C

[DIALED/CHUCK]

My server was just hacked!

I called the admin and he said "Yeah...who hates you?"

"What do you mean?"...

"Whoever it is is trying to blow out ALL of your files"

Apparently this is a low-level hack as everything is backed up on four servers and as he said "Its probably some kid who doesnt even know what he's trying to erase".

Anyway...CTD...Hats off for pulling the rug on that!

--C

Should be back up later tonight.

[DIALED/CHUCK]

ALL BETTER NOW! Files and links restored!

--C

[Crash Test Dummy]

WOW, I feel like Maxwell Smart Agent #86!! LMAO!!

I just finished watching the video. I have a couple of those cuts on me most of the time, Doh!! Glad i could help thwart the hacker. I sent those files to you VIA E-Mail. I'm really excited to see this plane fly.

CTD

[Crash Test Dummy]

Chuck,

How is the kitty coming?

CTD

[Down is up, Up is down?]

Awesome!!! This is very helpful to new comers to the Hobby. Its one thing to read or see pics of how to do things but actually seeing someone do a task is much more effective. Do you have any other vid our was that all?