THSS REVIEWK&A Models "MINI-1"
Specifications:
Wingspan: 28.5"
Weight: 10 oz.
Wing Area: 167
Wing Loading: approx. 8 oz/sq. ft.
Airfoil: E375 at 8%
Radio: micro receiver, micro gear including 2 micro servos, 270mah battery pack
Skill Level: Advanced
Why the Mini-1. After seeing a few <30" models at my slope, I decided that I wanted one for myself. Instead of getting one like everyone else's, I decided to go for the Mini-1 since it looked fast and supposedly could be built light enough so it would be able to handle light lift conditions. It was also available at a local hobby shop, which helped me make the decision to get it.
Building the Mini-1. Upon opening the box, I was pretty disapointed with what I found. This kit costs $69 and there was probably about $5 worth of wood and foam in the kit. The wings were so small that they looked like v-tails from a big plane. Building consisted of putting together the wood fuse using some die cut ply pieces and some balsa pieces, joining and sheeting the wing, attaching the tail surfaces, and installing the radio gear. The construction sucked. For the price, the wood they included in the kit should have been more "kit specific" than it was. The only things that seemed to be shaped just for the kit were two sides of the fuse, the stabs, and the foam wing core. Everything else was just plain old wood you could get at any decent hobby shop. A realistic price for this kit would be maybe $25, and that's still a lot. Luckily, the plane is small, so it didn't take me long to build the wing and fuse. As far as installing radio gear, that sucked too. Installing the servos in the space you have is so tight that no matter what I did, I still had the servo arms scraping the side of the fuse when I finished. Eventually I just decided to live with that.
Flying the Mini-1. One good thing about the Mini-1 is that it sure is a handful to fly, which makes it interesting. I kept tip stalling, and first blamed it on the CG being too far back, so I moved it forward and forward and forward untill it was obvious that it wasn't a CG problem. I then reduced the throw on the elevator to about 25% of what I had it at, and that helped a little, but it still tip stalled way too much. It sure did roll nicely. It is not a light wind sloper, though. I tried it a few times in relatively light wind and it just wouldn't fly, even after adjusting the CG both forward and back. It does, however, handle big wind really well. It penetrates no problem. After comparing it to a Mini-Warbird from Patton Aircraft, I shelved the Mini-1 and used the radio gear in another plane. The Mini-1 just didn't compare. Patton's planes are lighter, more maneuverable, faster, and a lot more fun to fly.
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