Another 60" Laser-EXP build

[cwojcik]

There is a lot of discussion floating around regarding this airplane so I figured I would start a thread as a repository for all that knowledge. Also, the plane should be released shortly, so this will become a build thread before long!

The Extreme Flight 60" Laser EXP is the fourth in Extreme Flight's line-up of 60" EXP airplanes, following the MXS, Extra, and Edge. Like all EXP's, significant liberties have been taken during the design phase that make the plane all it can be without sacrificing scale aesthetics. It can be flown fast, slow, from razor-sharp precision to wild 3D and everything in between. These airplanes are indestructible in the air and add a significant amount of performance and stability to the convenience and simplicity of the 48" airplanes.

Having flown the 60" Laser prototype, I can say that this is my favorite of the bunch. It has a lot of side area which means that precision and rolling maneuvers are easy and rock-solid. It has the speed and roll rate of the MXS, the solid forgiving nature of the Edge, and the precision of the Extra. This plane truly offers something for pilots of all skill levels and flying styles!

Like all of the 60" airplanes from Extreme Flight, the Laser is designed around the Torque 4016T-500 motor, 15x6-15x8 prop, Airboss 80 ESC, 4 mini servos, and 6S 3000-4000 mah batteries.

Without further ado, let the build begin!

Components I will be using:
Torque 4016T/500 MKII
Airboss 80
Xoar 15x8
RJX FS-0391 servos
CC BEC Pro

Also, for this build I have decided to use Spot-On 1" and 1.25" servo arms.

OK, let's start with the wings. Pull them out of the wing bag and remove the plastic protector.



Start by tightening the covering and gently sealing down all the seams with a covering iron on low heat.





If you get a bit of pigment bleeding, you can wipe it up with acetone.





Now let's glue in the aileron horns. Remove all the horns and base plates from the hardware bag and set aside two of the longer ones (the one shorter one is for the elevator)





Insert into the aileron to test fit, then remove it and scuff with some sandpaper to promote adhesion.



Now, I like to line the outside with masking tape. This provides a nice border for where to cut away the covering.







Now mix up some 15-45 minute epoxy. Glue the horn in.











Now, you can pull up the tape, which if you applied it correctly, will have masked off the area around the horn base plate, greatly reducing mess.





Now let's mount the servos.



Unfortunately I have to slightly enlarge the mounts to fit the RJX servos...they are a bit longer than the recommended Hitec 7245's





Now reinforce the servo mounting area with a few drops of CA.



While the CA cures, we can prepare the hinges. This step is not strictly necessary but in my experience it greatly increases the life of the hinge.



Rub the centerline of the hinge with some wax. You can use a crayon, a candle, or a little chunk of ski wax, like I am doing.



Now place two pins through the hinge on the wax centerline.



Now insert the hinges into the surfaces.





Remove the pins. These were in there to keep the hinges centered in their slots. Flex the surfaces to the bevel to set the proper gap.



Place a drop of CA on the hinge and repeat on top. The wax that you put on the hinge will keep CA off the center, flexing portion of the hinge while still letting it wick into the portion that is in the wood. By not having CA on the center of the hinge, that portion will stay a bit more supple and last longer. This is not a necessity but I have broken a few hinges after a lot of really hard flying.



Now install the servo.



Drill the holes for the servo screws. I like using the Great Planes Dead Center tool.



Install the screws, then remove them.



Pull the servo out and place a drop of thin CA on the holes to harden them.



Now you can re-install the servo.

 

[cwojcik]

If you get some fogging from the CA on the hinges, you can remove it with acetone. Be careful not to get any acetone on the hinges themselves as this could soften the plastic or the CA bonding them in.



Now let's seal the ailerons. You can do this with blender tape, but I find that some matching covering makes for a much neater look when done. Cut some strips that are at least the length of the ailerons and 3/4" wide. Crease them in half down the center.



Use a bit of masking tape to hold the surface fully deflected.



Drop the gap sealing strip into the hinge bevel. Go over it slowly with a covering iron on low heat, sealing it down. If you are careful you will get a beautiful hinge line that is quiet, sealed, and invisible.





Now you can assemble the aileron pushrods. Unfortunately the Spot-On arms have a 3mm hole in them, so I needed to glue a larger Secraft ball link onto the pushrod with a little epoxy. If you do this, thread a 3mm bolt into the ball link and then remove it to form some threads in the ball link. This will keep it from pulling out. If done properly this results in a perfectly strong connection.

 

[Fast3D]

Wow, I did not know there was another Laser build thread. I am glad I found this by accident. I really like your waxing idea and also the pinning of the hinges. Unfortunately, I messed up one of the aileron hinges while glueing ; just a little too much gap on one side. I will show some picture later tonight.
I hope you continue the rest of the build. I wish you could video yourself while building!! Thank you.

 

[cwojcik]

Yes, sorry for the delay in posting the build. Many Beaver-related activities. I should finish it soon.

 

[dth7]

Silly question Cody,

Is there a source for Ultracote trim sheets? The only ones I see are the monocote self adhesive sheets (not that great). Or are you stuck getting an entire roll or "borrowing" some strips for sealing from a friend! nudge nudge wink wink!

 

[cwojcik]

I have a bunch of covering kicking around. I forget when I bought the yellow for...maybe it was my Carden from back when it had a different scheme.

There was a kid on RCG selling strips of it ready to go but I think now that he's back in school he's not doing it any more.

In any case I will cut you some.

 

[dth7]

Cool. Thanks. Yeah it was Lonewolf's son. I have the yellow Laser too, haven't started the build yet. Just repaired the MXS, it will crank shaft again!
When the heck are we going to get together again? Hopefully soon. Had a deadstick with the 78 the other day. Had idle too low with really hot n humid conditions. Those damn EFs are tough as nails. Landed in a rough field at Petersons- NO damage! Love it.
Talk to you soon.

 

[cwojcik]

Build thread continues!

OK, now let's move on to the fuselage. Get it out of the bag and tighten up any wrinkles it may have.




Go over the motor mount joints, battery tray, and any other high stress joints you can reach with a bit of thin CA.



Now is a good time to put the landing gear on; having the plane on its feet will make the rest of the build easier.



Use some thread locking compound on the LG bolts.



Take the wheels, axles, and wheel collars out of the hardware bag.



File or grind a flat spot on the axle for the wheel collar to dig into, this is important to keep the wheel from coming off.



Put the wheels on the axles and secure with the wheel collars.



Now you can install the wheels and axles on the gear with the wheelpants. You can tighten the nut with a wrench or socket and hold the wheel collar with some pliers.



Make sure the wheel pants are perfectly aligned.



Drill a hole in the wheelpants through the hole in the landing gear.



Use the provided wood screws to hold the wheelpants on securely.






Now let's install the tail. First cut away the joining piece of wood at the back of the elevator slot. Use a razor saw for this.






Test fit the stab in the slot.



Carefully measure to keep the stab perfectly aligned side to side. I think I spend more time on this than any other part of the build.



You can use a pin to keep the front of the stab from moving after you have measured it.



You can also tie a piece of string to the hatch release and use that to measure the distance to the stab ends, and use that to make sure it is perfectly square.



Put the wing tube in the wing socket and use that to make sure the stab is perfectly aligned to the wing tube.



When the stab is perfectly aligned, use thin CA to glue it in place.



Now let's install the horns in the elevator and rudder. Do this just like the ailerons, scuffing the fiberglass with some sand paper.















Now install the elevator into the stab and hinge it like you did with the ailerons. Pay extra attention here as you will want more throw on the elevator than anything else.









I had to slightly trim the elevator joiner clearance.



I also sealed the elevator just like the ailerons.






You can now hinge the rudder as well.






With the rudder installed, you can install the tailwheel.

 

[cwojcik]

File or grind a flat spot where the tiller and the collar attach to the shaft.









Find the small wood screws for holding the tailwheel on



Use the tailwheel assembly to drill some holes in the fuselage to mount securely using the provided screws.





First thread the screws in, then remove them and put a drop of thin CA in the screw hole. Let it cure completely and reassemble. This area will take some abuse.



Now install the elevator servo. I had to slightly enlarge the mounting hole for these servos.



I elected to use the 1.25" hole on these 1.5" arms. The geometry just wasn't right at 1.5". I am getting plenty of throw at 1.25"



I installed the rudder pushrod in the same manner.



I also decided to make a wire tunnel out of some 3mm depron to keep the wires from bouncing around in there. Not a necessity by any means though, you will be fine just running the wires through the turtledeck.



Now let's prepare the Torque motor for mounting.



First install the collar on the shaft of the motor with a bit of loctite on the grub screw.





Then install the X-mount with a bit of thread locking compound on each screw.



Finally install the prop adapter, also with thread locking compound.



Screw the motor the firewall.



I decided to protect the wires from the edge of the firewall with some fuel tubing.



Mount the ESC to the bottom of the motor box. What is not shown here is that it's mounted on a piece of double-sided foam tape to isolate from vibration, and it's over a lightening hole so that some of the air can get over the heatsink.





I also put some velcro on the battery tray. Spreading some Welder glue or UHU POR on the wood and letting it dry before applying the velcro will make it stick tenaciously.



Now let's prepare the spinner. Remove it from the package and install the ring in the backplate to adapt it to the shaft.







Let's install the cowl. Test fit it to make sure everything lines up.



Take some pieces of card stock to the fuselage to mark the location of the mounting tabs.



I used some pieces of double sided tape to make sure the cowl stayed perfectly aligned with the spinner and at a perfect gap.



Drill some holes through the cowl and the tabs. Install the cowl screws, remove, and take off the cowl. Put a drop of glue in the screw hole and let it dry completely.



Reinstall the cowl, prop and spinner.





Now we can apply the graphics. Grab a wing panel and clean gently. Grab your decal sheet and decide what you want to put where.





Cut out the decals, being careful not to leave any sharp corners which may peel up after a while.

 

[cwojcik]

Spray the area where you will apply the decal with some Rapid Tac. If you don't have Rapid Tac, you can use Windex but it will take a lot longer to dry and the results won't be quite as nice...the decals may lift after a while.



Put the decals on over the Rapid Tac, position carefully, and squeeze out all excess fluid.







I used the hole in the SFG to line up these decals.





All ready!