World Models "Fun World - EP 400"
01-12-2009, 10:55 PM
#1
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World Models "Fun World - EP 400"
I got one of these models at the AMA Expo this weekend for $40, NIB. Anyone have one? What do you like about it? Dislike? Any photos or videos? 
http://www.airborne-models.com/html/...p?ProductID=89
http://www.airborne-models.com/html/...p?ProductID=89
01-13-2009, 02:04 AM
#2
Penguins still can't fly
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Atlanta, Ga
Posts: 5,136
Originally Posted by Kmot
I got one of these models at the AMA Expo this weekend for $40, NIB. Anyone have one? What do you like about it? Dislike? Any photos or videos?
http://www.airborne-models.com/html/...p?ProductID=89
http://www.airborne-models.com/html/...p?ProductID=89
I have heard a lot of good things about it.
I looked for a possible online review, but the closest I could come to finding is on the 50" Version http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=372
01-15-2009, 03:13 AM
#5
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 362
Hey fella's,
I started putting this plane together. It's pretty neat. I am still amazed how the company can sell something like this so inexpensively. It has 13 different colors of "LighTex" which is their name for monokote type covering. Thirteen!!
The motor comes pre-wired and also has capacitors soldered onto it. It has a pinion gear already attached to the output shaft. The gearbox is preassembled too. The motor brand name is "Fully" and in my experience those are excellent motors.
In fact, if anyone has a Graupner Multiplex Speed 400 motor in the orange box, take it out and look at the back of the motor and tell me what name you see.
There are some issues, though. Some flat washers for the motor mounting were missing. Since the gearbox housing is plastic, the washers are important. So they missed on that but I had my own to use.
And some other issues as well. This model is extremely lightweight, hence fragile. I thought I was man handling it when a few times I heard the 'crack' of balsa. As it turns out, while tightening the covering with a monokote iron I discovered that three distinct pieces of balsa had been broken at the factory during assembly and the factory actually glued the balsa pieces back together. But the glue was not CA, or just not strong and the balsa pieces broke again while I was handling the model parts. There is a broken fuselage side, a diagonal stringer in a wing panel, and a diagonal stringer in an aileron. This is not enough to worry about since the covering is holding it together as well but it is a bit frustrating to learn they didn't replace the wood while it was exposed.
Anyway, after testing the motor I went ahead and changed the connectors to gold plugs and my ESC has gold plugs as well.
The plane comes with a folding prop. This is my first experience with a folder and it's pretty cool device. I like it!
I spent a couple hours of 'quality time' tightening up the covering on every part of the model. It looks reall nice now and so now the actual assembly of the plane can begin.
I started putting this plane together. It's pretty neat. I am still amazed how the company can sell something like this so inexpensively. It has 13 different colors of "LighTex" which is their name for monokote type covering. Thirteen!!
The motor comes pre-wired and also has capacitors soldered onto it. It has a pinion gear already attached to the output shaft. The gearbox is preassembled too. The motor brand name is "Fully" and in my experience those are excellent motors.
In fact, if anyone has a Graupner Multiplex Speed 400 motor in the orange box, take it out and look at the back of the motor and tell me what name you see.
There are some issues, though. Some flat washers for the motor mounting were missing. Since the gearbox housing is plastic, the washers are important. So they missed on that but I had my own to use.
And some other issues as well. This model is extremely lightweight, hence fragile. I thought I was man handling it when a few times I heard the 'crack' of balsa. As it turns out, while tightening the covering with a monokote iron I discovered that three distinct pieces of balsa had been broken at the factory during assembly and the factory actually glued the balsa pieces back together. But the glue was not CA, or just not strong and the balsa pieces broke again while I was handling the model parts. There is a broken fuselage side, a diagonal stringer in a wing panel, and a diagonal stringer in an aileron. This is not enough to worry about since the covering is holding it together as well but it is a bit frustrating to learn they didn't replace the wood while it was exposed.
Anyway, after testing the motor I went ahead and changed the connectors to gold plugs and my ESC has gold plugs as well.
The plane comes with a folding prop. This is my first experience with a folder and it's pretty cool device. I like it!
I spent a couple hours of 'quality time' tightening up the covering on every part of the model. It looks reall nice now and so now the actual assembly of the plane can begin.
01-15-2009, 06:40 AM
#9
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Join Date: Apr 2007
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Yeah, that's it. :p
Except I have the Blue version. I will take some photos tomorrow. Anything in particular you want to see?
Here is the page from the catalog. It says it has an outrunner brushless but mine came with a brushed Speed 400.
Except I have the Blue version. I will take some photos tomorrow. Anything in particular you want to see?
Here is the page from the catalog. It says it has an outrunner brushless but mine came with a brushed Speed 400.
01-15-2009, 02:11 PM
#10
prefectionist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: MN
Posts: 1,919
You probably got an old version, WM seems to be moving all there burshed planes over to brushless now. I'm really surprised more people don't have planes from them as they look really good and most of what I read is positive. I've seen the quote "Yeah it's from world models so it'll fly well" a number of times.
01-15-2009, 11:42 PM
#11
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 362
Okay, I got some photos. So far I have attached the ailerons and applied the stickers to look exactly like the box art. The motor, cowl and propeller are installed and the esc and Rx and motor have all been tested.
In the pictures, if you look close at the stringers you can see the broken ones. Both are in the same wing panel. I cut out the clear covering at the wing root of the wing panel and was able to stick my finger inside and push up on the stringer that is broken in two places and apply some CA to it.
In the pictures, if you look close at the stringers you can see the broken ones. Both are in the same wing panel. I cut out the clear covering at the wing root of the wing panel and was able to stick my finger inside and push up on the stringer that is broken in two places and apply some CA to it.
01-16-2009, 06:44 AM
#13
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 362
I got a lot done today, especially considering I am sick with a bad cold.
I mounted the servos in the wing panels and made the linkages. I had planned on using some Mystery 9G servos but they would not fit. So I used some 6G servos I got from Hobby Lobby. The 6G servos work well but have a major fault. The cases are not screwed together. I found that they pop apart when attaching the control horn. So the cases need to be glued together before you install them in anything.
I glued the cases together and even at that, one of them popped apart while adding the control horn and I had to pry the servo out which broke the balsa wood around the area and so I had to CA it back together. Man, this thing is pixie fragile!
Anyway, eventually I got both wing panels completed and linkages hooked up, etc. Oh, one more thing about the factory. They were suposed to 'tack glue' the servo strings but they used a very aggressive glue and trying to pry the wood plates the strings were attached too from the rib caused the rib to break in both locations in both wing panels. More CA glue! :p
Once the wings were finished I installed the tail feathers and glued the working surfaces in place. Then the tail wheel and main landing gear were installed.
All the hardware in this kit is proprietary stuff and has the TWM logos and part numbers on it. It is for the most part all pretty decent stuff. The wheel collars are aluminum, and the grub screw will strip if you breathe on it too hard. My solution is to just barely snug the grub screw in place and then CA the grub screw. That way it's usable and doesn't have to be canned and replaced with Dubro stuff at more cost.
I mounted the servos in the wing panels and made the linkages. I had planned on using some Mystery 9G servos but they would not fit. So I used some 6G servos I got from Hobby Lobby. The 6G servos work well but have a major fault. The cases are not screwed together. I found that they pop apart when attaching the control horn. So the cases need to be glued together before you install them in anything.
I glued the cases together and even at that, one of them popped apart while adding the control horn and I had to pry the servo out which broke the balsa wood around the area and so I had to CA it back together. Man, this thing is pixie fragile!
Anyway, eventually I got both wing panels completed and linkages hooked up, etc. Oh, one more thing about the factory. They were suposed to 'tack glue' the servo strings but they used a very aggressive glue and trying to pry the wood plates the strings were attached too from the rib caused the rib to break in both locations in both wing panels. More CA glue! :p
Once the wings were finished I installed the tail feathers and glued the working surfaces in place. Then the tail wheel and main landing gear were installed.
All the hardware in this kit is proprietary stuff and has the TWM logos and part numbers on it. It is for the most part all pretty decent stuff. The wheel collars are aluminum, and the grub screw will strip if you breathe on it too hard. My solution is to just barely snug the grub screw in place and then CA the grub screw. That way it's usable and doesn't have to be canned and replaced with Dubro stuff at more cost.
01-16-2009, 11:31 PM
#16
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 362
Thank you, Mike!
I decided to take a break and upload some photos, since my head cold is bothering me.
Fortunately my Mystery 9G servos fit perfectly in the slots inside the fuselage. The linkage rods were made up by first threading on the nylon clevises and inserting them through the tubing guides inside the fuselage. Then they were snapped into place over the control horns. Next comes the part I don't like very much. Bending the ends of very stiff wire, inside the confines of a very small opening. But it eventually got done. So the servos and control linkages for the empannage are completed. Next up is to secure the ESC and Rx in the forward compartment and finish the wing attaching hardware and lastly program the radio and she is ready for her maiden flight.
I decided to take a break and upload some photos, since my head cold is bothering me.
Fortunately my Mystery 9G servos fit perfectly in the slots inside the fuselage. The linkage rods were made up by first threading on the nylon clevises and inserting them through the tubing guides inside the fuselage. Then they were snapped into place over the control horns. Next comes the part I don't like very much. Bending the ends of very stiff wire, inside the confines of a very small opening. But it eventually got done. So the servos and control linkages for the empannage are completed. Next up is to secure the ESC and Rx in the forward compartment and finish the wing attaching hardware and lastly program the radio and she is ready for her maiden flight.
01-17-2009, 05:07 AM
#17
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Join Date: Apr 2007
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She is 95% finished.
I decided to add two more sponsor stickers, Spektrum and Electrifly because my ESC is an Electrifly C-25 and my radio is a Spektrum DX6.
Astute observers will have noticed I have blue carpet and some pink or 'mauve' chairs in my house. It is no coincidence that this plane also has blue and pink or 'mauve' colors.
No, I didn't buy this color combo because it matches my furnishings.
I was at the AMA Expo with my wife. She already thinks I have too many airplanes and boats, etc. So there we were at the World Models booth and I was looking at the planes on display. I pointed out the Fun World 400 EP and she said "that's a pretty plane, I like the colors".
Done deal!
I decided to add two more sponsor stickers, Spektrum and Electrifly because my ESC is an Electrifly C-25 and my radio is a Spektrum DX6.
Astute observers will have noticed I have blue carpet and some pink or 'mauve' chairs in my house. It is no coincidence that this plane also has blue and pink or 'mauve' colors.
No, I didn't buy this color combo because it matches my furnishings.
I was at the AMA Expo with my wife. She already thinks I have too many airplanes and boats, etc. So there we were at the World Models booth and I was looking at the planes on display. I pointed out the Fun World 400 EP and she said "that's a pretty plane, I like the colors".
Done deal!
01-18-2009, 12:56 AM
#18
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 362
I ran into a little problem today when testing. The motor got hot. Way too hot. 
After looking at it, I realized there is no way for cooling air to get into the motor. The gearbox covered the front cooling holes. The opening in the cowl lets air in but it just passed underneath the motor, not cooling it.
After programmin my radio, I tested the motor. I let it run for a couple seconds, and then hit full throttle. Within a few seconds I could smell the distinctive 'burning motor' odor. I chopped the throttle, and smoke wafted up from the motor. Yikes!
I turned it back on at one click below half throttle to let the prop throw some cooling air over the motor and went for my temp gun. The motor was at 125°F and not cooling off at all. So I shut it down, and let it cool for several minutes. But after several minutes it was only down to 110°. I then started it again, and with my temp gun pointed at the back of the motor went to full power. After 5 seconds the motor was at 165° and climbing! I shut it down.
I knew something had to be done, and I so I set about to install some sort of air flow system for the motor. I did not want this model to fail in short order because of a cooked motor.
I looked around for something to make an airscoop from. The bottom of a Coke bottle looked promising. I cut off the bottom and cut out one of the 'leafs'. After some aggressive sanding, I had a flat bottom to the scoop. I cut out the front with scissors and then Dremeled the rest of the opening. I then marked the outline of the scoop on the cowling, and cut out an opening. I sanded the cowling surface to give it some 'tooth' and then CA'd the scoop to the cowling. A little acrylic paint and it was done.
For the motor, I cut out openings in the gearbox plate so that air could enter the front of the motor and pass over the armature.
It was a complete success and major improvement. I ran the temp tests again. I held my temp gun on the back of the motor and went to full power. After 15 seconds, the motor had climbed to only 121°F. 15 seconds at full take off power is more than I will ever use in the park. I went to one click below half throttle and left it there. The motor stabilized at 95°.
After looking at it, I realized there is no way for cooling air to get into the motor. The gearbox covered the front cooling holes. The opening in the cowl lets air in but it just passed underneath the motor, not cooling it.
After programmin my radio, I tested the motor. I let it run for a couple seconds, and then hit full throttle. Within a few seconds I could smell the distinctive 'burning motor' odor. I chopped the throttle, and smoke wafted up from the motor. Yikes!
I turned it back on at one click below half throttle to let the prop throw some cooling air over the motor and went for my temp gun. The motor was at 125°F and not cooling off at all. So I shut it down, and let it cool for several minutes. But after several minutes it was only down to 110°. I then started it again, and with my temp gun pointed at the back of the motor went to full power. After 5 seconds the motor was at 165° and climbing! I shut it down.
I knew something had to be done, and I so I set about to install some sort of air flow system for the motor. I did not want this model to fail in short order because of a cooked motor.
I looked around for something to make an airscoop from. The bottom of a Coke bottle looked promising. I cut off the bottom and cut out one of the 'leafs'. After some aggressive sanding, I had a flat bottom to the scoop. I cut out the front with scissors and then Dremeled the rest of the opening. I then marked the outline of the scoop on the cowling, and cut out an opening. I sanded the cowling surface to give it some 'tooth' and then CA'd the scoop to the cowling. A little acrylic paint and it was done.
For the motor, I cut out openings in the gearbox plate so that air could enter the front of the motor and pass over the armature.
It was a complete success and major improvement. I ran the temp tests again. I held my temp gun on the back of the motor and went to full power. After 15 seconds, the motor had climbed to only 121°F. 15 seconds at full take off power is more than I will ever use in the park. I went to one click below half throttle and left it there. The motor stabilized at 95°.
01-19-2009, 10:04 PM
#21
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 362
I'm 99% finished now. I have even done some taxi tests in my backyard.
What I have left to do before I actually fly this plane is to take a trip to my lhs and buy a couple of collars to retain the linkage where it attaches to the servo arms.
Today I finalized and finished the radio installation. I attached the bottom hatch latches. And I secured all the loose cables.
What I have left to do before I actually fly this plane is to take a trip to my lhs and buy a couple of collars to retain the linkage where it attaches to the servo arms.
Today I finalized and finished the radio installation. I attached the bottom hatch latches. And I secured all the loose cables.
01-19-2009, 10:21 PM
#22
I AM NO SHOES!!!
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Mid GA
Posts: 359
Get you a Slowfly FAT prop for her.. i had a park 400 and a 10x4.7.. that was one FUN plane.. I never dinged it at all.. I was flying in the School parking lot.. Some ppl were watching and I come in FAST and low and over corrected the wind.. BAMMM!!!!
RIP!!
RIP!!
01-21-2009, 09:51 PM
#25
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 362
Maiden Flight
The maiden flight was successful. She flew sweetly.
The plane is very stable, no bad habits at all. With the stock brushed 400 motor she has plenty of power to do a loop from horizontal flight. I only did an Immelman but its the same power wise. She glides more than I anticipated and my landing flare was a bit long. My first flight consisted of a couple laps around the park, and then a half lap followed by a slow roll and an Immelman, then another half lap setting up for landing.
The second flight started off well but immediately the motor started to lose power and then stopped altogether. It is kaput. I don't know if it is because I am using a 3S battery, or if it was damaged terminally when it overheated during the first test run on the bench.
In any case, I have another 400 brushed motor so I will do a transplant and fly her gain soon.
http://wavelit.com/media/1209/Fun_World_EP_400/
The plane is very stable, no bad habits at all. With the stock brushed 400 motor she has plenty of power to do a loop from horizontal flight. I only did an Immelman but its the same power wise. She glides more than I anticipated and my landing flare was a bit long. My first flight consisted of a couple laps around the park, and then a half lap followed by a slow roll and an Immelman, then another half lap setting up for landing.
The second flight started off well but immediately the motor started to lose power and then stopped altogether. It is kaput. I don't know if it is because I am using a 3S battery, or if it was damaged terminally when it overheated during the first test run on the bench.
In any case, I have another 400 brushed motor so I will do a transplant and fly her gain soon.
http://wavelit.com/media/1209/Fun_World_EP_400/
Last edited by Kmot; 01-22-2009 at 02:31 AM. Reason: Youtube not responding, switched to Wavelit
