After a hiatus of nearly two years we here at everything RC cars are back on the wagon!

You’re probably wondering where we went because to be frank we haven’t updated the flippin blog in a long time.  In truth we have been updating our knowledge on the RC car racing scene, trying to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to be a champion in the viciously competitive RC Racing tournaments.

That being said…

Everything-RC-Cars will be having a huge makeover… no not like “insert crappy chick show here”.  No everything RC cars is going full bore into the heart of RC land. We will be bringing you regular updates on one of your favorite hobbies, some of those updates will be in depth RC car & truck reviews – tune up tips and tricks, special events and the odd hot body – yes pun intended.

Also stay tuned for some BIG news coming out of Everything RC Cars in the coming months.

OK see you at the track..

Niko

Excerpted from:
Everything RC Cars Makeover

The lighter you make your foam RC model airplane, the better it will fly. This article will show you how to trim weight and increase the flight performance of your RC model airplane.

Use the right glue – Using the right glue is of critical importance during the construction of your foam RC model airplane. Use foam safe CA glue, and apply it very sparingly. It only takes a tiny drop to attach two parts properly. By using the right glue in the right amounts, you can reduce the overall weight of the RC model airplanes fuselage.

Make the radio system lighter – Choose a radio system with the lightest components possible. Find lightweight servos with weights between 4.7 and 7.8 grams, such as our Hitec or Draganfly brand micro servos. Try to get the lightest servos possible. You can reduce the weight of your radio system by removing the bottom portion of the servo case. In most cases, this can simply be unscrewed. The plastic receiver case can also be removed quite easily. As a last resort, you can attempt to directly solder the servo wires to the receiver. This will save the weight of the connectors, but only attempt this if you are very comfortable soldering.

Choose the right lipo battery – The battery is one of the heaviest components of any foam RC model airplane. Look at the different sizes of battery available, and compare brands to find the lightest. Choose a battery based on the physical limitations of the model and the flight time that you want. In most cases, a 350 Mah battery is sufficient.

Modify the landing gear – Most foam RC model airplanes come with plastic wheels. If you will only be flying your foam model indoors off of a smooth floor then you can remove them. There are several lighter landing gear systems you can use, but we recommend using a skid made out of piano wire or a spare push rod. This procedure shows you how to make one:

1. Cut the wire to the length that you want. You can save even more weight by making the wire as short as possible.
2. Using a pair of needle nose pliers, bend the end of the wire into a U shape.
3. Use CA glue to attach the wire to your models landing strut (usually made of carbon rod.)
4. Wrap the entire joint with Kevlar thread. Do not use too much, or it will offset the weight loss gained from removing the wheels.
5. Cover the area with a small amount of CA glue.

You can also add small foam wheel pants as decorations – the weight gain from this is minimal.
Follow these tips to reduce the weight of your foam RC model airplanes.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed

Read the original here:
How to Make Your Foam RC Model Airplane Lighter

Scale model cars, trucks, and other vehicles that are controlled by a hand-held controller that sends radio signals to the vehicle are Radio Controlled Vehicles. Learn more about what radio controlled vehicles are – the classes and configurations.

Excerpted from:
Radio Controlled Vehicles

The Multiplex Minimag is a durable foam RC model airplane. It has a 4 channel proportional radio system, and a brushed motor / NiMh battery power system. Many users of the Mulitplex Minimag add brushless motors and lithium polymer batteries for increased flight performance. This article will show you how to do these modifications yourself.

The RC Components You Will Need

We have put together a list of the best RC components to use for modifying the Minimag RC model airplane. You will need:

1. A Brushless Motor – A Himax 2815-2000 works well for this application.
2. A Speed Controller – Use a Castle Creations Thunderbird 36 amp ESC. It will provide plenty of power for the recommended motor, and will run off a variety of lithium polymer batteries.
3. A Lithium Polymer Battery – A Thunderpower 3 cell 2100 is a great battery to use. You can get up to a half an hour of flight time (depending on throttle management), and it fits neatly underneath the Minimag’s wing.
4. A Propeller – The brushless motor will need a different propeller. We recommend a 7 x 5 APC propeller.
5. A Charger – You can use either a Thunderpower 535C or a 610C charger. Each will allow you to quickly charge your battery at the flying field using a 12 volt power source.

Eventually we will sell all of these components in a kit. Until then, you can order them by clicking on the above links and pictures.

RC Components Installation Procedure

Many of these components will seamlessly drop in to the Minimag RC airplane where the original parts were. Follow this procedure when installing your improved power systems.

1. Remove the brushed motor, and install the brushless version. Be very careful not to damage the motor wires. All of the bolt holes from the old motor should match the new one perfectly, so just push in the brushless motor and bolt it on.
2. The 3 cell 2100 lithium polymer battery can be placed under the wing. Make sure that it doesn’t move in flight, and route its wires to where the electronic speed controller will be installed.
3. Connect the speed controller to the motor, battery, and receiver.

We hope that you enjoy the increase in power and flight time that this upgraded power system will give you. Feel free to post comments describing your own ideas, and let us know how this modification works for you.

——
© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed

View post:
Adding a Brushless Motor and Lipo Battery to the Multiplex Minimag