Build a "Warp", a full-contact combat RC aircraft.

Some of the guys at the local RC club (Brindlee Mountain RC Club) and other clubs around the North Alabama area have designed a plane for full contact combat flying. The whole object is to bump/crash into the other guy(s) and have their plane hit the ground before yours does.

The current Warp has evolved from a design created by another "Don" who goes by the name of "Miderror" on the RC Groups forum thread "Don's Blue Plate Special" which is dedicated to these and other style combat planes. There is a video (20 megs) here showing the action between 2 Warps and 4 other kinds of planes!

The plane is made of 1/4" blue insulation foam available at any of the larger home improvement stores. This foam is inexpensive, easy to repair with hot glue and can take a lot of punishment. The Warp pictured below has been repaired many times but still flies beautifully!

One thing to ALWAYS remember, the tail fin is on the BOTTOM when the plane is flying normally, it looks like it's flying upside down. When you launch the plane, make sure you don't have the fin up and pull back on the elevator thinking it's going to go UP! It won't! I know this from experience. The picture below is really of the BOTTOM of the plane.

This Instructable is intended for people that are familiar with building and flying RC planes.

Step 1: Gather together what you need for the airframe.

You'll need a sheet of 1/4" blue foam, marker, ruler, Xacto or similar knife, soldering iron and solder, hot-melt glue gun and glue, and fiberglass packing tape. The schematics included are really just guidelines, they're for the Warp that I'm currently flying. You can round corners, change angles, and change any dimension you like, but keep in mind that any changes you make, you'll be changing how the plane flies.

Mark out the lines and cut out the pieces. If you're careful, you can get two complete Warps from one sheet of foam.

In the plans, all dimensions are in inches.

Comments

[mbainrot]

I kind of deviated from the plans a fair bit (no rudder just 2 elevons)

Is it possible for you to do a pdf export from autocad with the aircraft to scale? had a really hard time tracing this out using a projector at a local maker space onto depron foam gaffa taped to a rolling garage door.

It's been on the back burner since Dec last year and decided to go all in and just tape basic electronics with no control surfaces. Flew quite well into the ground (expected as it has no control surfaces). Hence its first repair.

With depron you REALLY have to make sure you got that bit of plastic the OP has on his (I am using 0.5mm plastic sheeting, quite heavy stuff but was the most ridged i could get) to stop the motor ripping the crap out of the foam.

Photo shown is me adhering the left elevon to the main body, pieces of plastic on the elevons is to provide a good solid point to adhere the linkage to the elevon

Using foam safe "super glue" which is strangely odderless, seems to stick other stuff to foam better then unprepped foam to foam, to stick foam to foam you have to sand the ends and then make sure you remove all the dust otherwise the glue won't go off properly and leaves you with a dodgy join.

Used depron foam instead of insulation because of what is available in Australia. Depron works quite well but needs reinforcing because it is not as ridged (in the photo you can see one of the two parallel foam reinforcing "bars" that run the length of the aircraft)

[mbainrot]

Picture below *take 2*

[tim127]

Me and some friends are planning to make a semi autopilot plane. This is a good place to start.

[he who crashes often]

good luck. what sort of system do you plan to use for autopilot? try going on diydrones.com, they have lots of really good information.

[techmonster]

would it be okay for me to use a standard spektrum receiver for this plane or would it be too big?

[coscade]

What program did you use to make the schematics?

[Don H.]

Autocad.

[coscade]

Thanks, and nice instructable

[coscade]

I have a question, What is that plastic piece you used to attached thae linkage rod to the rudder?

[Don H.]

Just a regular control horn made for foam planes. Any RC hobby should have them. I cut a slit in the foam and attached the horn with hot glue.

[i make shooting things]

Finally some Rc instructables (not crappy toysrus Rc) Great simple design I look forward to building it, I will try to put some pics up of mine I would recommend getting small gage wire to protect the prop (I lost a $50 brushless motor because of unprotected prop) I might try using a flying wing rc control set up and split the elevator and make "alervons" (which do the job of ailerons and a elevator) or w.e their called. But I think ill keep the ruder for greater stability. Is this more of a park flyer or a 3d plane? Can this fly strait up? Can it do a barrel roll or a loop? Just a few questions id like to know before I start building Thanks! Awesome job, one of the best first instructables iv seen!

[Don H.]

Thanx for the kind words! The plane is a great park/backyard flyer, as it'll fly pretty slow and turn quickly. I don't really know about flying straight up as I've not thought to try it, for the combat flying, we like it slow and close in and therefore don't use much over half throttle. It's really not designed for that kind of flying. I kind of doubt it'd do 3d as you really need ailerons. As for the elevons, there is another type combat plane called a "Stubby" (you can see one in the picture on step 8 at the top. I haven't built one of these yet, but I do have another sheet of foam and the dimensions to build it. I'll take pictures as I build it and make another Instructable.

[i make shooting things]

Thanks,
Please join my group, this is the first true good Rc anything iv seen on instructables by the way im gona add the instructable to my new group if u dont mind
I'll look forward to "stubby"
P.S welcome to instructables

[samyakchakma]

can i make dis plane with thermocol ?

[Don H.]

Sorry, but I have no idea what a thermocol is.

[Electroinnovation]

About how much does one of these cost from scratch with everything needed to fly?

[Spokehedz]

Under $140. The cost is in the radio and electronics, which usually are recoverable from a crash/battle.

[Electroinnovation]

Cool. How much does each styrofoam piece cost

[Spokehedz]

Umm... like, under $10-20 dollars. Or less if you find some from someone insulating their attic.

[samyakchakma]

is the white stuff thermocol

[Electroinnovation]

I know kinda a stupid question I just want to know

[Pr0pmaster]

where can i find a rudder servo and elevator servo in house hold things ?, please answer

[Don H.]

I don't know what you mean by "in house hold things", but you can get servos at any hobby shop or online by searching for "rc plane servo", usually for less than $15 each.

[cteja]

hey thank you, nice and its usefull

[JesusFreak179]

could u make a vidio of someone building this? it would help me alot. thanx

[JesusFreak179]

if u could make the propeller go bakward you could mabe set it down and then tilt bak with throtle then go full to launch and mabe make 2 bak fins to keep from tipping

[mumbles]

i have 2 questions first one is can these fly in a light wind also maybe heavy wind.
second question could i use a nitro engine instead of electric in theory

[Don H.]

They are fun in light wind and I haven't tried in heavy wind, but I'd think not...they only weigh 10 or so ounces. As far as a nitro engine, no way! Who in their right mind would do full contact combat with a flammable fuel???

[mumbles]

Lol that's why I said in theory and also I have done some pretty stupid stuff
Thanks for the reply I have made the body and I'm going to mount the engine tommorow I will let everyone know how I get on

[mumbles]

sorry it's a bit late but i finally finished mounting the engine and tested it and it failed it took off fine but i put it in the ground and now the body is screwed and the fuel tank it cracked luckely the engine shut off and dint ignite the fuel. ow well lesson learnt

[rohanbansal]

do you know how to launch this plane???

[mumbles]

hand launch

[he who crashes often]

thats easy. just chuck it!

[fauzanrc]

please tell how to make the transmitter

[Don H.]

You can't make the transmitter, you buy it.

[he who crashes often]

i accept your challenge...

[bowmaster]

A few ideas for this. 1. Cover the battery with thin metal so it won't get damaged and explode, then try to shoot it down with airsoft guns. There won't be much damage to the electronics, except maybe a lucky hit on a servo. 2. String a very then wire tightly between two posts, and try to slice the plane in half by flying it into the wire. 3. Reinforce the area around the motor with carbon rods, then make a mount on top for a model rocket engine, higher up so it won't catch the plane on fire.

[scarfey7]

Here's my Cad Design using 5mm foam :)

[Don H.]

Nice! What program did you use?

[mnmax]

the balance of the plane could be enhanced by cutting into the foam and putting the battery inside ;)

[manis1]

nice

[shipto]

I really like this :) was interested in rc flight when young but was always beyond my free cash this however looks like good cheap fun.

[sendorm]

those prices are incredibly high. you could probably get similar items from a chineese site for 1/3rd of the price.

[Musicman41]

How do you land it without snapping off the propeller? Does it always stop parallel to the body?

[ms10]

do you control it with remote
i liked it

[Don H.]

Uhh, what?

[dombeef]

._.
Here it is in english:
Do you control it with a remote control?

I favorited it.

[a918bmxr]

or put a parachute on it so ur plane hits the ground last

[ilpug]

that would keep it from flying though.

[ilpug]

finally! a use for those old beat up RC helicopters i have.

[planetsideplayer14billion]

how does it shoot for combat

[Don H.]

It doesn't shoot anything, that's illegal!! It's full contact combat, which means you try to hit the other planes and make them lose control and hit the ground.

[ilpug]

well, it wouldnt be hard to make it shoot something. maybe make a slightly larger one and mount a bunch of rubber band gun thingies on it. or some rubber-band catapults with paperclip missiles. those things are actually really strong. How big could you make one of these?

[botmaster 10]

This is probably a repeated question, but could this be built on foamboard or those signs you find after an election?

[fauzanrc]

can we take any other receiver than the one you have put

[Don H.]

Sure! Any receiver/transmitter pair will work, as long as the receiver and transmitter are on the same frequency and mode (such as FM, PCM, or even better the new 2.4ghz systems that don't use a crystal for frequency).

[Ian.Threlfo]

Don, this may sound like a silly question but why is the rudder on the bottom? I can understand the front fin to protect the prop and mount the battery on but the rudder? I would think it is so lite as to make no difference if it is mounted on top or below the wing (too used to rudders on the top so am concerned re orientation in the heat of battle).

Has anyone removed the rudder and used an elevon mixer (they weigh < 5 grams and add adjustable travel to ElCheapo radios) - may need a small fin or 2 for stability - just split the elevator in half and have a servo either side.

Keep up the good work.

[Don H.]

The rudder and fin are on the bottom to help with stability. If you try to fly one of these inverted, it's almost impossible to keep steady. And there is another plane used in our combat called a "Stubby" that uses elevons and no fin/rudder. I have yet to build one of these, but you can see one in the picture on Step 8. We all have new radios, so mixers aren't needed as they're built into the radio.

[Ian.Threlfo]

Seems I can answer part of my own question. Take away the rudder, add an elevon mixer (or programmable radio), throw a couple of fins on the top and you basically have a "stubby".

[Don H.]

Lol, I didn't see this message till I just replied to the other one. ;)

[Jedrokivich]

Another thing to try is to paint the top and bottom with contrasting paint schemes to make it easier to maintain orientation in the air.

[NATIVEBOY]

can i make this out of balsa wood?

[Jedrokivich]

You probably could, but in combat your plane would get shredded to toothpicks.

[Waren-Neutron]

it have a crack ?

[Waren-Neutron]

finish, that is the cheapest paper airplane that i can see ever.

[Waren-Neutron]

that is fun to play.

[el greeno]

How much do the parts add up to???

[Don H.]

If you bought everything new, I'd guess it'd cost around $200. I already had the controller, receiver and servos, so it was much less. One good thing is that even if you totally destroy the plane itself, the components will more than likely be still good, you just build another airframe, put the components in there and go back flying.

[zack247]

this is really cool! but i doubt i wod even get it off the ground, how hard is it to fly one of these?

[Don H.]

If you have never flown an RC plane before, DO NOT build one of these and expect it to last more than a few seconds.

I have been flying RC planes for about 20 years, and I still put these into the ground more than I get knocked out of the air by opponents.

They are designed to be unstable in the air to allow you to turn on a dime and loop within twice their length.

[whereami]

Does anyone know which remote controller is the best/cheapest that will work with this system

[davemcp]

Radios can be found for $20-$30. Check here
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?catname=2%2E4Ghz+HobbyKing&idCategory=295&ParentCat=190

Dave

[Don H.]

Any controller with at least 4 channels. You can get them for 50 bux and less off EBay.

[PoohBaiyre]

Well actually nvm, my controller-type isn't exactly made for a plane >.< (has teh little steering wheel you use to turn the craft, don't think that would work with teh plane)

[PoohBaiyre]

I have a old remote from my "Turbo Vee" that I bought off of Tower Hobbies, will i be able to use that remote and esc?

[monleyson]

yes but ahmmmmpp... it is enough for your wrapper to fly with the small motor?
as only looking at the picture i think that it's too heavy for the motor to drive with the wrapper!!!! thanx.....>>>>>>out

[Don H.]

I have no idea what you mean by "wrapper".

And it's not too heavy at all, the plane has unlimited vertical. If you aim the nose at the sky and give it full throttle, you can take it out of sight straight up. A bit of tail weight and it'll hover at 3/4th throttle..

[akinich]

hey amazing instructable can u give me the angles of all the parts needed and the measure ment of the rest of the parts ( not plane tail fin and nose fin) and can i use the exact measurements as centimeters instead of inches to make it much smaller??? thanks akinich

[Don H.]

There's no real set angles, I just made it using the "TLAR" method. That's the "That Looks About Right". As long as the plane balances at the propeller, it doesn't really matter what it looks like. I've seen these look like stealth fighters, even a star destroyer from the movie Star Wars.

[nitin1717]

not perfect

[Don H.]

What?

[SpeedStream123]

I've a qestion...well, I think that the plane has total autonomy...Is it true? Or, well, the title of the instructable is "...Full contact RC aircraft" and I supposed that the warp is controlated by me using a Radio Control. If you know any place to buy a special control, please, let me now where I can buy it. I´ll be grateful for any response, (in special, to my mail, please: [e-mail]) Thank you.

[Don H.]

"total autonomy"? No idea what you mean. It is an RC aircraft, RC = Remote Controlled. YOu can buy them at any RC hobby shop or even cheaper on EBay.

[ColoradoCyclist]

inches

[Terivia]

i have a broken j3 cub, and was wondering if i could Frankenstein the electronics onto one of these, and still fly it. i really want to fly again, even though i suck, but i don't want to shell out a lot of cash, cause to be blunt, i don't have any.

[rekcahx]

Move the stupid cat!!!!!

[rakeshparida]

you tell me to movie stupidd chat!!!!!!!!!!!!?????

[TheInventor1997]

i think he meant the cat in the last picture

[funnydan]

Is it possible too make it drop Water Balloons without interfering it's flying ability? I want too lead a "Water Bomb" raid against my 20 cousins and my uncles!

[TheInventor1997]

i think if you can make a servo and a bomb bay door it could work, just use ballast

[TheInventor1997]

ha ha can i be leader of the 21st battalion?

[dragon4]

how fast can these planes go?

[OddAmeoba]

 Can I assume the measurements are in inches and not metric?

[T.Rockwell]

anyone got video??? i'd love to see them in action!!

[T.Rockwell]

that looks really cool, nice work!...... 
haven't done much in the motorized flight category, maybe this'll be the first!!

if you guys have anywhere with a hill and a breeze, rc combat wings have been around for years... my boys and i were WAAY into it for a while, cuz the things are almost indestructible, and fully aerobatic   check out this vid.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MMyrrIffEg  theres a place we used to fly that was very similar to this on any sunday with a breeze...

again kudos, makes me wanna build a plane

[i make shooting things]

Id like to clear some stuff up for people who arnt sure on things...
After my first failed attempt iv made several of these. (but iv been flying for years) YOU NEED TO KEEP IT LIGHT Dont throw extra crap on here like Cpu fans. I got cheep blue core at lowes (you can probably make 16 of these for $30) dont worry about it breaking.
The idea is that the foam is disposable and you simply reuse the electronics...
You need to go to a hobby store get a basic 72 megahert transmitter dont shell out on 2.4g transmitters.
You also need at least two servos a lipo battery an electronic speed control and a brushless motor and a receiver no way around that.
This dosnt have to be perfect to fly dont stress over getting every thing perfect

Don H Next time i build one would you mind if i turned it into a youtube project? Of coarse id give you credit for design (which i have modded a little)

[Don H.]

Actually even I can't take credit for the design, I just got a piece of foam and laid another flyer's Warp on it and traced it out. That's the neat thing about these kind of planes, they're constantly evolving. I'm sure there are differences in this design than anyone else's by just a little bit. As far as the youtube video, I say that'd be GREAT! I'd help you out if I had any idea how to do it.

[Don H.]

As far as weight, some people's combat planes at the club weigh in at less than 9 ounces, which makes them even harder to take down! They just bounce off your plane and keep on going. Here, it's not so much make the other guy's plane go to the ground, any more. It's just getting a hit in the air.

[daniel!]

I'd like to know how they make them weigh 9 grams, when the motor you linked to alone weighs 39 grams...
Witch Craft!!! haha

[Polymorph]

Don H. said 9 -ounces-, not 9 -grams-.

[i make shooting things]

well lets just say my first plane weighed over 15 ounces. The foam Im using now weights 2.7 ounces. You dont inlay any carbon fiber! (which adds a lot of strength I needed it or else my plane flexes). Well i will definitively include a link to here

[donbot]

were would you think is the best place to get some of these parts shiped down

[absolute zero]

thats like 100+ dollars in parts, WTF i can go to walmart and buy an rc plane for less than that

[Jason Bourne]

to make it more desturctive, glue thumbtacks to it

[Colonel88]

PAyload system! Glue a servo to the door of a box, glue the box to the bottom, and put thumbtacks or marbles in. press button. door opens. MARBLES FROM DA AIR!!

[Cubie2]

plus to add to DonH's remark if you put thumbtacks one might get stuck in the other plane and then YOUR plane could get out of control!

[Don H.]

I don't want it more destructive, why would I? Nobody wants their plane messed up, that's not the point.

[TheInventor1997]

what? i thought the whole point was to battle it

[stewmeat95]

could i build one with cardboard

[Cubie2]

try with foam board... it is fairley cheap and you can buy it just about anywhere... (Walmart, Smiths, craft stores, etc.)

[dagenius]

cardboard is a little more dense than this foam, but if really want to, I guess it would be ok.

[thepelton]

I would put some sort of waterproofing on the cardboard, in case of bad weather.

[dagenius]

weeeeellll... you shouldn't be flying in bad weather anyways, right?

[thepelton]

Probably not. A lightning strike would make toast of your flyer.

[TheInventor1997]

i like toast

[dagenius]

agree

[i make shooting things]

trust me it will be to heavy.

[Cubie2]

I am making on but 1 and 1/2 times that size... Completely from scratch! I am using a propeller from an airhogs ufo so I had to make it bigger. I used that propeller because all of my other ones go the wrong way. so far so good! My battery won't work either so i taped a bunch of AA's together for it... (I would not recommend this as AA's will run out of power quicker and if the warp is in the air when they run out... OUCH!!!

[Cubie2]

And to help out the maker of this totally awesome instructable. All you begginers who don't know anything about this. JUST LOOK THE DANG STUFF UP AND THEN YOU CAN ASK STUPID QUESTIONS!!!

[Cubie2]

I've been flying rc planes for awhile. But my servos, receiver and battery Are made for the bigger balsa wood planes so I hacked an airhogs F-16 (Don't buy one they suck as far as performance is involved.) and made some thing similar to what you have and It worked great!!! nice job.

[xdoomzyx]

Sorry I meant to say where can i get a "remote control" for it. Could someone please tell me.

[i make shooting things]

The transmitter should be available at a local hobby store along with all the other electronics or online http://www.hobby-lobby.com/

[rakeshparida]

what you need to use to make a plane and where you found all this ?

[mohnish]

its not easy as i think

[CatSteaks]

Sweeeet. This is my next project. You remember those giant 5dollar foam gliders at Wal-mart? Those make excellent beginner DIY RC planes.

[Spokehedz]

I never thought about that... But mounting the control surfaces would be a nightmare I would think?

[M4industries]

I had so much fun with those. Im thinking of RC-ifying it. Does anybody know how to mount the control surfaces? It would be great help.

[Viewindo]

I'm guessing the best way would be to cut out some holes in the fuse' to fit in some mini-servos, for Elevator, Rudder and Ailerons just do what he did here. Either cut and re-attach the 'flaps' or add on some new ones. Always be sure to keep the weight balanced when installing the electronics, not just left/right, but back/front too. Hope this helped, good luck!

[gamerboy29]

can you controll the plane?

[Don H.]

Well, yeah! Why else would it have servos for the rudder and elevator?

[112251919112]

Ah, wut do u use for the remote controler, and were do u get one?

[Don H.]

Any hobby shop will have them, or you can get them cheaply from EBay or a place online such as http://www.hobby-lobby.com/

[thepelton]

Paulownia wood would be a good material to use. It's light, and far more resistant to splitting than balsa. Just google "Paulownia wood".

[RobbMeex]

Awesome. Makes me wanna fly an RC plane. And in AL too!!

[footbagboi]

haha i made one. but my dog jumped in the air and got it so now its just a chewed up mess. ugh. all that work for a five minute flight

[thepelton]

I am yet another Don. I have heard that the military uses small RC airplanes for reconnaisance. They would attach a little TV camera to the craft, and send it into harm's way, and if some enemy knocked it down, the military would lose a hundred dollars or less, instead of a soldier.

[hg341]

i wish i still had a job this looks great

[mman1506]

why 4 channe i see only 3 channels used

[Don H.]

You can't buy (as far as I know) a 3 channel receiver, only 4 and up.

[Spokehedz]

They infact do make 3ch radios but they are usually for parkflyers and not really very good IMO... Basically, you get the throttle as a slide on the left, not a stick. And then a single stick on the right. Not worth it, when you consider a DX5e is superior in every way, and it can fly full 3D models as well. And it's only $99.

[badenuff]

why is buying a rc aircraft, cheaper than buying parts?

[Electroinnovation]

Because when you buy the whole plane, you have to pay for everything no matter what. When you buy separate you can just buy 1 or 2 things. It mostly costs more because of convenience.

[soundroom5]

what is it measured in over than that i wont to make one lol

[Brother_D]

What is the average cost to build one of these things? That's awesome!

[squirt8500]

what are white red and black wires for?

[Don H.]

If you mean on step 4, those connect to the motor.

[squirt8500]

My bad I mean on step six the third picture.

[Don H.]

Oh, I had to make the wires from the speed controller to the receiver longer, so I just spliced in an extra servo lead I had.

[raykholo]

idea: u can put a motor and propeller facing up, and then turn it on after the crash so the plane wont fall there might be some math and stuff involved to finding out exactly where it should be for maximum effect.. its kind of like some of the new fighter planes that can take off by going straight up, then actually moving forward... - so my idea is a mix between that and a helicopter rotor system

[tinkerC]

Put the prop in the body of the plane, less crashing when a plane. If you put two CPU cooling fans from a PC ( don't run the PC without them, though ), and put them at opposite sides of the plane, as they aren't close enough to make the two props agree on a spot to spin the plane from, like a two prop plane . . . . Would that work?

[raykholo]

not sure what u mean by props and the cpu fans might wiegh it down a bit too much...

[tinkerC]

Propellors. CPU motors are very light. I've handled them.

[raykholo]

oh --- why didnt i realize that? now, are we talking about the coolers for the cpu? they might be light but theyre pretty big...

[Don H.]

No, the blades on a cpu fan wouldn't produce nearly enough thrust.

[tinkerC]

So change the fan.

[tinkerC]

I used them as a possiblity. Also, being big, they can lift the plane.

[i make shooting things]

They can not they are to small, they will drain the battery. And there not needed. K.I.S.S (Keep It Super Simple)

[raykholo]

good thinking

[tinkerC]

Thank you very much

[Shut Up Now]

it seems like a lot of you arent very familiar to the rc deal.. try visiting http://www.rcgroups.com/beginner-training-area-aircraft-electric-8/ for more info about rcing. it is very complex and this website has loads of great info for beginners and experts alike.

[tinkerC]

What do you mean?

[Shut Up Now]

no one in particular, but to anyone that is new to rc planes... it is a great website for any type of resource.

[tinkerC]

So why did you get the impression we arent very familiar to the rc deal..? Thanks for the link, but you were a bit over-aggressive there.

[Electroinnovation]

If he did that it would just spin the plane since it is so light. He could have another propellor sideways to prevent that though.

[raykholo]

what about something like the toy helicopters -- i know one called the reflex which is also very light but has a dual rotor system, i think that they spin in opposite directions to keep the plane up and it doesnt really spin

[ish311]

would taking all the parts off my currently broken firebird rc aircraft work or would I need a larger motor/lighter battery. I'm talking about the electronic parts the wings i broke and i don't want to pay 12 dollars and worry about shipping for the thing when with this i can get a 15 pack of 4footX2foot pink foam for 34 bucks.

[Electroinnovation]

Crap. That is expensive for such a little plane. You would be better off buying an Air Hogs and taking all of the parts off of it.

[the_burrito_master]

I've got to build one.... A Fave and 5 stars great instructable!

[a918bmxr]

you can git futaba submicro servos on ebay for like 8 $ each and have you tried using corregated plastic instead of foam it should be alot stronger (check out my instructable) http://www.instructables.com/id/flame_throwing_altoids_guitar

[josh_cragg]

New to this but doing my best to get setup here in New Zealand. I have been looking around for the cheapest electronics for this project and found the following site. -www.dealextreme.com, which provides the following stuff. I need the help of some one how can tell me if this stuff would be suitable to get my plane off the ground?? brushless motor - www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12830 (worried about the speed) speed controler - www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4474 LIPO battery - www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12822 (worried about the weight?) any help would be great! thanks

[dude300]

is it possible to split the elevator in half so u can have ailerons as well as elevator

[Steamdnt]

Yes they would be considered eliverons. I think?

[cool!]

Yes, as long as the transmitter has elevon mixing

[Shut Up Now]

flying a plane with elevons is no easy task. i havent tried. it is a very common procedure on rc jets though.

[timmy1234s]

Where in the world is the controller??!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????

[Don H.]

DO you mean the transmitter? I have an old JR XP652 that I use for all my RC planes.

[IX Smith XI]

How much and where can you get one.

[geeklord]

would it be possible to use an rc car controller??? be a lil confusing though

[Mario1]

well do you have a servo motor for the elevators? cuZ I see only one servo for the elerons

[Don H.]

This plane has no ailerons, only elevator and rudder. The photo in step 7 shows how the rudder servo is mounted.

[cool!]

Hmm... I would go with Ailerons and nill else, otherwise it will be like flying a toyzrus plane. Maybe something like an Superfly would be good. Anyway, a instructaable on flying for novices would be great, lol I built a plane but can,t hardly fly it.

[geeklord]

so, ailerons are(is?) just a split elevator? That sounds easier

[cool!]

Yeah, the superfly has a split elevator (elevons?) and uses mixing to use them for ailerons and elevator.

[IX Smith XI]

Do you think that it a good idea for use a RC plane that you buy at a store or just buy all the stuff?

[temp]

what type of charger do you use? How long is the flight time?

[Dravenm4]

What Transmitter do you use? I new to rc planes was pretty good with my heli taught my self used a e-flight blade cp2 pro. I am unsure how it works making the transmitter control the servos?

[burning_feather]

hey you have the same copter that i do, how do you make a propeller spin?

[bigpinecone]

your inrunner doesn't melt the ziptie??!? how did you manage that? my e-alite 400 inrunner would vaporize that thing! i had it on a high performance boomer, and it melted the plastic sleeve that i had it in AND the hot glue used to hold it to the plane. that plane is more fun with an outrunner though. just tricky to launch, the darn outrunner tourques the thing to oblivion, if you go vertical and pull the throttle back and wait for it to just about stall, then firewall it, it does a torque roll! it's a really fun plane. search for "The Combat Cat!!!" in the scratchbuilt foamies forum on RC groups. oops i got way off topic. sorry! nice plane! i would build one but i just have too many plane and not enough gear! lol

[TheMadScientist]

hot glue? pfft.. be a real man, use thermalsetting epoxy!

[Don H.]

No way!! Takes far too long to set up and is far too heavy. With hot melt glue, you crash and knock something off, in less than a minute, you've got it reglued and back in the battle!!

[bigpinecone]

oh the joys of hotglue!

[=SMART=]

VIVA LA HOT-GLUE :D lol

[shooby]

In the hands of an amateur, it's terrible. Plastic spaghetti!

[bigpinecone]

awwww i hate hot glue stringies!!!!

[=SMART=]

but In the hands of a pro, it's incredible. Plastic Goodness lol

[IW5 Industries]

cool instructable it beats the heck outa the ones you buy.

[iatm]

good job man i think you shouldn't use hot glue anyway it is a great idea

[Don H.]

Why shouldn't I use hot glue?

[gmm4life]

In our Model Aviation club we have larger and more "plane-like" designs for our planes. We make things like Spitfires, Biplanes, etc. If you have planes like that, take tissue paper streamers and hot glue them to the backs of the planes so there's less danger of death.

[=SMART=]

we made something like this in my dt class, it was allot simpler, it was a foam board plane shape like yours with propellor attached to a pager motor and two watch batteries, no way to turn it of lol, just wait until it turns off

[getstartedwindows]

Can you create a instructables for a really poor novice beginner just starting to see the world of rcplanes? An easy learning build will be a really big help for beginners. I am started trying to gather the parts on your instructables but i really have a hard time finding a cheap alternative. A complete and cheap part list for a build from scratch beginner rcplane will be a great instructables. Hope someone could help.

[bigpinecone]

http://www.rcgroups.com/beginner-training-area-electric-8/

also:

http://www.hobbycity.com/

[dude300]

can u either tell me or show me how to make a beginner rc plane + they look soo cool

[PyroMonger]

DEFINATELY building one of these...ASAP. Btw...do you have any video footage of the warp in action. I would love to see its manouverablity.

[Don H.]

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7078549

[toogers]

that video is really cool!

[pyroman50]

cool this on of my favorites

[Shifrin]

This is pretty awesome! I think I'm going to try this later this year because it is way to cold out here in Chicago, but i'm totally looking forward to it. Nice Instructable! Favorited! -Alex

[metal militia]

ok a bit of a silly question, the measurements you give are in inches? im from Australia so we use centimeters (which you probably know).

[egganet]

1 inch = 2.54cm
1 metre is approximately 40 inches.

[Don H.]

Yep, they're in inches. I don't mess with centipedes much. ;)

[metal militia]

haha thanks

[Ribs]

yay someone else who uses metric!!!!!!!!

[mwwdesign]

Amen to metric ;)

[Rognvaldur]

im from iceland and i use the meter system.

[mondaymonkey]

I thought only yankees spelt it "Meter" We canadians usually spell it Metre

[shooby]

That's French influence

[zaro12345]

i have a question. can you use some of the motors from westfw's mini rc car for the stearing or prop?

[brainspater]

thats a nice idea that you have.

[Jack Daniels]

you think of trying a duct fan? it would save you props and ad some power

[drummonkey92]

hi, i was thinkkin of gettin into rc plane flying. would you say that this is a good idea for a begginer? i geussed that it would be mainly because of the amount of punishment it can take from crashes

[Don H.]

This is most definitely NOT a beginner plane! I have been flying RC planes for about 15 years and I still put this thing into the ground myself far more times than I get sent there from a hit from another plane. It's very unstable, which is the whole point of the design being the way it is for close, fast combat.

[PS118]

pyro, google for "AirHogs". They're a commercial version of the same idea, only they have "beginner" level planes that are fun ans super easy to fly! Don, are you familiar with the AirHogs? I was wondering how this compares. (That is, besides the wonderful feeling of accomlishment you get having built it yourself. ;) ) Power? durability? Fight time? Just curious. Thanks!

[Jack Daniels]

you know i always wanted to try combat but i have 2 problems the kits cost too much even your plane is spendy when it's all said and done. and cause of the cost there are few people in my area that are willing to join in. if someone could designe a cheep kit that if busted won't cost much in repairs maybe more interest could be found.

[razany]

Hey, how much do you think it would cost to buy all the things you need for this?

[glyph]

Brindlee Mountain RC Club - Nice instructable - Good to see the R/C Club I founded 17 years ago is still there and still innovating. Keep 'em flying! J. Summerlin -a.k.a. "Glyph"

[thejokeriswild]

if you are going going to build one with two moters u dont need another moter but it will cut into your flight time and u need a special mixer I would suggest if you want to use it in combat go to yahoo and look up "epp foam" and by some of. it is heavier but it is a whole bunch stronger it is what the make car bummpers out of.

[bedbugg2]

lol you have a pink glue gun :P the cheap ones always seem to be pink! anyway, where did you get that blue foam and could you also use small plastic hinges for the rudder & elevators?

[Kevvixx]

what do you use to control it?

[gibbo_gunner2496]

ive built model planes like the acro wot and you use servos to controll the aircraft while you use the transmitter / tx to transmite to the receiver to controll the servos or motor on the prop

[Rognvaldur]

What remote should you use? P.S cant you make it cheaper?

[badrang4]

this look REALLY cool but what if u dont have the sterin thing and u only have to moters can u ster by give the other 1 more power?

[i make shooting things]

Hey thanks for all the great instructions, im done took 2 days and about 200$
I havent gotten the chance to fly it yet hope fully I will get the chance this week end. I have a Power point of some pics of mine that might help some people. I also have a vid of my warp on a balancing stand.

Video

can not parse options from: width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jmghEizAl1I"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jmghEizAl1I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>, {width:425, height:350}

[i make shooting things]

Srry bout da vid

[Don H.]

Where did you find BLACK foam?

[i make shooting things]

Office depo Its actually foam board it has dense foam sandwiched in between thick paper, and its still really light weight. I used that because its easier to see black on blue/white than blueish white on blue/white. Hope it dosent change anything to much.

[JamesRPatrick]

I used one of those for my science project. It's in all different colors but is much heavier.

[i make shooting things]

i think the type of foam caused the demises of my warp. :"(
O well it was fun to make and i already have reused all the parts but the motor which i will put in a plane designed to have a 180 brushed (the motor i have is = to a 370!!!!! i hope to put a new satellite into orbit ;~)

[Don H.]

I don't know how that would hold up in combat, but I have seen a couple delta wings made of that for just flying and not running into one another with. Should be great for just flying around!

[i make shooting things]

Since I dont know any one else in my club that has a full combat plane I just intend to have fun with it. Im also kinda hoping I can fly this at or close to my house instead of the hour drive to the club.

[Don H.]

Oh yeah, it's great for flying around the back yard...if you have a somewhat decent sized backyard. I have about half an acre next to the garden and it's perfect for flying around...you can slow this plane way down and land it pretty much right at your feet.

[ac1D]

I'm having around 20"square as backyard, and I have enough space to fly mine. How come it costed you 200$ to build it ?

[i make shooting things]

sorry it toke so long to reply i did get a chance to fly my warp, and crash it. it stalled right after hand launch even through it w as at full throttle, it destroyed the front end and the fins designed to prevent the prop touching the ground failed and i destroyed the prop too. i think the my plane was to heavy maybe at the least 12oz, oops. however i did scrap servos speed control and receiver into a reflection and in a few months i plan to order a hellcat and put the motor in their which will way over power the plane which comes with a 180 size brushed motor. The motor i got for my warp is equal to a 370 brushed motor i would put it in the reflection but it is not a outrunner and would need a gear box adding a lot of weight to plane (which is only 10oz stock but flies really really really good at 8oz)

[JamesRPatrick]

Has anyone yet tried a ducted fan like one of these (scroll to bottom)?

[ThatHippyMan]

Im part of an RC club here in Jasper, Alabama. I've always wanted a full contact airplane, but I've always just been too lazy to drive to Pyramid hobbies to get the supplies I need. This, however, has inspired me to return to building my own custom craft. Thanks!

[i make shooting things]

The Official AMA Model Aviation magazine(July 2007 page 35) had instructions on how to build a foamy a lot like this. here is a copy of the article (sorry for horrible scan images)

[nafrics]

im from the philippines and i dont really know if the electronics would be delivered up to here coz they are i think really small parts so might i ask if it is possible that i can get these parts from other scrap rc toys? coz i dont think they are really available from where i am. can i find these parts from ANY cheap rc toys that i can dismantle? or if not, from other things or gadgets that one can easily find in a house? im really desperate.

[ac1D]

where you live, there is probably something like a "toy r uss" or a place where they sell cheap RC plane. go buy one, you will have these part: 1 Thunder Power 1320-2S-TP LiPo Battery 1 Thunderbird 18 Brushless Speed Controller 1 ARC-20-34-110 Brushless Motor 1 4 Channel Light Flight S4 Receiver (or, for the motor, buy a electric tooth brush,.. and use a old RC toy for controller/receiver. but lipo battery is hard to find) for the 2 servos, i dont really see where u could get them.

[nafrics]

im worried about the range of these controllers and receivers. but anyways, ill try. ill be looking for suitable materials in the coming weeks. ill post if i can make one fly.

[Don H.]

If you can see the plane, you can control it. The transmitters have plenty of range!

[i make shooting things]

most transmitters have a 1-3 mile effective range but can cause interference 4-5 miles away! (or so the manuals say)

[JamesRPatrick]

Is he talking about parts stripped from other toys, because RC cars don't have a huge range. I did a test on my Zipzaps and they get max 20 feet. Thats the only thing with small enough components. And that's why I've decided to abandon my plan and hunt for a cheap 3 channel RTF.

[ac1D]

a cheap dragonfly copter have a range of at least 200feet, wich is much enough for this project

[dchall8]

Miscellaneous comments and questions. Things I really like and will have to remember for other projects: 1. stiffening the foam with CD plastic. If you matched the underside (top) with similar CD and glue, you would be making something like a 'space beam' with incredible stiffness and light weight. 2. shrink tubing and glue to hold the servos. 3. fuselage can take a lot of abuse without interfering with flight 4. ease of manufacture - if you have some foam and a Swiss Army Knife you can make this 5. ease of repair Questions in the interest of aerodynamics: These airplanes fly at near zero velocity so normal lift/drag aerodynamics might not really apply. But still, it looks like there are so many of these things that some of what I'm going to ask might have been tried. 1. Have you tried putting the battery, wires, and servos on the top surface of the plane to reduce drag on the bottom? These planes are basically flat plates so the air pressure is on the bottom of the plane. In theory the air would be moving faster across the top of the plane, but I'm wondering in this very slow flight if that theory still holds true. Anything you can do to clean up the aero surfaces of the bottom should give you less drag. (But as I mentioned, if you have zero velocity, drag is zero, too). 2. Have you tried taping soda straws to all edges of all forward facing surfaces? I'm thinking of the oversized McDonald's straws, slit lengthwise and opened up to wrap around the foam edge on the leading edge, and then taped on. The point would be to toughen the leading edge and to provide a uniformly more aerodynamic leading edge. The most important edges are immediately aft of the propeller, because you always have high speed air moving against those surfaces. 3. Why do you trim the ends off the propeller? It seems like that is opening up a serious vibration can of worms. Not aero questions: 1. Have you tried different types of glues? I'm thinking of E6000. Hot glue is fast, but for some parts you might not need something that fast. I'm thinking hot glue is heavy and a little temperamental to apply. 2. Do you know of other foamy plane designs that might be good for beginners? I'm not sure why this one is not that good, but if you say so. The ease of manufacture and repair certainly are good features for beginner planes. If you could make it easy to angle the motor (with wedges??), you could re-vector the thrust to detune the performance. I'll do some looking around to try to answer these questions. 3. What makes all the noise? Is it the motor or the propeller? Comments on other comments: Regarding vertical flight: Judging from the video, these things barely have enough power to get out of their own way. A (very) few feet of vertical flight seems possible after gaining some energy from a dive.

[jwhflier]

I have a delta design which you might find interesting. I fly it against the WARP all the time. It is far more stable, but you do need to know how to fly before attempting any of these. I am attempting to attach files with the design. If you want to contact me directly ([e-mail]) I can provide pictures and scaled drawings.

[Don H.]

I'll answer the questions one at a time: 1. I'm not REALLY sure why everything is on the bottom, I'll have to ask the guys that pretty much invented the plane, but as a guess I'd have to say it's more stable that way. I do know from experience, when the thing is inverted, it's almost impossible to control. 2. GREAT IDEA about the straws! I'll try that!! 3. The prop is trimmed due to the fact that we're using 8amp speed controllers and with a full size prop, the motor pulls just about 8 amps and the speed controller gets quite hot. Non Aero: 1. Hot glue is all I've tried. 2. The "Stubby" that I've mentioned in the Instructable is quite tame, I don't think someone that has never flown a plane at all before could fly it, but it's much more stable. 3. The prop! That's one thing that surprised me about electric planes (I have been flying glow powered planes for about 15 years) is how loud a propeller really is! The motor running without a prop isn't all that much louder than an electric shaver. As for the vertical flight, the motor will pull the plane vertical easily (One guy at the club stands the Warp on its tail on the ground and just hits the throttle to take off), but the Warp isn't stable enough to keep it going straight up for long. That or maybe it's just my skill that won't allow it to do that, lol!

[dchall8]

1. That could be. The servos and controller would be fine on top, but the battery might be a problem. If roll stability became a problem with the battery on top, you might be able to put some actual dihedral into the plane or you could make the vertical fin longer/deeper to get a similar effect. Some paper airplanes rely on a deep vertical fin. 3. Is a hot speed controller a problem? Does it shorten life? Non Aero: 1. E6000 glue is available at more and more places. I used to see it only at hobby stores (Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.), but now I see it at the box stores and electronics specialty stores (more special than Radio Shack). E6000 flows and levels; E6100 stays in place like a silicone material. 2. You have to learn somewhere. Is there a better choice? 3. Noise reduction is a possibility for another Instructable - after considerable trial and error. It might not have a shred of practical application, but it interesting to me (or I wouldn't have brought it up). Vertical flight - it could be the plane I'm thinking of in the video had other problems that kept it from climbing vertical.

[dchall8]

Well, I'm back after considerable reading. The answer to why everything is on the bottom of the plane is for roll stability. In this case it seems to be somewhere between plenty and too much if the plane won't behave when upside down. At slow flight speeds, the drag will be minimal. I think there is a lot of potential with these materials and design essentials to make a good beginner plane. The beginner plane should be easy to build (check!), easy to repair (check!), easy to fly (needs a mod or two), and not commit the beginner to a second mortgage for the electronics (possible mods??). Moving the motor and prop away from the center of pressure of the wing would help (as you note in your May 27 reply (below) with pitch control. The CG below the center of lift helps it be a better beginner craft. Otherwise I would have suggested lengthening the wingspan to slow the roll down, but it probably doesn't need anything there. And if you think it's turning too fast, cut down the rudder area. Same for the elevator if it is pitching too fast. I'm not familiar with all the RC hardware. Has anyone tried a flat foam plane with split elevon controls instead of the single elevator and vertical rudder? Would that change increase the cost of the controls significantly?

[JamesRPatrick]

Hm. I was thinking about having two elevators instead of an elevator and a rudder. This would definitely change how to fly the plane.

[Don H.]

I met a friend yesterday afternoon for a round of combat and afterward I had a battery that needed to be discharged somewhat (I have been told that it's VERY BAD to leave a LiPo battery fully charged), so I took my Warp out to the garden in back of the house and tried vertical flight. I set the plane on the ground on it's tail, pointing straight up and hit the throttle. It took off with no problem, then slowly pitched over to normal flight. I got up a bit of speed, pulled vertical and it did surprise me how long it kept going up. I think that with a bit stronger motor, it'd continue right on up out of sight. With all of the twisting and turning during combat, I had no idea what a nice flying plane this is when just putting around the sky at low throttle (it'll almost stop in mid-air when flying into a light wind) and do some pretty quick loops at full throttle.

[dchall8]

That is very good news. Thanks for writing back. I went to HD and could not find blue foam anywhere. And of course nobody was there to help me. Is it any wonder they lost 30% of their sales from a year ago??? So I went to Lowe's. They had the blue stuff but only in 50-foot lengths for about $33. Is that what you use? Pink foam is available in 3/4 or 1-inch thickness.

[Don H.]

Yeah, the blue foam comes fan-fold and one person in the club buys the whole thing and sells it sheet by sheet to the others for about 2 bucks a sheet. I was just thinking, if you moved the motor and prop to the front of the plane, it'd be much more stable of a flyer...we put the motor and prop where it is beause we got tired of having our planes cut up by the propellers sticking out there in the front.

[Canehdan]

Hello Don: Great instructable, thanks very much. However, I'm having a little trouble. In Canada the 1/4 blue board is not available. I can get some 1/2 inch stuff and was wondering what you would suggest regarding the controls etc. Thanks very much, Kent.

[ac1D]

Im in canada, take a look at "Home Depot" they have some. i got a 2X2foot one, and its cheap.

[Canehdan]

Hello AC1D: Thanks for the reply. I tried Home Depot (Oshawa) but all they had was the 1 inch size. I'll have to check out a few other locations. Thanks again. Kent.

[zing_mad]

Hi,Don H could you tell me how much this project costs in total and how long does it take to make?

[lightpacker]

umm.. im stupid but how do you charge the battery and how do you range its difficulty to fly from 1 - 10 and last one besides the remote control radio thing how much will this cost on average including the charger (if their is one) and everything besides the controller and the batteries for the controller

[JamesRPatrick]

I think I'll save some money and have fun trying to make one out of ZipZap parts. Don't tell me it won't work. Anything is possible.

[ac1D]

You could replaces the two servos by a second motor; you would put one motor per side, so they control the dirrection.

[Don H.]

That would be such a waste of money! You'd have to spend to buy another motor, another battery AND another speed controller. Plus, who knows if it's possible to control two speed controllers like that way, anyhow.

[ac1D]

most of the toy rc work this way. when u hold the forward throttle, both the motor run at full speed. when u press left side, the left motor will turn slower so the plane turn. same with right.

[ac1D]

Also i wanted to add: Sure the plane will turn slowler, but he want to make it from ZipZap part. they are little r/c cars. they dont use servos, its why i was "explaining" this way he could try.

[JamesRPatrick]

Actually, I was thiking of using two ZipZap SE cars, specifically because they each have a servo for steering, not activated by magnet like the regular ones. You can control how hard the cars turn this way. But besides that, the motors cost about a dollar each, and I have extras. But it might be better to call my locoal hobby store and see if they have any kits of just the electronic components. Those controllers are expensive!

[microman171]

Hi Im in New Zealand and am VERY interested in making one of these... Where can I get that foam in NZ? Or what substitutes can I use??

[Don H.]

I have no idea where someone could get ANYTHING in New Zealand. ;) This is the only kind of foam that I've ever seen like it. Seems NZ would have home building supply stores, though.

[dchall8]

Don, The primary use of this foam is to protect hardwood flooring when you are remodeling your house. The contractor will unfold this foam out on the floor so the workmen will scuff up the foam instead of the wood. So visit your local hardware stores and talk in those terms when you're asking for it. Up here it is not sold in the flooring department. It is more by where the lumber and insulation is.

[dchall8]

Sorry, Don. My previous reply was meant for microman171 in New Zealand. Of course you already know where to find the foam!!!

[Dorkfish92]

That's pretty cool. I think a cd-rom motor would work also. I never knew this kind of combat exsisted. The people at my local field fly combat where you have a ribbon tied to the back of your plane and you have to cut other people's ribons off whiloe protecting yours. Great instructable, i'll definately make one!

[Don H.]

I don't know what kind of motors CDroms have in them, so I couldn't say. They couldn't be all that powerful, though.

[jongscx]

Actually, these was an article about a malasian guy who made a DIY rc heli and used a CD motor for power... so It's powerful enough. Only thing is, it has 4 leads instead of the usual 2. This means....[Jeopardy theme] yes, you need a special controller for it because it's probably a stepper motor.

[Dorkfish92]

You can take a cd-rom motor, recoil it, and put new magnets to make it brushless. They sell them now though with the same setup and are often still refered to as "cd-rom" motors.
http://www.flyelectric.ukgateway.net/cdrom.htm

[i make shooting things]

I think a cdrom motor would be too heavy to fly properly and change the balance of the plane

[Ghondi]

(removed by author or community request)

[Don H.]

There you go! They are clickable now!

[Ghondi]

(removed by author or community request)

[dchall8]

I wonder if the battery is the same as this one that costs $10.49?

[Don H.]

Hmm, there may be an Instructable for you right there, how to take one of those camcorder batteries apart and add leads to use in RC planes!

[dchall8]

My first thought would be a battery holder from an electronics store, but that battery is sort of special. Still, someone makes battery holders for it.

[chester3000]

I used to fly non-powered combat slope gliders made with with the pink insulation foam. They were super fun!!! One of the major differences was that we put packing take over the whole thing. It gave it a little bit more protection and it was an easy way to "paint" the planes by just using different color packing tape. I think it would help in combat if the planes were different colors and not all blue.

[Don H.]

The thing is, packing tape is HEAVY! A Warp that's more than 9 ounces is HEAVY! I haven't heard anyone have any trouble with all of them being blue, the only thing I keep forgetting is the fin is on the BOTTOM!

[Don H.]

I just added a new step, "Repairing MAJOR combat damage". It's really insane flying with SEVEN Warps in the air at once, all looping and buzzing around, lol!

[KentsOkay]

That was a great video, I suggest you stick on Youtube and put it here so you don't have to download it. Your airplane is cool, but as you said, rather advanced. I've got loads of experience in free flight, but none in RC. You ought to make a beginner level RC that anyone could build.

[thingygoboom]

A winner, this is amazing tho out of my price range to make any more than one

[Kiteman]

Very nice Instructable. I hadn't heard of "full contact combat" before. Unfortunately, the actual RC components are a bit out of my budget at the moment. Maybe I'll make one that flies in a straight line, off a gold-cap instead of a battery so I don't lose it over the horizon...

[i make shooting things]

(removed by author or community request)

[Don H.]

Inches.

[Aeshir]

This is great, I'm really excited to build it, expecially considering it's just made of foam (foam airhogs type planes are stupid-expensive, of course). How do you control it? Does it operate on the same frequencies as cars, so you can use say a 47mh remote with it?

[Don H.]

I just searched "Airtronics remote control" and 'Futaba remote control" on EBay and WOW, there are some great deals on there! If you get a transmitter from there, make sure there's at least a charger included. Also, you can get radio systems pretty cheaply from any RC hobby shop near or in your home town. When you buy the receiver from Light Flight or another source, all you have to do is buy a crystal for whatever channel your transmitter is on. $2.00 at most for the crystal.

[Don H.]

Hmm, I should have included something about the radio controls...I have probably 4 or 5 different brands of transmitters and receivers. I wrote this thinking that anyone that would want to make a warp would already have a transmitter. The Air Hogs transmitters won't work as they're only set up to control 2 motors. I have 3 Air Hogs planes (and love them, by the way). A normal RC radio can be had for less than a hundred dollars, much less if you check around or maybe even EBay. They are 27mhz and have a much farther range than the Air Hogs style. Thanx for the warm welcome, I've been looking around the Instructables site for a few months now and have wanted to make an Instructable, but hadn't thought of anything to use. I have plans for another one coming soon as soon as I work out some bugs (making dies and striking your own medals and coins). Plus the other combat plane called the "Stubby".

[JamesRPatrick]

Would this work?

[Don H.]

Sure!! Any 4 channel radio will work. At the worst, you'd have to swap two of the pins on the servo leads to match, but that's easy to do.

[JamesRPatrick]

That's the cheapest one I could find that looked decent. So the receiver isn't too heavy?

[Aeshir]

Oh, and welcome to Instructables! :D

[samyakchakma]

can i make with thermocol ? please answer