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Battle Axe SSC Build-Along |
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by Lou Melancon
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Lou Melancon, former president of the
R/C Combat Association, is also considered the father of "Slow
Survivable Combat." Beginning in 2002 with the goal of
airplanes that could survive a contest with many mid-airs and two
airplanes lasting a season on the contest circuit, SSC soon began to
take root and is now the RCCA's most popular class. As former
president of the combat organization and someone who has flown many
combat designs, Lou can offer a unique perspective. |
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Click a Photo to
Enlarge |
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I needed planes for the upcoming Mid America
Championships June 21st in Tennessee. In the past I scratch built
Cobras, and Georgia Gorillas. This time I did not have any foam on
hand, nor coro, or plastic fencepost material. Instead of driving to
the different outlets to get these things, and having to buy more
than I needed I decided to get kits. I ordered the 3-pack from
Treneff RC and am very happy with the results. It is a very complete
kit and I can heartily recommend it. Here are some photos of mine
during construction.
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The plane shown is a "Battle Axe" designed by Chris
Quinn and exceptionally kitted by Treneff RC (www.treneffrc.com).
This one is powered by an OS LA .15 running on 30% heli fuel, Hayes
4 ounce clunk tank, with three metal geared micro servos, a Hitec
555 receiver, 700Mah airborne pack and weighs 41 ounces as shown. |
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Treneff RC offers SSC and Open B versions of the
Battle Axe. I purchased a three plane package of the SSC
version. Here is what the contents of the box look like: |
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There are two "parts" packages with the basic kit.
The individual plastic bags contain all the parts needed to complete
the plane and make up the wing saddle: |
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Treneff RC also offers an optional package that
contains a completely assembled Hayes 4 ounce tank, and all control
rods with clevises and safety keepers installed. This parts
package is a real time saver and was definitely worth the price for
me. I also purchased the metric bolts that Treneff RC offers for the
OS LA muffler and head. |
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The wing cores are each marked on the inboard root,
and the wing is assembled in conventional
combat fashion then covered with bidirectional tape (4" width
purchased from Treneff RC, and then with colored packing tape. The
"Battle Axe" pressure sensitive decals are a very nice touch: |
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The fuselage is almost a completely "bolt together"
affair. The mounting holes for the OS LA are already drilled and fit
perfectly. The 4X40 hex bolts, washers and locknuts are supplied.
Shown here is the engine and the throttle servo plate. Here
the throttle servo is in place, all mounting
hardware including double stick tape and zip ties are included
in the kit. Notice the throttle push rod. This is exactly how it is
supplied in the optional parts kit - note that Treneff RC even
includes the ball link on the carb throttle arm: |
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The holes are already drilled in the
rails, elevator and L-shaped support brackets for the elevator and
rudder. All bolts, washers and locknuts are provided:
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These are the parts for the wing
saddle. They are all cut to size and fit together perfectly. The
foam part is a fixture for getting correct spacing of the saddle:
The wing saddle has cut outs included for a radio
switch, and charge jack. Once the triangle stock is glued in place
it is very strong. I put one coat of butyrate dope on it then
covered it with bidi and colored packing tape. |
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How does it fly? Great! I set the first two planes
up identically and they both launched with an easy over hand toss. I
followed the Treneffs recommended break in process and was seeing
17,250 rpm on the fourth flight of each plane.
If you are looking for a quality kit that is very complete that
builds into a top level competitive fighter then I heartily
recommend you to Chris Quinn's Battle Axe as kitted by Treneff RC. |
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