Freewing Mig-21 80mm

Build Companion:

Freewing Mig-21 80mm Presented by:

Brad Miser Your RC CompanionTM yourrccompanion.com

[email protected]

Version 1.0

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Build Companion: Freewing Mig-21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser

Contents

Build Companion: Freewing Mig-21 80mm ...................................................................... 1

Program the Radio ........................................................................................................... 4

Prepare the Vertical Stabilizer and Rudder ...................................................................... 5

Prepare the Rear Fuselage Section, Horizontal Stabilizer, and Elevators ..................... 15

Prepare the Rear Fuselage Section, Horizontal Stabilizer, and Elevators: Assemble Horizontal Stabilizers and Configure Elevators ................................................................ 16

Prepare the Rear Fuselage Section, Horizontal Stabilizer, and Elevators: Add Orientation Stripes and Protect Stabilizer Tips ................................................................................... 18

Prepare the Wings ......................................................................................................... 20

Prepare the Wings: Install Strobe Lights ....................................................................................... 20

Prepare the Wings: Configure Ailerons and Flaps ........................................................................ 25

Prepare the Wings: Check Retracts and Install Electric Brakes ................................................... 27

Prepare the Wings: Cover the Strobe/Wire, Add Orientation Stripes, and Protect the Wing Tips .................................................................................................................................. 36

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section .............................................................................. 39

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Replace Battery Connectors, Add Anti-spark Connector, and Install Current and Voltage Sensors ....................................................... 39

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Remove Battery Tray and Temporarily Mount Receiver ........................................................................................................................... 46

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Test EDF and Telemetry and Calibrate the Throttle .......... 47

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Install Stobe Lights ............................................................. 50

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Install Landing Lights ......................................................... 57

Join the Rear Fuselage Section to the Front Fuselage Section ..................................... 62

Install the Vertical Stabilizer ........................................................................................... 68

Install the Wings ............................................................................................................. 73

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Install Fuselage and Components .................................................................................. 90

Configure the Wires, Receiver, Sensors, and Controllers in the Battery Compartment and Re-install the Battery Tray ..................................................... 99

Prepare for Flight ......................................................................................................... 107

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Build Companion: Freewing Mig-21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 1

Build Companion: Freewing Mig-21 80mm This build companion provides information about how you can assemble the Freewing Mig-21 80mm and prepare it for flight. The steps in this document are certainly not the only way to assemble the plane, but they will (hopefully at any rate) help you build your plane more easily and faster than relying on just the documentation that comes with the model. If you don’t have the model yet, this information may help you make an informed buying decision.

The build process described in this document covers the stock PNP version of the plane as it came out of the box. Generally, the build on this model is straightforward and assuming you have prior modeling experience (which you should before trying to build and fly this plane!), you won’t have any trouble assembling it. When the build process is simple, you won’t find a lot of detail in this document; your experience and the included manual will be enough. When something requires more information, you’ll find more detailed steps.

I describe the steps to make a number of modifications to improve the maintainability, performance, durability, or flying characteristics of the model. The details for the upgrades/modifications are provided in separate steps that you can choose to ignore if you don’t want to make the upgrades/modifications. The upgrades/modifications included in this build companion are:

• Strobe lights:

Ø Strobon v2 Navigation Light (Green) x 2 (right side of vertical stabilizer and bottom of right wing)

Ø Strobon v2 Navigation Light (Red) x 2 (left side of vertical stabilizer and bottom of left wing)

Ø Strobon v2 Navigation Light (White) x 1 (top of fuselage rear of the cockpit)

Ø Strobon XL Navigation Strobe (Green) x1 (bottom of fuselage just behind the nose gear wheel well)

I purchased these lights here: http://www.flytron.com/12-led-systems

• Landing lights:

Ø Freewing Stinger 90 Light Controller

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Ø Freewing 5W White LED Light with 1000mm Lead x 2 (left and right side of fuselage just in front of the nose gear wheel well)

I purchased these lights here: https://www.motionrc.com/collections/led-lights

• Electric brakes:

Ø JP Hobby Electric Brake System With 4.0mm Shaft - 55mm

I purchased these brakes here: http://www.rc-castle.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=5409&search=JP+Hobby+Electric+Brake+System+With+4.0mm+Shaft+-+55mm

• Orientation stripes:

Ø Top Flite Trim MonoKote Neon Yellow (stripes on the bottom of the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer)

Ø Top Flite Trim MonoKote Neon Green

I purchased the trim sheets here: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0095p?FVSEARCH=%3Cb%3Emono%3C%2Fb%3Ekote+trim+sheet

• Wing and horizontal tip protection:

Ø Mod Podge Waterbase Sealer, Glue and Finish

I purchased this glue here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CI1U5NQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

• Anti-spark Connector:

Ø Jeti AFC Anti-Spark Connectors 5.5mm (150A)

I purchased this connector at this website: http://www.espritmodel.com/jeti-afc-anti-spark-connectors-5-5mm-150a.aspx

Note that the locations and types of lights and orientation stripes I added to the plane are done solely for my own preferences and are not aligned with the full-size aircraft, i.e., these are in no way scale modifications.

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I apply Mod Podge to areas that tend to get scuffed in handling or landing, especially the bottom of wing tips and the bottom of the tips of the horizontal stabilizer. This glue dries clear and leaves a hard shell on top of the foam. It won’t prevent it from breaking or getting damaged in a rough landing, but does help protect against minor scuffs from landing or handling during transport. Tape can be used for the same purpose, but the glue is easier to apply in these areas.

I also point out areas that were problematic on my build; I note these are the beginning of each section with the labeled Quality Issues. Unfortunately, there tends to be a lot of variability in the quality of models depending on the specific production process used; you may or may not encounter the same issues I did or you may encounter others with your model that I didn’t find on mine.

When I build, I first prepare each section of the plane all the way to setting trims and range of motion of control surfaces (when possible) before assembling the plane as I find it easier to work on the sections before they are assembled. It also enables me to test each servo, control surface, etc., before the plane is assembled, making it easier to correct any problems I find. Refer to the Table of Contents to see the overall build process used.

I use a FrSky Taranis radio for my planes because of its excellent performance, flexible and easy programming, custom audio announcements, and telemetry. Because of the many options in radio systems, this document does not cover radio programming or set up. If you also use a Taranis and want to have the eepe file for this plane that I use as a baseline for yours, send an email to [email protected].

For a video tour of the completed plane, visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy7gvTCyHr8

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Program the Radio I prefer to program the radio as the first step in the build process because I can then use the actual radio setup during assembly, such as to center servo arms, center control surfaces, adjust control surface range of motion, etc. If you use a servo tester instead, you may find differences in the center position and range of motion when you switch over to the radio.

I used an 8-channel receiver with this plane with the following channels:

1. Throttle

2. Ailerons

3. Elevator

4. Rudder

5. Landing gear and landing lights (lights are on any time gear is down)

6. Flaps

7. Nose gear steering and strobe lights (power only for strobe lights as they are always on)

8. Brakes

I added telemetry for battery pack voltage, cell voltage, and current. The receiver and sensors I used are:

• FrSky X8R - 8/16 Channel Receiver

• FrSky SP-FLVS - Smart Port Lipo Voltage Sensor

• FrSky SP-150A - Smart Port 150 Amp Sensor

I purchased these items here: https://alofthobbies.com/radio-gear/frsky-telemetry-system.html

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Prepare the Vertical Stabilizer and Rudder I modified the vertical stabilizer by adding a red strobe light to the left side of the vertical stabilizer and a green strobe to the right side.

Quality Issues

• Red star decal on left side of vertical stabilizer was partially covering the servo pocket area where the servo arm moves.

If you aren’t installing the strobe lights, skip steps 2-21.

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1. Cut and lift up the star decal to clear the area through which the servo arm moves; if you remove any parts of the decal, make sure you save them so you can repair it later. If you are installing the lights, expose the area just in front of the servo so that you can route the light’s wire to the channel through which the rudder servo’s wire passes. If you aren’t installing the lights, you just need to remove enough so that the servo arm can move freely.

2. Mark the location of strobe light. I placed mine just below the top section of the vertical stabilizer. I wanted to mount it in the white area so I could use white trim to cover it and the wires.

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3. Mark the route for the wire to run down the stabilizer.

4. Mark the route for the wire to run from the servo pocket to the channel through which the servo wire runs out the bottom of the vertical stabilizer.

5. Use a hobby knife to rough cut the area in which you will mount the light.

6. Use a hobby knife to cut the channel for the light’s wire.

7. Use a Dremel tool and router bit (and router attachment if you have one) to finalize the light mounting area.

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8. Test fit the light in the mounting hole until the top of the led base is about even with the surface of the foam. If it isn’t, continue working on the hole until the light fits down into the foam.

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9. Repeat the process to create the light mount area on the right side of the stabilizer; you don’t need a wire channel on this side because you can route the wire for this side through the stabilizer to join the wire on the other side.

10. Back on the first side, cut a channel for the wire to run past the servo and create an opening down into the channel through which the rudder servo wire passes. You need to

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dig down through the foam a bit to reach the existing channel.

11. Run a piece of wire through the rudder servo wire channel to the area you cut for the light wire so that you can pull the light wire down through the servo wire’s channel.

12. Solder positive and negative power wires onto each light; if you want to be able to turn

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the lights on or off, also solder a control wire to the lights. I prefer the lights always be on when the plane is powered up so I don’t use the control wire.

13. Create a hole from the right side of the stabilizer to the left side and pass the wire from the strobe on the right side to the left side.

14. Solder the wires from the right and left side lights to a single wire that runs down the stabilizer; you should make this wire the same length as or a bit longer than the rudder servo wire so it reaches to where your receiver will be mounted.

15. Use the wire puller you inserted earlier to pull the power wire into the channel through which the rudder servo wire runs out the bottom of the stabilizer.

16. Before finalizing the installation, check the lights to make sure they work correctly.

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17. Glue the lights in position.

18. Route the power wires into the channel you made earlier.

19. Replace the decal over the area from which you removed it.

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20. Cover the wire channel with matching tape or covering; I used white MonoKote trim, which matches nearly perfectly.

21. Cover the light with the same tape or covering (I use a hole punch for paper to create the hole around the led).

22. Repair the star decal; I used red MonoKote trim, which was a very close match. While the star doesn’t look quite right because part of an arm is missing, that was better for me than trying to reposition the entire decal because that would have messed up the underlying paint.

23. Cover the light on the other side in the same way.

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24. Install the rudder pushrod, center the rudder, attach the keeper on the pushrod, and set the range of rudder movement per the manual.

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Prepare the Rear Fuselage Section, Horizontal Stabilizer, and Elevators In this section, you prepare the rear section of the fuselage by installing the horizontal stabilizers and configuring the elevators. I modified my model by adding orientation stripes and I covered the tips of the stabilizer and elevators with Mod Podge glue to protect against scuffs.

Quality Issues

• Servo arms not centered and no provision for accessing the arm or screw to re-center them.

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Prepare the Rear Fuselage Section, Horizontal Stabilizer, and Elevators: Assemble Horizontal Stabilizers and Configure Elevators

1. Attach the horizontal stabilizers to the rear section of the fuselage using the four screws as specified in the manual.

2. Connect the elevator servos to the receiver and center all trims and subtrims.

3. If a servo arm isn’t centered as it wasn’t on my model, cut an access area so you can reach the arm’s screw with a screwdriver; you will also need to remove foam above the servo arm so that you can remove the arm from the servo.

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4. Remove the servo from the arm, reposition it as close to being in the center position as possible, and replace the screw holding it on the servo.

5. Repeat the process for the other servo arm if needed. (It was only needed on one of the servos on my model.)

6. Install the control rods for the elevators, center the elevators, and adjust their range of motion per the manual.

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Prepare the Rear Fuselage Section, Horizontal Stabilizer, and Elevators: Add Orientation Stripes and Protect Stabilizer Tips

1. Apply orientation stripes to the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator; I used neon green as I have found this color to be very visible from the ground in many types of conditions. I intentionally used a contrasting orientation to the existing color scheme to make them stand out even more.

2. Apply orientation stripes to the left horizontal stabilizer and elevator; I used neon yellow because this is a good contrast to the green.

3. Liberally coat the tip of the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator with Mod Podge.

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4. Do the same for the left side. Once dry, the Mod Podge is virtually invisible and provides a nice shell over the foam.

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Prepare the Wings With these steps, you prepare the wings for installation on the plane. In addition to configuring the ailerons, flaps, and retracts, optional modifications are: installing strobe lights (red on the underside of the left wing and green on the underside of the right wing) and electric brakes, adding orientation stripes, and protecting the wing tips (if needed).

Quality Issues

• None noted.

Prepare the Wings: Install Strobe Lights

1. Decide where you will place the light. I placed mine just past the end of the aileron, aligned with one of the panel lines so I could use the panel line to route the light’s wire.

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2. Use a hobby knife and Dremel to create the mounting location for the light.

3. Use a hobby knife and Dremel to create a channel for the light’s wire running from the light to the servo pocket.

4. Continue working the mounting hole until the light sits down into the wing so that only the led’s base sticks above the foam.

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5. Continue to create the channel and test fit the wire until it fits into the wing between the light and the servo pocket.

6. Continue the channel for the light’s wire around the servo pocket.

7. Once past the servo, widen the existing channel through which the aileron servo’s wire

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runs so you can put the light’s wire in it too. The way the red star decal was placed on my model, I had to lift up the tip of one of the star points to be able to widen the channel. If you are careful, you can lift it up so it can be easily placed back down again when the wire is installed.

8. Solder the wire to the light; like the vertical stabilizer, I only use the positive and negative leads because I want the lights on all the time the plane has power.

9. Route the wire in the channel you created. I use clear tape to secure the wire in the channel.

10. Make sure the wire doesn’t interfere with the motion of the aileron servo arm.

11. Route the wire the rest of the way to the wing root; leave enough additional wire so it will reach into the receiver location; I made it the same length as the servo wires.

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12. Test the light, and if it works, glue it into the wing. Covering the light and wire is described in the section “Prepare the Wings: Cover the Strobe/Wire, Add Orientation Stripes, and Protect the Wing Tips.”

13. Repeat these steps for the other wing.

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Prepare the Wings: Configure Ailerons and Flaps

1. Connect the aileron servo to the receiver and power up the radio.

2. Check the center position of the servo arm; adjust if necessary (it wasn’t on my model).

3. Install the aileron control rod in the aileron servo arm and adjust the clevis so that the aileron is in the neutral position.

4. Press the clevis onto the ball connector.

5. Install the rod keeper.

6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 for the flap.

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7. Check the range of motion of the aileron to ensure the servo isn’t binding and you get at least the range of motion shown in the manual.

8. Check the range of motion of the flap to ensure there is no binding and you achieve the range of motion shown in the manual.


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Prepare the Wings: Check Retracts and Install Electric Brakes

1. Connect the retract to the receiver.

2. Activate the retract several times to ensure it is operating properly.

3. Pull on the retract to make sure it is firmly installed in the wing (sometimes, an insufficient amount of glue is used on the mounts and the retract will pop out of the wing when you land). If the retract comes loose, re-glue the mount into the wing. If you aren’t going to install electric brakes, repeat steps 1 through 3 on the other wing and skip the rest of the steps in this section.

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4. Use a 1.5 mm hex wrench to remove the set screw holding the axle in the strut.

5. Remove the stock axle and wheel.

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6. Optionally, replace the set screw with an M3 socket cap screw. I do this because the set screws round out very easily and are difficult to remove when that happens. In other locations, you must use a set screw, but at least the screw holding the axle won’t round out. It doesn’t look as nice, but is a good tradeoff for me.

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7. Install the wheel with brake; don’t overly tighten the screw yet. (You can see the screw I used is much longer than needed, but this was the shortest I had in stock. I’ll replace it with a shorter screw later.) (Note: at the beginning of the document, I specified using JP brakes. The figures in these steps show an older Dr. Mad Thrust wheel/brake set that is no longer available. I recommend using the JP brakes as they are higher quality than the Dr. Mad brakes used here. The steps to install the JP brakes instead of the Dr. Mad Thrust brakes are the same as shown here.)

8. Remove the two screws holding the gear door to the strut and remove the door.

9. Remove a small amount of foam from the wheel well where the head of the axle on the brakes comes into contact when the gear is retracted; the axle head on the brakes I used protruded just far enough to jam the retract when it was in the retracted position and it wouldn’t extend again. I had to remove the retract from the wing, remove the foam from the wheel well, and then re-install the retract. It is easier if you remove the foam first. I didn’t have to remove very much foam in my installation; in fact, I used the same Dremel bit and depth as I did when mounting the strobe lights and it removed the right amount of material.

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10. Retract and extend the landing gear several times to make sure it operates freely. If it binds when retracted and won’t extend, you may need to remove more material from the wheel well until it retracts and extends freely.

11. Mark the axle where it protrudes from the strut so you can cut off the part of the axle that protrudes from the strut.

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12. Remove the wheel from the strut.

13. Use a cut-off wheel to cut off the excess axle.

14. Re-install the wheel on the strut; make sure the flat spot on the axle aligns with the set screw.

15. Re-install the gear door using the two screws you removed earlier.

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16. Route the brake wire along the edge of the gear door and secure it with tape; the goal is to align the wire to match up with the groove at the based of the retract when the retract is retracted.

17. Cut a channel for the brake wire just outside of the base of the retract; part of the channel is in the plastic retract mount so you can use a Dremel tool to route that part of the

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channel out. (Note: I experimented with a number of different ways of routing the brake wire to avoid cutting an additional channel for it, but when I tried to route the wire in the existing retract cutout, the wire was getting pinched when the retract was in the retracted position.)

18. Route the brake wire in the channel you created; I used clear tape to secure the wire in the channel.

19. Retract the landing gear and make sure the brake wire is not getting pinched by the gear door and that the wire isn’t preventing the retract and gear door from retracting properly.

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20. Route the rest of the brake wire using the existing channel and secure all the wires in place with some clear tape. If you are careful, you can add the two additional wires (brake and strobe light) in the existing channel without widening it.

21. Repeat these steps to test the retract and install the wheel and brake on the other wing.

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Prepare the Wings: Cover the Strobe/Wire, Add Orientation Stripes, and Protect the Wing Tips

1. Cut a piece of tape or trim to cover the strobe light; I used a piece of painted tape I had from another plane that was a reasonable match to the grey (not exact, but close enough).

2. Apply the tape or trim over the strobe light.

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3. Apply tape or trim over the wire channel you cut for the strobe light’s wire.

4. Apply orientation stripes to the outer part of the wing. (Note: I’m not using the external wing tanks that are included with the model so I covered over the tank mounting slot on the wing.)

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5. If the tape or trim you used for orientation stripes doesn’t cover the wing tip, apply Mod Podge to the tip to protect it from scuffing.


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Prepare the Front Fuselage Section In this section, you prepare the front fuselage section before joining it to the rear fuselage section.

Quality Issues

• Separation of the inner fuselage wall because not enough glue was used during assembly (I re-glued it using Foam Tac).

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Replace Battery Connectors, Add Anti-spark Connector, and Install Current and Voltage Sensors

If you use the stock EC-5s connectors, you aren’t using an anti-spark connector, and you aren’t adding telemetry, skip this section. I use Anderson Powerpole connectors so I replaced the stock EC-5 connectors with those; if you use a different type of connector, you can use similar steps to replace the stock connectors with yours. I also added an anti-spark connector, which I use for anything that runs a 6S or larger pack. Additionally, I use FrSky telemetry for current and battery pack voltage; these steps show how the associated sensors can be installed.

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1. Cut the wires from the ESC so that enough sticks out from the ESC side so you can install connectors and you have enough on the battery side to install two set of battery connectors along with the anti-spark connector.

2. Slide the current sensor over the positive power wire ensuring the direction arrow on the sensor points toward the ESC.

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3. Slide the current sensor back into the fuselage to keep it out of the way (you will mount it in later steps).

4. If you installed electric brakes, connect the positive power wire from the brake controller to the positive power wire from the ESC.

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5. Install the connector on the positive wire from the ESC and the brake controller.

6. Install the plastic shell on the positive wire from the ESC.

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7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 to attach the negative lead from the ESC to the negative lead from the brake controller and then install the negative connector; finish the connector by sliding the shells together. This completes the ESC side of the power supply lines.

8. Cut the stock EC-5 connectors from the battery side of the power leads.

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9. Collect the anti-spark connectors.

10. Cut the positive power wire in half.

11. Solder the anti-spark connectors onto the two positive wires and apply heat shrink.

12. Install connectors on each end of the positive wire. (Before installing the connectors on both ends, refer to step 13; if you don’t want to replace the negative wire as described in that step, you’ll need to shorten one of the positive wires so the length of the positive side is the same as the negative side.)

13. Cut a new negative wire using 12-gauge wire; you need to cut a new segment to make the lengths of the positive and negative sides equal (adding the anti-spark connector increases the length of the positive wire).

14. Install connectors on the negative side and attach the plastic shells on both ends by sliding them together.

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15. Connect the battery side of the power lead to the ESC side.

16. Use a tie wrap or other method to ensure the two sets of connectors can’t come apart.

17. Connect the current sensor to the voltage sensor using the provided wire.

18. Connect the voltage sensor to the smart port on the receiver.

19. Install a balance lead extension to the voltage sensor (this makes it easier to connect the balance lead from the battery pack to the sensor).

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Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Remove Battery Tray and Temporarily Mount Receiver

Removing the battery tray makes it much easier to route the wires from the rear of the plane to the receiver. You can also temporarily install the receiver so you can check servo movement as you install the various sections on the plane.

1. Remove the two screws holding the battery tray in the plane.

2. Remove the tray from the plane to expose the area where you will route the wires coming from the rear of the fuselage.

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3. Temporarily install the receiver in the plane.

4. Connect the outputs of the blue junction box (the leads with a single wire) to the inputs on the receiver. Since I prefer the nose gear steering to be on its own channel (so I can have a separate trim for it and disable it when the gear is retracted), I connected the nose gear servo directly to the servo.

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Test EDF and Telemetry and Calibrate the Throttle

Check the function of the power system, confirm telemetry is working (if installed), and calibrate the throttle as follows:

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1. Connect the throttle to the receiver.

2. Power up the transmitter.

3. Connect a flight pack battery to the ESC and listen to ensure you hear the correct number of tones indicating the number of cells in the pack you connected (6 if you are using a 6S pack).

4. Connect the voltage telemetry (if installed) to the battery.

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5. Check to ensure nothing can get sucked into the EDF when you start it.

6. Apply a small amount of throttle to start the fan spinning and make sure the fan spins in the correct direction by checking that air is coming out the rear of the fuselage section. (If it isn’t, the ESC is likely connected to the EDF incorrectly and you will need to swap two of the three connections.)

7. Check the telemetry displays on the radio to make sure you are getting data from the sensors you are using (such as current and voltage).

8. Disconnect the battery pack and power down the transmitter.

9. Power up the transmitter and put the throttle in the maximum power position.

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10. Connect the flight pack battery to the ESC.

11. As soon as you hear two quick tones from the ESC, move the throttle to the minimum power setting. You should hear the normal binding and number of battery cell tones. This means the throttle is calibrated.

12. Disconnect the battery and power down the transmitter.

Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Install Stobe Lights

I added a white strobe light to the top of the fuselage behind the latch for the canopy; this light is set to a slow pulse mode. I added a two-light set to the bottom of the fuselage just behind the nose gear wheel well.

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1. Determine where you want the light to be placed.

2. Mark the location of the light.

3. Use a hobby knife to rough cut the opening for the light. I use the knife to trace the outline of the light and then make sections across the area. I then hold the knife horizontally to cut out the sections.

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4. Test fit the light in the mounting location and continue to work the mounting area until the light fits into it.

5. Install a router bit on a Dremel tool and attach the router attachment if you have one. Set the depth so that it the led on the light will project above the top of the fuselage while the circuit board is below it.

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6. Use the Dremel to deepen the hole so the light fits into it properly.

7. Test fit the light into the mounting position.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the light fits properly.

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9. Make a hole to pass the light’s wire into the fuselage.

10. Solder the wire on the light. I apply a small amount of liquid electrical tape over the soldered area and wires to protect the area and give the connections additional strength.

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11. Run the wire through the hole you created and temporarily mount the light in the mounting hole.

12. Connect the light to power and test it.

13. If it works correctly, glue it in place.

14. Prepare a covering for the light. I used a piece of black trim sheet, cut to approximately 1.5 in x 2 in. I used a paper hole punch to create the opening for the light.

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15. Apply the covering over the light. Mine was a simple rectangle, which looks fine to me, but you may want to use something more elaborate or something less obvious, such as a color that matches the existing color.

16. Repeat steps 1 through 15 to mount the light on the bottom of the fuselage. I installed a double light with a white strobe and a solid red light just behind the nose gear wheel well.

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Prepare the Front Fuselage Section: Install Landing Lights

I got hooked on landing lights because of the lights on the Freewing Stinger 90. I find them both useful to line up landing approaches and also a nice addition to the look of the plane. I toyed with several potential mounting locations and options on the MiG, such as attaching them to the nose gear strut as they are on a number of planes, but decided to just go with a somewhat inelegant but very simple approach by mounting them into the fuselage directly in front of the nose gear wheel well. While this is a very easy installation location and makes good use of the lights, they are always visible (which doesn’t bother me, but it does add some additional non-scale appearance).

1. Gather the landing lights; I used two.

2. Determine where you will mount the lights.

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3. Cut a mounting hole for the light; this should tightly fit the mounting tab on the light and should be deep enough so that the body of the light rests on the fuselage. I rough cut the hole with a hobby knife and then used a small Dremel routing bit to finish it.

4. Test fit the light and continue to work on the mounting hole until the light fits properly.

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5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the other light.

6. Cut an opening in the plastic wheel well cover through which you can pass the light’s wire.

7. Route the wire into the wheel well and into the battery compartment.

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8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the other light.

9. Connect the light controller to the gear channel on the receiver (I used a y-connector) and connect the lights to the light controller; lower the gear and make sure the lights come on and are positioned where you want them to be.

10. If the lights work properly and are where you want them to be, glue them in place; make sure you glue the tab in the mounting hole and the light case to the fuselage.

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11. Use tape to secure the light wires to the inside of the wheel well so they don’t interfere with the nose gear.

12. Raise the nose gear and make sure the light wires don’t interfere with its operation.

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Join the Rear Fuselage Section to the Front Fuselage Section Connect the rear fuselage section to the front section by gluing them together.

Quality Issues

• None.

1. Test fit the rear fuselage section onto the front section to ensure the two parts fit together evenly and that they align correctly. If not, sand the front end of the rear section until they fit correctly.

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2. If possible position the front section of the fuselage standing up vertically so gravity will hold the rear section onto the front section while the glue dries.

3. Glue the rear section of the fuselage onto the front section and let it dry.

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4. Insert the wire puller provided with the plane through the channel at the top of the fuselage.

5. Attach one of the servo wires to the wire puller.

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6. Pull the wire puller and servo wire to the front of the fuselage.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to bring the other servo wire into the front of the fuselage.

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8. Plug the elevator servos into the blue junction box.

9. Test the elevators to make sure they work properly (if you configured the elevators as described in an earlier section, there shouldn’t be any problems, but it is a good idea to check them here too just in case).

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10. Put some tape over the elevator servo wires so they remain in the channel at the top of the fuselage. This will prevent the wires from interfering with the installation of the vertical stabilizer.

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Install the Vertical Stabilizer In this section, you install the vertical stabilizer on the rear section of the fuselage.

Quality Issues

• None.

1. Insert the wire puller provided with the model at the front of the fuselage through the channel at the top of the fuselage until the end with the loop extends into the vertical stabilizer mounting location .

2. Put the connector on the rudder servo wire into the loop on the wire puller.

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3. At the front of the fuselage, pull the wire puller forward until the end of the rudder servo wire is in the battery compartment.

4. If you installed strobe lights on the vertical stabilizer, use the wire puller to pull the strobe light wire into the battery compartment.

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5. Gently pull the rudder servo and vertical stabilizer wires from the front of the fuselage while you set the vertical stabilizer down into its mounting location on the fuselage. Make sure the wires don’t get pinched by the vertical stabilizer so keep pulling the wires from the front to avoid slack.

6. Seat the vertical stabilizer all the down in its mount so the holes for the screws in the mounting tabs on the fuselage align with the holes in the vertical stabilizer.

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7. Plug the rudder servo wire into the blue junction box.

8. Test the rudder to make sure it works correctly.

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9. Secure the vertical stabilizer in place with four screws (two on each side).

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Install the Wings In this section, you install the wings. I deviated from the manual because it states you should remove the louver over the cheater hole in order to route the wires from the wings to the front of the fuselage. However, the louver on my model was firmly glued on and I didn’t want to risk damage to the fuselage by removing it. So, I accessed the same area through the EDF access cover instead.

However, with this method, it proved impossible to glue the clear plastic covers over the channels in the side of the fuselage in which all the wires from the wings run because I couldn’t get my hands or tools in place such that I could glue the covers on without making a complete mess. So, on one side, I used tape to hold the cover on. On the other, I just use tape without the plastic cover. I believe the tape will serve the purpose of the plastic cover just as well (time will tell), which is to keep the wires from getting sucked into the airflow and to smooth the airflow over the channels in the fuselage. If you use the tape method like I did (with or without the plastic cover), make sure the tape is securely mounted so it (or the cover) doesn’t come loose and get sucked into the fan (of course, you need to practice the same caution if you glue the clear plastic covers on).

At this point, you should decide if you are going to use the method I did or go with manual’s recommendation to remove the louver. If you use the manual’s method, you need to carefully cut out and remove the louver. With the louver removed, you don’t need to remove the EDF access cover and EDF as the following steps show and some of the other details will be slightly different for you. You will also be able to glue the clear plastic covers over the channels in the fuselage instead of taping them as I did. When the wings are installed and you’ve tested all the controls, you will need to replace the louver by gluing it in place or, better, use the process defined in a post by Air-Jon on the RCGroups thread for this plane to make it easily removable in the future:

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2642308-Freewing-80mm-Mig-21-Fishbed/page267

If you are going to remove the louver, I recommend using this technique to make it easier to remove in the future in the event you need to do maintenance in this area. If I were to build another of these models or if I ever need to do maintenance in this area, I’ll remove the louver and use Air-Jon’s technique of mounting it.

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Quality Issues

• The manual calls for removal of the louver over the cheat hole. However, removing it could cause damage to the fuselage. I used an alternate method by removing the EDF access cover and EDF instead.

1. Remove the two screws holding the EDF access cover on.

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2. Remove the EDF access cover.

3. Remove the four screws holding the EDF in place.

4. Lift the EDF out of its mounting area to make sure it is loose so you can move it out of the way to route wires from the wings into the channel at the top of the fuselage. Later in this process, I needed to move the EDF completely out of the way and ended up

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disconnecting it from the ESC; I marked the ESC wires connecting to the red and yellow wires on the EDF with red and yellow tape so I would connect them correctly later. Separate the wires at the bullet connectors and remove the EDF unit from the plane.

5. Insert the longer and larger wing spar through the forward spar hole.

6. Insert the shorter wing spar into the rear spar hole.

7. Fold the wires from the wing back on the bottom of the wing to keep them out of the way while being easy to access for routing.

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8. Slide the wing onto the spars until there is a small gap between the wing and the fuselage. In addition to aligning the wing on the spars, you need to position the wing onto the two plastic mounting points on the fuselage.

9. From the front of the fuselage, insert the wire puller in the channel at the top of the fuselage with the loop end pointing to the rear of the plane. Make sure the loop end of the puller points toward the bottom of the fuselage so it will be easier to grab where it emerges into the EDF area.

10. Keep pushing the wire puller until it emerges into the EDF area at the rear of the fuselage.

11. Pull the wire puller so you can easily access the loop. You can move the EDF out of the way as needed to reach into the fuselage and grab the end of the puller to pull it back.

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12. Push one of the wires from the wing into the opening on the fuselage.

13. Reach inside the fuselage (you can move the EDF as needed) and pull the wire back towards the wire puller; make sure it is above the spar and not wrapped around it.

14. Place the connector from the wing’s wire onto the wire puller.

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15. Gently pull the wire puller from the front of the fuselage until the servo wire appears. Continue pulling on the wire until the slack is gone so that the wire is as far out as it will go.

16. Remove the servo wire from the wire puller.

17. Repeat steps 9 through 16 until you have pulled all of the wires from the wing to the front of the fuselage; you should have wires for the aileron, flap, landing gear, brake (if

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installed), and strobe light (if installed). As you pull the wires out, you might want to bundle them using a clip or rubber band to make the next step easier.

18. Gather all the wires from the wing at the front of the fuselage and gently pull them while you push the wing onto the plastic two mounting points until it fits up against the fuselage and the screw holes align with the holes in the plastic mounting points. As you push the wing on, gently pull on the wires from the front of the fuselage to ensure no wires get caught between the wing and fuselage.

19. Locate two screws you use to secure the wing to the fuselage.

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20. Screw the two wing mounting screws into the wing mounting points on the fuselage.

21. Repeat steps 7 through 20 to install the other wing, being careful to route all its wires to the front of the fuselage and to ensure wires are not pinched between the wing and fuselage.

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22. Plug the aileron, flap, and retract servo wires from both wings into the blue junction box and connect the brake wires (if installed) from both wings to the brake controller.

23. Test the function of the ailerons, flaps, retracts, and brakes. Correct any issues you find (if you followed previous steps and configured all these items before installing the wings, there shouldn’t be any problems).

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24. Route the wires from the wings in the channels on the inside of the fuselage. (This was the point at which the EDF was too much in the way so I disconnected and removed it from the plane, but it would have been better to remove it after removing the screws that hold it in place back in step 4.)

25. Check to see if you will be able to glue the clear plastic channel cover over the channel to

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ensure the wires stay in the channel; I wasn’t able to because I couldn’t access the channels well enough since I didn’t remove the louver over the cheater hole. If your hands are smaller or you are better with tools, glue the cover over the channel. Make sure you use enough glue to keep the cover in place, but not so much that it gets all over the wires and glues them in place. Ideally, the wires will be able to slide in and out of the channel without removing the cover should you need to fix or replace something on the wing later.

26. If you aren’t able to glue the covers, apply tape to the edges of the plastic cover. (Note: there is a specific cover for each side of the plane, check the corner that is cut off at an angle, which points forward and lines up with the same cut in the fuselage).

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27. Lightly stick the edge of the tape to a long, flathead screwdriver and use that to position the cover over the channel.

28. When in position, I used a piece of wood to press the cover into place while gently removing the screwdriver. Then, I used the wood to press the tape down to make sure it was firmly attached and ran over all the edges to ensure that were no edges that might get lifted up by the airflow.

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29. Double-check the installation to make sure the tape is firmly pressed to the side of the fuselage and no edges are raised enough to get air under them.

30. Repeat steps 24 through 29 for the other side. In this case, I just used tape and left the

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plastic cover off entirely. It was easier to apply the tape alone than to tape the cover in place and I thought it would be more secure. But, the surface isn’t quite as smooth with just the tape as it is with the cover. And, the wire may stick to the tape so if I have to remove the wires are some point, I may have to remove the tape too (whereas the wires should just slide out behind the plastic guard). I think taping the cover is a better solution.

31. If you completely removed the EDF, reconnect it to the ESC, ensuring the connections are the same as before you removed it.

32. Use the four screws to re-install the EDF.

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33. Use the two screws to re-install the EDF access cover.

34. If desired, cut a 3.5 in by 5.5 in section of mesh screen to cover the louver to limit the chance of ingesting rocks or other debris that can damage the fan. I’ve had several planes with large cheater holes on the bottom and have lost fans due to debris getting sucked into the fan through the cheater hole. Covering the cheater hole with mesh helps reduce

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the chance of this happening and limits the size of objects that can get sucked in. You want to use a small enough mesh to prevent rocks large enough to cause damage from entering the cheater hole but not so small that airflow is inhibited. If you use a mesh with a fairly large opening you might want to use two pieces and overlap them slightly to reduce the size of the openings.

35. Test fit the mesh over the louver. Trim as needed so the mesh covers the openings while leaving enough space so you can tape the edges of the mesh to the plastic louver without taping on the paint. If you tape on the painted foam surface and later have to remove the mesh, it will also remove the paint from the foam.

36. When the size of the mesh is correct, tape it in place. Try to keep the tape on the plastic louver as much as possible instead of putting tape on the foam.

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Install Fuselage and Components There are several components to add to the fuselage and wings. (Note that I did not install the wing tanks as I didn’t plan to fly with them; I prefer the “slick” look of the plane without them.)

Quality Issues

• None

1. Locate the bottom fin.

2. Place the front end of the fin in the slot on the bottom of the fuselage. It is a tight fit so work it into the slot slowly so you don’t damage the foam.

3. On my model, the rear slot was too tight so I use a flat head screwdriver to widen the slot slightly until the rear of the fin would fit into it.

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4. Continue working the fin into the two slots until it won’t go any further.

5. Use a screw to attach the fin to the plastic mount point.

6. Locate the two wing fences.

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7. Locate the slot to mount the fence on the wing.

8. Line up the notch on the fence with the corresponding tab in the slot on the wing, place a little glue on the wing fence, and insert it into the slot.

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9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 to mount the fence on the other wing.

10. Locate the plastic piece that mounts right behind the latch for the cockpit.

11. Glue the plastic part into the slot on top of the fuselage.

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12. Locate the silver antenna.

13. Locate the antenna mounting slot on the right side of the model, just above the numbers on the side of the fuselage.

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14. Glue the antenna into the slot; note that when mounted in the slot, the antenna angles out from the fuselage a bit.

15. Insert the pitot tube onto the remaining carbon tube; on mine, it was a very tight fit so I didn’t glue it.

16. Insert the carbon rod onto the metal rod on the front of the fuselage. This was also a very tight fit so I didn’t glue it. Also, I wanted to be able to remove the assembly as I might take if off when I transport the plane because it sticks out so far, it will make transportation more difficult and will likely get broken off.

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17. Locate the nose cone.

18. Insert the rod sticking out of the base of the nose cone into the hole in the center of the fuselage; I put a small amount of glue on the rod and used a screwing motion to get the nose cone installed all the way.

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19. Locate the two fins.

20. Use a sharp hobby knife to cut a slit into the fin mounting area on the fuselage; the slit can be very narrow because the fins are thin plastic. The slit needs to be deep enough so the fin fits all the way against the fuselage.

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21. Test fit the fin into the slot. If it doesn’t fit all the way against the fuselage, continue expanding the slit until it does. Then, glue the fin in place.

22. Repeat steps 20 and 21 to install the fin on the other side.

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Configure the Wires, Receiver, Sensors, and Controllers in the Battery Compartment and Re-install the Battery Tray There are a lot of wires to deal with, especially with the telemetry, lights, and brakes I added. I usually connect and test everything without worrying about keeping things tidy (as you can tell from the photos earlier in this document). Then, I place the components in the battery bay, such as the receiver, brake controller, telemetry sensors, and landing light controller making sure they don’t interfere with the range of battery mounting locations I expect to use. Once I know where the components will be mounted, I start mounting components and routing wires. It is usually an iterative process, requiring adjustments to both along the way. Fortunately, there is a lot of room to work in this model, unlike many other EDFs. So, it’s possible to create a fairly clean installation and make it easy to install and remove the battery even with all the wires.

Quality Issues

• None

1. With all the components in the battery compartment, start planning your attack. I started at the rear of the compartment, but either direction works.

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2. I mounted the brake controller on the “ledge” of foam just behind the battery compartment. It fit tightly enough that I didn’t need to tape it in place, but I used a piece of double-sided tape anyway just to be sure it wouldn’t come loose.

3. I mounted the current sensor on the side of the fuselage using double-sided tape; I placed it far enough back that it wouldn’t interfere with moving the battery back as far as needed

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to achieve correct center of gravity.

4. I used double-sided tape to mount the current sensor’s circuit board above the ledge just behind the battery compartment.

5. I collected the five wires for the strobe lights and soldered them to a single set of wires with a servo connector on the end. This can be connected to any channel since I’m only using it for power (no control wire). I used a y-connector inserted into the channel I use for the brakes.

6. I mounted the landing light controller at the front of the compartment on the shelf above the nose gear. The controller doesn’t interfere with the tongue on the canopy in this

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location.

7. I used a tie wrap to bundle the excess light wires and pushed them under the foam cutout for the canopy’s tongue to secure them in place.

8. Because I put the retracts on a y-connector with the landing light controller, I had some extra wire that I tie wrapped and secured next to the landing light wires.

9. I tie wrapped the main bundle of servos wires to make it easier to route them under the battery tray.

10. Route the servo wires in the channel under the battery tray.

11. I put tape over the channel where the cut outs for the battery strap are. This keeps the wires in the channel making installation of the battery tray easier and gives the battery

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strap something smooth to slide on.

12. Move the receiver to its mounting location.

13. Test fit the battery tray into the compartment. Make sure the wires run in the channel and don’t get pinched by the tray when you screw it down. Make sure there is slack in the wires at the rear of the tray so you can slide the battery to the rear to achieve correct cg.

14. Test fit a battery on the tray to make sure you can get it in and out easily and that the wires at the rear of the tray don’t interfere with pushing the battery back.

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15. Remove the battery tray.

16. I installed self-adhesive silicon onto the tray to keep the battery from slipping (instead of using the anti-slip material provided with the model).

17. Re-install the battery tray.

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18. Install the receiver; I used double-sided tape.

19. Install the voltage sensor; I used double-sided tape to mount it to the inner fuselage wall.

20. Secure the receiver’s antennas. I mounted one vertically on one side and horizontally on the other side.

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21. Only two screws were used to mount the battery tray initially, but I used the two additional screws that came with the model to increase the number of screws to four.

22. Install a battery and connect it to the ESC and sensors. Make sure nothing interferes with the battery going in or coming out. Also, make sure you can move the battery toward the front or rear to adjust cg.

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Prepare for Flight Once assembly is complete, do the final preparations to get the model ready to fly.

Quality Issues

• None

1. Mark the location of the cg as specified in the manual.

2. Mount the battery you will use and check the cg.

3. Adjust the position of the battery until the plane balances correctly. I balanced the plane upside down with the gear retracted (the nose gear moves forward when extended). It’s generally safer to start with the cg at the recommended location, which is typically a bit nose heavy. After you fly the plane, you can further adjust the battery location or add weight to put the cg where you want it to be.

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4. Power up the model and test all functions to make sure they move correctly, there is no binding, etc. Adjust the control throws according to the manual. I usually set them for the maximum amount of movement. I create three flight modes. One has full range of motion and relatively high expo (30-40%). The second has about 60-75% of the range of motion with less expo (20-30%). The third has about 50% of the range of motion and about the same expo as the second flight mode. I usually do the initial takeoff with the middle flight mode and adjust from there as needed. The model should be ready to fly.