Lupo Review 1

Multiplex Lupo Review

Introduction

Back in the summer, a visit to the Defford model show enabled me to buy a Hitec feather receiver and two HS-50 servos with the intention of buying an indoor flyer at some point in the future. The gear lay dormant but not forgotten in the workshop until Nick Waite announced that he was organising an indoor flying session on the Friday after Christmas instead of the outdoor funfly which he has run for the past few years. This was the prod I needed to get going and sort out a suitable plane for the occasion.

With Christmas coming up, I gave Vicky a list which included the GWS Tiger Moth, as I had seen one of these flying before, and it looked to be a nice flyer. However, it was not to be – it seemed that this was a particularly popular kit in the first three weeks of December, and she had no luck finding a shop with one in stock. With just a few days to go before the 25^th, I spent an hour ringing round trying to find an alternative, and ended up with a Multiplex Lupo from Als Hobbies. Unfortunately, the person at the other end clearly knew little about indoor flying, and suggested 500mAh nicad packs as suitable power! In the end, I ordered the kit, two 270mAh nicad packs, and a Jeti 5 amp speed controller, hoping that this would be suitable.

Sitting on the kitchen floor awaiting
the maiden flight

*Description of the Kit*
Christmas day, and I opened the present from my beloved (I love surprises), and had a good look at the contents. The Lupo comes with a pre-built fuselage and one piece wing, meaning that assembly is reasonably fast and straightforward. The fuselage, wing and tail feathers are all moulded in white depron. The fuselage is made from two halves, which have been joined at the factory around the balsa wood servo tray and front bulkheads. The bulkheads incorporate a single balsa bearer which accepts the push-fit motor/gearbox unit, and a battery box which is situated just behind the leading edge of the wing. Wire in tube style snakes are provided for rudder and elevator control.
*Construction*
Forming the vees along the hinge lines on rudder and elevator	Construction started with preparation of the tail surfaces. Hinge lines are pre-scored for the rudder and elevator, and the first job is to stick diamond tape to the hinge line, on the other side from the score. The moving surfaces are then bent back along the score, so that there is a 30º angle between them and then a vee is sanded into the depron along the hinge line, until the hinge is formed. Hopefully the diagram makes this clearer. Once this has been done, the ¹/₃₂ plywood horns can be glued into pre-cut slots on the elevator and rudder. I used a small drill in a pin vice to open up the holes, ready for the control rods. The next job is to glue the fin/rudder onto the tailplane/ elevators, using 5 minute epoxy and a set square. Once this has set, the assembly can be glued onto the fuselage. I used some pins to hold the tail assembly onto the fuse until the glue had set, and temporarily held the wing in place to ensure that the tailplane was properly aligned. With the tail complete, I deviated from the instructions, and assembled the undercarriage next. Slow fly lightweight nylon wheels with ‘O’ ring tyres are provided, and these are assembled onto the bent wire undercarriage using short lengths cut from the supplied plastic tubing and cyano. A vee shaped balsa former is then glued to the top of the undercarriage legs with more cyano and allowed to dry. This assembly is then epoxied to the underside of the fuselage, fitting into a pre-cut slot between two bulkheads. This results in a very strong but flexible undercarriage. The next job is to cut a short slot into the underside of the fuselage at the rear, which accepts the tail skid, complete with a small plywood square which helps hold it in place. With this done, the fuselage will stand on the building bench allowing the subsequent assembly to be easily completed.

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This page was last updated on 25/06/03

Introduction

Description of the Kit

Construction