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View Full Version : Darin's Ace Pacer 1/2A Pattern Ship - Rebuild and Electric Conversion



Darin Jordan
01-03-2012, 09:21 AM
About two weeks ago, I crashed my ParkZone F-27Q Stryker 180 plane after one of the aileron control rods slipped through the control horn, locking on the aileron and causing the plane to do a nose-in spiral into the ground from about 30ft... Plane was trashed. Andy Kunz told me to send him the guts and he's build me something cool to replace it... Here is the build thread he did for it (on RC Groups):

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1561429

He's an AMAZING builder. I can't believe how quickly he's able to turn something like this out.

Watching Andy (Kunz) build up the Ultra-Micro Shrike this past two weeks got me excited to build a plane again. I've spent the last 6 or 7 years building FE boats and helping Pro Boat develop some fine RTR boats... I think it's time for a plane for myself.

I've had one of the pair of Ace Pacer 1/2A plane kits shown in the pictures for over 20 years. I had it JUST about finished, and had to put it in storage, where a litter of kittens (at my father's house) decided to eat the tail off of it and did some other damage.

The other kit was purchased from E-Bay as a parts plane. Both have been in storage for a LONG time...

I think I'm going to finish up my original plane (White/Blue winged) using a E-Flight Six-Series 2000KV motor with E-Flight 40A ESC, probably starting on 3S.

I'm going to try to build up the second one as well (as long as I'm fabbing replacement parts for the one, I might as well finish the other!)... I may see if I can make it work with floats, so I can take it to the Boat races with me.

More to come. I can't build as fast as Andy can, so this may take awhile. I still have boats to build as well...

Darin Jordan
01-03-2012, 09:21 AM
I took some time yesterday and used the second plane's horizontal stab to cut out a new one for my plane. Got the control surfaces cut out and trimmed up as well. Need to get some 1/8" balsa for the vertical stab.

Darin Jordan
01-03-2012, 09:34 AM
Just for fun... here is an article I found on this plane, written in 1976...

Darin Jordan
01-03-2012, 09:02 PM
Had a few minutes tonight, after getting home from flying my ParkZone Pole Cat UM for the first time (4 batteries, 4 safe returns... ;) )

Decided that the parts fuse that I bought was poorly assembled, so I'm just going to cut it apart and rebuild it completely. Removed the vertical stab and used it as a pattern to cut out two new sets of parts. All parts are from 1/8 balsa, as specified by the drawings. I used a piece of trailing edge material for the top caps on each fin to take advantage of the tapered edge at the top.

First set of parts were shaped, and then the second set taped to them for final shaping, so everything is exactly the same.

Hopefully will be gluing this all together shortly.

Darin Jordan
01-05-2012, 09:21 AM
Nothing too exciting... just glued the vertical stabs together and profiled the leading edges...

AndyKunz
04-05-2012, 07:42 PM
Hey Darin,

What's up with this thread?

Andy

Darin Jordan
04-05-2012, 09:20 PM
Hey Darin,

What's up with this thread?

Andy

Ummmmm.... I'm working on this in my spare time... As evidence by all the updates lately... :)

AndyKunz
04-05-2012, 09:32 PM
:) I figgered a little bump couldn't hurt! I finished building the Micro UFO and have spent the last two evenings cleaning my shop. It hasn't been this clean in a year, and I'm not anywhere near done. I found a model I bought from Drobie's estate (HVP Albatross HU-16) and will be finishing it up soon. I need to machine the prop adapters for the motors I'll be using (too small motor hole) and running wires for telemetry.

Something water-based for a change.

Andy