PANEL LINES - DAMBUSTERS

We got an E-mail over the last week with some awesome pictures attached. Shaun decided to take Tomas Hellberg's F-18E Superhornet design and do some custom work. This is just something you can't get out of a box. 

He added in a custom battery hatch, custom airbrakes, and an LED flashing light set up all worked into the design. We won't really discuss his custom paint job representing the VFA-195 squadran out of Japan, because we noticed something else, careful panel lines pressed right into the foam.

We hope he sends over a video (hint hint) but we decided to share his work for all you builders out there looking for some inspiration.

Here is how he said he managed to get the panel line look just right...

"For the panel lines I took a piece of landing gear from an old helicopter that had a nice plastic ball on the end.    Then i took a pic that showed the detailed panel lines on the real bird and measured them to the depron as close as i could get for the right look. Then I used just a simple ruler and ran the plastic ball along the lines using just enough pressure to indent the foam.  A bit of work but it looks great in the end.    As far as the tail art , I took a drawing i did of the art and then cut each individual piece out. Then sort of like a puzzle i placed the pieces one by one on the tail used a pencil to trace the outlines leaving a small dent, similar to the panel line method. Then with regular testors model paint you can hand paint the colors. Leaving the small dent in the foam while outlining the pieces i found that the paint would run into the dent and leave a nice crisp line.  I let the paint dry then continue each section as needed.   This works so much better then using decals.   I've had a few jets that would tend to lose the decals while at high speeds...."

Great work Shaun! This type of details makes even the simpliest profile jet look so custom. And a sense of pride when you finish. 

For everyone else, keep sending over your work, we love it!

DASSAULT RAFALE PICS SUBMITTED

We had a member of the RC Community out there submit some pictures and video of his version of the Mike Jackson Dassault Rafale profile style parkjet.  

So we thought we would get them posted. 

This is an excellent plan, inspired by the designs of Tomas Hellberg, that provides a great platform for a parkjet. The large delta wings, large control surfaces and simple set up, coupled with a mid-motor mount design make for an easy to fly and build jet. 

Enjoy the pics and thanks for passing them on Scott!

Oh, and one last thing, in his E-mail, he mentions he donated to the designer directly using our paypal links. That's awesome, we hope everyone does and you should know that we don't get a cut or even know when a donation has been made. But we do know that more donations mean designers are inspired to keep designing, meaning you can keep building and we can keep posting. 

INTERVIEW - TOMAS HELLBERG

For those of you that have been following Parkjets for a while, you will be familiar with our interviews with popular RC airplane designers that have allowed us to host their awesome designs right on our site.  It has been a while since we posted an interview and so we thought its time for a fresh one.  

We reached out to Tomas Hellberg and he gratiously agreed. Tomas has designed some of the most popular and rock stable designs on Parkjets, including the F-22, F-18, SU-31, SU-37 and more. His designs feature simple build techniques with tabbed construction and profile looks. His unique thrust vectoring tabs allow for excellent acrobatics without a lot of fuss. And we should mention that our prime sponsor, 6mmFlyRC, features many of Tomas' designs as kits, so you can get your hands on a laser cut version.  Okay, that's enough of an introduction, let's kick this off....

Tomas, can you provide us with a little background with yourself? It's always so interesting to see the designers background and what they do for a living, not to mention the global nature of the hobby!

I am 41 years old and I live in a small village on the country side in Sweden with my wife and three kids. I work as a software engineer for a company that develops safety systems for cars that help to prevent traffic accidents.

I’m somewhat of a gadget geek but my true passion besides RC flight is photography. I also enjoy outdoor life and trekking/hiking.

So you have an engineering background! That makes sense. As you know, you have 6 models on Parkjets right now, but I believe your F-22 is by far the most popular download. Your design of the simple thrust vectoring tabs really changed the way a lot of RC planes were designed, you sacrificed some scale for some really unique performance. Can you take us through your design process and some of the inspiration for your models?

It all started when I saw a video of someone flying the Ikarus Su-27 on YouTube. The Ikarus model is a simple profile pusher jet that uses tabs and slots to help the builder align the parts. I thought to myself “I can build something like that”. So I began working on the F-22.

I chose Google Sketchup for designing my model as it was free and I already had some experience with it. I found some three-view diagrams on the Internet and started outlining the wing and the fuselage. When I finished the outline I put the parts together in space to form the actual aircraft. Then followed the process of creating slots and tabs to help with alignment during assembling. And that is basically the design process I’ve used with all my designs.

We have seen lots of designers are using Google Sketch Up. It's a great tool. And we like the "maker" attitude you brought to the table. Many hobbyists have the same experience, we see something and believe we can make it. Okay, out of all your designs, which model do you prefer to fly or which model are you most proud of, you get the idea? 

I’d say the F-22. It looks great and has a great flight envelope handling both high and slow speeds really well.

The F-22 is one of the favorites in our hanger too. That and your F-18E.

One design we recently added is your SU-31. I have to say it’s a great, simple design that has a lot of versatility. Do you have any advice for those pilots looking to build and fly your SU-31 for the first time?

Make sure your servos are glued properly. :-) I crashed mine on one of the first flights when one of the servos came off during a dive. Other than that I don’t have any particular advice for the Su-31.

I designed the Su-31 mainly because I wanted a less noisy plane to fly. Most of my other designs are of the “prop-in-the-slot” type, which are really loud.

Servo failure. What can we say, it happens. Great tip though. And the SU-31 remains a popular download each month. Not including the SU-31, all of your jet designs feature a mid-fuse engine design. What was your primary reason for going with a mid-engine design?

It’s mainly about center of gravity. With the engine mid-fuse I can have the electronics farther back. For the F-22 and Mig-29, this means having the electronics inside the main fuselage compartment.

The mid-fuse placement of the engine also means that there will be a direct airstream from the propeller over the rear control surfaces which increases the plane’s agility. This is in a way like the thrust vectoring nozzles of the real F-22. The tabs on the elevator increases this effect, at least in theory.

Based on performance, we would guess you can put that theory in the "confirmed" catagory.  We can tell you that your designs are downloaded from all across the globe and that has to be rewarding to know that your designs are flying in just about every place around the world. What would you say makes your designs appealing to such a large audience?

First of all, my plans are free, so that is important. Other than that it’s probably the fact that the depron airframe is cheap to build and often quite easy to repair. And perhaps that my designs can be assembled rather quickly.

Also perhaps the fact that at the time when I first published the F-22 and the Mig-29 there weren’t that many good free plans available for pusher profile jets.

With a family and work, do you find the time to get out and fly anymore or design anymore?

I don’t find the time to design at the moment. I do try to make time to get out and fly now and again. My latest passion is flying DLGs, or discus launched gliders. There’s something special with flying a glider with no motor. Here I am flying the ELF DLG from Vladimir’s Model.

Gliding is considered the purest form of flight by many and we know lots of people have modified your F-22 by increasing the wings to turn them into gliders!  

Do you think you will design anymore RC airplanes in the future? I know a lot of people have been inspired by your designs but having you crank out another would certainly be well received in the RC Community.

At the moment there are so many other things in my life that I just don’t have the time required for doing new designs. But I’m pretty sure that I’ll get back into designing at some point. I just don’t know when.

Well, when you get around to it, Parkjets would love to host it! I'm sure it would be an instant hit.

One of the cool modifications we have seen to your designs is that people are using Electric Ducted Fans instead of the propeller and simply mounting it in the same place. Some of these EDF’s are getting pretty good performance because your design is very light weight. Do you have any experience or advice for builders wanting to modify your design for EDF?

I’ve been wanting to get into EDFs, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. So, no, not really. But I’m following the development with interest.

EDF's are finally getting good, but we have to admit, we like a good pusher as much as anything.  We don't want to take up too much time, is there anything else you want to add? Tips? Advise for new builders? Etc?

I’ll leave you with this tip: More or less any design with enough wing surface will fly as long as you get the center of gravity right. It might not have superb handling, but it will fly. So don’t be afraid to experiment.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions Tomas! It was a real pleaure and gives our readers some insight into your designs and your life. We can't thank you enough!

That's all folks, if you want to check out Tomas Hellberg's designs right here on Parkjets, you can sort by designer and of course you can visit his website for great pictures, manuals, and of course, you have the opportunity to donate directly to him from Parkjets too.  And if you are not wanting to cut out your airframe, visit 6mmFlyRC and get a laser cut kit shipped to your door.  

TOP 10 PLANS - FEBRUARY

It's hard to believe its already spring time.  Hopefully you had a chance to get your winter projects finished and are preparing to get them up and flying soon. 

And since it's the beginning of the month, it's also time to let you know what plans are the most popular on Parkjets.  Let's get started.

10. T-28 Trojan: The T-28 Trojan is a new plan to Parkjets and is already gaining popularity.  A traditional tractor set up, military style, plus 3D capabilities and you have a winner.  

9. SuperSlo28: Like the T-28, the SuperSlo 28 is from SDParkflyers.com and is primarily designed for 3D flying but is perfectly at home motoring around the park.  A great simple design means you can get up and running right away. 

8. SU-31: A great design by Tomas Hellberg, the SU-31 is a tractor set up, but has some great stylings.  Simple profile warbirds are common.  The SU-31 is not.  Want something a little different, this one might work well for you. 

7. SU-37 by Jamie Rothwell: Like most of Mr. Rothwell's designs, his score and fold method means you get a semi-scale full fuselage with minimim effort.  And the SU-37 is a great looking plane too, with large wing surfaces, you will get a nice flyer.  

6. F-35 by RC Cal: The F-35 might be one of the most perfect parkjet designs.  Large wings, big control surfaces and great modern looks.  Pair this with a standard motor and yours will get up and flying in no time (unlike the real thing). 

5. Hydro: This boat/airplane combo is still popular after all these years.  If you are looking for something a little different, check out the Hydro, available in EDF too!

4. Cutlass: The Cutlass is SDParkflyer's third entry onto this list and is fits nicely into the Parkjet free plans catalog.  Slick lines, big wings and fast performace make the Cutlass a winner. 

3. Eurofighter by Jamie Rothwell: Score and fold, paint and fly.  The Eurofigher by Jamie Rothwell is an excellent flyer.  There is a reason its popular. 

2. F-15 by Jamie Rothwell: There is a reason his models are sticking on the Top 10 list.  The F-15 is an iconic airplane that has been a staple of the U.S. fleet for decades.  If you want to add an F-15 to your fleet, consider this design. 

1. F-22 by Steve Shumate: Holding off the competition again, the F-22 is still on the top of the pile, dominating all comers.  Super scale thrust vectoring all wrapped up in a design that is just awesome to look at in the air.

TOP 10 - JANUARY 2013

To kick off the new year, it's time to take a look at what people downloaded on Parkjets.com. We have been maintaining the Top 10 list now for the better part of 9 months and there have been many new plans to crack the list, some stay, while some fall off to an old classic.  

Before we really get started, we want to thank everyone for an incredible January 2013. Parkjets received over over 30,000 visitors who looked at 239,000 pages on Parkjets! That's the biggest traffic month yet! So thank you.  

Alright, let's get to the top 10 plans for the month of January 2013!

10. F-14 by Steve Shumate: The F-14 has been on parkjets.com from nearly the beginning, and all told is probably still the leader all-time in downloads.  But recently, the Tomcat has taken a backseat to other plans on Parkjets.  To kick off the new year, this tried and true plan that features swing wings (and available kit from 6mmFlyRC) killer looks, and great flight characteristics makes the Top 10 list.  Other plans might well be shaking in their PDF files.  

9. SU-37 by Jamie Rothwell: The SU-37 is a great design that features a score and fold method of construction. By cutting only halfway throught the foam, you can simply fold this aircraft into a semi-scale looking RC plane. It cuts down on construction time while staying away from the simple profile look that so many other designs lean on.  Give the SU-37 a good look if you want to go Russian.  

8. T-50 PAK-FA by Denis CyberD: The T-50 is a plan that puts together some of the blended looks of the newest Russian 5th generation fighter, the T-50 PAK-FA.  This design is a simple profile style but keeps the looks of the T-50 while cutting down on building material and build time.  With a large diamond shaped wing, the T-50 is a stable flyer and perfect for park flying.  

7. SU-31 by Tomas Hellberg: The SU-31 is not your traditional parkjet, because well, it's missing the "jet" part. But when Tomas Hellberg puts together a design, you know it will be good.  The SU-31 is a warbird style park flyer with the prop in the front!  The easy design and good (unique) looks should make this warbird fly onto your shortlist of build projects.

6. Eurofighter by Jamie Rothwell: A large delta wing, canards, and large control surfaces make just about any Eurofighter an excellent choice for park flying.  But Jamie Rothwell took his score and fold method and applied it to this great frame, you know the result will be good.  We think the Eurofighter is just about the most perfect design for flying around a park or field, and this design is a good one.  

5. Hydro: The Hydro, the F-14 by Steve Shumate has been on Parkjets a long time and still continues to be very popular. The Hydro looks like a boat, moves like a boat and can take off of the water like a duck. Some modelers have even strapped on an EDF on this thing and it performs.  If you want something to take to your local pond, the Hydro might just fit the profile. 

4. F-14 by MDC: The second F-14 on the list! This model is no less complex than Steve Shumate's design, featuring swing wings, but does it with a profile design.  It's a great blend of scale and ease of construction. This model will impress at the flying field. 

3. Firefly by Dennis Schmalzel: Perhaps THE MOST UNIQUE looking design on the site, the Firefly is not a jet or warbird but a profile design that faithfully reproduces the "Serenity" craft from the popular show, "Firefly." We can't even describe it.  Just check it out for yourself.  

2. F-15 by Jamie Rothwell: Jamie Rothwell must be doing something right, the F-15 is his third design on the Top 10 list this month. The F-15 has large delta wings and a classic look that will please any modeler.  

1. F-22 by Steve Shumate: No one can knock off the F-22. The Raptor is the king of Parkjets for the last year and 2013 looks to be no different. Incredible scale? Check. Available kit? Check. Thrust vectoring? Check. Impecable plans? Check. What else can you say? Nothing.

That's it folks for Top 10 list for downloads on Parkjets.  Stay tuned, we will be adding more plans this month and looking to lock down some more interviews. And of course, we are working on some other projects at your request.

Want to stay up to date on all things Parkjets? Easy, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter!  

AMAZING HELLBERG F-18

Our sponsor, 6mmFlyRC, sent us these amazing pictures of one of their customer's modification to their kit, which is based on the Tomas Hellberg F-18E Super Hornet.  Of course you can download the plans here for free, but this customer chose to use his time doing some customization rather than cutting foam.  I think we can all appreciate his efforts. 

The F-18E by Tomas Hellberg is a very popular download, although it doesn't ususally make the Top 10 every month, it's always lurking just behind the leaders.  The F-18 just doesn't look good, it flies great, is very easy to assemble and from the looks of these modifications, a great platform to let your imagination run wild.  

The F-18 features thrust vectoring tabs and a profile design.  The large wings and strake give it great lift, and a huge platform to put just about any motor on it you want.  So go for it.  In the mean time, get inspired!  Check out the pictures!

NEW PLAN - SUKHOI SU-31

After taking note that something like 4 of our top 10 plans for the month of August were really not "jets" but rather warbirds, the Hydro, and some 3D aircraft, we decided to upload a great design from a familar name, Tomas Hellberg.  He designs some of the most popular parkjets on the site, including the F-22, Eurofighter and the F-18E.  So we have added to his hanger here on Parkjets for you to enjoy.

So here is the SU-31! The entire design is pretty simple, but the design contains tabbed construction that makes putting these together so much easier.  If you are looking for an easy to build 3D type aircraft, the SU-31 might just fit the bill.  

Like always, we encourage you to donate to Tomas so he can keep up the designs and so you can say thank you for all his work.  Visit his website for more information!