This week on the community showcase, we're featuring a beautiful mini sized replica of the JU87 dive bomber.
Every so often, one of our awesome community members blows us away with a custom design that ticks all the right boxes - simplicity, style, and ingenuity. This Mighty Mini JU-87 Stuka, modeled after the infamous real-life German warbird, was created by Sankaran Ramanarayanan. The concept looks just incredible!
It's a foam board design that fits well into our Mighty Mini range of aircraft. Sankaran has previously designed a mini P-40 Warhawk (with free plans) so is well-versed in the smaller sized airplane genre.
The design is very well detailed and easily captures the spirit of the Stuka.
How the airplane builds
Although this aircraft hasn't officially been released yet, the early prototypes show how the build should be a straightforward one whilst providing plentiful results. It really shows how far you can push these Flite Test building techniques to end up with something that looks realistic yet takes only hours, rather than days, to complete.
You can see that Sankaran really thought about structure when creating the fuselage.
Without a turtle deck covering, the plane already looks very Stuka-ish.
The plane also includes the scale-looking fixed landing gear and gull wing that gives the JU-87 that unique silhouette in the sky.
Mods
To go the extra mile, this Stuka can be fitted with all sorts of little extras to make it even more like the real thing in miniature. These MG's were made from paper and wire.
These huge cannons were made from barbeque skewers and foam. They really look the part! Who's up for some tank bustin'?
We're super excited to see this being flown by our community. Maybe it will be a feared foe of the FT Mighty Mini Mustang? Who knows.
If you have a design your working on that you'd like to see featured in a Friday 'Community Showcase' article, email me at [email protected]. We love checking out community designs and sharing them with everyone. Let's keep elevating the world of flight one airplane at a time.
Check out more amazing scratch build projects on the Flite Test Forum.
Article by James Whomsley
Editor of FliteTest.com
Contact: [email protected]
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/projectairaviation
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Have never built any RC planes before but thought I might start with this one.
I have some basic questions-be gentle with me!I hope this is the right place to post
1.Would you use PVA glue ?
2.Is 5 mm thick foamboard ok ie is that the 1 foamboard thickness I keep hearing about?
2.Was thinking of buying a Spektrum controller-any particular model ?
3.
Would a 3 blade propeller be possible?
4.Do most people use razor blades/scalpels to cut the foam?
5.Am from the Uk and the foamboard comes with a stick on layer of paper either side-do I peel it off?
6.Do you think its possible to fit a bomb release and if so is there some kind of magnetic option available?
Thanks for any help anyone can give-remember I'm a beginner!
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1. Mostly we use hot glue or thick CA.
2. Yes 5mm is perfect.
2. You'd have to do a lot of research to find out which one is right for you. DXE is great for its low price to get you started, but if you're committing to the hobby, maybe a dx6 or dx8e might be worth it.
3. Definitely, any prop that the motor and esc can handle and produces enough thrust will work.
4. Yes, we use utility knifes or craft blades, etc...
5. The paper is very useful, we use it for hinges, folds, etc..
6. Release mechanism would be great, but I haven't designed one for this model.
The design along with its build guide and plans have been released (link below). Please do reach out to me and other folks through the FT forum/facebook page. And YES, this is the right place for beginners. We are all continuously progressing in the hobby! And finally, sorry for the delay...
Release:
https://www.flitetest.com/articles/ft-style-mighty-mini-ju-87-stuka-free-plans
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And THIS is a great one!!!
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https://www.flitetest.com/articles/ft-style-mighty-mini-ju-87-stuka-free-plans
Here's the flight release video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQbwFx6dY6E
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https://www.flitetest.com/articles/ft-style-mighty-mini-ju-87-stuka-free-plans
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