TBM Magic Hand 87" YAK Detailed Build Thread

[kevinf2501]

Well the Troy Built Models Magic Hand Yak 54 87" is on the building block along with a brand new DL50. As this Plane/engine combo is very affordable I wanted to do a detailed build and review for those just getting into gas.

Equipment to be used
DL50
2x2600mah Fromeco packs (1xIgnition, 1x Receiver) (add an extra pack if you want redunt RX)
2xFromeco Regulators
3x Hitec 7955 for Rudder and Elevators (Overkill but its what I have available)
2x Jr8611a for ailerons (Overkill again but its what I have available)
1 x Futba 3010 for Throttle (BTW I have used all 3 servo manufacturers so I am unbiased
Futaba FASST 8ch Receiver

[kevinf2501]

Pictures of the kit out of the box. My initial impression is that the ARF is very well assembled and the Covering job is about the best I have seen on an ARF. The hardware is high quality with with anodized aluminum finishing and good ball joints and control linkages. The rudder tiller provided is of good quality and will fit in most servo horns from various manufacturers. The wheel paints are molded to fit onto the gear so as to prevent them from rotating or turning as I have had happen on other similiar wheelpants.The tailwheel is a sturdy enough and looks up to the task for this size airframe. The ARF comes with 2 choices of firewall. 3W50 and DA50. All surfaces come with the hinges glued in except for the rudder. The rudder has 3 hinges. I would have prefered at least 4 hinges. The fuel tank comes already assembled installed including a fuel dot. I did open up the tank to double check everything and all was in order. The fuel line did come with a filter to the Carb which i removed as I filter my gas on the gas can.
I did like the extra attention to detail on the cowl as there are aluminum studs where the bolts go through to tighten on the cowl. This prevents the cowl bolts from digging into the wood cowl ring. Also there are no external cowl bolts.

The one downside is the plane came with no manual. However you can download it from the TBM website. http://www.troybuiltmodels.com/newsi...ak30Manual.pdf

Overall I like the quality of the airframe and I will be using all the provided hardware

[montanacharlie]

Looks nice....Like the looks of the magic hand arf's.

[GonePostal]

This is the only problem i have seen with the MAGICHANDS 87"gear to weak.Attachment 156168

[kevinf2501]

Here are the Pictures of the DL50 and all the included bits and pieces.

[kevinf2501]

Tonight I Glued on the rudder and mounted the control horn bolt.
I have found the manual to be lacking in information. Not necessarly a problem for a more advanced builder however for a beginner it can be an issue so as I go through the build thread I will point out was is mising and also some inaccuracies.

A note on drilling out the rudder for the rudder control horn bolt. the manual shows to use a 4mm drill bit. This is to big for the supplied hardware (3.7mm) I used a 9/64 drill bit (3.4mm) this makes for a nice snug fit when screwing in the control horn bolt. I uses some loctite when screwing on and tightening the aluminum supports to stop them coming loose and allowing the bolt to turn. The location of the control horn bolt is specified in the manual

[kevinf2501]

I compared the landing gear to the 50cc Airwild 260 and it seems about the same strength and thickness. I guess when I get to the flight review I can make a final determination as to the strength of the gear. I appreciate the input

[steedav8ranger]

hey kevin! looks good! i've been wondering when one would show up in our area..

[eagle flyer]

Hi Kevin I have this plane flys very nice. I have a dl 50 on it and have all the batterys up front and i still had to add weight to the nose. Postal told you that the gear was weak, That was a pic of my landing gear. The first 2 flights on the plane were by one of the fields best flyers. On the second flight he had to dead stick it and landed it perfect, when we walked to the plane on the runway the prop was touching the runway. It had spread out that far. Ever time i landed the plane i had to bend it back up, On the ninth or tenth landing (and all of the landings were very smooth) the gear came off. When we looked at it we saw that there were 2 little spots of glue marks, (so make sure you beef that up before you fly. I told this to Troy built and their answer was OH we sell Carbon Fiber gear (haha haha ha ha ha)I do like the way it flys.

[kevinf2501]

Thanks for the tip on beefing up the landing gear plate . I will double check all the joints to ensure adequate adhesion. And Thanks for the heads up on the CG. I really really dont like adding weight. I wasnt going to run a spinner....I guess I will now and space the engine a 1/4" more forward.


Thanks
Kevin

[askforplanes]

"please does not trace in the child the place assembles this airplane" If you read the manual it is really funny. Same warnings as the 118" yak.

[GonePostal]

[eagle flyer]

Kevin do we have any more pics.I have the other scheme. also what do you think of the canopy bolts. I was not crazy about them so i am going to get canopy pins for them.Also where the wing goes into the fuse the balsa wood is a little thin so i am going to paint it with a thin coat of 30 min expoy. You will like the way it flys when your done

[eagle flyer]

Kevin one more thing, The fuel tank is a little small so set your timer for 8 mins on your first flight and see how much fuel you have left.

[kevinf2501]

I was going to take some finish cure epoxy and add denatured alcohol to it to get it really thin and it soaks in very well and adds strength with little extra weight. As I am doing a review on the plane I will use the stock tank (all 8 minutes of it).

I havent done a whole lot more work on the plane and wont until the weekend. However I will take detailed pics of every step of the way.

BTW the english in the manual and the DL50 manual are hilarious. I posted the link to the manual in the previous post. Its worth the read. I will try and scan in the DL50 one it is even funnier.

This plane is great to put together as it is the smallest I have done in a long while and it actually fits in my workshop.

Look for more pics and a lot more progress by the end of the weekend