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SPECIFICATIONSWingspan 176.5cm(69.5inch)Scale 1/12thWingarea 50sqdm(777sqin)RTFWeight 5,100g(11.25lb)Wingloading 102g/sqdm (33.3oz/sqft)Power 1,566watts(2.1Hp)Powerloading 140watts/lbSpeed 130Kphmax. 90KphCruiseAirframe ARFbalsaplyprinted filmcovered

VQ A-26K Counter Invader by Dean Williams Letmesetthesceneforyouwiththefol-lowingfewwords.Twin-engine,heavy-metal warbird with camouflage finish and wing-tiptanks.Evennow,justreadingthat,putsmypulserateupafewBPM!Howisyour’sgoing?ThesewordsdescribetheVQModelsA-26KCounterInvaderARFkit.It’sactuallybasedonakitthathasbeenaroundmorethanadecade,butwhathaschangedrecentlyisthekithasundergonesomesubstantialcosmeticsurgeryforafreshenup.ThenewSoutheastAsianjun-gle camouflage is the most obvious change from the previous “vanilla flavoured” fin-ishes.Furthertherehasbeenaslightstruc-turalupdatewithare-designofthecockpitareatoprovideanaccesshatch,notionallyfor installing electric flight batteries, and a batterytraymountedinthefuselageunderthe wing. This is my first review of a VQ kit,andaspartoftheprocessIdidsomereadingofpreviousreviewsofVQkitsinRCMNewsandineachtherewaspraisefor design, build and flight qualities, so my expectationswerehigh.

The kiT Firstimpressionsaredominatedbythecovering,it’sartfullydecoratedwithprinted matt camo finish and panel lines, it feelstoughandalittleheavy(comparedtomostcoverings)asit’snotunlikeselfad-hesivebookcovering.Thedetailingmightbealittleoverthetopforsometastes,butIthinkit’sallpartofthefun.Insidethefuselage,thecoveringhasthehabitofcollectingdebriswherethestickybackingisexposedbythecut-outsinthewood.Therewerenowrinklesorbubblesbutshouldtheydevelop,theycanberemovedwithverygentileheatfromaheatgun,butbeaware,anironwilltendtorubthepaintoff,indeedthepaintcanscratchoffwithnormalhandling.Underthisskin,thewood

workisalsoartfullyexecuted.Thefuse-lageisbuiltupfromcleanlylasercutandextensivelylightenedinterlockingplyandbalsa that’s all well glued and feels quite lightforitssize.Theplasticguidesfortherudderandelevatorpushrodsareinstalled,as is a pilot figure in the cockpit. The wings haveathick(17%)semi-symmetricalsectionandarefullysheeted(nostarvedhorselook)exceptforsomelighteningholesinthelowersheetingalongthetrail-ingedges.Theribsandtheframesforthenacellesarelightenedplywiththefrontofthenacelleframesfuelproofedwithgreypaint.Thetailfeathersarebuilt-upopenframes with a flat section, but with tapered controlsurfaces.Itwasapparentthatalotofthoughtwasputinatthedesignstagetoreduceweightinthebackendastwinsarenotoriousforneedingextranoseweight.Allthecontrolsurfaceswerepre-hinged(anicetimesaver)withpinhingesforfreemovementandagoodtugshowedtheyweresecurelyglued.

Thekitincludedanumberofnicelymould-ed components including fibreglass motor cowlsandnosecone,clearlexancockpitandobservationcanopiesandABScoversforthenacelles,wingtiptanks,elevatorfairingsandpushrodexits.Allthesecomepre-painted, though the colours don’t quite matchthecoveringinafewplaces.Thehardwarepackfeaturestheusualfasteners,controllinkages,fueltanksandhardware,plasticspinners,nylonmotormountsaswellasplyservomountsandnoseland-ing gear doors. There is fixed landing gear featuringmountsandcoilsprunglegsandlightweight foam wheels. To finish off there aretheselfadhesivedecals,plyantennasandeightplasticmoulded.50calibrema-chineguns.Theblackandwhiteillustratedandannotatedinstructionsprovidedplentyofguidanceinmostareasbutnoneinafew.Howeveranexperiencedbuilderwillbe able to fill in all the blanks.

Power sysTem

The instructions recommend fitting 0.25-0.32two-strokeor0.40-0.52four-strokeglowengines.Theboxtopgoesevenfur-thertorecommendelectricmotorsof800wattsrating.Inchoosingapowersystem,keepinmindpropsizeisrestrictedtoamaximumdiameterof11inchesgiventhespacingbetweenthenacellesandfuselage.ForthisprojectacoupleofScorpion3020-12,1080Kvoutrunnerbrushlessmotorswhere utilised, specifically because they

haveagoodpowertoweightratio(156gandratedto800watts),provenperform-ance(Ihaveusedonetoablypullarounda2.6kglowwingsportmodelforyears),andIhadamatchingpaironhandforjust such an occasion. These were fitted with3-bladed9x7props,andcontrol-ledby60ampSJHawkHVESC’sthatwereprogrammedfor5degreesoftimingadvanceasadvisedbyScorpionaswellassoftlowvoltagecut-off(minimisetheriskofasymmetricthrust).Theactualcutoffvoltagewassetat12.5voltsaseachmotorwouldberunona4SRFI30C3,300mAhLiPopack.ThethrottlerangesoneachESCweresetsothemotorsstartedtogetherandransynchronously(within200RPM)throughtherangeofthrottlestickmove-ment.Theredplasticspinnerssuppliedinthekitlookedverymuchoutofplaceandweresubstitutedwithdomedaluminiumcolletpropadaptersthatwerepaintedwithmattblackenameltolookmuchmoreincharacter.

Whilstthebatteryhatchunderthecockpitwas a nice idea, in practice, the fit was too tight.Soinstead,thebatterieswerelocatedouttothenacellesbehindthemotors.Themeantmakingupabridgingcircuittopassthroughthecentresectionofthewingtoequalise the voltages between the two bat-terypacksandensureeachmotorwouldseethesamevoltage(andrunatthesamerevs)throughoutthedischargecycle.Intesting,bothESCshittheirlowvoltagecut-offatexactlythesametimewhichwasgood.Thebridgewasmadeupfrom12GAwire,withatriooflowESRelectrolyticca-pacitors(35V,220uFJaycarpartnumberRE6336)solderedbetweenthepositiveand negative wires at equal spacing. These

HardwareusedMotors ScorpionS3020-12(Kv=1080)ESC’s SJHawk60HVBatteriesRFI3,300mAh4S30CLiPoBEC CastleCreationsCCBECProps MasterAirscrew9x7three- blade Radio HitecAurora9TXandOptima9 RX2.4GHzServos HitecHS-5485HBx4,HS- 225MGx1RetractsE-Flight60-120sizeelectric trike90degreeStruts VQOleostraight(mains)and offset(nose)

Australia’slargestcirculatingR/CModelMagazine 25Australia’s widest read R/C flying magazine, RCM News Issue 119 May - June 2013 25

suppressvoltagespikesinducedalongthisextra45cmofwiring.Suchspikeshavethepotentialtooverloadanddestroythespeedcontrollers.Notgood.

Thiswiringwasalsousedtoprovideameans of getting power from the flight batteriestoaCastleCreationsCC-BECmountedinthefuselagetothensupplypowertotheradiogear.AnEC3plugsetwaswiredclosetooneendofthebridgesoeachdrivecanbeisolateduntiltheyareconnectedto(anddisconnectedfrom)theirrespectivebatteries.Thisistostoponeoftheexposed(male)Deansplugsgoingliveintheprocess.Onthebench,30secondsintoafullthrottlerunfromafullcharge,themotorswouldspinthe3-bladedpropsat12,800RPMon14.6voltsandeachpull54ampsfor788Wattsperside.Agoodoutcomethatwasprettydarnclosetothequoted performance requirement.

oTher biTs required

Additional items required include a 4-chan-nelradiosystemasabareminimumbutmorechannelswilldoabetterjobofit.Standard servos fit all around, the number willdependonpowersystem(6forfuelor4forelectric)andanadditionalmini-servocanbeemployedforindependentnosewheelsteering(metalgearrecommended).Afewextensionleadswillalsobeneeded.Retractsareoptional(butstronglyencour-aged),eitherairorelectrictosuita5Kgmodel.

Given the size and configuration of the model,acradletorestitinwhilstworkingonit(particularlyinthelatterstagesofcon-struction) and assembly at the field is good idea.Inthiscase,myusualpreferenceforastyrofoamvegieboxwasn’tgoingtocutitsoatimber(pine)cradlewasknockedup.

ItwasdesignedtoholdtheInvaderonitsbellyformountingthewingsandcheckingretractfunctionsandonitsbackforbatteryswaps.ItcanbepeggeddownsoitwillalsorestraintheInvaderatfullthrottle.

The build

To start, the first step of the building phase wasdeferred,thiswasthejoiningofthewings. Keeping them separate makes fit-tingallthehardwaremucheasier,startingwiththeaileronservos.Thesewereeasilymountedontherailsattachedtotheirre-spectivehatchcovers.Theserailswereonlybuttgluedtothecoversatthefactorywith

noadditionalbracing,soforextrahold,therailsweresecuredwithsmallscrews.Eachservoneededa30cmextensionleadandtheleadsweredrawnthroughthewingwith the handy factory fitted draw strings. Fittingthecontrolhornsandlinkagesfol-lowedstandardprocedure,exceptZbendswereemployedinsteadoftheadjustablekeepersontheservoarms,providingareli-ableandlowmaintenancesubstitute.

Whenmountingthemotors,theinstruc-tionsrecommendadistanceof104mmbetween the firewall and the front face of thepropadaptertoclearthecowls,thoughIfound100mmtobeplenty.Thismeantusingstandoffs(notsupplied)tomountthemotors.TheradialmountsoftheScor-pionmotorsaren’tverymeatysowerenotsuitabletobedirectlymountedtothestand-offs.Instead,supplementarymountsweresimplycutfrom6mmplyusinga

Powerful but light Scorpion motors

and SJ Hawk ESC’s provided

plenty of urge on 4S LiPo’s. Two

systems bridged at the battery

leads ensure the battery voltages

are balanced throughout

the flight. The bridge featured

electrolytic capacitors and , wiring to tap power off the

system for the radio via a Deans

micro connector

The Scorpions were screwed to 6

mm ply mounts, which were in turn bolted to

the firewalls on standoffs. A hole

was cut in the firewall to let

cooling air into the battery bay

26 RadioControlModelNewsIssue100February2010Please tell advertisers you saw it in RCM News 26

holesaw.Themotorswereattachedtothese,andtheseinturnwereboltedtothefirewalls using 3/16 mushroom head bolts, nylocnuts,aluminiumstandoffsandplentyofwasherstopreventcrushingtheply.Therewasnorightordownthrustbuiltintothe firewalls, and whilst a little bit of me wantedtoputatleastadashofdownthrustin,Ididresisttheurge.

SomecreativethinkingwasneededonhowtomountandaccesstheESCandLiPo behind the firewall. The former was easy,bothcouldbeheldtothesidesofthe

tankbaywithVelcro,withanadditionalVelcrostraptoholdtheLiPo.Gettingeasyaccessforbatterychangesmeantcuttingandformingahatchfromthelowernacellecovering.Themouldingsweretoughenoughtoholdtheirshapewhenthe14x7cmhatcheswerecutfreewithcarefulstrokesofasharpscalpel.Theopeningswerelineddowneachlongsidewiththinplyforthehatchestoseat,whilstshortlengthsofbambooskewerwereepoxiedtothefrontofthehatchtoholditdown.Com-merciallyavailablespringloadedlatcheswereusedtoholdtherearofthecovers

withtheaidofaplyplategluedtotherearoftheopeninganddrilledtoarrestthelatchpin.

Sothetwopowersystemscouldbecon-nectedbythebridgingcircuit,holesweredrilledthroughtheinnersidesofthetankbaysothewiringcouldpassthroughtheribopeningsinfrontofthemainspar.AholewascutinthelowerwingsheetingsothewiretoconnecttheBECcouldpassthroughintothefuselage.Alargeholewasalso cut in each firewall to let cooling air intothebatterybay,thewarmairwouldescapeoutthelandinggearopenings.

E-flight 60-120 sized 90 degree electric tri-cycleretractswerechosentoliftanddropthewheels,andprovidedformuchsim-plerinstallationandmaintenancethanairretracts.TheseweredressedupwithaVQModelsoffsetsprungoleostrutonthenosegearandVQModelsstraightoleostrutson

With plenty of room available, the standard sized radio gear was easily installed in the fuselage under the wing. The Castle BEC

sits on the redundant flight battery tray

Fuel tank bay directly behind the firewall provided plenty of room to house the LiPo battery and ESC

Above right; mounting rails were spaced for

standard size aileron servos and small screws were

used to provide extra grip as the

rails were only butt glued to the covers

Spaghetti anyone? The extension leads exited the centre of the lower wing

skin through neat grommets. Each was labelled and later colour coded with tape

to avoid mixing them up when connecting them to the receiver. Power was fed to an

external BEC from the wiring running through the wing centre section that

linked the two flight batteries

VQ A-26 Counter Invader

Australia’slargestcirculatingR/CModelMagazine 27Australia’s widest read R/C flying magazine, RCM News Issue 119 May - June 2013 27

themains.Fittingthestrutswasveryeasy,onlythemainsneededtobedrilledouttoacceptthe5mmmountingpinswhichwerecutfromthewirestrutssuppliedwiththeretracts.Thehubsofthekitwheelsalsoneededdrillingouttoaccepttheaxles,andspacerswereneededontheaxlestokeepthewheelsfromrubbingonthestruts.Flatspotsweregroundonthemountingpinsandaxleswheretheywereheldwithgrubscrews,andthegrubscrewswereheldwiththreadlocker.Themainsneededtobeorientedwiththescissorarmsforwardofthestruts(notscale)sothestrutretainingscrewwouldnotjamontheretractmotorwhenthelegswereretracted.

Before fitting the retracts, their mounts were beefed up to cope with rough field op-erations.Themountingrailsforthemainswerebracedwith12x20mmpinestock,whilstaplateof6mmplywasaddedtothenosegearmount.Theretractswerethenscrewed in place, the final positioning of themainswasdeterminedbytheopeninginthelowernacellecovers.However,theopeningsstillneededsomescalpelworktoenlargedthemslightlytoprovideclearanceforthestrutsandwheelsduringoperation.Therearenodoorstohidethemainswhenretracted which is quick, but not entirely neat.

Fittingthefancystrutmeanttheopeninginthefuselageforthenosegearneededlengtheningtoclearthewheelasitretract-ed,thiswasfairlybasicwoodwork.Thisalsomeantnewlongergeardoorsneededtobemadeupfrom6mmply.Theinstruc-tionsmakenomentionofhowthesedoorsaretobehingedoroperated.TheapproachtakentoopenthedoorsusedasetofDubrocontrolhorns,mountedontheinsideattherearofthedoorssotheyoverhungthehingeline.Thesewerejoinedwitharubberbandtensionedsotherewasenoughspringtopullandholdthedoorsopen,whilstnotsomuchtensionthattheretractcould

After – the main landing gear rails

were braced using 12 x 20 mm pine

stock

Before – the stock mounting rails for the main landing

gear looked a little light-weight for a 5

Kg model

The main retracts, struts and wheels

fitted nicely within the nacelle formers

with very little work

The opening for the nose gear in the fuselage belly needed lengthening rearward by about 15 mm to accommodate the VQ nose gear strut. The retract mount was also beefed up

A mini Hitec metal gear servo was used for nose wheel steering and was neatly mounted in the nose on the supplied

plywood frame.

VQ A-26 Counter Invader

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notpullthedoorsfullyclosed.Topullthedoorsclosed,adrawstringwasthreadedthroughthescissormechanismofthestrutandfastenedtotheinsideofthedoorsusingthebackingplatesfromthecontrolhorns.Becausethebackingplateswereclampedontothedrawstring,itwaspos-sible to make fine adjustments to the length ofthestringtogettheclosurejustright.Thebackingplateswerepositionedsothestringwasloosewhenthegearwasdown.Thedoorswerehingedwithpinhinges,hingetapewastriedbutthetensionoftherubberbandkeptpeelingthedoorsoff.

Withallthehardwareinstalled,thewingswerejoinedusingthesupplieddihedralbraceandplentyofPVAglueandaftercur-ingthejointwasneatenedupwiththepro-videdstripofcovering.Thewingmountstothefuselagewithapairofnylonwingboltsattherearandatabatthefrontthatslipsintoaslotinaplyfuselageformer.Theslotneededopeningupabitsothewingwouldseatneatlyinitssaddle.Theamountofwoodrestrainingthefrontofthewingseemedalittlelighton.However,

SpecialthankstoArkRCforsupplyingtheScorpionmotors.www.arkrc.com.au

throughuglyholesinitsspine.Foraneaterfinish, the cover was modified to be remov-ableandheldwithdowelpegsattherearandascrewatthefront,accessedthroughtheremovablecockpit.

Thewingwasusedatthereferenceforsettingthetailplanehalveswhichneatlygluedintotheirrespectiveslotsinthefuse-lage,formersinsidethefuselagehelpedsetthe dihedral in the “horizontal” stabilisers and these were locked down with the fin. Standarddigitalservos(HitecHS-5485HB)fitted neatly into their respective mounts forelevatorandruddercontrolandtheirpushrodguidesweretrimmedandsecuredwith5-minuteepoxy.Fittingthecontrollinkagesagainfollowedstandardproce-dure,withtheadjustablekeepersbeingsubstitutedwithZbendsontheservoarms.

as most of the flying and landing loads are directly on the wing, it should be adequate. Thefuselageoverwingcoverwasmeanttobegluedtothewing.Thiswouldmeanthewingboltswouldneedtobeaccessed

A simple but effective mechanism to pull the nose gear doors open. The control horns are located low enough so the rubber band tied between them pulls the doors open, not closed. The availability of different holes in the control horns to tie the band means the tension can be finetuned between closed an open

A draw string looped through the nose gear strut and clamped with control horn backing plates allows the doors to be pulled closed at the gear retracts. Clamping the string means its length can easily be adjusted in small increments to get the closure just right

Rather than glue the over wing fairing on, it was made removable with pegs at the rear and a screw at the front. This provided much easier access to the wing bolts and without cutting holes in the fairing to access the bolts, a neater look overall was achieved

VQ A-26 Counter Invader

Australia’slargestcirculatingR/CModelMagazine 29Australia’s widest read R/C flying magazine, RCM News Issue 119 May - June 2013 29

Theelevatorsoperateviaaspitpushrodthatutilisesa3-wayconnectorwhereafteradjustment,threadlockerwasusedonthegrubscrews.NosewheelsteeringwashandledbyananalogueHitecminimetalgearedservo(HS-225MG)thatwaslocatedontheprovidedplywoodmountinthenose,drivingthesteeringarmviaashortpushrod.Thiswasoperatedoffitsownchannelthatwasmixedtotherud-der,allowingittobeindependentlyandeasilyadjustedfortrimandthrowanddeactivatedwhenthegearwasretractedsotherewerenoissueswithbindingonthesteeringmechanism.AHitecOptima92.4GhzreceiverwasmountedwithVelcrolowinthefuselagejustforwardofthetailservos.Only6-channelswereusedastheESCs,aileronsandretractswherepairedupthroughYleads.TheYleadswerelabelledandcolourcodedwithtapetoavoidamix

upwhenattachingthemtothewiringinthewing.Thepositive(red)wiresontheESCYleadwerecutandinsulatedtodisengagetheirBECfunctionasthesecan’tberuninparallel.TherewasplentyofroomtoVel-

cromounttheCastleCreationsCC-BEContheredundantbatterytrayandthiswasprogrammedtofeed6voltstothereceiver.

The fibreglass fuselage nose cone featured

The moulded nacelle covers fitted easily and the paint

job matched the covering pretty well,

although the panel lines were embossed rather than “inked”

like the covering

VQ A-26 Counter Invader

30 RadioControlModelNewsIssue100February2010Please tell advertisers you saw it in RCM News 30

embossedpanellinesandtheseweregivena bit more definition with a fine pointed felttippentobettermatchthecovering.Toinstallthe0.50Cal.gunbarrels,asectionof 4 mm balsa was first epoxied into the noseconeasasupport,leavingclearancefortheservotray.Thereweredimplesinthenosemouldingtoshowwheretodrillthebarrelholes,andtheseweredrilledoutonadrillpress(alsodrillingthroughthebalsasupport)toensurethebarrelswouldmount evenly and square. The barrels were thencuttolengthandepoxiedintothenose

cone.Thenoseconeinturnwasmountedtothefuselageandheldwith4screws.

Theenginenacellecoverswereofferedup to the wings and fitted with only minor trimmingaroundtheleadingandtrailingedges.Thesewereheldwithmultitudesofthesuppliedsmallscrews.Therearconesweregluedonandtherewasaslightmis-alignment in the paint finish between these andthecovers.Themountingblocksforthemotorcowlsneededtrimmingandoncethecowlswerecorrectlylocatedrelative

tothepropadapter,theyweredrilledandsecuredwithscrews.Thewingtiptanksfitted neatly and were glued on with canopy glueafterstrippingthecoveringtoexposethebarewoodalongtheglueline.

Finishing oFF

Themouldedfairingstocompletethetailplanesandpushrodexitsweregluedinplaceandtheseandtheplasticcontrolhornfittings were given a lick of paint to blend themintothecovering.ThiswasdoneusingRevellmattenamelNo69forthedarkgreen,HumbrolmattenamelNo80forthelightgreenandRevellmattenamelNo9forthemattanthracite(black),thelatterwasalittletoomatt.Asemi-mattmighthavebeenbetter.Thedecalsstuckwell but they had a glossy finish in con-trast to the matt finish of the covering and

The nacelle mouldings were thick enough to cut and make hatches for access to the flight batteries. Sprung latches at the

rear provided quick and easy access

The cockpit hatch was held at the rear by tabs and

strong magnets at the front for easy and quick access.

However, it wasn’t needed for battery access. It was nice

to see a pilot figure installed at the

factory

Eight, 0.50 cal machine guns provided in the kit looked good. Shame only the

Some 4 mm balsa sheet glued into the nose cone provided support for the machine gun barrels which were glued with 5 minute epoxy

A simple pine cradle was made so it could be held stable while the wing was installed, retracts cycled and flipped inverted to install

the battery packs

VQ A-26 Counter Invader

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fibreglass pieces. The ply antenna arrays meant for the spine were not fitted as they could quickly be broken off during normal handling.

Withtheairframeassembledandallthegearonboard,thebalancewascheckedinwheels up configuration. Lateral balance as fine, but to my surprise it was nose heavy

so40gofleadwasgluedintothetailandthisbroughtthebalancebacktospot-ontherecommendedpointof110mmfromtheleadingedgeatthefuselage.Duetothegearretracingaftthiswascheckedwiththegearretracted.(Us non-electric afficiana-dos, “petrol heads”, should check with tanks empty. ED)PeopleChecked with gear up or down? Ed)Thismadetheready

to fly weight 5.1 Kg, exactly as specified ontheboxtop,sothatwassatisfying.Thecontrolsweresetupbythebook(13mmeachwayonelevatorandaileronsand20mmeachwayonrudder)with30%expo.Higher rates (about 150% of the specified rates)weresetwith45%expo.

ThebuildwasalittlemoredemandingandalotmoretimeconsumingthantheaverageARFmodel,butthisisnotyouraverageARFandthebuildermustexpecttoputinmore time and effort to assemble and fit itout.ThepayoffisthatsatisfyingfeelofcompletingamodelthatwillstandoutandattractmoreattentionthanyouraverageARF.

Flying

Thinkingaboutit,theairframeisreallyjustahighwingmodelwithabitofdihedral,largetailsurfacesandatricycleundercar-riage.Soundsalotlikeabasictrainer,exceptperhapsforthehighwingloading,retracts and twin-engine stuff! At the field, the cradle makes fitting the wing easy and changing the batteries goes quickly and smoothly. I will say that the first outing was,ambitioustosaytheleast.ThewindwastoostrongandwhilsttheInvaderwascontrollable,thelandingprovedchalleng-inganddamagewasdonetothelandinggear and retracts, requiring a new retract

VQ A-26 Counter Invader

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unitandstruts.Despitethis,allthewoodworksurvivedintact.Liveandlearn.

The next outing was quite a contrast, no betterconditionsfortestinganewmodelcouldbeaskedfor,brightsunshine,andlightwindstraightdownthestrip.Intowindtake-offsneededverylittleruddercorrectionandelevatorinputwasonlyrequired when it looked like it was ready tounstuckafterabouta30to40metrerun.Thismakesforanicelightworkloadtostartwith.It’shappytoclimboutsteeplybutthatdoesn’tlookrightsoagentileclimbisusuallyexecutedatnotmuchoverhalfthrottle.(Steep climb after takeoff is not recommended technique when flying a twin. Even electrics. Ed)

The trims only required minor tweaking andtherewasverylittlepitchchangeinresponsetochangesinthrottle,sononeedto fiddle with down thrust. The controls feltgoodonlow(therecommended)rateswithplentyofauthorityandnotwitchiness.Rollswereabout1persecondandalittlebarrelly,whilstitwillpullagoodsizedloopatfullthrottle,withagentilepullout(seecommentaboutwingattachment).Inverted flight needed very little elevator inputtokeepthenoseup.Itdoesneeda

steepbankandagooddoseofelevatortobringitaroundinaturn,whichlooksveryfighter-esque. It’s responsive to rudder and willreadilydroptheinsidewing,sotoachieve flat turns it needs a good dose of oppositecontrol.

Itcutsastrikingandsomewhatmenacingshapeintheair,particularlyasitbanksovertoshowoffthataggressiveplanform.Therewerenoproblemswithorientation,thesandycolouredpatchonitsbackpar-ticularlycontrastswiththeblackunderside,thewingtiptanksalsohelp.Itssignaturemanoeuvre is a low level strafing run to un-leashtheawesomehittingpowerofthosenose mounted machine guns. It felt quite slipperythroughtheair,fromtheHitecGPSandallowingforwind,cruisespeedwasabout90Kphandtopspeedwasabout130Kph.Withpoweroffitentersaniceshallow,butfastglideslope.Surprisingly,itdidn’tseemtohavethatlockedinfeelasdespiteitsweight,itgotbumpedaboutabitinthethermallyair.Aswithmostwarbirds,landingisaboutelevatorandthrottlemanagement.Infairconditions,it’snottoohardtoachieveanice flare and gentile touchdown as there wasplentyofstabilityandelevatorauthor-ity. It does carry quite some momentum, so

touchingdownwithplentyofroomatendofthestripisagoodplan,asisbeingeasyonrudderuntilthespeedbleedsoff.Ifalandingapproachisnotshapinguptoowellit’sbettertoexecuteago-aroundratherthandumpitinasitwon’tlikethat.Afteraconstantdietoftaildraggersoflate,Ihadforgottenhowpleasantthegroundhandlingofatricycleundercartwas.Flightsweretypicallyabout7-minutesofmostlycruis-ingwithsomehooningandthisusedabout2,700mAhofthe3,300mAhpacks,whichleavesagoodsafetymargin.Afteratypicalflight, the power system components were just10to15degreesCaboveambient,nostress there. Whilst flight testing had a bad start,whatfollowedwasadelightthankstowhatfeltlikeaverywellsortedairframe.

ConClusion

Iamverygladthiskithasstayedinpro-duction long enough for electric flight tech-nologytodeveloptoastagewheretheycanbecombinedwitheaseandwithoutcompromise.Ican’tseewhyanyonewouldnowgoglowonthiskit,theelectricver-siondeliversplentyofperformancewithoutthemessandstressofrunningtwinfuel.

Thebiggestimprovementthisupgradedeliversisallaboutthenewlookwhichisstrikingonthegroundandintheair.Whilstitneededafewsmalltweaks,structurallyitcomesacrossverywellandassemblyprogresses quite smoothly. When it comes to flying, this kit has all the basics spot on right from the start which is great for confi-dence and enjoyment. The build and flying arenotforthebeginnerornovice,butifyouhavehadagoodfeedoffastsingleenginewarbidsandwantanewchallengeandanewlook,thisisagreatoptionforachangeup. DeanWilliams

TheVQA26InvaderisdistributedtohobbyshopsbyTheHobbySpecialists.www.thehobbyspecialists.com.au

Static photos taken by Dean Williams, flying photos taken by Ricky Price. Pilot was Dean Williams

VQ A-26 Counter Invader