Flis Tiddlywink Micro HD model

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Micromeister

Micro Craftman/ClusterNut
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Fun fun fun little kit:
Had a chance on sunday to fly it for the first time. ONLY on a MMX-1 motor because of a very tight little field. but even with the under powered flight it got about 20feet deployed very nicely and settled into a very decent spin for just about 16seconds. Landing in the street undamaged. recovered undamaged can't wait to get to a regular flying field to put a standard MMX-II motor in it.

I did do a few slight modifications to improve perfromance and reduce some aerodynamic bulk and shed a little weight.

After discussing these changes with Mr Flis. I modified the rotor/fin joint by removing the fin overlap. joining the fin to the split rotor trailing edge and the leading edge splinter. Just used plain old white glue for this and it seems to work like a champ.

To add a little strength to the piston. I mounted both supplied rings on the 1/8" shaft and improvised a stop with a 3/16" section of T2 (.246") body tube. this give a much larger gluing area while provideing a good solid shoulder to stop the piston. this also drops the exhaust ports another 3/16" on the motor tube.
Haven't taken the magic markered finished pic out of the camera but here a a couple of the modification pics

This is another great little Kit from Fliskits, parts were usual great quality and the instructions well written and fairly easy to follow if you've ever built a helicopter model before. it's is a challenging kit from first timers, I'd suggest building it with someone who has a little knowledge of HD models if your a first timer but it's really not hard..just involved;)

One of the funny things that happened during the build: I finished it mid last week but we've had an awful batch of weather since thursday, Rain and high winds:( So I was drop testing it thru the basement steps just to get and idea of balance and rotation. Well I didn't notice my house cat slip downstairs but she decided it looked like something alive and jumped on it during one of the drops, snapping two of the three rotors and bitting a chunk out of one fin.
wanting to give the model a real test, I didn't replace the rotors or fin rather repaired it as I would in the field with a little yellow glue and onion skin tissue paper. I'm happy to say with one slightly shorter but reweighed rotor and fin. it seems to be flying pretty well LOL... Sorta like a timeX Takes a licking and Keeps right on spinning:)
Hope this helps.

215c1a_.1875in T2 Pistion Stop & 2-ring piston_03-28-09.JPG

215c1b_Motor Mt & LL_03-28-09.JPG

215c1d_Completed Tiddlywink FlisKit micro HD_03-29-09.JPG
 
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John,

Thank you for the great write up :)

The Tiddlywink has been an incredible product for us and I hope it does as well as expectations from our customers :)

It certainly has some draw backs (heavier than some other 1/8A HD birds, somewhat complex to build (as most HD are), fragile (well, it IS a micro model...), etc) but it is a solid design and I have had a ball with it.

I am going to be building another one myself with some of the modifications that have been mentioned. At the rate we're moving these kits I will be needing to re-order documentation before very long and can incorporate some of the changes in the documentation (but I want to try them myself first).

As I mentioned in another area the weight that I get from my proto type (not that well built nor sanded) is about 5.8 grams, so I am pretty pleased with that. I am convinced that I can get her down to 5 grams and will see about that for the next build.

As with any HD model (micro or otherwise), the basic (stock) build provides a reliable, functioning helicopter model. For those wanting to compete with it will need to think/work beyond the basic build and implement skills and ideas to optimize the model for best performance.

Good luck! :)
jim
 
John,

Thank you for the great write up :)

The Tiddlywink has been an incredible product for us and I hope it does as well as expectations from our customers :)

It certainly has some draw backs (heavier than some other 1/8A HD birds, somewhat complex to build (as most HD are), fragile (well, it IS a micro model...), etc) but it is a solid design and I have had a ball with it.

I am going to be building another one myself with some of the modifications that have been mentioned. At the rate we're moving these kits I will be needing to re-order documentation before very long and can incorporate some of the changes in the documentation (but I want to try them myself first).

As I mentioned in another area the weight that I get from my proto type (not that well built nor sanded) is about 5.8 grams, so I am pretty pleased with that. I am convinced that I can get her down to 5 grams and will see about that for the next build.

As with any HD model (micro or otherwise), the basic (stock) build provides a reliable, functioning helicopter model. For those wanting to compete with it will need to think/work beyond the basic build and implement skills and ideas to optimize the model for best performance.

Good luck! :)
jim


Oh man Jim:
I forgot to mention the model mass in my write up...Doh!
My model after the modifications and REPAIRS to two CAT broken rotors is 4.6g ewt. and 5.8g LOWt; with a MMX-I Plastic case motor. I expect the LOWt to be 5.7g with a MMX-II motor, as the entire batch of 50 MMX-II motor I weighted recently came out at 1.1grams each:)

Incidentally before the cat & required repairs; all three of my sanded and glued fin/rotor/LL combinations came out with a weight of .4g each. without rubber or hinge.
Hope this helps
 
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Lord no! not really that good at all!!! but yes .4g each, remember the whole model only weights 4.6g total.
Not all that hard, If I recall correctly Dr. Kidwell told me he got his down to about .5 or .6g each and hadn't removed the excess under the fins yet. You do have to cut several pieces from the supplied stock to get them to match.

Yet another very nice feature of the kit, Excellent Balsa stock sheet. with enough extra to allow an Oops or two;)
 
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OH! ok... I mis-read... I thought you were saying .4g for the entire model... LOL

Man, I was going to ask you for your secret :)

jim
 
Well Saturday at Vikings sections Blue/Grey Regional I put my cat mauled and repaired 4.6g tiddlywink up for a Timed Test (sport) Flight.

Launched for a standard .049" x 9" rod, the MMX-II-1 motor sent the model to about 70 feet. good deployment and away she went!
After averaging the two Stopwatch times, the flight lasted 111.7 seconds (1 minute & 51.7sec). she picked up a very nice thermal and just sort of drifted sideways for about 400yards. the surface wind of 10mph helped this side slip.
Unfortunately this also took the model over Chest high dryed grass. several people and a very long grid search of what we thought was the touchdown area yeilded only a couple golfballs and a large Goundhog den:(
I'll addd a couple static and pre-launch pics as soon as I get them out of the camera.
It was a very nice flight.

I was lucky enough to also win the 1/8A HD event with a couple of my Micro Wonderwhirl models but as usual I can't pick good air for the life of me! Neither of these flights came close to this duration, I believe the total was 70seconds.

Well Jim: Now I'm gonna have to build another to find out if I can duplicate this flight or it was just dumb luck. I know it was the dumb luck part putting it in that very nice thermal. But it does show for sure with a little luck 2, maybe 3 minute flights with 1/8A HDs are surely very doable:D
pics to follow!

MM 215c1d1-sm_Tiddlewink rotors down colored_04-24-09.JPG

MM 215c1d2-sm_Tiddlewind RotorsUp colored_04-24-09.JPG

MM215c1-sm_Tiddlywink on Rack-1st flt (111.7sec)_04-25-09.JPG
 
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John,

Thank you :) I have been reading about this on the vikings group. Man, that is some serious hang time! LOL I have my proto which I will be flying this weekend at the McAuliffe-Shepard Center in Concord, NH and will be building another with some hints and tips that have been thrown around by your group.

It will be interesting to see what kinds of times I can get too.

Any others out there with feedback on the Tiddlywink kit?

jim
 
Any others out there with feedback on the Tiddlywink kit?

Jim, I have not built mine yet, just opened it to view the instructions, but I must say... impressive. There is not that many kits out there that when introduced I say "I must have one." This was one such kit. I am also impressed that I held out long enough to wait for a CMASS launch to buy one and save on shipping (and giving the club 10%).

I have a confession... I am hearing voices... and I am afraid.... lighthouses are talking to me... buyyy meeeee..... buyyyyy mmmeeeeee!
 
Jim:
I do have a question. Are the lugs used as sockets for the Tiddlywink rotors just 1/8" launch lugs?
I know I should have measured everything before building the model but I wasn't expecting to lose it on the first flight:(:bangpan:
I have a bunch of hinges leftover from another R&D project that I believe are the same as those used on the tiddlywink. If so i'll just cobble together another test models. Tee hee he; working on this model has been a lot more fun than I thought it was gonna be.:cheers:
 
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John,

They are 1/4" long micro lugs (1/10" OD)

CORRECTION: They are 1/2" long.

Fun little buggar, eh? :)

jim
 
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Instead of launch lugs, I like to use a piston at club launches--I just place the piston tube on top of a standard launch rod! The piston holds the nichrome wire igniter in place, so I don't need to fiddle with toothpicks. Nichrome wire works great with a 12 volt launch system.
 
I picked up one of these a couple weeks ago and have barely started working on it, but it looks like it's going to be great already. I noticed in one of the pictures that the rubber was removed from the nose cone. Is that the proper way to store this model or is it okay to just to leave the blades hooked down?
 
MM- you didn't use your Walston Retrevial system on that bird? :roll:
 
I picked up one of these a couple weeks ago and have barely started working on it, but it looks like it's going to be great already. I noticed in one of the pictures that the rubber was removed from the nose cone. Is that the proper way to store this model or is it okay to just to leave the blades hooked down?

One should always store their helicopter models with the actuators (rubber bands/springs) disengaged. Over time, the rubber will become brittle and break easily, so it needs to be replaced at least between meets, or better yet between flights, especially if you want a long life. For Rot-a-roc and Rose-a-roc style HD models, if your bands break, you either have a DQ or, worse yet, ballistic recovery, so constant replacement is a must to ensure reliability. Also, keeping the bands engaged and the blades down will put a slight bend in the blades over time.
 
I picked up one of these a couple weeks ago and have barely started working on it, but it looks like it's going to be great already. I noticed in one of the pictures that the rubber was removed from the nose cone. Is that the proper way to store this model or is it okay to just to leave the blades hooked down?

What Brian said :) The open end hooks on the Tiddlywink allow you to disengage the actuator rubber and you should do this for storage and transport.

This can also be done on our Rose-A-Roc. The base instructions have you gluing both ends of the elastic because that is was the original RaR called for, but we include a hint about that.

Concerning the launch lug, on this kit the lug is hidden under the blades and doesn't really contribute to the drag coefficient of the model.

Oh, by the way John, I just checked and those small lugs for the hinges are 1/2" long, not 1/4"...

jim
 
.100"dia. x 1/2" rotor Hinge sockets...10/4, thanks Jim!


Zack: Yes Pistons are very nice, I'm using a Floating head piston of most Micro Competition models. however: lots of folks don't have access or want to take the time to build and learn how to use a piston, or floating head piston system. As mentioned earlier, this Tiddlywink flight was a "Sport - Test flight". I didn't intend on Putting the model in the High Grass....Had I used a pistion with it I'm pretty sure it'd have missed the Grass and continued into the Woods. A longer flight but with the same undesired ending...lose of the model:( Below are a couple pics of both standard Metal head & FH Piston & some test flights just for fun.


C140:
As Brain and Jim said: Any model using rubber band actuation should always be stored with the rubber band removed.
Another reason not mentioned is the biggest killer of rubber bands is in the Air. Ozone and some other stuff in the atmosphere quickly reduce natural rubber to crumbly,hard masses. It's strongly advised to keep your Rubber bands or Models with attached rubber in closed ziplock bags with as much air squeezed out as possible. This will greatly lengthen the useable life of the Rubber.
Hope this helps a little.

Oops! forgot to load the piston pics.
 
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.
Another reason not mentioned is the biggest killer of rubber bands is in the Air. Ozone and some other stuff in the atmosphere quickly reduce natural rubber to crumbly,hard masses.

Hmmm... I didn't even think about that. And I studied the exact reaction in Organic Chemistry last year! Doh! :bangpan:
 
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