Never before has so much thought been lavished on an foam glider. The basic shell is crisply moulded in the established ST method of tough, EPO foam, but that is only part of the story. Hidden underneath that sleek exterior is a clever design that adds immense strength combined with design features that make assembly easy and accurate.
The nose section is re-enforced with carbon strips along the inside and the motor nose area, which in turn is moulded in tough polythene and bonded over its entire circumference to the internal foam. Even the back edge has been designed not to create a stress edge and spread the load in an impact. The canopy is injection moulded in tinted plastic with strengthening ribs and an integral catch to add further structural rigidity. No cheap vacuum formings here!
There is a built in towing release that is securely mounted to the plastic nose section for aerotowing from flat fields, making the Blaze far more than just a slope soarer. A servo to operate the release is also provided and installed.
Moving back into the wing mounting area, there is a combination of wooden formers and injection moulded plastic parts that are integrated and bonded into the foam. The rear former acts as an orientation mount for the square carbon tube inside the rear fuselage. That provides immense strength to the fuselage. The wing mounting bolt fixings are inserted steel inserts not just tapped into the plastic. At the rear, another clever, internal plastic mount orientates the tail assembly by using the fuselage tube and outer shell to provide a unique method of mounting both V-tails and their servos. You will be sure to be muttering 'how clever' as you screw it all together!!!
The wing is a work of art! Three internal carbon spars (one a super-strong, square tube) are all bonded in internally and provide unbelievable strength to what is just a foam wing. You will not see it even bend slightly in flight. Once again, the wing joining method is designed not to have a stress fulcrum and be both simple and effective. Just four screws will have it assembled in five minutes! Individual aileron servos provide the power to perform full aerobatics and the ailerons themselves are re-inforced with carbon strips to stop flexing. The anti 'spill' airflow straighteners at the aileron ends keep the aileron response effective at all speeds. Remember, the Blaze had them first!
Now comes the long bit, fitting the fabulous decals!! If you have taken your time the whole thing can be done in less than 30 minutes. If you rush a bit, even less.
This version of the Blaze glider comes with ST Models' own 2.4 GHz AFHSS radio system (Mode II). This radio is easy to use, has a great 'feel' to it, thanks to the soft external case and frees you from the worries of frequency control. Although a 4 channel system for the Blaze, the receiver is a 6 channel unit that could be used in other models at a later date. All the transmitter requires is a set of eight Nimh cells and a charger or eight dry cells. All the receiver needs are four AA Nimh or dry cells and you are ready to go flying.
Owners and operators of this model aircraft may need to be registered with the CAA. Click here for the CAA web pages covering registration of model aircraft and drones.