FT Mighty Mini Speedster Build

Hi everyone! flyingsquirrelRC here with another great build from the guys over at Flite Test.

This is a short summary of my build of the FT Mighty Mini Speedster. It is a design from flitetest.com. Those guys are great!

I was going to use electronics from my old RTF Champ from hobbyzone, but the wires for the motor came off the circuit board, so I ended up ordering the parts from the Flite Test store: http://store.flitetest.com/.

Just search for the mighty mini speedster and you'll find the speed build kit and the recommended electronics.

This is kind of a work in progress; I am going to order the power pod soon and I'll upload more pictures and videos.

Update 2/9:

Actually I am going to have to wait on getting the power pod for a while. I have some other priorities I need to take care of. I should definitely have the plane finished by summer, so stay tuned.....

The airframe is made from Walmart yellow foam board. I love FT's swappable and scratch build designs because it offers an inexpensive alternative for flying. You can find the speed build kit at the store (link above) or you can print/cut out plans here: http://www.stonekap.net/ftplans/FT-MiniSpeedster-TILED-PLANS.pdf. They cut them out on a laser cutter, and you can try that too. I am going to try and cut out some designs from my school's Full Spectrum Retina Engraver laser cutter, but I am not sure if it is big enough! :)

The build of the airframe did not take very long, maybe 3 hours? Cutting the foam out adds another 1/2 hour to 1 hour to that time. But it is SUPER easy because of the fantastic build videos from Flite Test.

Materials:

1. 1 sheet of Walmart foam board (any color you want) or you can purchase the speed build kit (includes all materials except electronics)
2. Non-electronic parts:
   • BBQ skewer
   • servo push rods
   • X-Acto knife or box cutter
   • Hot glue gun and plenty of sticks
   • motor mount and control horns (dimensions on build plans)
   • Note: if you bought the speed build kit, you have these parts!
3. Electronics:
   • motor: EMAX MT1806 Motor
   • servos: Towerpro SG50 5g Micro Servo (x2)
   • ESC (speed controller): Dynam - Dectrum 12Amp ESC w/ 3A BEC
   • Battery: either a Turnigy nano-tech 460mah 2S 25~40C Lipo Pack, Turnigy nano-tech 460mah 3S 25~40C Lipo Pack, or a Turnigy 800mAh 2S 20C Long Lipo Pack
   • Direct Drive HQ Prop - 6x3 or 6X4.5
   • Note: if you bought the power pod, you have these parts!
   • However you need a transmitter and receiver, which are not in the power pod kit, but you can buy the transmitter from their store as well.
4. Time
   • Even though this isn't a hard plane to build, you have to have patience! But it's fun, trust me.

Video:

Watch the video once you get your materials in order.

If you follow the videos and articles from the Flite Test guys, you should be fine.

Here is another list of all the other parts you'll need:

1. Non-electronic parts:
   • BBQ skewer
   • servo push rods
   • X-Acto knife or box cutter
   • Hot glue gun and plenty of sticks
   • motor mount and control horns (dimensions on build plans)
   • Note: if you bought the speed build kit, you have these parts!
2. Electronics:
   • motor: EMAX MT1806 Motor
   • servos: Towerpro SG50 5g Micro Servo (x2)
   • ESC (speed controller): Dynam - Dectrum 12Amp ESC w/ 3A BEC
   • Battery: either a Turnigy nano-tech 460mah 2S 25~40C Lipo Pack, Turnigy nano-tech 460mah 3S 25~40C Lipo Pack, or a Turnigy 800mAh 2S 20C Long Lipo Pack
   • Direct Drive HQ Prop - 6x3 or 6X4.5
   • Note: if you bought the power pod, you have these parts!
     • However you need a transmitter and receiver, which are not in the power pod kit, but you can buy the transmitter from their store as well.

You don't need to use these electronics, but this is the recommended, almost perfect, tried-and-true setup. You can do what I was going to do and take the parts from another crashed plane. You will need to buy at least a 3 or 4 channel transmitter and receiver if you don't already have them.

I have not ordered the power pod and receiver yet, so I will upload pictures and possibly a video or two when I get the chance. :)

Now as long as you followed the instructions and videos, you should be ready to fly! Head outside and fly with some friends. You can also fly this plane inside a large gym. Just make sure you follow FT's rule: imagine the space you'll need for this plane, and DOUBLE it. It is very important that you have enough room.

And as Josh Bixler says: "Thank you for taking the time to build this plane and I challenge you to build this plane with you family or your friends and make a memory."

**Note I have do not have the electronics yet, but I will upload pics and videos when I get this thing off the ground!**

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Visit Flite Test website: flitetest.com