E-flite / Horizon Hobby MiG-15
A Cold War icon in a small package, packs a big punch!
PHOTOGRAPHY: FRANK FANELLI I
f you were to catalog the type of scale planes most often modeled up to ten years ago, single engine prop types would overwhelmingly top the list. Twin props.... well not so much. Jets? Good luck. Yeah, there were the ducted fan jets driv- en by internal combustion glow engines, but their complexity and admitted finicky relia- bility put many modelers off them. It took the likes of master modelers like Lynn Mc- Cauley, Mike Kulczyk, Tom Cook, Larry Wolfe, Bob Violett, Byron Godberson, and Mark Frankel to launch and sustain this foray into jet modeling.
Then came the turbines and, while real jet engines were the dream, it was not a realis- tic dream for many. Too bad because there were plenty of modelers who were intrigued by the beauty of jets, and really wanted to fly a model jet.
Electric power and a whole wealth of duct- ed fans have made that dream a real and af- fordable possibility for many. That’s where E-flite’s recent UMX MiG-15 has really tak- en up the challenge. With its very nicely molded foam fuselage, the backup of AS3X technology, and a ductedfan/motor combina- tion that provides a good amount of push, the little MiG can very successfully get a modeler into the air quickly.
This isn’t exactly a new arrival but its blend of technology, scale detail, and good engineering make it worth another look. E- flite provides it in two options: BNF (Bind ’N Fly) and PNP (Plug ’N Play). The former is the version in this review and requires only a 4-channel DSM2 or DSMX type transmit- ter with dual rates. The PNP version comes with its own 4-channel transmitter. Already installed are the four micro ser-
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vos, two of the SPSMA2030L linear throw servos and two of SPMSA2030LO offset ser- vos. The receiver installed is a 6-channel Spektrum DSMX AS3X listed as the SP- MAS6410NBL. Along with that comes a bat- tery charger and the 200 mAh 2-cell battery. To say a lot of modelers view tapered
wings, let alone swept wings, with suspicion is an understatement. But every size model MiG-15 I saw fly had a resounding stability and easy handling. The model recreates the 35-degree sweep of the real plane and sweep in a wing actually has a dihedral effect. That adds to the stability of the model. And for a model this size that stability is amplified by the AS3X technology built into the receiver. Simply put, the receiver senses the posi- tion of the model in a 5-second window to de- termine the attitude of the model. It inter- prets whatever the attitude is as the wings level, fuselage level position of the plane. That’s why it’s important after turning on the receiver to place the model in what could be termed a 0-0 degree position. Once the receiver has sensed that—and how it does that is way beyond the scope of this article—it’s ready to soften the upsets of turbulence when flying in windy conditions. It’s not an autopilot but lessens the need for the control input to keep the model flying in a reasonable manner.
Daniel Walton explored the AS3X technol- ogy more completely in his review of the E- flite UMX Sbach 342 3D, so if you’re looking for more of an explanation check his article in the March 2013 issue of FM. As a nod to both scale detail and stability,
the little MiG has wing fences like the real one did. Fences like these are used in swept wings to straighten the air flow over the
By Frank Fanelli
AT A GLANCE Type:
Construction: Wing span: Wing area: Airfoil: Length: Weight:
Wing loading: Fan:
Motor: Battery:
edf sport scale molded foam 16.2 inches 53.5 sq. in. flat bottom 15.9 inches 2.75 ounces .047 oz./sq. ft. 28 mm Delta-V
BL 180m 11750Kv 2S 200 mAh 25C Li-Po
Receiver: 6-ch Spektrum DSMX AS3X Manufacturer:
E-flite
Dist. by: Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road, Champaign, IL 61822 217-352-1913
www.horizonhobby.com
wing’s camber instead of sliding off along the sweep. That may also account for the stability of this model.
It’s a molded foam plane but that molding has increased the scale detail of the plane. The panel lines are all there, and the out- lines of the plane are pretty faithful to the real one, including the nose. A good number of the edf (electric ducted fan) models of the MiG-15 have exaggerated outlines, chief among them is a gaping nose inlet way out of scale proportion.
JULY 2013
UMX
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