DIY Mighty Mini ShrubSmacker
Named by: Oliver Willis, Aka SquirrelTail
After seeing countless people wishing for a Mighty Mini Sized Bushwacker, Storch, or a UMX Timber clone, I took it upon myself to build a plane that would fill those rolls. I strived to create a plane that would serve as a good 4ch trainer similar to the Storch, while also being able to be a high performance aerobatic STOL plane much like the Bushwacker and UMX Timber.
Original Beta Version Maiden:
Description:
The ShrubSmacker is a Mighty Mini sized STOL plane. It is a fairly simple build and has a huge flight envelope. You can build it as a basic 4ch plane, dial back the throws and use it as a less forgiving 4ch trainer, almost like a step up from the 4ch Tiny Trainer. You can also build it with flaps and you'll be gifted with a STOL beast. With a removable wing it is the perfect plane to throw in the back seat of a small car and still have a blast. The plane also features removable landing gear so you can still fly if you're at a bumpy field or flying off of tall grass.
With foam doublers running from the nose to the trailing edge of the wing, the fuselage is extremely strong and resilient to crashes. To quote Battleaxe "One thing I was really impressed with on this Shrubsmacker is how strong the fuse is. as I was building, doing the mods and hacking away at it, the fuse doesn't twist, bend or warp anywhere. As long as you make sure all your joints are 90 degrees this is one solid beast of a mini."
I have also tripled up the foam around the landing gear mount so that you won't have to worry about trying to land softly. The plane is also quite efficient, while slowly putting around I have been able to get over 10 minutes of flight time on a 3s 800mah, this will drop down to 5-6 min. if you decide to fly more aggressively.
Specs:
Wingspan- 29 in. | 737mm | Motor- 2205 2300kv |
Length- 22.2 in. | 564mm | ESC- 20 to 30 amp |
All up weight- 10.25 oz. | 290 grams | Battery 3s 550 to 800 mah 30C |
Servos- Four to Five, 5 gram servos |
Build Difficulty: 2.5/5
With a basic box fuselage and a traditional FT style fold over wing, as long as you've built a few FT style planes this should be a walk in the park.
Flight Difficulty: ???
The flight difficulty of this design will change based on how you decide to set it up. If you choose to go without landing gear or flaps and keep the control surface deflection low, it will be a good plane for those looking to start flying some less forgiving 4ch planes. If you build it with landing gear and flaps, taking off and landing becomes more difficult, but much more fun. You can also build it with lots of control surface deflection and you'll have a plane that can do almost any 3D maneuver!
Plans: ShrubSmacker Plans V1.1
Beta Builders:
I owe a huge thanks to all the Beta Builders who built the plane and provided feedback on the design to get the plane flying as good as possible. Below are all their outstanding builds.
Beeblebrox's Beautiful build
Jpot1's Stunning John Deere build
Stoobiedoo's Incredible build
BATTLEAXE's Amazing modded build
If you choose to build the plane please post pictures of your build in the Shrubsmacker thread on the FT Forums, I would love to see them.
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The Mailboxslammer must have been epic!!
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Am i looking for the paper backed foam i see some people on youtube using? Any tips so i grab the right foam would be very much appreciated.
Thanks for the cool design :)
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I use sheets of foam from dollar tree or dollar general, it's called Adams Readi-board.
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Good luck with your build!!
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