SPAD XIII 700mm (PNF)

Official Flite Test Build Log & Review


Hobby King - SPAD XIII 700mm (PNF)
by: Eric Monroe (shadow74) 


The Spad XIII was the final and ultimate version of the pretty French Fighter and featured a host of much needed aerodynamic and armament improvements over earlier versions which were outclassed by German fighters within 12 months of being supplied to French squadrons, the improvements were recommended and pushed forward by the leading French Ace Georges Guynemer, the result being one of the classic fighters of WW1.This EPO Spad is simply stunning both in terms of looks and scale detail, radiators, exhaust pipes, machine guns and so on are all faithfully reproduced and all the struts & cabanes feature loops for those wanting to add authentic rigging wire. Being Plug and fly, there is little to do in terms of building with the powerful motor, ESC & servos pre-fitted and the high quality waterslide Decals have also been expertly pre-applied.Flight performance from the superb bi-plane is 1st class, flight controls are responsive at all speeds and the model has a wide flight envelope, it is capable of realistic slow flight and scale aerobatics, it will also tolerate a little wind making it a very practical model to own. Through its extensive flight testing, we also found the model to be very robust, when you put it all together, this superbly finished Spad has quality, looks, reliability & performance, it is a must for the collection of any scale or warbird enthusiast!

Specs:
Wing Span: 700mm
Length: 555mm
Flying Weight: 490g
Motor: 1200kv Brushless Outrunner
ESC: 20A w/BEC
Servo: 5g x 2, 9g x 2

Requires: 
Your Own 4 Channel TX/RX
800mAh~850mAh 3s Lipoly Battery

(the previous description/specs are directly from the Hobby King website)


Let's get started:

I really love the World War 1 era aircraft. When Chad asked me to do a build log of this plane I was extremely excited to get my hands on it. 


The build:




First let’s take a look at how it arrived. This is the box that it was shipped in.

The first look into the box reveals a careful packing job.

As I started digging further into things I found that they really went above and beyond with the packaging of this model to ensure its safety during shipping. The fuselage was even secured with hook-n-loop to keep it from moving around. Impressive.

This is a parts layout of the entire model. 

I can't stress enough how impressed I am with the way that this model is packaged. They even put foam around each of the control horns to protect them from being damaged. That is REALLY going the extra mile in my opinion. If this is any indication to the quality of this model, then I believe we are in for a great experience from start to finish.

This kit also came with the necessary tools for completing the build.  I used these to assemble the entire model.  Hobby King provided everything you need to get this bird in the air.  (They also provided glue, however I chose to use the foam safe CA that I purchased at my local hobby store, simply because that's what I am used to working with.)

I decided to start with the tail.  Attaching the horizontal stab/elevator was a snap.  Everything lined up nicely.  I used medium foam safe CA and kicker to glue this securely into place.

The installation of the vertical fin/rudder was also very straightforward.  I did a test fit first before permanently gluing it to the plane, it lined up perfectly.

Install the horizontal stab. braces.  The smaller end presses into the fuselage, while the larger end is glued to the outer part of the horizontal stab.

Next I moved forward to the top wing.  the aileron Y-harness came already attached to the aileron servo leads.  Disconnect this temporarily in order to feed the servo leads down through the small hole in the top of the fuselage where the top wings seats.

Test fit the wing into the fuselage.  It was a bit snug but with some gentle persuasion it popped right into place.  I then installed it permanently with foam safe CA and kicker.

Next, reconnect the Y-harness to the aileron servo leads.

Installing the lower wing.  Simply line up the front pins and seat the wing.

Then use the included nylon wing bolt to hold it securely.

Lower wing installed.

The next step is to install the landing gear.  You will find a small bag of screws with four longer than the others.  These four longer screws will be used to attach the gear to the airplane.

This is a little tip that I thought I would share to make putting in the screws a bit easier.  The included screwdriver has a tip that was just a bit too small to get a good bite on the screws.  This causes the heads of the screws to round off easily.  Take a file or a disc sander and flatten the tip just a little....try it in the head of the screw, repeating this process until you have a better fit.  This will save you some frustration as you finish the build.  ;)

The landing gear installation is as follows.  As shown in the pic, the front of the gear is the squared end, while the back of the gear has the end slightly rounded. 

Use the holes closest to the end to run the screws through and attach the landing gear to the aircraft.

Starting to look like an airplane.

These are the cabane struts.  These support the top wing over the fuselage. The V-shaped struts go toward the nose.

I found it easiest for me, to rest the plane on its top wing while installing the cabane struts.  Line up the holes and put in the screws.

Make sure when you install the rear cabane struts as shown in the picture above.

The wing struts will use the remaining screws.  the "H" shaped struts are placed closer to the fuselage, while the single struts go on the outer part nearest to the wingtips.  (It is easier to work from the inside out, so make sure that after installing the cabanes you move to the "H" struts next..... and finally the single struts out by the wingtips.)

I went onto the internet to look at a few pics of full-scale Spads and from what I could see, the rounded edge of the struts appeared to face the trailing edge of the wing.  So this is how I installed them on this plane. (don't worry if you happen to do it the other way, it won't make a difference in the structural integrity of your plane.)

The Spad comes with some pretty cool exhaust pipes.  They are pre-painted and really adds some nice detail to the plane.  When installing these, place glue into each of the holes in the fuselage then press exhaust pipe into place. Make sure not to use too much glue or it will run out and make a mess on the side of the fuselage.

When attaching the back of the exhaust you will see a small indented mark on each side of the fuselage where the pipes attach.  Use a drop or two of foam safe CA and only press the pipes in to the raised area as shown in the picture above.  This spaces the pipes out away from the fuselage sides.

The scale detail that this model possesses is very nice.

Attaching the guns.  This is a straightforward step in the build process.  Just run a little glue along the under side of the guns and place them in the indented area on top of the fuselage near the nose.

Install the prop with the included wrench.  (Make sure to take a few minutes to balance the prop before installing it, proper balancing of the prop can ensure vibration free flying as well as more power and a longer lifespan from the motor.)

Well that finishes up the build!  This plane really was enjoyable to work with.......no surprises, just straightforward assembly.

Add your receiver and an 3S 850mah and you will be ready to take to the skies!

What a great looking airplane.

Here are a few air-to-air shots that I gathered with my Angry Bird Quad-copter while Chad and Josh Bixler took it for a spin.  

My 2 cents:

After filming the Spad, I took it up for a flight myself.  On takeoff it surprised me with how much power it had.  A little right rudder to keep it tracking straight and it was airborne.  It climbed out strong.  I pulled the power back to around half and circled the field a few times just to get the feel of how it handled.  My first impression.....I like it.  :-)  It seemed to favor flying a bit fast, however it did fly predictable.  I did some lazy loops and a few aileron rolls.  The aileron rolls seemed slow but increasing throws a bit should liven that right up.  I really like the way it looks in the air.  After putting it through its paces, I brought it into the pattern and setup for a landing.  I carried a little power as I turned final and again it proved to favor flying with a little speed.  As I approached ground effect I chopped the throttle back and added back stick.....it flared, touched down and rolled out nice and straight.  (even without a steerable tail, this plane tracks without any problems)  I recommend this plane to anyone of intermediate skill level or above.  It has scale looks, assembles easily maneuvers well, and flys predictable.  A winner!

I really love the nostalgia that surrounds the aircraft from this time period. The world's first fighter planes, the dawning of a new age, the sound of rotary engines that sang the song of man's accomplishment and ability to push the limits past anything the human race had ever experienced.

Cheers!

Eric Monroe (shadow74)

If you make the Spad part of your fleet, we would love to hear about it! Post your experiences, pics and vids to the forum.