Evolution of Design influenced by the powerpod

This is an article showcasing my design of what started as the FT powerpod and the reason behind it,

It's interesting to note how the design of this has ultimately influenced the design of my models.

As  I have mentioned before in previous articles,what I see as a design flaw is the position of the battery and it's vulnerability in the event of a crash.That being said,trying to overcome such an issue brings about a whole plethera of issues !

Where do you put the battery ?

How do you access it ?

Will it affect the CoG ?

Wil it change the build process ?

etc etc

There is something to be said for keeping things simple and in truth,there really is no problem with the powerpod concept,design or application......the problem is me.....believe it or not I've heard that before :-)

Too me a model has to look right and the battery placement just wasn't ...... right !

so off I went on my crusade to right the wrong.....

One of my earliest attempts was using a modified version of the FT Spitfire

Trouble with this was the turtle deck was insulation foam and the edge's were prone to damage,time for a rethink......

I tried the same concept using foam board on several version's of the P51B...

The hatch kept flying off and needed an elastic band to hold it on......doesn't look right !!!

The P40.....same problem.....

To be honest I was getting fed up,I knew there was an answer,I just hadn't thought of it yet.

Enter the Piper Cherokee....

Not that one but this was the model that gave me the idea for this varient....

And with this model came the answer.....

A fully integrated and positionable battery box accessed through the wing seat which I am working into all my designs now

This is a short clip of the battery placement and spin up of the motor on a P51B ,too check its not coming loose.

No more hatches,elastic bands or crumbling edges !!!  

The demons are vanquished :-D !!!

So onto how it works,it really is quite simple but the say a picture speaks a thousand words or something like that ?

Everthing starts with a plan....

Cut out the parts....

Keep everthing nice and square

I dont use A or B folds,I find a mitre join is better and stronger

Remember and keep it square...

Now for the battery slide,use tape too seal the inside of the battery box,this will help with the sliding part 

Use a scrap piece of foam to set a 5mm gap on the bottom of the box.Do this on both sides.

On the edges of the slide,carefully chamfer the edges to allow for clearance of any glue that has seeped through.

Add a tape handle.

Test fit and trim as necessary keeping this part tight yet able to move.If its too loose the battery will move about during flight...

Now add the second part and test for fit,adjust as necessary.

Add the firewall.

Were done,ready to go into the model...

So what models have I got this in,well the Piper cherokee for one...

And another,yes another version of the old favourite P51B..

And I have plans for a mod too the F4 Phantom as a pusher 

So there you have it guys,clear signs of obsession which I am sure many of you can relate too but for myself hugely satisfying too find my answer to an issue which eluded me for some considerable time.

Hope this inspire some of you too keep trying new things and remember,it's a hobby,have fun :-)

cheers