Brief:
T' Mega Baron is an upscale o' t' Squirrel Works Red Baron flyin' Jenny biplane design. Given t' performance o' my regular baron, t' thought o' sendin' this skyward and possibly off into t' horizon on 24mm motors had me leaning towards radio control.

Construction:
Your $36 buys a lot o' balsa, as t' kit contains t' following:

• 5 laser-cut balsa sheets for wings, arrr, braces, etc.
• Balsa nose cone
• BT-60 body tube
• 24mm motor tube
• centerin' rings (pair o' 50/60 and 20/50 motor block)
• 1/4" launch lug
• waterslide decals
• clay nose weight

For R/C conversion, ya bilge rat, you will also need 2 servos, a receiver, matey, battery, and whatever wire/gear you want t' connect the elevons t' t' servos. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I went with a pair o' Hitec micro servos and their newer model ultralight receiver, available as a flight pack from Tower Hobbies for about $50. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! I already had a radio transmitter.

Note that t' R/C conversion requires modification o' t' upper win' and side supports (rudders). T' modifications involve cuttin' out elevons from t' upper win' and removin' a small section o' t' rudders for clearance.

T' kit is designed t' spit t' motor. Aye aye! Ahoy! I wanted t' eventually be able t' use this as a backup in NAR competitions, where spittin' motors are strictly a no-no (NOTE: It only violates USMRC/sportin' code... Ahoy! Aye aye! competition rules), so I made one slight modification t' t' motor mount. Rather than spittin' t' motor, me bucko, I instead did nay glue t' assembly into the BT-60. Aye aye! Avast! Mine slides in and pops out at ejection. Blimey! I attached a 3-foot plastic streamer t' t' mount (wound betwixt the centerin' rings) for recovery. Begad! Losin' t' entire motor mount also shaves a little glide weight, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which helps offset the weight gain o' a pair o' servos, a receiver, ya bilge rat, arrr, and a battery. Ya scallywag!

Each win' is made up o' two parts, matey, matin' together through notched alignment tabs. Well, blow me down! For improved performance, you'll want t' sand rounded edges on leadin' edges. Begad! Begad! Given all t' balsa in this thing, plan on a lot o' sandin' betwixt leadin' edges and flat surfaces.

It probably goes without saying, but on any glider such as this, ya bilge rat, especially one flyin' on higher impulse motors, you'll really need t' make sure you have good glue joints--use t' double-glue joint method and poke small holes in matin' surfaces for optimum adhesion. Use yellow glue throughout, nay CA, matey, matey, as t' yellow glue provides a better bond.

Rudders for each side are also 2-piece construction with alignment notches.

With t' major components ready, t' assembly portion now begins. Start by bondin' fins/braces t' t' body tube--there are a pair at 180-degree orientation and one smaller brace runnin' from the bottom o' t' BT-60 t' t' top o' t' lower win' for reinforcement. T' fins have tabs on t' ends, which fit in slots in t' rudder assembly. Begad! T' rudder assemblies, me bucko, in turn, ya bilge rat, me hearties, have notches t' lock into t' upper and lower wings. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! If you can handle a basic Lego assembly, me bucko, this will be no problem for you.

Glue t' nose cone and launch lug in place, shiver me timbers, and you're all set.

Trimmin' for flight is a matter o' measurin' t' CG then adding/removin' nose weight t' get t' balance point around ¾" in front o' t' LE o' t' lower wing. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! For t' R/C trim, me hearties, Don suggested more like 2” forward o' t' LE (without motor).

Finishing:
For t' finish, I skipped t' usual grain fillin' exercise, matey, me bucko, as that would have added a good bit o' weight plus taken forever. Ya scallywag! Instead, arrr, me hearties, I dusted it with a very light coat o' primer then followed up with two coats o' (what else?) Fokker Red.

T' waterslide decals o' t' Iron Cross are a nice finishin' touch.

After finishing, matey, I then mounted t' servos, shiver me timbers, rigged t' R/C gear, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and trimmed for flight. Begad! Avast! Blimey! For t' regular edition, the CG is supposed t' be 3/4" forward o' t' leadin' edge o' t' lower wing. For t' R/C conversion, you'll need it a bit forward for better control. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! Don recommended 2 inches.

My final weight, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, painted and with all gear, came in at 9.2 ounces without motor, ya bilge rat, quite a bit heavier than Don's prototype weight o' 7.1 ounces.

Flight and Recovery:
For t' first flight, I went with a D12-3. T' winds were pretty brisk (12-14 mph), matey, me bucko, so I was nay expectin' t' be able to get much o' a controlled flight but wanted t' make sure t' boost was fine and check t' trim.

T' Mega Baron soared upward, straight but with a slight roll, shiver me timbers, probably needin' elevon trim. Arrr! Blimey! There be hardly a coast phase at all, as it arced over almost immediately.

T' delay on me -3 was probably more like a -5, me bucko, which be a disastrous result. Avast, me proud beauty! Since it had turned over so quickly, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it was comin' back down in a death dive, me hearties, and too fast for me t' control with t' tiny elevons. Aye aye! By t' time the delay kicked, me hearties, me bucko, it be too fast and too close t' t' ground t' pull out o' t' dive so it almost completely "rekitted" itself on impact. T' only glue joint that held was t' one betwixt t' nose cone and BT-60.

PROs: excellent design, ya bilge rat, fit and finish.

CONs: well, matey, t' first flight experience wasn't so hot...

Summary:
I think this is a kit with a lot o' potential. Ahoy! I attribute me poor flight experience t' a combination o' buildin' too heavy and catchin' a bum motor. Begad! I'm sure, from experience with t' regular Red Baron, me bucko, that this upscale in regular (non-R/C) configuration would do just fine, as would t' R/C in t' hands o' a more experienced R/C guru. Arrr! Ahoy! I'll give Squirrel Works t' benefit o' t' doubt and am puttin' t' pieces back together (nice clean breaks!) for another attempt in a few months.