Brief:
T' Mega Baron is an upscale o' t' Squirrel Works Red Baron flyin' Jenny biplane design. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Given t' performance o' my regular baron, shiver me timbers, matey, 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, me hearties, me hearties, braces, me hearties, 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, you will also need 2 servos, a receiver, shiver me timbers, battery, and whatever wire/gear you want t' connect the elevons t' t' servos. 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. Avast! I already had a radio transmitter.

Note that t' R/C conversion requires modification o' t' upper win' and side supports (rudders). Aye aye! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! 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... Blimey! Blimey! competition rules), arrr, so I made one slight modification t' t' motor mount. Rather than spittin' t' motor, I instead did nay glue t' assembly into the BT-60. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Mine slides in and pops out at ejection. I attached a 3-foot plastic streamer t' t' mount (wound betwixt the centerin' rings) for recovery. Begad! Blimey! Losin' t' entire motor mount also shaves a little glide weight, which helps offset the weight gain o' a pair o' servos, arrr, shiver me timbers, a receiver, and a battery. Aye aye! Blimey!

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

It probably goes without saying, me bucko, but on any glider such as this, me hearties, 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. Arrr! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Use yellow glue throughout, matey, nay CA, 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. Avast! T' fins have tabs on t' ends, which fit in slots in t' rudder assembly. Aye aye! T' rudder assemblies, ya bilge rat, in turn, arrr, have notches t' lock into t' upper and lower wings. Begad! Blimey! If you can handle a basic Lego assembly, me hearties, this will be no problem for you.

Glue t' nose cone and launch lug in place, ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! For t' R/C trim, me bucko, Don suggested more like 2” forward o' t' LE (without motor).

Finishing:
For t' finish, shiver me timbers, matey, I skipped t' usual grain fillin' exercise, as that would have added a good bit o' weight plus taken forever. Begad! Instead, 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, I then mounted t' servos, me bucko, arrr, rigged t' R/C gear, arrr, and trimmed for flight. For t' regular edition, the CG is supposed t' be 3/4" forward o' t' leadin' edge o' t' lower wing. Ya scallywag! For t' R/C conversion, ya bilge rat, you'll need it a bit forward for better control. Begad! Don recommended 2 inches.

My final weight, matey, painted and with all gear, came in at 9.2 ounces without motor, me hearties, 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), arrr, so I was nay expectin' t' be able to get much o' a controlled flight but wanted t' make sure t' boost be fine and check t' trim.

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

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

PROs: excellent design, fit and finish.

CONs: well, ya bilge rat, t' first flight experience wasn't so hot...

Summary:
I think this is a kit with a lot o' potential. Aye aye! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! I attribute me poor flight experience t' a combination o' buildin' too heavy and catchin' a bum motor. Avast! Blimey! I'm sure, from experience with t' regular Red Baron, that this upscale in regular (non-R/C) configuration would do just fine, arrr, shiver me timbers, as would t' R/C in t' hands o' a more experienced R/C guru. Aye aye! Blimey! 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.