Edmonds Aerospace Geminee Thunder

Edmonds Aerospace - Geminee Thunder {Kit}

Contributed by Frank G. Whitby

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Manufacturer: Edmonds Aerospace

Brief:
Geminee Thunder is an upscale version o' t' Edmonds Geminee twin glider.

Edmonds Gemini Thunder

Construction:
As with other Edmonds gliders, t' kit comes complete with detailed instructions and well designed, me hearties, precision cut balsa parts ready t' be assembled. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! All o' t' parts were in perfect condition and high quality balsa was used throughout. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' assembly was very simple. Arrr! Rob Edmonds justifiably prides himself on producin' kits comprisin' t' minimum number o' parts and requirin' no re-fittin' o' pieces prior t' assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! All pieces were dry fit and then glued with very small amounts o' 5-minute epoxy. Blimey! T' instructions suggested using wood glue, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but I did nay have any on hand. Ahoy! I used epoxy sparingly so as to prevent unnecessary addition o' weight.

T' motor mount and coupler that joins t' two halves o' t' glider required some careful adjustment durin' assembly. Alignment o' t' fin tips was aided by layin' out t' pieces on wax paper for gluing. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions recommend balancin' t' gliders with clay, but I could nay lay me hands on any. I used some lead shot and maskin' tape t' weight t' nose o' each glider instead. Aye aye! Arrr! I did nay measure t' final constructed weight o' t' gliders.

T' construction can be accomplished in an hour or so, arrr, but I spread out the construction over a few days. Aye aye! Construction is well within t' ability o' novice builders and t' gliders have a very nice, stout feel t' them. T' biggest problem I faced be transportin' t' gliders t' t' launch site without inadvertently sittin' on them in t' car or other rough handling.

Finishing:
I did nay paint t' glider.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Edmonds Gemini Thunder

Flight:
T' instructions suggest usin' a D12-3, so that is what I used. Avast, me proud beauty! I made a small thrust rin' o' maskin' tape and then taped t' motor securely in place. The glider boosted very nicely t' 200 feet or so and separation was very near apogee or just a bit past. Begad! T' two gliders fell away from each other, me hearties, matey, began to descend, me bucko, turned gently away from each other and came back up wind in a beautifully symmetric pair o' spirals. Arrr! T' two gliders nearly met at t' middle of their long slopin' turns and then touched down at almost exactly t' same moment about 100 feet apart travelin' in opposite directions. Begad! T' aft glider snagged a 12 inch tall clump o' weeds at t' last moment, matey, causin' it t' twist as it hit t' ground and caused t' nose piece t' break off. Arrr! T' front glider landed gently with no damage.

Recovery:
T' motor mount tube was badly scorched by t' heat o' t' D motor. T' tube is crusty and slightly misshapen. I think I will have t' replace it before the next flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' nose o' t' aft glider can be glued back on and should be just fine. I think t' noses o' both gliders have slightly too much weight in them, so I could probably achieve a slightly shallower and more stable glide path if I removed a gram or so o' nose weight from each glider. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Construction and flight o' all Edmonds kits that I have built t' date have been very satisfying. Begad! Arrr! T' Geminee Thunder is simple t' build and would be an excellent choice for a beginner modeler wantin' t' show off with a beefy glider. It looks t' me like t' gliders should be able t' withstand boost on an E impulse motor, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so I plan t' try this next. Avast! Despite t' damage t' t' motor mount from t' engine, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' design appears t' be flawless.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Edmonds Aerospace Geminee Thunder By Hank Helmen

    Brief: The Edmonds Geminee Thunder is a twin glider with a single 24mm rear engine. The gliders are supposed to boost up on D12-3 and then separate using the ejection charge. Glider should then circle slowly back to earth! Construction: Included in the kit is one balsa nose cone, one balsa "plug" (to join the glider body tubes), two 25mm body tubes, four sheets of ...

Flights

Comments:

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H.W.H. (January 28, 2006)
Interesting review. Accurate in that my forward glider's glider to body tube balsa broke every time I flew it. I did not have a good boost on a C11-5 engine. I got a St. Louis Arch to a lawn dart with the engine ejecting out of the back with a loud Bang! I'm wondering what diameter and length launch rod to use? I did not paint mine either.
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H.W.H (March 11, 2006)
Follow up to above review: Repaired Geminee Thunder glider fuselage and nose cone. Re-balanced both glider with hand toss test flights. March 11, perfect clear, no wind day. Made a new launch gantry consisting of 3/16" steel launch rod 4.5 feet long. Two 24 inch crossed two by fours for a base and a two foot extention post to hold the gliders up off the ground. Geminee Thunder on D12-3 launched well but began to arch over at 75 feet altitude. Looked like a classic nose dive into the ground but the gliders pulled out of the power dive at 30 feet and flew horizontally at Mach 2 for 50+ yards when it began yet another strange turn then... Exploded Spectacularly from the ejection charge! Balsa rain! Trailing edges of both glider's wings were badly burned from the engine exhaust. Had to extinguish wings with water bottle. Nose cone is Gone and balsa joiner piece is black and shredded. Probablly the most exciting rocket launch I have ever witnessed~! Repairable? Have to wait and see, Geminee is currently in a deep coma, on operating table (workbench) ... Hmmmmmm Hmmmmmm ... tick tick tick. What if it comes back to life and then goes back to its same bad habits?

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