TOM
WATSON'S CUTIE
I
got my Cutie kit direct from SR Batteries in the US. For a
small electric model it is expensive when converted to
Australian dollars. What you do get however is a really
top-quality kit. It is totally laser cut, even the strip wood
(TE sheets and turtle deck stringers etc ) are laser cut. The
only need you 
have
for a knife is to separate the pieces from the sheet There are
tiny uncut sections (about 2mm) that hold the laser cut parts
in the sheet. Mostly they are with the grain and the pieces
just break out. A very light sanding removes the small lumps
on the edge.
The
ply parts are also laser cut and are very accurate. So
accurate in fact that thin CA is used almost exclusively.
The
kit includes some very ingenious jigs. They are used to align
the fuse and formers, and best of all is the built-in wing
jig.
The
wing has C/F spars and leading edge. These two spars are
clamped between 1”balsa blocks and the ribs spaced along
them using another pair of jigs. There is even a jig to set
the dihedral angle of the root rib and also square up the tip
rib.
All
of the sheeting (wing tips, centre sheeting and bottom
sheeting) is laser cut. The fit of all of the parts is
perfect.
The
kit comes with a 104 page manual. Every step is covered and if
you follow the directions you just cannot make a mistake.
I
would caution any one who is building one of these kits to
follow the instructions to the letter, even if you are an
experienced modeller. The techniques used are in some parts
quite unique.
I
really intended to take photos of the main steps as I went
along. I sort of got carried away and only did a few.
You
can look at the first few pages of the manual on the SR
Batteries Web Site at
http://www.srbatteries.com/cutie.htm
I
finished the Cutie with Silk and Dope. I felt it was that kind
of model. In fact the original was kitted in 1975 and was
known as the Q Tee. It was for a Cox .049.
One
of the advantages of Electric power is there is no need for
fuel proofing.
One
of the other unique things with this kit is the control
surface hinges. Supplied is some adhesive plastic strips.
These are simply applied to the hinge line and rubbed down
firmly. It is quite difficult to remove. Unfortunately it is
not fuel proof so can’t be used on fuel powered models.
I
used the recommended power system which was a Speed 400 with a
2.3 to 1 gearbox, a 9x5 Graupner prop and a Jeti 35 amp speed
controller with BEC. The brake was disabled so the prop can
free wheel when the motor is shut down. The whole thing is
powered by a 10 cell 500 Mah SR (of course) battery pack. You
get a good deal if you buy the power system at the same time.
Flying
Well
you often read how a kit model flies “right off the board”.
I can honestly say it did exactly that the Cutie did. The
first flight was uneventful. On subsequent flights, the flight
time improved as the motor bedded in and the batteries cycled
a few times. On one flight there was quite a bit of thermal
activity, (Australia has lots of thermals!!!), and I was in
the air for over 15 minutes on one charge. Usually with a bit
of throttle management, you can count on about 8-9 minutes in
the air.
Loops
are good but rolls are very sloppy, I guess due to the lack of
ailerons.
Tight
circuits and Touch and Go’s are really fun and easy to do.
Just don’t try to go around with the last few seconds of the
battery charge. Don’t ask me how I know. Lucky our field is
quite large and I could land crosswind.
My
conclusion
A
really complete kit requiring nothing extra to complete except
covering and glue. The fit of the parts was outstanding (I
couldn’t cut the parts as well). Flying characteristics were
as advertised.
The
cost is a little more than you would expect to pay for a speed
400 model but the quality (in my humble opinion) make it worth
the extra $$.
Tom
Watson
Sydney,
Australia
