QB 40S (oz10768)

About this Plan

QB 40S. Radio control sport pattern model. Wingspan 1500 mm, for .40 power and 3-4 channels.

Quote: "The QB 40 S is a shoulder wing sport model using a .40 size engine and four channel radio (although it can be flown on 3 channels if you want). Like all QB kit series, the balsa wood is mostly hand cut at the factory with the playwood parts being beautifully die-cut. Hardwood motor mount, steerable nose gear and heavy duty aluminium main landing gear are all included. The canopy is vacuum formed, and all necessary hardwood is included. A full size plan, radio installation instructions and an illustrated construction guide will all make this an easy model to build."

Quote: "Pilot QB 40S including construction sheet, patterns and some drawn formers that are missing from the plan sheets."

Update 15/03/2019: Replaced this plan with a much clearer scan, thanks to Balsaworkbench.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Note this planfile also includes page 3 (from previous scan version, credit ZarZep) showing 3 further fuselage formers, hand traced.

Update 12/4/2023: Added kit review from RCM, January 1980, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "RCM Product Review: Hobby Shack QB 40 S.

Beauty is a word that has impressed the folks who put out the Pilot line of kits, and it starts with the outside of the box and gets better as you tour the inside. Instead of corrugated cardboard, the cover of the box is made of heavy grade cardboard of single weight with a gloss finish and it is on this finish that they put every color of the rainbow to bring attention to their product. The attention to artistic detail doesn't stop with the cover. The first thing you discover when you open the box (36 x 9-1/2 x 2-3/4 in) are the two sheets of plans; these too are done on a paper with a glossy type finish. Even the lettering on the plywood is graphically silk screened on in a flat black enamel. The plywood, balsa, hardwood and hardware is of the best quality.

Nothing is loose in the kit, all the small pieces are done up in attractively decorated plastic bags. The hardware is in one bag, the hardwood pieces in another, the wing ribs in another and the small parts of the fuselage in a fourth bag.

Construction: The plans are printed in both Japanese and English. There are two sheets - one 36 x 48 in the other 24 x 36 in - printed on gloss paper. The smaller of the two sets of plans, called the construction guide, contains a parts list describing and numbering every part. In addition, there is a drawing to size of every wood piece. When it is shaped, other than from sheet, there is also an end view drawing. There are a large number of construction pictures on the sheet and down at the bottom is a paragraph describing each picture, in Japanese only, which leads us to wonder what goodies we missed.

The larger sheet of plans is the traditional type of building plans and every notation in Japanese is translated to English. Each part on the large plan sheet is numbered to correspond with the drawings and parts list on the smaller sheet.

Let us give you three instances which will convince you of the quality of the pre-fabricated parts. First, the wing ribs were pinned together as a unit, sawed, sanded and the spar notches routed out as a square bottom groove. Second, the leading and trailing edge spars were cut exactly to length and each rib notch is independently cut. Third, the only die-cutting in the whole kit is in the 1/8 ply sheets. The cut-outs almost fall out of the sheet into your hand. It was as if they had been cut out then put back in the sheet like a jig-saw puzzle. We have never seen plywood cut like this before - it is fantastic.

Not only were the pieces cut to perfection but, when assembled, they fit together with one another with the same perfection. Everything just dropped into place, the QB in the name lived up to its meaning - Quick Build. It almost took longer to cover the plane as it did to build it.

Covering: Because the picture of the plane on the box was so beautiful with the blue, red, orange and yellow rainbows on the wings, tail and fuselage, it was felt that this color scheme just had to be duplicated. The plane was first covered in white MonoKote then the sunbursts or rainbows that they resembled were added with colors of MonoKote.

Engine: The engine used was a Como .40 with a Super Tigre muffler. The 8 oz. Pylon fuel tank was located just behind the firewall.

Radio: A Kraft 6 channel Sport Series radio was used with KPS 15I1A servos. There was absolutely no crowding, everything had its place and was engineered to be there. For instance, the servo tray which was furnished was part of the great die-cutting. It was cut to fit in the fuselage, then the holes for each of the servos were also cut. It took very little enlarging to slip the KPS 15's in place. Also, something never seen in a kit before, the opening for the wing servo was built into the wing then the wing servo tray (already die-cut) was screwed over the opening with the hole waiting for you to drop your servo in.

Flying: The first flight was made with the pushrods hooked to the center hole on the rudder and elevator horns. There was a tendency to over control so the plane was landed and the pushrods were moved out one hole which gave us more positive control of the plane.

Conclusion: It is designed as a 'sporty forty' and we concur, it is not a full pattern plane, nor is it an aileron trainer. We suggest the flyer have time on an aileron trainer and be at an intermediate level before he accepts the challenge of flying the shoulder wing Quick Built 40. We further assume that the flyer is also the builder whose building level has worked up with his flying level. Do enjoy building and flying a beautiful model airplane."

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