Toadstar (oz16438)

About this Plan

Toadstar. Radio control sport model. Wingspan 177 in, for 2x .61 engines. Uses foamboard construction.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 7/12/2025: Added article, thanks to Pit.

Quote: "Although a rather ridiculous airplane in some ways, this aerial reptile shows what can be done with a really great inexpensive building material. Toadstar, by Tewricha Mixchur. Photos by Fuzzy Prinz.

Somewhere upon the land, and running loose, there's the Build Now Design Later Aeroplane Manufacturing Company. This aeronautic throwback came about when a couple of cheapskates some screwballs and an idea collided head-on.

In real life Alex, Dick, Floyd, Monty, Ron and Wayne all work together. Their habitual 12 Noon to 12:45 PM Hearts Game and Sandwich Exchange led, one day, to the decision to build an aeroplane.

Since Big, Lightweight and Cheap were the whole idea, foamboard (ie Fomecor made by Monsanto and available in most art stores) was selected as the basic construction material. After pooling $21.37, their own radio gear, engines and tools, they rallied to the call - Build it big, make it quick and be cheap about it, boobie.

So declared, at precisely 12:32 PM July 13, 1973, the Build Now Design Later crew set out to plan its balsa-less biggie. Ten minutes later a configuration was locked in and drawn up with no possibility for error - because it was perfect, of course - whereupon, the six Mary Poppins celebrated by going back to work three min early. Since it was, after all, a closet subsidiary of a wholly unsuspecting and legitimate business, BNDL limited its hours of operation to the 45-min lunch break and to one hour after work.

At noon the following day, the aforementioned perfect and completed plan was nailed to the shop wall. A wing rib template had been manufactured overnight so work could begin immediately. Following a hearty shout of OK, you toads, get with it! a sheet of foamboard was plopped on a conference table, and BNDL's prototoad was underway.

Over the next several days, for the allotted hour and 45 min per day, there was an elbow-banging flurry. Three of the six being left-handed, the elbow-banging flurry was inescapable.

CONSTRUCTION: Hack this balsa-less marvel out of foarnboard. The Toad has no complex compound curves and a minimum number of fuselage formers. It's ideal for foamboard, and finishes out super strong, yet light in weight. So keep it light. The only places you'll require ply are for the wing center section, the doublers at the attach points, for wheel fittings and other detachables.

You'll need a sharp X-acto knife and a long straightedge. You'll also need six hands and at least two glue guns to keep this slab-sided fuselage straight. Warning! Epoxy is a no-no. Use Titebond or similar glue only.

WINGS: The 60 dihedral in each wing negates the requirement and trouble of ailerons. Ribs, spars, etc., are all cut from foamboard, Spend a little effort constructing the box spars. Keep them straight. And be sure there's a snug slip-fit over the short spars on the center section.

The strut fittings are small - light ply glued directly to the spar. On the center section, only the two outer ribs and the short spars are light ply, The rest is you guessed it - foamboard. Cover the leading edge of the wing with old Manila folders. Then cover the whole magilla with something that won't financially bust you - like sticky, heat-shrinkable FasCal. Think of some clever way to attach your favorite engines and mounts to the outer ribs and ply spars. No need to be analytical about engine offset,. Make it zero-zero and forget it.

EMPENNAGE: Same material. Nothing fancy. Normal construction. Well - normal only if you'll concede that a starboard horizontal stabilizer measuring 26 in and a port stab that's 27-1/2 in corresponds with your definition of normal construction. And if you do, then welcome to the Build Now - Design Later Aerodynamics Team!

BUT, and oh the wisdom of it all, you're advised to make YOUR vertical fin and rudder removable. One day you too will want to take that toad out to the field, so plan now how you're going to get it there.

LANDING GEAR: Go down to your local crafts shop, and buy four polystyrene foam wreaths about 11 inch in diameter. Titebond two wreaths together and, Voila! Magnificent tire. Glue a round bevelled foamboard plate to the inside of each tire. Then, where the axle goes, glue a 1/4 in ply block onto each plate. This will distribute landing loads.

Attempt to find the center for the axle, then drill for 3/16 wire. Taxi tests on the Toadstar revealed that the attempt didn't quite hit the mark (typical, typical.) Use a simple wire skid at the rear.

PAYLOAD: Let your imagination run wild on the payload. For multi-mission purposes, it's up front and detachable. You'll have to assemble a long harness to reach the servos that operate the payload. If you want a movie camera payload, put it up front behind a piece of plexiglass. Mount the camera depressed 70 from the horizontal.

The Toadstar has an electrically operated, servo-commanded, Kodak Super 8 with a normal lens. While it produced spectacular pictures, especially of the landings, a camera with a wide angle lens would reduce the smear effect, especially in the turns..."

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