Hots (oz4581)

About this Plan

The Hots (Midwest Hots 40). Radio control sports model. Midwest kit no 156.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 10/10/2016: Added kit wood parts list, thanks to Jeff.

Update 23/06/2018: Added kit review from R/C Model World, September 1988, thanks to RFJ.

Update 02/08/2018: Added original article from MAN April 1984, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "The HOTS by Dan Santich. For .15- to .45-size engines. A winning fun flyR/C design for novice and expert alike.

NEARLY EVERY R/C club in the country has a fun-fly contest some-time during the flying season. These contests usually bring out Ugly Stiks, Quickie 500s, Cougars, Little Stiks, etc. They are all excellent airplanes. The only problem is that they were not designed for fun-fly contests! They all have their limitations in one way or another.

Matter of fact, there is not a purebred fun-fly airplane presently on the market. The Hots is going to fill that void.

If we take a look at a typical fun-fly, it goes like this: Most loops in a given time, most touch-and-go's, most spins, limbo, roop (roll-loop-roll-loop, etc), and numerous other such tasks. Most times a fun-fly becomes a demolition derby as guys try to outdo each other. I can't count the number of beautiful airplanes that have bit the dust simply to get one more spin or one more low pass under a limbo. It seems silly to risk all that work and money for one more spin, but I've done it too.

Well, my friends, have I got something for you. The Hots is simply the wildest, most maneuverable airplane I've ever seen. To fly it is like taking on a mechanical bull at twice the fastest speed. It will turn on a dime and give 12 cents change! It loops tighter than a control line model. It climbs so fast it is out of sight in 15 seconds. Add to that the capability of flying around at walking speed and you not only have a fun-fly airplane, you have something that is a pure ball to fly at any time.

What we have here is a simple-to-build inexpensive model that just flies like crazy. Add to that the versatility of engine usage and there seems to be something for just about everyone. With a .15 engine on it, it's a real sweetheart. With a .29 or .35, it gets rambunctious. With a hot .40 or .45, it is truly bedlam unleashed.

If you add up the qualities of the airplane - it's fast building, inexpensive, versatile, capable, and adaptable - you can see the possibilities. We all need something like this. It will fit in a Toyota in one piece. It is a departure from my usual scale designs and perhaps that says something. I wanted something capable and yet disposable. In two evenings I built the first one and now I have two more - all in one week! My scale ships take months.

So, let's build the thing.

Construction. The first thing to consider is engine weight. If you use a .15 to .19 size engine, use a Kraft or CB mount to achieve proper balance. You must add weight to the tail if a CB type mount is used with a larger engine. We want the lightest possible airplane. With an Enya* .40XTV, my Hots weighs 3-1/4 pounds.

The second thing to consider is wood. Select only contest-grade balsa of the lightest possible weight. The third consideration is adhesive. I built mine completely with Hot Stuff. Don't use epoxy or resin of any kind, as it's too heavy.

The last thing is covering. Select the lightest covering you can find. I used Micafilm.

Start the fuselage by cutting out the plywood parts. Then cut the other fuselage pieces as shown on the plans. When you assemble F-1, F-2, and F-3 to the fuselage sides, glue them to one side only and check that they are vertical with a triangle. Then glue the opposite side in place. When you pull the ends together, make sure the fuselage stays straight. Don't add the fuselage top pieces until the wing is completed. Add the bottom and make the lower hatch. Mount the gear and glue the lower nose pieces on. Cut and glue the stab pieces together, but don't glue them to the fuselage yet..."

Update 18/06/2018: Added kit review from MAN October 1985, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Field & Bench Review: the Hots, from Midwest Products. By Ceasar Latte.

WHAT DOES it take to make a Wsuccessful design? That question has probably been asked over and over again by kit manufacturers who need something to keep modelers buying their products. If there is a formula for this, Midwest Products must have it. Their great line of Stik kits is almost legendary, as the Stiks are among the most popular designs around. They are sport models that build easily and fly just great. You can hardly visit a flying field without seeing one of their kits being put through its paces by all levels of modelers.

When a company like Midwest Products has such an established reputation, you can rightly assume that anything new by them has to be given a lot of forethought. Naturally they want models that fly. But more than that, they want something that will fill a need and not become obsolete overnight. It has to be a design that can stand on its own and yet not be directly competitive with the sales of their existing line. Enter the Hots. When the Hots first hit the pages of Model Airplane News in April 1984 it soon became a best seller in plans. Modelers liked the simplicity, versatility and flyability of the design. It could be built in a short amount of time, was adaptable to a wide range of engine sizes, and was inexpensive. Bingo. Midwest got the Hots.

The ads l'd seen for the Hots put me in line for one of the first to arrive at my local hobby shop. When it did I could hardly wait to put it together. l had witnessed first-hand the performance of this airplane by MAN's Editor Dan Santich, who designed it, and it was just one of those airplanes l had to have. Well now l did.

THE KIT: When you open the box, you had better plug in your MonoKote iron at the same time! Believe me, you will be ready to cover it almost that fast. The plans are well done and easy to read. Complementing them is an illustrated, step-by-step instruction sheet that leaves nothing to your imagination. The hardware package included with the kit is very complete and includes a dural landing gear and nylon engine mount.

CONSTRUCTION: The first thing that will strike you is the relatively few parts there are to the kit. In fact, there are so few parts l had the fuselage framed in less than an hour. ln another hour I had the wing done. The stab pieces are already shaped for you, so all you have to do is give them a final sanding before you glue them in place.

When you have the fuselage framed and are ready to mount the wing, remember to install the fuel tank. If you don’t do it then, you’ll later wish you had! Getting it in after the plane is built will require the removal of the landing gear block and supports, and then reinstalling them.

This is a one-piece airplane, meaning that the wing stays on. Access to the radio and servos is through a hatch on the bottom. Make a cutout in the lower center section of the wing aft of the spar and mount your servos there on the hardwood rails provided.

When it is all framed and ready to cover, double-check it for alignment and the absence of any warps in the flying surfaces. You want it to be as straight and true as possible. Give it a good sanding job, wipe it down to remove the dust, and you’re ready to cover. At this point in time you should have about 4 to 6 hours invested. Not bad.

I used the color scheme that Midwest uses in their box label and ads, and it is easy to do, as well as being a real attention-getter. Super MonoKote is my choice of iron-on covering and some careful thought and cutting will yield a beautiful result. The multi-color pattern was very simple to do by overlapping the different colors 1/4 inch and sealing the edges with an iron. I fuel-proofed the inside of the model completely with clear dope and then installed my radio and the pushrods.

Another great thing about the Hots is that it will take any of the radios on the market. You can even use a 3-channel set if you can do without rudder. I used my trusty 4-channel Futaba, the standard 28 Series servos, and a 500-mAh flat battery pack that fit under the fuel tank perfectly.

To power this model I had a brand new OS 35FP from Great Planes Model Dist. I had run a few tanks through it on a test-stand and it went onto the front end of the Hots perfectly. The balance was slightly tail-heavy, so I added a few ounces to the nose and it was right on. Even with the added weight, it still came out at only 3-1/2 pounds!

I had probably spent less time building this model than anything I had previously done, and yet there it was, ready to go. I put my Futaba on charge and spent the next three hours tossing and turning in bed, wondering how it was going to fly. If it flew half as well as I had seen Dan fly his, I would be happy.

FLYING: Everything was double-checked: controls, direction, engine, radio range check, and pulse (I do get excited!). Fueled-up, I primed the OS, put the battery to it, and it was running in just a few flips. I checked the engine for power and idle and taxied out. Lined up for takeoff, I advanced the throttle and it was flying in less than 10 feet. I quickly learned that the Hots will fly and fly well at less then half throttle on a .35-sized engine.

I took it around the field a few laps and felt comfortable with it. Although it was very responsive, it did exactly what I told it, nothing more. Settled down now, I put it through loops, rolls, spins, snaps, inverted snaps, stalls, wing-overs, figure eights, and everything I could think of. The Hots was right there every time, doing anything and everything. I made some low passes upright and inverted simulating a limbo, and I know now why Dan has done so well in fun-flies with his. It is as solid a flying airplane as I’ve ever flown. Throttled back with the controls neutral, it will almost hover.

I throttled back and set up a glide for landing and I could nearly walk alongside of it. It touched down on three points, rolled about 5 feet, and stopped, straight ahead.

In summary, if you want an airplane that will go together fast, out-fly anything at your field, and still fit in your Honda, the Hots is for you. Way to go, Midwest! The Hots is a winner."

Supplementary file notes

Article.
Parts list. This shows drawings of the shaped parts, also lists all the wood supplied in the kit.
Reviews.

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