Thor.2 --- Slopesoarer with F3f/b genes

[vanquish]

This comment about launching hit home with me. I have a couple of F5K models that are precarious to launch if there's wind or I'm wearing gloves.

To be honest, my statement needs to be put into perspective a bit: the fuselage is still compact and certainly not as easy to grip as an Alpina or something like that. In my personal opinion, it feels as good in the hands as a Freestyler 5/6; better than Vrace, Vantage or Pitbull2 and significantly better than Pitbull3 and Valkyrie...

 

[vanquish]

Yesterday, the first two models arrived and I took a look at them right away. I got a fiberglass version in blue and a carbon fiber version in yellow.
What you can see here are the first two models of the THOR.2 and my first models from Chinese production ever. Since I developed the THOR.2 and will distribute it her in Europe through AEROSTYLE, I may be a little biased. Nevertheless, I will try to write as objectively as possible...​

TJIRC implemented all my specifications for the construction as requested, or they did it that way anyway. The following were particularly important to me:
- roving-wrapped joiner pockets
- struts on the connector leading up to the root rib
- plywood or carbon rib at the root
TJIRC always does all three of these things.

- carbon fibers in the fuselage up to and over the canopy transition into the fuselage boat
- carbon fibers in the plug-in canopy; a few cm at the opening. The canopy absorbs some forces during landing approaches and, provided it does not burst open, it can prevent further damage to the fuselage.​

The paintwork is neatly done.

​

​

carbon version (empty weight 1,972 g):

glas version (empty weight 1,838 g):

However, there are two points that I like less and where we still need to improve.
On the one hand, the cuts for the rudder/sealing lips are quite wide and the cuts for the flaps and ailerons are not very neat. Both are purely cosmetic, but there is certainly room for improvement and I´m sure, TJIRC will improve.
The second point is the V-tail "Joiner". TJIRC uses a 5mm carbon rod here. I assumed that this rod goes into the opposite fuselage wall and is inserted into the tail units in a staggered manner (like Shinto or Vantage). However, this is not the case. The carbon rod sits in a “sleeve” that is about 10mm deep. Apparently this works for other models of TJIRC. Personally, I don't like it and I will look into it further...

Also bitter are two slight transport damages at the wingtips despite really good packaging on the part of the manufacturer. But FedEx obviously didn't handle the package gently.
On the whole, I am very positively surprised and satisfied. The build quality does not reach the standard of the (Eastern)European builders, but it definitely has potential. In any case, both variants feel very good in the workshop.

We'll see when I find the time to finish a model...​

 

[Wayne]

Like the paint design, looks good. I very much like that the servo covers do not have paint crossing them.

I suspect the hinge gaps are related to it being done by hand without final tooling for the prototypes.

We have sold 2 of their models with V-tails. The similarly sized Alpha and the 2 meter Tracer with v-tails and have not heard any complaints. The TJI models have a very good reputation for being very durable.

 

[vanquish]

The paint is cool and very well done!
I wanted to have a lightblue, but I really love this blue. It looks great!
Next I will order red and green…

I‘m sure, TJI can make the gaps better. I saw pictures from the Tempest and the Alpha and there it looked quite OK!

Good to hear, that you haven‘t any complains regarding the v-tail. This variant is something new for me, as I only use rectangular/square one-piece joiners in my own models.
As I said: all in all I‘m really happy with the work from Jerry and his team!

 

[Wayne]

I just learned something today. Mario's Vantage 2 (Vrace) design is the current F3F World Championship winning design!!

This is no small accomplishment. Obviously it takes more than just a great plane to pull of this accomplishment, but I think it says a lot about the tools and understanding that Mario brings to his designs. Woohoo!

 

[Brian69]

That’s right in as far as it goes Wayne ,Lukas also flew the Valkyrie at the WC ,which also had design input from Mario

 

[purview]

That’s right in as far as it goes Wayne ,Lukas also flew the Valkyrie at the WC ,which also had design input from Mario

thought they named the plane Vantage — produced by ccm models — mahmoudi sells them.

Are there any WC photos from winner&plane online???

 

[Brian69]

There you go

 

[Wayne]

Vantage Race = V Race

Mario can expand on the finer details. @vanquish

 

[vanquish]

I'm happy to give you a few details about this, since both models are mine. The Valkyrie is a project that I started and carried out together with Lukas Gaubatz and Martin Ziegler. It all began in October 2021, when it became increasingly clear that the boys could no longer quite keep up with the Pitbull2 and that the Pitbull3 could not meet the high expectations. Since the three of us have been good friends for many years, I have experience in aerodynamic design and Martin and Lukas could tell me exactly what they expected from a model, and CCM was behind us as a potential producer (successor to the Vantage), we started. I calculated profiles, created a proposal for the surface geometry and drew a first fuselage. Lukas and Martin wanted a no-compromise design. Everything with the smallest cross sections, including the fuselage. After several iterations, the Valkyrie design was ready. I don't think there is a narrower fuselage than this one. The profiles of the Valkyrie are uncompromisingly designed for speed. It is not a light wind model, but a real racer.

In December 2021, I had finished milling, sanding and polishing all the master forms, and everything was ready to be molded, which we then did in teamwork. In the fall of 2022, we had a total of nine Valkyries at the F3f World Championships in Denmark. Three each for Lukas and Martin and three more for Siggi Schedel, who joined the project a little later. All the effort was rewarded with a very clear victory in the team competition at the World Championships (Team Austria with Lukas Gaubatz, Martin Ziegler, Philipp Stary (Freestyler6) and myself as team manager). The Valkyrie worked well, but we simply lacked flight experience with this model.

In 2023, CCM was able to ramp up production again and wanted to launch a successor to the Vantage. Originally, the Valkyrie was intended for this. However, it turned out that the Valkyrie fuselage is much too compact for the masses. Also, the profile design is very extreme. I have revised both. The VracE hull is still very compact, but in the front area it is more voluminous than the Valkyrie. Behind the wing, the hulls are identical. The tail of the two models is identical. The Valkyrie profile gets better and better at increasing speeds. This is good, but in competition you rarely fly sub-35 seconds. So for the VracE, I adjusted the profile to the middle range (35-50 seconds) and gave it a little more maximum lift. The complete data went to CCM and they continued with everything. In June 2024, I received the first VracE and passed it on directly to Lukas for testing.

At the 2024 World Championships in France, Lukas used both models. He used the VracE one more time than the Valkyrie. His VracE had the Mahmoudi logo, while the Valkyrie had my Aerostyle branding.

 

[purview]

I'm happy to give you a few details about this, since both models are mine. The Valkyrie is a project that I started and carried out together with Lukas Gaubatz and Martin Ziegler. It all began in October 2021, when it became increasingly clear that the boys could no longer quite keep up with the Pitbull2 and that the Pitbull3 could not meet the high expectations. Since the three of us have been good friends for many years, I have experience in aerodynamic design and Martin and Lukas could tell me exactly what they expected from a model, and CCM was behind us as a potential producer (successor to the Vantage), we started. I calculated profiles, created a proposal for the surface geometry and drew a first fuselage. Lukas and Martin wanted a no-compromise design. Everything with the smallest cross sections, including the fuselage. After several iterations, the Valkyrie design was ready. I don't think there is a narrower fuselage than this one. The profiles of the Valkyrie are uncompromisingly designed for speed. It is not a light wind model, but a real racer.

In December 2021, I had finished milling, sanding and polishing all the master forms, and everything was ready to be molded, which we then did in teamwork. In the fall of 2022, we had a total of nine Valkyries at the F3f World Championships in Denmark. Three each for Lukas and Martin and three more for Siggi Schedel, who joined the project a little later. All the effort was rewarded with a very clear victory in the team competition at the World Championships (Team Austria with Lukas Gaubatz, Martin Ziegler, Philipp Stary (Freestyler6) and myself as team manager). The Valkyrie worked well, but we simply lacked flight experience with this model.

In 2023, CCM was able to ramp up production again and wanted to launch a successor to the Vantage. Originally, the Valkyrie was intended for this. However, it turned out that the Valkyrie fuselage is much too compact for the masses. Also, the profile design is very extreme. I have revised both. The VracE hull is still very compact, but in the front area it is more voluminous than the Valkyrie. Behind the wing, the hulls are identical. The tail of the two models is identical. The Valkyrie profile gets better and better at increasing speeds. This is good, but in competition you rarely fly sub-35 seconds. So for the VracE, I adjusted the profile to the middle range (35-50 seconds) and gave it a little more maximum lift. The complete data went to CCM and they continued with everything. In June 2024, I received the first VracE and passed it on directly to Lukas for testing.

At the 2024 World Championships in France, Lukas used both models. He used the VracE one more time than the Valkyrie. His VracE had the Mahmoudi logo, while the Valkyrie had my Aerostyle branding.

wow, history in the long Baudis connect of them both. Nice for sharing those insights @vanquish and best wishes for the future and hopefully branding some new kids on the block to raise the level of competition. They are nice guys.

Thanks @Brian69 for WC photos on french soil. Must be terra cott....

@Wayne keep aloft forum goin...

 

[vanquish]

Here Lukas with his VracE after the last round at the WC in France


AND yesterday I recieved some wingbags from Case-Models for the THOR.2:

 

[Brett]

Mario, what's the ballast system on the THOR.2, in terms of dimensions and compartments available?

Is it wing and wing joiner, and does it effect the COG much?

I've seen it advertised on Aerostyle.net, but not much information about what you get with it or what can be ordered extra, and nothing on TJIRC.

Wing bags from Case Models look good, their stuff always looks good quality.

 

[vanquish]

Hi Brett,
I will be adding some information to my website in the next few days.
The ballast chamber has a cross-section of 25x12mm and a length of 260mm. The center of the chamber is located 100mm from the leading edge. The actual center of gravity is between 105-108mm. This means that as ballast is added, the center of gravity moves slightly forward. I will offer a brass ballast set in my shop as an additional option. The protective bags from Casemodels will also be available as an additional option (with grey/silver letters).

The Wingjoiner is a solid piece, filled with carbon fiber. That was my request to TJIRC. In hindsight, however, a slightly lighter connector with a foam core would also be advantageous. In any case, I will include this as an additional and alternative option, as I have a suitable joiner mold myself. I will have to discuss this with TJIRC, too.

In the meantime the first Thor.2 is airborn and I recieved two more models from Tjirc:

kind regards,
Mario

 

[Brett]

Hi Brett,
I will be adding some information to my website in the next few days.
The ballast chamber has a cross-section of 25x12mm and a length of 260mm. The center of the chamber is located 100mm from the leading edge. The actual center of gravity is between 105-108mm. This means that as ballast is added, the center of gravity moves slightly forward. I will offer a brass ballast set in my shop as an additional option. The protective bags from Casemodels will also be available as an additional option (with grey/silver letters).

The Wingjoiner is a solid piece, filled with carbon fiber. That was my request to TJIRC. In hindsight, however, a slightly lighter connector with a foam core would also be advantageous. In any case, I will include this as an additional and alternative option, as I have a suitable joiner mold myself. I will have to discuss this with TJIRC, too.

In the meantime the first Thor.2 is airborn and I recieved two more models from Tjirc:

Thanks for replying so quickly.

That sounds really good, definitely a model to consider in the future.

Looking forward to seeing more information when you are ready to post it. Please post detailed pics of the install and things like that.

I'm keeping an eye out on all the forums. All your models are great, so looking forward to seeing some videos of it flying. Thanks buddy.

 

[Wayne]

We have one on the way to Aloft also.

 

[vanquish]

Electric (F3g) fuselage:

I would like to have the e-fuselage produced as shown in the screenshot, basically as a sailing version. TJIRC prefers an open fuselage at the front. We are still discussing this, as both options have their advantages and disadvantages. The fuse would have a completely round cross-section up to a diameter of 36 mm, which would allow for some variability in the spinner diameter. This is my first electric hull and my experience with drives is limited...
I have provided an opening below the wing for the servos. The opening is long enough to easily accommodate two KST MS320 servos one behind the other. It would be very tight to fit them side by side, so thinner servos such as KST HS08 or Cha DS09 would probably be more suitable.







with 32mm Freudenthaler spinner:



Kind regards,
Mario

 

[Wayne]

Like the servo placement. I like that the slightly cheaper size of servo can fit as the MS320 is a very common size. Think FrSky has the best price option in that size with their ACT servo. The layout for the servos as shown gives good space and makes the instal easy. Looks like that is all the further forward they can go as you need room for the wing wire harness and joiners etc.

Little longer tail length offsets the nose weight.

I like that you were able to keep the lines nice and clean and not make her look bulky. Very nice.