TUFF-LG-Quark

01/16/10

MIA TUFF ™ Landing Gear Kit

	1) G10 Parts tree
	2) MIA TUFF(TM) Struts
	2) G10 Thick plate skids
	2) Rubber Straps
	1) Battery Foam Cushion Pad Benefits: * Greater height Clearance with hard fall or landing dampening springy struts * Longer skids and wider skid distance for better heli support and protection * Simple easy battery mounting and adjustability for better CG.

Kit Parts

	1) G10 Fin
	1) Retro Design Canopy
	1) Clear Windshield
	1) Canopy Mounting Carbon Rod
	2) Inside canopy mounting rod 1/2 inch spacers
	4) Small O-ring Canopy Retainers
	1) Large O-ring Mounting Rod to Frame Center Support Retainer
	1) Tail Boom Gear Box to Boom Retainer Screw

Benefits:

* Both MIA Canopies are close to 1/2 lighter weight than stock canopy.
* MIA Carbon Pattern Canopies are extremely durable but slightly heavier than the MIA Color ones.
* Super easy installation/removal with canopy snap-locking feature to front skids
* Greater air ventilation (cooling) to electronics
* Easy access to trim control potentiometers, no need to remove canopy
* Same easy access to start buttons under canopy as stock
* Cool unique retro look

Blade Options and Tips for stronger lightweight Blades

Here is a simple alternative laminating tip, that anyone can do to the blades, does not make them break proof, but much stronger and does not negatively impact flight performance.

This is similar to the covering them with packaging

tape. Basically this is all you need, really, if on a very low budget, if you are careful, the blades will last a long time. Try not to handle the helicopter by the blades. I accidentally did that a couple times, before the blades were covered and I broke them at the same place, everyone has broken them in.

MIA Method - Blade Modification.

I've been using this method since I started designing Rubber Powered and RC micro helis, I used the same covering procedure but with balsa blades back in the 90's to keep the heli overall weight extremely lightweight and to keep the rotor head performance high (i.e. MIA Feather, MIA Sport LE), to name a few. I also used the same procedure on my Free DIY Free Flight heli plans thread in RCG, under the Free Flight section.

How to do the Blade Lamination:

1) Print any pattern using a drawing or paint program then sent it to your printer.

2) Print on regular 20lb copy paper (then carefully and evenly spray adhesive) or sticky back mailing label.
3) Cut the pattern oversize, so to cover the blade fully top and bottom.
4) Carefully cover each blade evenly, do not overlap edges, with center
fold, at the leading edge of the blade, fold over top then bottom, so that you end up with fully covered top and bottom.
5) Smooth out edges and trim (scissors first then use sandpaper lightly around the edges to obtain a professional finish) around the blade perimeter and grip area, only the top small area around the screw, which is about 1/4 " in diameter, leave the covering around the black plastic blade grip integral to the foam blade.
6) This is important! Balance the blades so that you don't get small vibrations that may happen if you trimmed unevenly. If one blade is lighter than the other add a bit of masking tape to make it equal weight to the other blade. If you are familiar with static and dynamic balancing of blades do so , but you only need to weigh balance them, if you were careful in the application of the covering and trimming and you started out with equal weight and pre-balanced foam blades.

Attached photo of the Quark blades done this way. The only other Blades that work as good as the foamies with a little more speed, are the MIA 1999 Robin 280 Anodized Aluminum ones (NOT FOR SALE), but these you can not crash with because they will dent, much like the foamies which have a drawback of breaking when they are uncovered, otherwise they both perform well, so this is only for comparison.