After building Bob Hunt Crossfires for the past 4 years, Chris Cox and I decided a change was needed.  After visiting the "Walker Stunt Ranch" last May we both decided that Paul's Predator design was in both our futures.  Chris changes the look of his to mimic his Defiant design from the late 90s.  I took a little different track with my new Divergent.  Chris went back to fuselage mounted LG while I modified a Yatchenko removable wing gear assembly with my own carbon fiber gear legs.  Both models use Igor's active timer and Jeti Spin 66 ESC.  Batteries are Thunder Power 6S 2700.
Chris plans to use a Plettenburg motor while I plan on using the AXI 2826/13D.  We had both uses the Cobra 3520 motor the past 2 years. 
Here are a few pictures.
Alan Resinger

Ditto!

Both planes are gorgeous.

They won't let me touch them - oily finger prints, you know.

Yea, it was just the initial view looked like it had tape on it. A closer looks reveals just a really shiny surface.

Hi Keith,
Both models are finished Randolph and Certified dopes.  Open bay wings are covered with carbon veil on sheeted surfaces and with Polyspan on the open bay portions.  This is applied with either Randolph butyrate or Nitrate, depending on what we have in our stock.  Nitrate seems to adhere the carbon and polyspan a little better.  After heat shrinking the Polyspan, a couple coats of Sig Supercoat (tautening butyrate) are applied to the open bays.  From then on Randolph non-tautening is used in the build-up of the substrate.  All colors are either stock Randolph or acrylic pigments from the auto paint store mixed with Randolph clear.  
Last October when I was down at the Golden State contest in Madera, California, my old buddy Gord Delaney and I were talking finishing and I was complaining about Randolph clear yellowing after spending a season out in the sun.  He suggested that I try using Certified non tautening clear for the clear coats.  Chris and I bought a gallon and I am completely sold on it.  From now on I will only use Certified for all my clear dope needs.  Dries faster, harder and actually lays on better with the spray gun.  A little more expensive than Randolph but is a lot higher in solids.  Comes out of the can like honey so it requires significant thinning for our needs.  In short, we had to thin about 75% thinner to paint so a gallon goes a long way.  People are always asking about what thinner to use on dope.  We are lucky here in Canada, as Home Depot here in the Great White North, carries a Canadian made lacquer thinner that works with all kinds of dope and costs a lot less than half of what Randolph thinner does.
My model has been in the air.  I took it out one day this week and flew 2 short 1.5 minute flights to check lap time and make sure wings were level, tip weight was about right, CG was close and how it turned.  I put in a fresh battery and changed the timer to 5:20 flight time and flew the full pattern on it's first full flight.  It flies great and is really close to being ready for contest work.  Weights are a little high for us. We were both hoping to be around 66-67 oz but with the take apart structures, we are both in the high 60oz range.  I am already starting a new stab/elev. assembly to reduce weight in the tail so I can use the 1oz. lighter AXI motor.  I figure I can reduce overall weight by about 2oz. which would make me happy.  Chris is also thinking a new tail on his and it hasn't been in the air yet.
Alan

Hi Alan,
Thanks very much for those details on the finish. Out here in Darkest Africa, nobody sells Randolph paints, so I have to guess as to what they are. We do get Duco or lacquer based auto point, and I mostly use standard clear lacquer for nitrate dope, or even hardware store sanding sealer for raw balsa. It's that wonderful gloss or shine on your models that really impresses me. I could get that only by using clear 2K polyurethane which was also such a good fuel proofer as well. I don't like the toxic 2K paint at all and of course with e-power we no longer need a fuel proofing coat. I've had no luck with clear lacquer staying shiny, so maybe it's all in the initial finishing process that must be perfect right from the start. I've also been told to try some water-based clear acrylic or enamel paint so I guess that there are newer paints to experiment with.

Thanks again for the info and please keep us posted as to the performance.

Keith R

Chris,
The design uses Paul's "Predator" wing, tail and moments.
As for the Cobra 3520, I've used it the past two seasons and have nothing but good things to say about it.  With front mounting the bearing life has been really outstanding.  Both last years and the year before my motors had close to 300 flights before I changed bearings.  It was actually done for insurance before going to the Golden State Championships in mid October.  The reason for the change to the AXI is the 1 oz. lighter weight.
Alan

Chris,
The design uses Paul's "Predator" wing, tail and moments.

Both birds look great..    

Has PW published or released  the Predator plan ?
Also, where are you buying the Certified dope products ?