Excalibur vs excalibur II, Dick Mathis design

[DanielGelinas]

Hello All,

Can someone tell me the differences between the two (specs, year they cam out, etc...)?
Does anyone have the original articles from Flying models or MAN...I can't remember, I can get a copy from?

I believe the plans for Excalibur II are available through flying models. I'm thinking of building one soon...

Anyone out there have picture of one they would like to share?

Thanks for any input guys!

-Daniel

[larry borden]

Here is a picture of my Excalibur that was kitted by M&P, way back when.

[DanielGelinas]

Thanks for the picture Larry. That's a nice plane!!
So yours is the excaliber? Do you know the differences between thetwo designs?
Thanks,
-Daniel

[Randy Powell]

The original design (plans at least) didn't have a sheeted leading edge. It had three spars much like the Coyote.

[Larry Cunningham]

I had a pair of kits (can't remember who made them - someone in Texas?). I built one and gave the other to Doug Carson. These were the Excalibur (not the II) and had the  triple spar leading edge; the kit had a heavy pre-shaped solid trailing edge, which I replaced with 1/4" balsa sticks and planking. Mine was red with yellow monokote wing covering and Tony Drago liked its looks (got that photo somewhere, Tony?). But the first time I flew it I was unhappy. It wanted to hunt a bit and turned its own self-tightening inside loops and big soft outside loops.

Mark Bowen took one look at the fuselage and saw an obvious problem - the sheet fuselage (kits were from a club auction, and were very old) seemed to have warped, so that the slot for the stab had its LE about 1/8" lower that normal. So, I just cut the stab off, sanded the fuselage sides flush, and cut a new stab slot - a LEVEL one. New stab installed, I found my Excalibur to be a very pleasant, capable model airplane. In fact, I flew it at VSC that year.

Doug built his, I can't remember if he had a stab attack angle problem. He did make some changes. The original model features a "balsa only" fuselage and nose (which worked quite well, surprising me), but Doug used our typical Mo'Best style recessed fuel tank with maple mounts. (It's possible that Doug replaced the entire fuselage to solve the aforementioned problem. Don't remember.) Photo below, I believe Doug said the crack on the inboard wing's monokote was not flight damage..

Dick Matheson is a fine designer. The Excalibur II has a slightly taller fuselage profile, not sure what else. Sister design is the Coyote, not nearly as interesting as the Excalibur in my view, but a fine flyer as well. Same all balsa nose setup on both designs as I recall (correct me if I'm wrong).

L.

"Being right too soon is socially unacceptable." -Robert A. Heinlein 

[john e. holliday]

My Excaliber came from a hobby shop in Fort Worth.  It was just off of I-30.  Was going to school in Dallas at the time.  Yes the nose had no ply in it and the leading was what some people turbulator spars.   Was a great flying plane at the time.   

[builditright]

Hi Daniel

I don't want to hijack your post but I am in the process of kitting the first Excalibur
please see my post in my vendors section. 

http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=26112.0

[Wynn Robins]

I sent you both magazine articles - Excalibur and Excalibur II

[DanielGelinas]

Wynn-- Thanks a bunch!

Walter...you are making this too easy for me!!
I will certainly be interested in you kit.
Question for you...will the leading edge be pointy as in the excalibur or will it be rounded off like the excalibur II??

Thanks!
-d

[builditright]

Wynn-- Thanks a bunch!

Walter...you are making this too easy for me!!
I will certainly be interested in you kit.
Question for you...will the leading edge be pointy as in the excalibur or will it be rounded off like the excalibur II??

Thanks!
-d

Funny you should ask about that.

John drew the plans correctly with the pointed LE but he also added a curved line showing a blunted L.E.
which I personally thought needed addressing so I have added a note addressing possible fidelity issues
with an arrow pointing to that line.

See attached

[Steve Helmick]

Firstly, it was Richard (Dick) Mathis that was the designer, not "Matheson".

The original version of the Excalibur was published in Flying Models in '66 or '67. It was the first plane I started building after I got married in '67. I built mine like the plans (didn't buy the plans, no money), except I recessed the center sheeting flush, instead of scabbing it on the outside, and I made the gear removeable torsion bar setup like many still use. And I used an OS .35S. Two of my buddies also built them, and I believe I flew all three. The best one had a McCoy .40 in it. This version is Classic legal.

The Excalibur II had the blunter LE, I think had sheeted LE and fuselage mounted LG. This version is NOT Classic legal.

IIRC, Walter Umland's first kits were Excaliburs, hand cut. I have one, and no, don't ask, it's not for sale. There should be no problem with enlarging the LE stick and blunting the LE radius more. There is nothing in the Classic Rules that allows disqualifying anybody for anything. Still, if you're flying it in Classic, a sharp-eyed (and grumpy) Judge might dock you a point or two for "authenticity", tho that would come out of Appearance Points, because almost nobody uses authenticity points. Several Excaliburs have been entered at VSC over the years.  Steve

[larry borden]

The Excalibur was kitted by M&P Models here in the DFW area. Dick Mathis and Tom Peeden.

[Airacobra]

I built an Excalibur from the Flying Models Plans, 2nd Version with the Fuse mounted landing gear. As a matter of fact, that was the plane that I took first place in Cleveland in Beginner. If my memory serves me right, that was around 1993 or so. I can remember getting a gallon of fuel and a Sig T-shirt from that contest. Afterwards, Bob Hunt was very gracious and offered me 2 sets of plans from Flying Models. That contest was at the old Cleveland site which contained a very rich history. Back to the plane, mine had a ST .35 on it and it never ran particularly well but the plane itself flew very well. The plane was ultimately given to John Sunderland and where it is today I do not know.

[john e. holliday]

The Excalibur was kitted by M&P Models here in the DFW area. Dick Mathis and Tom Peeden.

Wasn't this the name of the hobby shop in Fort Worth?    I remember going to Johnny Clemmons shop in Dallas and we were talking about the sharp leading edges of stunt planes.   He told me of an incident in which a new  modeler had built a kit with the sharp leading edge.   Can't remember the design, but they were having trouble keeping the plane level and the tracking thru loops.   He stated he tool one look at the plane and pulled out his pocket knife and asked if it was okay to fix the problem.   The gentleman said yes and Johnny started whittleling on the leading edge.   I think they put tape over the bare wood for protection for the flight.   The guy was amazed at how much better the plane flew.   Johnny said the guy was out the next week with a refinish on the plane.   Also the leading edge was nicely rounded.  At least that is what I was told.   Still miss Johnny.   

[Bill Little]

I built an Excalibur from the Flying Models Plans, 2nd Version with the Fuse mounted landing gear. As a matter of fact, that was the plane that I took first place in Cleveland in Beginner. If my memory serves me right, that was around 1993 or so. I can remember getting a gallon of fuel and a Sig T-shirt from that contest. Afterwards, Bob Hunt was very gracious and offered me 2 sets of plans from Flying Models. That contest was at the old Cleveland site which contained a very rich history. Back to the plane, mine had a ST .35 on it and it never ran particularly well but the plane itself flew very well. The plane was ultimately given to John Sunderland and where it is today I do not know.

Hi Keith,

I can't remember if it was '93 or '92 when Aaron drove up to Cleveland for his first ever stunt contest!  He finished 2nd in beginner with his RD-1 and Webra .28....... he spent Saturday night with Billy at is Mom's house.  Aaron was in Hog Heaven! LOL!!

Bill

P.S. Got a SV 11 wing for an Aircobra!

[Airacobra]

Hey Bill I have my flight on Videotape. My St 35 never ran well and Joe Reinhard and I were a bit concerned about what would happen at Cleveland but we went anyway. That ST 35 ran better than ever, funny thing is, it never ran that way again. I ended up taking it off and putting a Fox 35 on it. This contest was the one in which Bob Hunt talked about Mike Starrett's Eliminator and how well it ran on the pipe. I think it was in Bob's Saturn article in which he spoke about Mike's plane.  It's funny you should mention the 39. I have something in the works and hope to be back involved in the near future? Keith