When Sport Aviator Editor Frank Granelli asked me to do a review of the new “Mini Telemaster”; I said sure. After all, the airplane I learned to fly RC with was a “Telemaster 40”. I loved that airplane. With a wide-chord 73-inch wing and weighing just 6 pounds, the Telemaster 40’s wing loading was about 16 oz. / sq. ft.

My original Telemaster 40, started out with a HP 49 four stroke engine. That combination could barely get off the ground but once in the air it was just the right thing for me. I needed a very slow flying airplane that could stay up a long time. Flights over a half hour, on only an 8 oz. tank, were not uncommon. As I got better and needed to be able to learn how to takeoff, the engine was switched to a K& B 40. Now I could take off easily. Later on I switched again, this time to a K & B 60. What a great combination!

What is really being said is that that airplane was versatile and could fly well with a great range of engines. The Telemaster 40, itself a version of the original Senior Telemaster, was a terrific trainer along with being quite aerobatic with the more powerful engines.

The 94-inch span Senior Telemaster was introduced to the modeling world in the 1970’s. Originally kitted, lots of wooden sticks, the airplane was an instant success. It was aerobatic, one of the best Basic Trainers, could carry a heavy load and looked just right flying by. Like television series spin-offs, a great many Telemaster versions, like my Telemaster 40, appeared practically overnight.

Photo 1

Sport Aviator has just reviewed an even newer version of this exceptional airplane designed just for electric power. The Telemaster Electro ARF (photo 1) is about the size of my old Telemaster 40 but more powerful than my old .49 cu. in. four stroke version. Now Hobby Lobby has just introduced something that seems strange at first, a Mini-Telemaster. After all, the Telemaster made its reputation as a giant among model airplanes and now it is suddenly going to be a “small fry”? The new Mini-Telemaster is smaller than its larger brethren but it is most assuredly not a small fry.

The airplane's wide-for-its-size wing spans 47 inches and has 329 sq. in. of lifting area. The wing loading is about 11.4 oz. / sq. ft., even less than the Telemaster Electro. This version does not have ailerons but Hobby Lobby has just announced that a separate aileron equipped wing will be available for an additional $31.30.

But this version is the 3-channel original Mini-Telemaster. Now onto the “building”

My Telemaster 40 was a kit—that is—a bunch of sticks and planks (die cut) that took me well over a month to put together. This ‘kit’ is an ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) that could be put together in 3 to 4 hours. Much of that time would be spent in waiting for the epoxy glue to dry.

But before we begin assembling, let’s talk about nomenclature: That is, what the parts of an airplane are called.

Most people know what a wing is, so that is taken care of.

The control surfaces in the back of the airplane are the rudder and the elevator. The elevator is connected to the horizontal stabilizer and the rudder is connected to the vertical stabilizer. On this ARF the elevators and the rudder are already connected (hinged) to their respective surfaces.

This airplane does not have ailerons but they would be connected to the wing on other airplanes. The body of the airplane is called the fuselage.

The two sticks in photo 3 become the one-piece dihedral brace shown in photo 4. For you newcomers, the wing is not built flat but in the shape of a “V”. This dihedral provides a self-righting effect and keeps the airplane stable. It also increases the rudder’s effectiveness making turns and rolls possible without ailerons.

First, dry fit the wing halves and dihedral brace together and see how good the fit is. You might need to do a little sanding to make the wing halves fit tightly. This is a must. Mine fit perfectly without any adjustment. The wing, when joined before gluing, showed 2 13/16ths inch dihedral with one wing panel laid flat on the work bench and the other wing panel raised 2 13/16ths of an inch.

Apply the 30-minute epoxy liberally to all surfaces of the dihedral brace, inside the wing dihedral brace socket and to one wing ‘root’. The wing root is the face of the wing where the halves come together. Now the wing halves must be fitted tightly together. The bricks are actually pushing the wing parts together tightly. I usually don’t bother to wipe off any epoxy that oozes out of the joint where it will not be seen when the wing is attached to the fuselage. On the top, just wipe gently and then go back with a tissue that is damp with denatured alcohol or rubbing alcohol.

Photo 8 shows the tools needed to build the Mini-Telemaster. The next few steps require a sharp knife. You surgeons out there might consider a fresh scalpel but the rest of us need to buy a hobby razor knife at the local Hobby Shop. Keep a supply of new blades around and change them before they start to tear the wood or plastic film covering.

The covering on the top of the fuselage under the stabilizer needs to be cut away. Temporally mount the horizontal stabilizer (the part that contains the elevator) onto the fuselage top. Mark the fuselage at the front of the stabilizer. Slice away the covering on the rear top of the fuselage.

Temporally remount the stabilizer and pin it to the fuselage. Make sure the stabilizer is square to the fuselage. The easy way to do this is to run a string from the outside tip of both stabilizer sides to the center of the firewall. Both distances must be equal.