First impressions are important! Here are some pics of the Reaction ARF straight out of the box
along with some of my comments. Overall, this is a magnificent product. The glass work is immaculate, the
finish is smooth and glossy, the glue joints are sound and strong. I am proud of my simple, all-wood Reaction 54
design, but PST has taken the Reaction concept to a new level. The engineering is impressive and the workmanship
is first-rate. I can't wait to fly this beautiful jet!
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THE ARRIVAL!
I'm not normally an ARF builder, but have to admit it was pretty exciting when the FedEx truck
arrived with these two big boxes from Thailand. The contents were packaged beautifully and protected
well with all sorts of bubble wrap, newspaper, and foam. There was no damage to the boxes or the model.
Let's dig in!
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FIN AND RUDDER
Light and accurate. The rudder is the only control surface that the builder has to hinge. Three
point-style hinges are included in the kit. The stabilizer and fin unit are designed to be glued in place
on the fuselage - there is no provision for a removeable tail unit.
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LIVE HINGES
Here's a view of the stabilizer bottom, with the elevator flexed open to show the live hinge. The
hinge is actually the molded fiberglass top skin, which is incredibly strong and aerodynamically clean.
Live hinges are also used for the ailerons and flaps. Note the small slot in the bottom of the elevator
for the machined elevator horn which must be glued in by the builder.
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WING BOTTOM
An overhead shot of the wing bottom surface clearly shows the cutouts for the aileron and flap servos.
Thick fiberglass plates are provided as hatch covers/servo mounts. Threaded steel pushrods with Sullivan
clevises are provided for linkages.
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WING JOINER TUBES
The shiny, smooth finish on this model resulted in reflections from my overhead lights in most of the
photos, sorry. The two-piece wing is joined using two aluminum tubes, then attached to the fuselage
with dowels and bolts. For the technically-minded, it should be noted that the Reaction 54 wood kit uses
a semi-symetrical airfoil with a flat spot on the bottom to make building easier. The ARF uses a pure
symmetrical airfoil.
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WHEEL WELL
The main landing gear are bolted to heavy plywood beams built into the wing. Of course, the PST units
are a drop in fit, but Robart and Spring Air units should fit as well.
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REAR FUSELAGE VIEWED THROUGH WING OPENING
You can see the excellent fiberglass work here. Carbon fiber strips are used for extra strength over
the wing opening. The supplied fuel tank (2.5 liter, not shown) is custom molded to fit just in front of
the forward-most bulkhead shown in this photo. PST offers an optional one-liter tank to expand the fuel
capacity, but I suspect it would work well as a smoke fluid tank.
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ENGINE MOUNT AND ELEVATOR SERVO MOUNT
The two bulheads shown here take the thrust loads. The actual turbine mounting rails are laser-cut from
plywood and supplied in the kit, but they must be glued in by the builder. PST did this so that the rails can
be trimmed before installation to fit a variety of powerplants. As supplied, the rails fit the PST J800R. Cut
lines are etched in for the larger PST J1300R. There is lots of room for cool airflow into and around the
turbine. You can also see the metal elevator servo mount, installed just aft of the turbine.
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CANOPY PARTS
The Reaction ARF comes with a clear canopy, fiberglass canopy frame/hatch, and a
molded plastic cockpit. Guess I'm in the market for a jet pilot bust! The printed instrument panel is a
nice touch, but creative builders will go far beyond that and add lots of details.
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FRONT FUSELAGE
The fuselage is molded in two pieces to keep the shipping box a reasonable size. In most cases, the front
and rear sections will be bolted permanently. But if you need to squeeze your jet
into a small vehicle, you could possibly break it down for transport and assemble at the field. A rugged
plywood box in the nose serves for mounting the nose wheel retract, the retract and brake servos, and their
respective valves. Batteries can be installed in front of the plywood assembly, to help with balance.
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