EasyStar Rudder Mod

 Here's my rudder mod for the Easy Star.  Executive summary:  Dubro hinges, twin credit store cards (store card, thinner and lighter).

 I connected the rudder to the vertical stabilizer using a pair of Dubro hinges.  This made the throw much smoother.  Andreas told me about this... cut slots in the stabilizer and rudder, and insert the hinges into the slots.  It will be nicely aligned.  I used the smallest amount of CA I could, and squeezed the CA deep into the slot before inserting the hinges.  Don't get glue on the hinges, or they won't hinge!

 Instead of the traditional credit card, I used a CVS store card, being thinner, lighter, and a cheerful red color.  One problem: I didn't like the asymmetric angle when one card was attached.  It doesn't cause problems when flying, since you just straighten the "extended" card rudder when attaching to the servos, but it looks a bit untidy.

I had an extra card, so I tried squeezing them together... as you can see in the second picture, it looked quite nice.  It added an extra 3.2 grams of weight to the tail,, but I don't think that will be detrimental.

 I taped the long edges together, then CA'ed that edge with some kicker.  I then CA'ed the two cards squarely onto the rudder, keeping the same appearance in the second picture.  I put a drop of glue into the gap and held it shut to keep the nice curve.

Following that, I attached the built-up rudder to the vertical stabilizer using the hinge and the method detailed above.  It was a bit trickier since I had to get both hinges aligned at the same time.  It doesn't hurt to dry-fit the hinges and reinsert them several times in order to get a nice smooth glide for when you're inserting the hinge with glue.

I set the servo attachment to the second hole, which looks like about the right amount of throw.  Instead of discarding the tape, I tidied it up around the edges and left it in place, mainly for the nice clean line it had.

Overall, I was pleased with how it looks and operates.  And I can tell people the rudder mod was done with Extra Care!

update: very honored for this to be included in the RCGroups E* Mods post!