Radian upper wing joiner

thingiverse

The Radian and Radian Pro are awesome gliders but have one annoying flaw: the wing joiner screws from the bottom instead of the top which means you have to flip the model upside down at the field. If you do not have a stand, you risk damaging the rudder/elevator. This part requires a little surgery but isnt too bad to install. The hardest part is removing the stock plastic joiner. I poured rubbing alcohol around the edge of the stock plastic joiner and pry'd it out with a flat head screw driver. The glue they use is very rubbery but does come off. You will also need to remove the stock plastic parts that the screw threads into. I moved these to the bottom and I would suggest drilling a small hole on the other side so you can use screws that are as long as you would like. Next, slice about 1-2mm of foam off the top slot so the new joiner sits flush. Use the wing as a guide and mark the slot on the stock joiner and use a dremel to cut a roughly 3mm deep slot on the top so the new joiner can sit inside. The inside cut needs to be at an angle because I put a stress relief fillet on the new joiner. Use the stock joiner as a guide when cutting the foam on the Radian. I suggest using low temperature hot glue to lock the new joiner in place because you can remove it by putting a few drops of rubbing alcohol on it. If you want to take this a step further, it is fairly easy to make a channel though the foam so you can plug the wires in on the top. You will never have to flip the model upside down again.