Malibu, a lovely 1m DLG that launches high and has great handling. Due to the large wing area and big flapperons the model thermals very easily. The well coordinated controls give it nimble handling, and the model holds its own, even when compared with considerably more expensive DLGs.

 

Model is supplied with a strong and brightly coloured glass layup wing, which weighs approx 64 g. These are good weights for an economic 1 meter discus launched glider, especially considering the generous wing area of design.

 

The Malibu  fuselage is a pod and boom design with the front part made from 2.4GHz friendly glass, and the rear from spread carbon. There is an large access hatch on the top giving access to the RC installation. The aileron and elevator servos are installed in the pod to minimise nose weight and yaw inertia. A rudderless RC set-up is suggested as the fin is not cut for rudder, but this could easily be changed if full three axis control is preferred, though this is often thought unnecessary for small models. Due to the large canopy hatch and only three servos the RC installation is not quite as cramped as most DLGs, making it suitable for an intermediate level modeller.

 

The Malibu  wing is solid molded with a glass  skin over a CNC cut foam core. The wing has a nice surface finish for low drag. The ailerons are fabricated with a living hinge. The only work required to finish the wings is installing the throwing blade and control horns. The supplied throwing blade is of an innovative split tang design, with the tangs being glued to the top and bottom surfaces of the wing, which is much easier than on most DLGs, which require the tip to be hollowed out. The throwing blade can be fitted to either tip, so the model is suitable for left and right handed throwers.

 

The tailplane (horizontal stabiliser) is mounted on a very nice mini articulated "V mount" on the top of the boom, and the fin (vertical stabiliser) has a perfectly matching hole molded into it, enabling easy mounting onto the end of the tailboom. 

 

The model is supplied with a accessory pack including the control horns, V mount, launch blade, elevator pushrod, aileron pushrods, and wing mounting screws.