Multiplex Modellsport GmbH & Co. KG of Bretten-Gölshausen, Germany is a manufacturer of hobby-grade

radio control Radio control (often abbreviated to RC) is the use of control signals transmitted by radio to remotely control a device. Examples of simple radio control systems are garage door openers and keyless entry systems for vehicles, in which a small ...

electronics, electric

radio-controlled airplane A radio-controlled aircraft (often called RC aircraft or RC plane) is a small flying machine that is controlled remotely by an operator on the ground using a hand-held radio transmitter. The transmitter continuously communicates with a receiver ...

s and electric

helicopters A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

. Their aircraft models are molded of a proprietary expanded polypropylene foam known as Elapor. The flexible nature of the material makes the company's models resistant to crash damage as well as easy assembly and repair with ordinary hobby-grade

cyanoacrylate Cyanoacrylates are a family of strong fast-acting adhesives with industrial, medical, and household uses. They are derived from ethyl cyanoacrylate and related esters. The cyanoacrylate group in the monomer rapidly polymerizes in the presence ...

adhesives. The two-part

epoxy Epoxy is the family of basic components or cured end products of epoxy resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide functional group is also coll ...

commonly used in model assembly will not bind Elapor, nor will so-called "foam safe" cyanoacrylate adhesives used in the assembly and repair of

EPS EPS, EPs or Eps may refer to: Commerce and finance * Earnings per share * Electronic Payment Services, in Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, China * Express Payment System, in the Philippines Education * Edmonton Public Schools, in Edmonton, Al ...

foam models.

Products

Aircraft

Models range from small powered gliders such as the Cularis'

to "pusher prop jets" such as the FunJET'

pictured right, to electric "sportliners" such as the Blizzard''

to the company's largest model, the Mentor'

The Mentor (now discontinued), a trainer aircraft which resembles a

Cessna 180 The Cessna 180 Skywagon is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircr ...

, is an electric-powered model similar in size and power to a .40 cubic inch/6.5cc

glow engine A glow plug engine, or glow engine, is a type of small internal combustion engine typically used in model aircraft, model cars and similar applications. The ignition is accomplished by a combination of heating from compression, heating from a ...

-powered model. It is large and powerful enough to be used as a

glider tug Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...

and parts are packed with the kit to allow the Mentor to be used as such. In 2010, the company introduced its first helicopter model, the Funcopter'

The model features an Elapor fuselage and a direct drive rotor system, eliminating the need for the drive gears and one-way bearings found in many other models. Also introduced in 2010 was the FunJET Ultra. The original FunJET is a popular subject for modification, with heavily modified examples capable of greater than 130 MPH (210 km/h). The Ultra addresses the problems inherent in such modifications with a combination of denser Elapor, improved aerodynamics with the elimination of the simulated wing tanks and an updated motor mount.

Radio control equipment

Multiplex's RoyalPRO line of aircraft and surface model radios are available in both North American and European frequency ranges including the

spread spectrum In telecommunication and radio communication, spread-spectrum techniques are methods by which a signal (e.g., an electrical, electromagnetic, or acoustic signal) generated with a particular bandwidth is deliberately spread in the frequency dom ...

2.4 GHz The ISM radio bands are portions of the radio spectrum reserved internationally for industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) purposes, excluding applications in telecommunications. Examples of applications for the use of radio frequency (RF) ener ...

band. The company also markets a line of

servo Servo may refer to: Mechanisms * Servomechanism, or servo, a device used to provide control of a desired operation through the use of feedback ** AI servo, an autofocus mode ** Electrohydraulic servo valve, an electrically operated valve that ...

s and

electronic speed control An electronic speed control (ESC) is an electronic circuit that controls and regulates the speed of an electric motor. It may also provide reversing of the motor and dynamic braking. Miniature electronic speed controls are used in electrically p ...

s, again for both air and surface use.

International competitors

Competing brands of radio control systems include,

Spektrum RC Spektrum is a brand of radio control systems designed for use with hobby radio-controlled cars and aircraft. Spektrum is a division of Horizon Hobby. The R/C hobby in the United States, Japan, and Europe typically used to employ FM radio control ...

, Sanwa, Futaba, Graupner, Hitec,

Japan Remote Control Japan Remote Control Co., Ltd. (日本遠隔制御株式会社; ''Nippon Enkaku Seigyo Kabushiki Gaisha'') (commonly called source Propo, source Racing, or hum) was a Japanese manufacturer of popular radio control devices including transmitters ...

KO Propo KO PROPO is a brand of radio control equipment and humanoid robot (KHR-1) by Kondo Kagaku, established in Tokyo, Japan in 1945. In 1982 KO PROPO introduced the Expert EX-1, reported to have been the first to integrate a pistol grip into a transm ...

, and Acoms.

References

External links

Multiplex Modelsport Germany

Multiplex Modelsport USA

2007 product review of the Multiplex FunJET at RCGroups.com

Discussion thread for the FunJET Ultra at RCGroups.com

Video of a highly modified FunJET powered by a Kolibri turbine, the world's smallest turbine engine
{{Radio-controlled models Companies based in Baden-Württemberg Radio-controlled transmitter Radio-controlled aircraft German brands