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SWIMBO was having a sneaky look in my workshop. "well she said, thats a nice wing, it'll fit fine onto the car" How can I ever tell her, it was the tail for my Keil Kraft falcon ernie

Had an enjoyable day at the BMFA Model Builders show at Buckminster, Manny had given me a couple of tables to demonstrate and promote building models using foamboard and depron. I think it surprised a number of people how light and cheaply airframes can be built using these easily available materials. Entry to the Builders show is FREE, why not come along tomorrow and say hi, it is also a chance to pick up some of your winter modelling supplies from some of the traders there. I have nothing to sell, just trying to show a different approach to airframe construction.

T7 Red Hawk.

I saw this on this forum 3 months ago!

+1 on the above comments. I can see you ending up with a shed full of trainers after you have gone solo wondering what you are going to do with them all. Try and stick with 1 plane and learn to fly it well. Then you can decide what you want to do and where your interest is going to drive you so you can buy and build accordingly. You may want to fly gliders, sport models, aerobatics, high speed, ducted fans or war birds, who can tell? Building one plane from a kit or plan sounds fine to learn the techniques and requirements of construction, but please go one at a time. I heard of a mention that to learn to fly you have to crash at least 13 models. This horrified me, proper training will have incidents and damage to a model which ought to be repairable but 13 models - no.

I would only ever recommend using the fuel the engine is run on as a solvent to aid cleaning. Not recommended. Boiling ferrous components in water causes them to oxidise. The top layer of this oxide is easy to wipe off and in the case of a steel/iron piston and liner combo you can ruin the fit of the parts.

One thing that's struck me is the cleanliness of the front wheels, suggesting little brake pad wear. The MG5 doesn't give true "one pedal" driving but I normally have regen at maximum and feather the brakes as it slows.

Don't forget the Norman French! Although to be fair, Norman French was a very nice guy I used to fly with many years ago. 🤣

I went today. Worth a day out and bought a few bits and bobs from the traders there.

I correctly predicted (to myself) that a counterblast would be a waste of time 😉

A post gone, to discuss topics like this one, politics will get a mention and provided it's not partisan it can stay, go too far and it's gone.

Good luck with building your first model Toto. It will give you a great interest over the long winter nights

Sorted it. I was taking some details from the ebay add When I actually googled the psu 7001452 j000 Z750p Plenty came up Got it powered up, fan speed lower and soldered some terminals to the 2 outputs. Thanks all

I just scoured the verbiage looking for the start time, and noticed the "Now with free entry" is in the Latest news.

I agree entirely with Don. You have a couple of serviceable trainers. I think that you should learn to fly first.

I suggest you start looking for a 4.5 kg plane kit, or a 3 kg plane kit. Or both. The inertia of bigger stuff is a challenge; ie, the extra energy on impact, rough landings, causes issues. As in exponentially more difficult repair, and/or expensive repair. Toto, I love you, but concentrate on the challenge in front of your nose. Spend money, enthusiasm on that goal. I tell you again, a cause of failing in this hobby is, “ I’m spending a load of dosh on this, I’m not seeing much reward” . Usually spent on not NEEDED expenditure. Buy shmbo some flowers, chocolates, better investment.

I said I wasn't going to buy any new planes for a while, but was going to replace some engines. A nice NIB Saito FA82A appeared on an auction site at a 'give-way' price........ No bidding war so Mr Postie delivered it a couple of days later. So, what do I replace...... Prime candidate was the old SC91 in my Valiant. Then I flew it again, and was reminded that the engine and plane were already a perfect match. Couldn't be bothered to fix my Ultrastick, so ordered this from Model Shop Leeds at a very good price. An oldie but a goodie, made even better by the 3D printed engine you can see. Maidened it today - flies nicely with just 2 clicks of 'up' needed. Sadly, a loose spat limited it's airtime. (There are now 3 of these, of various ages, in our small club - mine is the only noisy one!)

Three phrases a husband should practice regularly to ensure married harmony: "Yes dear" "That would be my fault dear" "My goodness, that's a bargain". Covers 99% of situations.

As a single (maybe I'm just lucky) aeromodeller I often hear my flying mates mention "brownie points". This got me pondering. Are they quantifyable ? Is there a standard exchange rate ? Do they go off / out of date ? Can you transfer them to other people ? Are there different denominations ? What happens to them when they are "used" ? Will the government find a way to tax them ? There are many other questions I could ask, but will wait for those with better knowledge to enlighten me. 🙂

But I'm sure you'll soon get over it However if you don't, don't worry.

APC 12.5x6 is what I like best for sport aerobatics. A 13x6 is good. Best to do some flight testing. I did fly a 12x6 for a while. If you want faster a 12x8 will work. .

In the Tesla regen is very marked and brings you to a complete stop. I've always tended to brake well in advance, so it wasn't that much of a change in "style" for me, but "one pedal" driving definitely takes a little bit of getting used to. On the rare occasions that I charge the car to 100% regen is missing for a few miles (you can't put charge in a full battery!) and that catches me out when I suddenly realise I've got to use the brake pedal!

This model is small, that model is far away, credits to Father Ted.

Hi Nigel There used to be a time when if you were flying aerobatics then you only used Futaba or JR servos. Those days have gone. However, for low cost servos that centre accurately and have good quality slop free gear trains then you really would do best to speak to Steve Webb Models - this is a link to their servo page. I once bought some expensive Hitec servos but they did not centre accurately as was pointed out by a then UK team member who test flew my aircraft. If you recovered from the vertical dive to horizontal and then released the stick, the aircraft climbed slightly and vice versa. The immortal words were uttered "lose them and fit Futaba"! These days, I use Align, MKS and Futaba with good results. Another factor to consider is that some servos, admittedly expensive ones, are programmable so that you can adjust dead band, centreing accuracy and so forth but you need to buy a programmer (link ). I think your best bet is to speak to a supplier who sells a wide range of servos and explain what you want and see what they say. If you are looking to pay less than £10 per servo then test them for centreing accuracy. Use a long light pointer firmly bolted/attached to the servo arm and check that the tip of the pointer returns to the same place when you drive the servo in both directions. At the end of the day, next to the aircraft you are using, the servo used has the greatest impact on how your aeroplane feels when you fly it. For an aircraft like the Gangster 63 which has a great aerobatic capability, pick the best servo you can afford.

Yes Paul, car was new when I bought it September, 2020. Mileage is low at just over 14,000 miles (partly due to Covid). Tesla are a bit peculiar in that they say that no routine servicing is required. The filter replacement and brake check just seems common sense. The problem with brakes is that, due to the regenerative braking, which is quite powerful on the Tesla, you don't use the brakes much and so they suffer from surface corrosion on the discs. I make a point now of deliberately using the brakes occasionally just to try and keep the surfaces reasonable.

Nice speaking to you today Martin. I was the one in motorcycle kit 😉

One week to go fingers crossed this spell of weather hangs about long enough DE6 1LR. Is the postcode that will find us after you’ve entered Ladyhole lane ( actually the name of a galleon man o war gunnery store room) the site entrance is on your left about half mile chris

Nigel, this is the type of aircraft that you will notice the accuracy of good quality servos. Do not opt for cheap and cheerful otherwise they will not allow you to trim the aircraft accurately. A servo that accurately centres from both extremes and very small movements is essential.

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about weight, unless you're trying to use a 'lightweight' power train. The wing area is enough to not have to actively lose weight. The manual does leave quite a bit to the imagination, can't comment on the motor mount as this must be a fairly recent addition, mine (built 4 or 5 years ago) didn't have it. Also the kit was the kit then - no options for with or without accessories. Did have a spinner included though, along with the now 'extra' bits & bobs. I just mounted the motor on standoffs directly to the bulkhead, and assumed that any side / down thrust was built in to the design. Obviously it's easy enough to adjust with the mounting method I used, but I don't recall ever having to do anything in that regard. Kim

There has been a bit of change of plan for my winter build subject. Originally I had bought one of Lindsay Todd's Kestrels .... which I have not grown out of love with ( excellent model ) but I found something which I believe will be a simpler kit for my first build. enter stage left ....... The Tony Nijhuis Sky 40. I had seen this before and was interested but after watching a rather good build thread on this by some Icelandic gentleman ( who's name I have forgotten ) I decided ....... thats the kit for me. It just looked so " buildable " at a beginners level ..... I had to have it. I think this will give oodles of confidence which hopefully will set me on my way towards something " a level above " like the Kestrel. I then went on to watch the build thread ( by the same gentleman ) for the Sky 120 and bought one of those as well. My shed is definetly shrinking. So ....... at some point ..... as the nights really draw in and the weather turns ..... ( as if it hasn't already ) ...... it will be the first model to hit the building board. I don't think even I can go wrong with the Sky 40. ...... place your bets please gentlemen.😄 toto

Don is so right in his comments - I keep banging on about modellers's burn out because I've seen it happen several times before - wasted money, wasted time and wasted effort. This hobby is very exciting and we all go a bit over the top from time to time, sweets in a sweet shop type of thing and I am guilty of a touch of retail therapy as my workshop and model storage area will show.

Hi Nigel, no this one is built entirely from foam board and depron, looks like a balsa one but is a LOT lighter. Built from free plans online, there is a build thread in the foam forum on this site. I have built a Cambrian Funfighter 109 as well, there is a build thread for that, i think it is in the Warbirds forum.

No, they are not all the same. I too had a quick look for that specific psu and came up with a blank, that is not to say the info isn't out there, it just isn't as common as a DPS-600. If you don't find any info there is no danger in just plugging it into power and see what appears on the output pins.. (the big fat ones). Sometimes the PSU requires a signal on one or more of its signal pins (the small 15 odd block) to tell the PSU that it is in fact inserted in a bay and it should be producing power. If it were me, and it didn't just work by plugging it in, I would be probing each signal pin looking for likely contenders and then grounding them through a 1k resistor to see if I could get the thing to work.. the worst thing that can happen would be blowing the control board...but it isn't working now is it.... but that is just me....maybe just chalk this one up to experience and go buy another PSU that has info on the RC Groups thread?🙂

I had this problem with my laptop telling me I was banned but I was able to access the site on my phone. My grandson sorted it out, don't know how but I rarely use the laptop now as I have found out how to link my phone to the TV.

Hmmmm I have had previous experiences in not gluing down certain materials. Cork for example which I used as a means of sound deadening on model railway baseboards. Maybe sundeala could be different but if it warped like the cork did ... I'd be gutted ... especially at the price. The building board will be kept and used in the shed so will be exposed to changes in temperature. The shed is a twin skin insulated wall construction but it still has significant temperature changes over winter. It is however dry. My intention is to look at replacing it next year all going well. Toto

Cough mixture was just as bad, I think, like Coca Cola, it contained cocaine and people were known to get addicted to it. I know once when my half-sister was a baby and wouldn't stop crying my dad dosed her with whisky. She's survived to 72 so far 🙂

The thread is dangerously close to straying into party politics. Let’s make sure we keep within the forum guidelines.

Hi Martin it sure would have been more cost effective. I've been looking at alternatives for some time and decided to just bite the bullet. Normally ..... over the years, I have been working on large construction sites as a QS where some appropriate type of material would have been available FOC or ..... if keeping in with the PM .... he would just have ordered me as much as I wanted on his next site order ..... but I've been mostly working from home these days. I'm gutted at the cost but ...... move on. toto

Plasterboard laid on a piece of kitchen work surface on a flat table, used it for years.

So .... in the shed ..... and before I get started on my building board construction ....... I may as well do this at the same time ...... bung another of my 3s batteries for the Turbo Timber Evolution on to charge. I only got one of three done the other night ..... two to go. Now ... to the building board .... and here are a few tools of the trade. 50mm countersunk wood screws ... wood glue ..... Clamps, measuring tape and a set square .... battery drill with 2.5mm wood bit ..... a countersink bit.... and some MDF previously cut to size by my freinds at b and Q. mark up the mdf on both sides to show where I will be clamping the strips to ... drill 2.5mm holes at predetermined spots. I did 5 per strip. countersink the holes on the top side as there will be another covering being stuck down on top of this. ..... apply the wood glue along the joining line ..... apply the strips of MDF and clamp to the underside of the building board surface. take away the worst of the " squeeze out ". Turn the board around and screw the board to the strip from the top side. and repeat. The finished article. and from the top. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that on one of the strip ends ..... the MDF has split. This only happened on the two ends of this one strip as I picked up on it right away and for the second strip, I bored down with my 2.5mm drill bit into the strip itself creating a pilot hole. I should have done this from the outset but thought I'd get away with it. No big deal. and there we have it for now. I will show what I finally get for the final top surface when I get it .... something that will take pins. Whatever it is, it will be cut to size and glued to the MDF top board using contact adhesive of which I should already have plenty. cheers for now toto

The right wing press, the tories and cl8mstr change. Stock answer to any problem. If you want an electric car get one. If not dont. Pros and cons to everything. But this thread as with certain others wonders off into naa na naa from either side. When you all sit together and discuss it as adults with true facts and figures, stats analysed in honest fashion with at least an smidgen of open minds that would be grand. Until then i will leave you all in the playground. And you can collect your own toys from under your prams...

Horses, My dour old Scottish vet to say, " Dangerous both ends and unsafe in the middle."

I was considering the question posed by a contributor as to reliable studies, and their conclusions. Although not counting or having read any in depth, just newspaper quotes, it seems most, if not all, have concluded that measures as, low emissions zones, restricted routes and lowered speed limits are inconclusive, with respect to any reductions sought. It is acknowledged that stationary traffic, with engines running will emit the highest levels of exhaust emissions. It stands to reasons that low speed limits allow vehicles to run closer together. The next bit would require some maths, to establish a relationship between the exhaust emissions at any speed, and the braking distances. At the end of day all very theoretical, at maximum traffic density possible. The result would at best be indicative. Some published reports have suggested that the restrictions have at best made little to no difference, in some instances worsening the results in other streets. From an emission stand point, it seems that old diesel buses (as used on bus routes) were the biggest polluters, by a large margin. I am guessing that why there has been a drive for modern buses and more recently electric buses. Apparently local buses are the largest contributors to particulate pollutions from accelerating and stopping. Particularly electric buses due to higher weight issue. An aside at least one study indicated that IC buses with typical passenger occupancy, emit higher emissions than a single occupancy car. Hence the drive to get more people to use buses? With respect to road deaths, it seems logical that lower speeds will results result in lower deaths. One report seemed to indicate that the relationship is less than anticipated. That traffic density and other road users and drivers behaviours is just as significant. Again I have read that deaths per 100, 000 was much higher in the horse drawn era than today, additionally there were very high serious injuries arising from looking after the horses, gathering the feed stock, shoeing etc. Sometimes you wish you had saved all the articles, then I think, that is a bit anal, and still open to counter claim. Particularly that for some, their believes, dogma, are more important than what may pass for facts. It does seem that many issues relating to private transport have more to do with money making, than anything else.

At the end of the day you can spend your money on whatever means of conveyance you like, I would like to retain the right for me to choose mine, that current right is being eroded and I resent that. Changing to an electric vehicle does not make any sense to me, it would be a huge waste of resources, both mine and the worlds, with the only benefit that I can see is it might be a bit exciting. Your mileage may vary, and that is fine, just please stop with the virtue signaling, just say 'I want one' and that is reason enough, changing to driving an electric car is not going to save the planet, it is not going to make even the slightest dent in global pollution and unless the inherent risks of operating electric vehicles are taken into account, and properly mitigated, by manufacturers, regulators, operators and politicians there will a nasty disaster in a city near you soon. How many warnings do we need?

Congratulations Roy, your final reaction to your flights really sums up why we still build our models. I have been watching this as it developed for 2 reasons, Bowmans was one of the 3 model shops in Ipswich which I used to frequent as a teenager, the other reason is I built a Magister too. Mine is a much modified build from a David Platt plan with me trying to loose quite a bit of its weight, being 78" in wingspan and just under 5lbs in weight. Flies quite sedately but quite aerobatic when opened up on its 4S 500mAH battery. My landing do tend to a bit like your 3 pointers, 2 wheels & a nose and the UC on mine is way too springy Link to my build is here.

Designer / builder with eyes nearly closed for scale 😁

Good point Manish - and why I always have good quality filters on my fuelling system.

Finished, can any one recognise the colour scheme?