Cuban8

Website almost a year out of date - not very encouraging for potential customers. I see my usual Model Technics Laser 5% fuel from MSL has gone up to thirty eight quid for 5L - a rise for sure, but still pennies per flight.

The market will decide one way or the other. It's nice to have the option at this point in time, but it's inevitable that the viability and profit associated with any product or service will be the main factor that usually trumps what customers want.

OK, digital copy of the current RCM&E downloaded - will have a read later today.

Another point is the effect UV has on the eyes (cataracts). UV does take its toll if one has outdoor hobbies, and even more so if staring up at at a bright clear sky for ages on end without protection. Even fairly overcast days during mid-summer can have hazardous UV levels. UV doesn't do your skin much good either - needed a non-dangerous lesion to be removed some years ago from the side of my face, certainly caused by lengthy exposure to the sun over time. Don't ignore it folks, serious sun damage to eyes and skin is real - protect them............use factor 50 sunscreen. Certain types of sun damage is deadly. I keep a small bottle of the spray-on sunscreen in the car with my sunglasses/clip ons - takes a minute to protect your face which is very vulnerable to damage. Top off with a nice wide brimmed hat.

Tried many types of sunglasses over the years and find that for flying a pair of yellow tint, polarized clip-ons works best for me. Dark sunglasses are fine for the beach but tend to blank out detail when model flying. The yellow's are very good, I'll have a pair of prescription sunglasses made up as close as I can get to the clip ons. Try a light yellow tint - chances are, like me, dark tints aren't for you when flying.

Had one of the first Cougars back in the day powered by a .46 two stroke - awsome model that could do some outrageous stunts. Finally met its end during a low, inverted pass contest........I pulled instead of pushed.😭

I do have a Pocketmags account and might get a digital copy.......contents preview does look a bit uninspiring though. I really wouldn't get a regular copy - all nicely written I'm sure, but not not my cup of tea really these days. A difficult time for those whose living depends on the mag.

Give it a try. Paint the goo on where needed and then put the motor in a plastic bag to soak for about an hour - the stripper tends to lose its effectiveness otherwise, as the ammonia in it evaporates quite quickly if left to the open air. I reckon a couple of goes will see a marked improvement with plenty of toothbrush brush agitation to loosen things up. I do get your OCD - a nice new model and grubby engine don't sit too well with me either. My engines stay so much cleaner since running fully synthetic fuel, even the old stuff with a couple of percent Castor would make a mess, particularly on fourstroke exhausts and look 'orrible in no time . Re the Ultrasonic cleaner - probably depends on the type of cleaning fluid used - some are a bit caustic and will remove plating if overdone. I've only ever used fluid intended for carburettor cleaning on carbs but I understand that a degreaser like 'Elbow Grease' which is more benign can be used. I guess some experimentation is needed.

Walking round our very large Sainsbury's yesterday, for some reason my mind wandered onto the subject of this thread and I thought I'd break the habit of the last several years and go and buy an RCM&E............Not a bad mag section in the store but far smaller than in the past. So called lifestyle nonsense mags, DIY, a few motorsport mags, Model Railways, Airfix, Flypast but no RCM&E which always used to be on sale. Maybe they'd sold out, who knows? Somehow I doubt it. Nothing doing at our local Newsagent come Mini-Market either. Oh well, I did try. Maybe a £4.99 digital copy?

Unless you strip it right down and give it a thorough clean in an ultrasonic bath as one does with motorbike carbs etc, then you're stuck with a manual method that depending on the intensity and type of staining, gives variable results in my experience. Your motor looks pretty good both mechanically and cosmetically, so I'd be inclined to run it as is and see how it goes. If you do want to give it a brush up externally, I've had good results using domestic paint stripper gel - the stuff that smells of ammonia - only a small amount needed, and gentle cleaning with a toothbrush (the wife's, not your own😄). Wipe off with several damp cloths, usually takes a couple of applications. Don't rinse freely, as water will be bound to get inside. At least its not caked on Castor which even paint stripper has trouble with. A friend used to boil his engine casings in a strong biological washing powder solution to get rid of Castor stains - rather like a good soup - bring to the boil and then simmer until done .......yummy 😝. I've used the paint stripper method loads of times with no detrimental effects to any engine (my ancient Magnum 91 had an overnight soak when I stripped it down for a refurb some years ago) but do satisfy yourself by trying it out on small section first.

A model very much of its era some twenty years ago - how times have changed. I don't think I'd like to give it to a complete novice as there are far better trainer models available now in terms of construction, flyability and durability for the beginner. Best kept as a bit of fun for someone who is a competent flyer judging by the usual necessity of reading between the lines in model reviews.

Yes, in fact I agree. However, so many modellers struggle with even the most basic electrical concepts when it comes to the hobby, (watts, amps, volts, power and how to use a meter etc) so I'm not sure that the significance of IR readings will be well understood - hence my original comment about whether a pack performs or not as a workable and simple yardstick for most people. Knowledge in this case really is power - no excuse for being clueless, there are plenty of basic tutorials available on YT.

Spent a very pleasant couple of hours at my local club yesterday just flying the old faithful electric Yak. Good attendance of a dozen or so - all retired except one who I guess is a shift worker or maybe had a day off. Leaves the weekends for the workers! Typical of many clubs I suspect.

Milliohms rather than mV of course.

You make a very good point - I clearly remember RCM&E being about 'Models' not just R/C aeromodelling as it later turned to. It must be a task to find fresh aeromodelling stuff every month to fill the pages. I haven't bought the mag now for many years but maybe a reinvention might pique mine and others' interest. A bad day should the magazines pack it in and to lose this forum which many do use regularly but never contribute to, I find in conversation with mates.

The thing to ask is "do the batteries perform adequately?" IR is a general guide, but as you say, depends on pack size, capacity, state of charge, temperature and possibly day of the week when measured for all I know 😁............ I've only recently started to bother with IR simply because my new charger does measure it and it's worth keeping a note of the figures for reference. Some new 3S 3000s show a figure of 9mV for the one pack and 11 to 13mV for the the others in a batch of six that I treated myself to. So a variation there right from the get go. The old, tired and slightly puffed ones that have now been disposed of, gave a reading of 40 to 50mV so clearly a worse figure due to wear and tear. They did still work though, but I'd guess their performance was down by 30%. Just a guestimate based on reduced flight times and how they were heating that much more than before, which is understandable given the rise in indicated IR. I really wouldn't lose sleep over it - do some research on the web & Youtube etc - there's plenty of people who have looked into this but quite frankly it depends a lot on interpretation of results rather than a definite go or no go in most cases. Interested to hear others views.

If it's just happening on that pack alone and is not some weird charger issue (unlikely), then I'd not take a chance with it - consequences of an overcharge and fire are simply not worth it. Does your charger have an IR function? would be interesting to see how the suspect cell compares with the others. I've disposed of quite a few of my older Lipos that I knew were way past their best (discharged flat and taken to our local dump for correct recycling) and my new fancy (for me) charger read much higher values of internal resistance in the old packs compared to some new and hardly used packs. Five times the internal resistance in the case of one old battery compared to a new one of very similar specification which was giving a figure of nine milliohms.

The SC will be absolutely fine - OK, fit and finish not quite up to OS but with a bit of TLC it'll be a great performer for the model in question. I'd change the bearings if it's not a new motor while you have it in bits, an easy job and not expensive for parts if you go to a general engineering supplier - plenty on Ebay. I like to use SKF bearings as that was the make that was used in the production equipment that I maintained when I was at work and never had any problems with except for fair wear and tear, and believe me the machinery used to take a hiding - three shifts a day and six days a week running in a very dusty environment. For what it's worth I find all these engines thrive on Laser fuel (Optifuel) - 5% nitro and 15% synthetic. They don't need any more oil and definitely no 'orrible castor.

Yes, Zeepower and Goldbat Lipos from Amazon I've also found to be excellent performers.

Very pleasant day with just a moderate breeze to contend with from the South West. A little chilly when the sun was blocked by passing clouds. Ideal conditions for my Goldberg Pennzoil Super Chippy (.91 FS) which has the weight to manage the conditions. Model must be getting on for thirty years old now so looking a bit tired but still a solid performer. All re-radioed to 2.4 some years ago. Once up and away she looks just like new. Sunny with dark fluffy broken clouds gave a lovely background to fly against - wish I'd been able to video it. Had my little leccy Yak as well which also flew well in the conditions with its gyro smoothing out all the bumps. Switching it off really showed how effective the gyro is especially lower down in the ground turbulence. Quite unpleasant to fly in blustery conditions without it. Clouds closed right in at about 4.00pm with a light shower but with more threatening conditions approaching so called it a day. Only a few of us over the field, maybe six throughout the day.

All about the overall experience with such a characterful model. A suitable size of fourstroke will sound so much nicer and in synch with the style. Quite a few full size replica WW1 fighters about fitted with modern Lycomings - look good but just don't sound right. There's a YouTube vid of an Elder 40 with a 2st and tbh it might as well be a Wot 4. Whatever one is looking for I suppose.

Very nice indeed - well flown and steady as a rock in those conditions.👍

Seems to me that the TT46 Pro is the wrong engine for the job. You say that general easy going flying is the goal - so I'd say that a 46 twostroke revving its bits off with a fine prop to tame it is not ideal for this model. A nice fourstroke 52 that does well in the Magnatillas at my club would be a better bet on so many fronts and so much more in character with your WW1 style model. Good luck and enjoy the build.

My Goldberg Chippy that I've had for ages has a Magnum 91 FS....OS clone. I've always felt the model to be underpowered and could do with just a bit more to give a decent aerobatic performance in line with the full size without running out of steam. They are a solid model and mine with Glosstex covering weighs in at about nine and a half pounds. Otherwise flys very well. Personally, I wouldn't go with a Laser 80, really needs a bigger motor in my opinion.

Isn't it the case that 10% is added to goods imported by the US from the UK? Stuff coming in the other direction from the US or anywhere else, as far as I know, isn't subjected to a tarriff by the UK. All very tedious.