kc

DB Sport & Scale website suggests i.c size .29 to .40 and also electric setup from 4Max. Suggested motor/ Lipo/ prop from 4Max website. Lots of other info there too. I don't think you will need 980 watts!

In electric flight the important thing is to get the Lipo battery well forward to avoid having to use lead. Try fixing the Lipo right up the front - maybe use rubber bands to attach whilst checking CG - and see if balance can be achieved without lead. Maybe it might need a bit of modification to get the Lipo in the ideal position but it will be worth it to get a model that flys well. ( light models crash less than overweight models! ) I have Barnstormer 63 acquired from a club member that I have not flown yet. It's 'ex everybody' at our club but it seems to have been used with a 4S 3000 lipo which sits right up behind the motor. I will use a 4S3000 and a suitable prop to give no more than about 500 watts - a slow flying trainer or scale type model only needs about 70 to 100 watts per pound weight. I expect my model weighs about 5 pounds with a 4S3000 and I will check it soon and rig it up for flight. This particular model has been flown a lot by others and maybe was built especially for electric as the motor bulkhead is well forward to allow the Lipo to sit about 2 inches from the nose. In my view it's important to have a hatch on the top to connect up the lipo - safety of course as an electric motor will start instantly and fingers must be kept well away whilst live. So try the balance and see where the lipo needs to go for balance without lead then decide whether it needs modifications. Of course a heavier Lipo could avoid lead and might fly for longer but still won't fly as well as a lighter model.

In 1963 a brand new Mini cost £440 and a 3 bed semi was around £3000 so £1000 was a huge price for a model! If you have not already seen it there is a RC Bookcase website with many old RC magazines to download free including RCME from the 1960's.

I have had something similar happen on two new models recently - in both cases pulling the throttle trim lever to nothing and then operating the sequence of unplugging, connecting up and operating throttle to maximum then minimum a couple of times eventually cause the right tones to be played and it worked. Took several goes and the attention of the most experienced club members (forum members actually -thanks chaps ) )before we got the sequence right. Eventually it will work if the ESC is not a dud. One of my problems was the model was set up on Futaba and then a Spektrum Rx was used - Futaba needs the thottle reversed compared to Spektrum if I remember correctly. And of course the failsafe setting procedure might be different. The order in which this is all done seems critical and once we got it to work I couldn't remember what everybody actually did!

Jonny, A common way to centralise the front disc is to make a scrap ply disc to mount on the prop adaptor with a spacer to allow prop clearance. Maybe your model has too little prop clearance as shown in your photo.? The nuts could be released from inside the fuselage so the motor could be removed downwards if the front disc has a slot in the bottom to clear shaft. Motor then comes out complete with all bolts. You might also look at the 'keyhole slot ' removable cowl fixing used in many of Peter Millers recent designs ( such as Miss Sizzle here on the forum and in free RCME plans of recent years) Might work even in the tight cowl on your model.

It would seem that what you could do is to build a 'shed' inside the gararge to make a cosy workshop area and therefore avoid altering the roof in any way. Similar perhaps to the way offices are partitioned off to make individual offices. May be worth considering what the minimum space is needed for building in the cold weather and relying on the larger garage for assembly, storage and DIY projects. The area at front above the doors has brick piers adjacent and might support a shelf to store fuselages and wings without going into the roof area. An otherwise unused area to safely store lightweight items. I have to say that as one gets old you feel the cold more ( don't ask me how I know this!) and building models in the house is a lot nicer than in a garage. It might mean having two sets of tools ( house set plus garage set ) but if you can scrounge a spare room it might be more productive and certainly nicer than going outdoors to the garage in winter. Saves on heating, more theft proof and tools don't rust.

Lots of good info - I reckon Ernie is right, I use a bedroom to work in and garage for dirty work and storage. Using the brick walls for the shelves will avoid problems fixing to partitions! Either way I strongly suggest you leave half the garage for a car as in future car insurers might force you to garage your car or face huge premiums. Also leaves a large space to use for model assembly etc by using a movable bench in the middle of floor. It might also be convenient to fit a folding gateleg bench in the car garage for occasional use ( there is an old Record Tools plan for this - top is hinged upwards onto wall while gatelegs swing out from wall when needed. Takes up just 3 inches of space when folded) The car garage should be on the cold side - North/East. If you have a semi detached garage that would be the warmer side. Consider putting a greenhouse onto the wall where the inner workshop is instead of insulating inside. A proper woodwork bench is highly desirable - one with inset front vice also inset end vice with 'dog' on top to line up with socket for 'dogs' along whole length. See 'The Workbench Book ' by Scott Landis published by Collins years ago. Also his Workshop book. My garage has a 8ft by 12 ft plasterboard partition which is almost 4 inches thick. ( 3 inch studs plus 2 thickness plasterboard.) One very important thing to remember ( I didn't the first time! ) is to ensure ALL the studding is exactly the same thickness and dead straight so that the board all lays flat. Just a mm or two out is too much. Plasterboard in partly integral garage has not got damp in 30 years but in any case OSB will suffer even more with damp and is harder to replace.

Keep a plan of where the studs are for future reference! They would be a standard distance apart vertically so the plan should show the horizontals mainly ( often staggered for ease of construction ) If you want I will measure my garage partition to give you some idea of what works (for me) and how the internal doors are placed.

If access to the garage is from outdoors you may find vinyl is slippery with wet shoes - my shed had lino so i know! Cheap carpet ( called 'contract carpet' I think ) might cost less than vinyl. My garage inner part has carpet and lasted 30 years so far - big plus is screws don't roll far when dropped.

Plasterboard is so much easier to work and it's much cheaper too. Consider having certain areas with built in mounting for shelves. Racking is expensive but the money saved by using plasterboard might be enough to pay for it! Racking could also be moved around or taken when moving house again.

Nice problem to have! My double garage was divided by a previous owner - a division down the middle and one garage divided at half length. Dividers are plasterboard either side of studding about 2inch thick. Gives a cosy inner section for a workshop and an outer section for storage or in my case a woodwork bench for dusty work plus a full length car garage in the other half. It seems to me you would need a ceiling to any inner section to keep the warm air in, so any partition could support the ceiling rather than the roof trusses if made stout enough. 2 doors thro into the outer part and car garage would allow use of the larger space for model assembly and storage. Plasterboard is very easy to work- cuts by scoring with a knife and is secured to studs with cheap plasterboard screws ( 'bugle headed' ) which sink themselves flush. Don't use nails! Design any partition to make best use of 8 by 4 sheets. ( I didn't do my garage but I partitioned off rooms this way - it was easy ----when I was young! If you are on a new build estate it might be possible to find the workmen who specialise in plaster board and offer them a ' weekend job' for cash) Keep all plasterboard offcuts for building boards.

You could solder an extra piece of wire alongside the straight part of existing wire but it might still bend at the un-strengthened part where it fixes to the ply. Possibly best to try first and see if it really does need improvement. Depends on whether flying from tamac or rough grass. You might find that just an extra piece of balsa or thin ply to brace it against fuselage is all that is neeeded -that might change it to a tailskid rather than steerable. I have to say that the tailskid used by many Peter Miller designs works well ( see the little drawing on his plans which is always the same ) and a piece of folded aluminium sheet can replace the tube Peter used.

Some people might find it handy to know in advance what materials to have in stock - size of board, glue used and what motor/fan unit it needs.

Another covering method for solid surfaces is brown paper with diluted PVA. When applied it produces quite a hard finish and can be worked around curves by tearing the paper which produces a feathered edge which can be invisible. The brown paper used ( for flying models ) is shiny one side & matt the other and quite thin. Worth trying on a scrap test piece. An article on brown paper covering for foam models appeared in RCME years ago - if you need a copy let me know.

First of all welcome to the forum. Amazingly nobody else has answered your question so far- probably because nobody has tried that method! I don't know either but I suggest you look at covering models in Doculam and tissue ( laminating film covered afterwards in tissue ) - it's a method for flying models rather than static but it should suit. ( search the forum for this.) It's a proven method while sticky tape might not last- who knows? Proper covering film would be another alternative, or just tissue and dope or modern water based 'dope'. Otherwise check out what the indoor flying scale modellers do. The BMFA scale indoor championships are at Walsall 26 & 27th April. Regarding building a first RC model - build a model at 52 inch span or over rather than anything smaller. Visibility whilst learning RC is all important and they fly better with low wing loading amongst other reasons.