kc

If it is a windscreen made from sheet then leaving a couple of tabs to go into slots in the balsa works well.

Interestingly another firm produced a very similar looking engine to the Laser called the Flyte 150 back in 1998. Reviewed in AMI March 1998. I wonder whatever happened to that?

My view - as an outsider - is that you should now treat this just like one would any business. If you have a defective product then ask the supplier to rectify or replace, and also claim against your credit card company if a credit card was used. ( even just the deposit for any item costing over £100 ) Also if a debit card was used but not all debit cards take responsibility. I would suggest that if any company holds an item for servicing, modification etc and seems likely to cease trading one should take every step to get back actual possession of the item. Maybe state a deadlne for return or a solicitors letter. Do all this as soon as possible as once any company ceases trading it may become much more difficult. Just my comments that would apply to any supplier that has sold items that are " not of merchantable quality " or become faulty.

I did state "motor leads" ....... but Peter is right to clarify anything that could be confusing and damamging.

It just shows the depth of knowledge available on this forum - multiple members knew the answer! Worth pointing out to a new to electric person that if the motor does not go round the correct way then just swop any two of the motor leads.

Auction for the Bossanova has now ended with no buyers, but seller has relisted at £35

It's a rare plane so if you really want it then bid & spend your easter weekend with a trip to the New Forest!

Do a search on the forum for Coyote and you will find canopy hatch has been covered already- about 11 years ago! Much other info on Coyote and the similar Ridge Runt too. You may find comments on horns there too. Plastic should be OK but it depends whether the balsa is very soft and could be crushed. Thin cyano can be used to harden balsa or the ply horns. Some people cut horns etc themselves from Paxolin or printed circuit board. Also a search for Bill Kits found this thread with photos of the Pawnee kit from last year. Note the comment on wheels if you are buying. I don't think you need such big magnets for a small canopy - magnets about 5 or 6mm dia are very powerful and cheaper too. Magnets that are too strong could need too much force to undo and damage the canopy etc.

If you want to fit them 'flat' then these servo mounts from SLEC might suit. I think they are the same as Radio Active ones. Instead of mounts some people just wrap the servo in several layers of masking tape and epoxy the tape onto wing, cutting the tape apart if servo neeeds removing.

Engine instructions come with a list of suitable props. You choose a prop to suit the job - noise reduction is often a most important point as high revs give unacceptable noise and where you fly makes a difference. Sometimes you need all the power you can get. Some people like playing with different makes & sizes of props to get the ultimate power. Ground clearance is another point to consider -check whether an 11x 7 will clear the ground easily on your model. The review of the BillKits Tomahawk suggests changing the elevator bellcrank linkage system. It's high tailplane like the Coyote. Thats why I said the Pawnee would be easier - more conventional.

I see that you have bought an OS 40FP. All the 'experts' will tell you to use a 10 by 6 prop on a .40 but I found that an 11 by 7 was far better on my OS40FP. If you look back at the reviews from that time by Brian Winch you will see that the 40FP does nearly as many revs on the 11 by 7 as on a 10 by 6. Frankly it does not rev as well as some .40's but it turns a big prop well. So use an 11 by 7 and note that electric props are not suitable / safe for glow motors.

I came across a review of BillKits Tomahawk yesterday in an old FSM July2000 which reminded me of their kits. I think their Pawnee would be an easier model to build though and if the website price is correct ( £97 ) and not out of date it's a good buy. They are at Royston Herts.

Well there are proper kit makers for that size engine and top of the list would be DB Sport & Scale with a good selection of scale models all of which are well proven. The 58 inch Tiger Moth is a favourite with many. Also check out Bill Kits who make foam wing kits - easier and quicker to build. Not too far away in Herts. either. Kits will be found to be a better buy as they supply the fittings and special bits unlike kit cutters Building from plans involves interpreting the plans and this is often the difficult part of the build. Also changing from electric to i.c. requires a certain amount of experience and thought to change or strengthen the front end for glow and arrange the tank access. Those Vega, Stampe, Argus and Comper Swift plans are all purpose designed for electric and would need significant changes to become glow models. Also changing from 2 stroke to 4 stroke might need experience - carb might be in different place and throttle linkage tricky. So choosing the right plan is important.

Jon, I am sure all the forum members wish you well in your new and hopefully very rewarding career with your new company . The forum and all the Laser users worldwide appreciate the efforts you have made to make Lasers the great British engine. I hope to see you again at the next Modelair meeting at Old Warden.

This is really an old thread and a bit outdated - there is another section where the whole thing has progressed further and he has shown the model he inherited. A suggestion was made to find the model a good home.

Scale models need a scale colour scheme - it's not the 'done thing' to invent your own colour scheme for a scale model! You might find a popular plane like a Piper or Cessna with the colour you like but you should match it with the correct registration. Of course it's free country and you can build anything you want but you probably don't want to encounter critics at the flying site that who comment on your maroon and cream Spitfire ( pink is OK -there was one I think ) or even get the roundels the wrong way round! Sports models can be any colour scheme you like and they are a lot less work to build. Choose a plane that suits your flying ability.

Those Sarik sets of parts are not the same as kits - they vary but may be just be plans with laser cut ribs and some other parts. I don't think they ever have the wire parts bent to shape and supplied as one would expect to get in a kit or supplies of fixtures and fittings. They don't necessarily have the wood selected for exact use ( i.e. lightweight balsa for tailplane etc ) - except for the lasercut parts you will be on your own in selecting wood. A proper kit will have all the parts needed except engine, radio and covering - you would expect to find wood selected for correct density& grain to suit each part, building instructions, tank, engine mount, undercarriage wire parts bent to shape, wheels, collets, horns, hinges, possibly decals included. For the inexperienced builder a good kit ( for example the SLEC Fun Fly which has all those items) will be better. Sets of cut parts are more for the person who has a stock of balsa and fittings to hand together with the knowledge of the type of balsa to select for each particular use.

Basil, it looks as though you have fitted normal hinges into/ through the dowel. Is that the way it is shown on the plan? I expected the rudder would be pivoted on the dowel by just passing the dowel through a hole in top of fuselage and a hinge (with hinge pin aligned with dowels centreline ) at the top of the fin by the balance tab. I can see that it would work as you have built it and the dowel will pivot on the actual hinges not on dowel centreline.

I have not seen the plan so I cannot quite understand the axis not being constant - as long as you are happy with it then that's OK. My comment was because I envisaged that when the tailwheel was on the ground and perhaps pushed fully to one side the rubber band would tend to pull the dowel over with quite a lot of leverage. The hardwood dowel won't give way but if it's just rotating in balsa I thought the balsa might fail and could jam the rudder.

Before you glue on th extra discs it might be worth thinking whether the dowel needs a bearing near the top - just a balsa piece across with the hole for dowel is probably all it might need. Could be fitted before the extra discs are glued on but not after. Need to ensure it would clear any screw tip projecting from the discs.

I try never to use filler - any defects are fixed with a sliver or even a chunk of balsa and a spot of cyano. Any dents in balsa come out by just a drip of water right on the dent and a little patience - disappear just like magic! .

The BMFA Club Finder will find a club in your area.

A further thought -if you glued a bit of hardwood to the dowel rudder post then a small screw through the fibreglass arm could enable firm fixing in same position and allow removal of the arm to thread the z bend through .

Basil, thats a couple of nice clear photos and I compared them to those on page 3. I now see that a rubber band (not shown in any of these photos) would be used to couple tailwheel to rudder in the traditional way. Your set up looks OK to me if you cut the outer snake casing ( the white bit ) back a little which would allow a little radial movement. Snakes don't need to be supported that close - in my opinion. I question whether the threaded steel rod is far enough into the snake inner - if that is in further than it appears then it's OK. Most important thing is that the rudder never jams over as we all know in worst case this could cause a spin and perhaps no recovery possible. Some slight slop in rudder movement would be better than any jamming! As a precaution I suggest fitting something like a 'keyway' to lock the rudder dowel to the 'horn' (fibreglass 'arm ' or quadrant ) Perhaps a flat on the dowel and a matching projection on the arm? Needs an adjustable clevis at the servo end but I suppose you have already arranged that. Don't rely on my opinion -see what other forum members think!

No, I haven't built those but Phoenix Model Products have an excellent reputation. I like the fact that you can see the plans and instructions online before you buy. Suggest you phone them and ask whether Snowy or Stage 2 is most suitable for you. I also like the idea of the Shindig and Pepperpot models - Traditional models but electric.