Adrian Smith 1

I take your point ultymate I am prepared for that as the 160's drink it like no tomorrow. Thanks for your comment Don, I must admit with all my bigger OS engines (they are all inverted) I just have to make sure they are not over primed. In fact in the case of one of  the 160's I don't have to prime it all it just starts first time with a reasonably warm plug. 

Anyone Got An OS BGX-1 engine? I just thought I'd ask some views on it as I have very happily ran a couple of OS 160FX motors - they are super engines - and the BGX could go in a possible next project. Also I am not sure 4.1bhp estimated at 10k revs would drive a 6.5kg aircraft satifactorily in aeros. I don't want to go the petrol engine route at the moment. Thanks.

  Hi Tony, I built one soon after it came out but it flew like a brick, lasting a couple of flights. I put an OS 70FS upfront which was around the recommended power source but with in excess of 1lb in lead upfront to balance the wing loading was dangerous. As with alot of plans the AUW estimate is extremely optimistic to the extend of almost being misleading. I have built quite a few models from scratch, but I think this TN design is over-rated. THat's my view and I am sure there loads out there that disagree, but you can only speak as you find. Best of luck with it mate! 

I intend replacing an old cracked clear canopy with a Carbon fibre copy from Carbon Copy, but does anybody know if Pacer 560 Canopy glue will fix it?

Well ED I should be champing at the bit to put the new 200 in one of my airframes but I don't have the courage to risk it at the moment. I guess it's confidence thing with that particular type of engine.  Incidently I replaced the 200FS in my capiche 140 with the OS 160FX which I must say is brilliant engine. I never thought I would go back to 2 strokes after being seduced by four strokes a few years ago. I am so pleased with it I have put a 160 in my Weston Obsession that was finished a couple of months ago. I am sure I will put the 200FS in something in the future but 3 times bitten makes me rather shy at the moment! 

Hi Nick, one thing that might be worth checking is if your plane's CG is a little too far forward. I know when I was trying to perfect the stall turn I found the plane I was using was a bit nose heavy. Once I had moved the CG back a tad (not too far - be cautious!) so the plane was a little more unstable I found my plane would do it beautifully.    

A little while ago I reported the poor performance and subsequent failure of my new OS 200 four stroke after a couple of hours use (crankshaft ballbearing blew up ruining said engine). Ripmax sent me a new one remarking that the previous engine was 5pm job.   Well the one they sent lasted for 7 hours of use when the conrod broke through the crankcase!   After a chat by e-mail with the wizard of oz Brian Winch he said there had be reports of some engines being faulty caused by oil loading but not dipelling leading to catastrophic failure.   Anyway, at first talking to Ripmax it looked as though they weren't going toi replace it because the failure might have been caused by "prop slip" - what ever that is. Three weeks on I had a knock at the door and TNT delivered my third new OS 200 FS from Ripmax!   No comments were enclosed but may be something is going on here. Anybody heard anything?

Just studying the TN Spitfire spec and maybe I am being silly, but 120 four stroke driving a 15Lb model? The last time I tried that the plane flew like a brick. I did build the TN Typhoon and maybe I don't build light enough but  I used a 70FS (within the recommended range) and with retracts etc it just didn't cut the mustard. I know I am a philistine but it's back to ARTFs for me - wash my mouth out with soap!

Carperfect I had the same problem as you with four strokes and rather than mess about soldering or fiddling about with biro springs the answer lies with South Herts Models. They do ingenious CentreLok Glow connectors which fit all glowplugs 2 or 4 stroke. Can be found on www.southhertsmodels.com.   Adrian  

Well I keep a log too and it may surprise you to hear I am not an anorak!! Usually using a basic Exell spreadsheet.   There are good reasons to of course. The logging of air hours helps when wishing to sell and engine and you can be truthful about its use rather than the vague "well used" or " hardly used" terms.   Furthermore I use it as a safety tool to prompt me to tighten bolts (particularly on planes with four strokes) at regular intervals and to check engine bearers, flight tendencies when trimming etc, etc.   So don't poke fun at us loggers because we are quite often still flying when others' plane drop out of the sky for no reason due to lack of regular maintainance!!

Just a thought BEB, but all my engines are OS 4 strokes and there is one thing that needs watching in all of them. That's over-priming. All my applications are inverted and quite often  the recommended needle setting for starting is way toooooo much. Once I learned that lesson my engines start first or second time. Admittedly some of my tanks are in the model at the wrong height which probably doesn't help, but one can have too much squishyness! Incidentally it was my OS 91 FS that was the most difficult to start until I had sussed what was happening and now I only wind the needle out around 2x turns at most before starting.    As to timing issues I'm no expert on that so I'll leave that to others to suggest it's just that it maybe a simple matter. Hope that helps.

Hi Rob, like you I don't live a near a reliable nitro fuel supplier. I note the other guys' responses but I can only speak as I find and I regularly order my fuel from Optifuel. My preferred brew is the 12% nitro but they do a selection in batches of 4 five litre bottles. They deliver very quickly (within 2-3 days) although carriage is extra. Anyway take a look on www.optifuel.co.uk. Best of luck!

Just noticed this thread from way back when....... I built the Domino some years back when I was relatively new model flying. As many folks have intimated it stretches the building skills to the limit and I recall I sweated blood trying to build it. However, I was never truly happy with the finish which was due in part to my inadequency no doubt.  Unlike most of the contributors to this thread I found it flew like a dog and I think I rekitted it after three flights.   I am older and wiser now but I would suggest a decent degree of skill is required to build it. I must admit I am happier flying bigger planes in the 1.5 to 2 metre range and I have had success with other makes of bipes, however. 

Well Fly Boy I would never use self tappers whatever the size of engine. Apart from the fact vibration + oil ingress will loosen them eventually, I like the security of nuts and bolts secured with a decent brand of threadlocker. Belt & braces is the only way to go as far as IC engines are concerned!

Well I use and old England car windsock and adapt it to sit on the pegboard. I think you can still get them on the internet. Works very well.

  Thanks guys as usual I always get good advice when I ask question. Should be able to find one to suit.

One thing that drives me nuts at the waste is when the nicad/nimah in the rechargeable glow clip gives up the ghost. In the past I have just bought another glow clip for a tenner or so but wondered if I can get a replacement SC 1800 mAh 1.2V Ni-CD as the clip itself seems fine. The batteries don't seem to last long. I have used a glow clip wired to my power panel in the past but as the models got bigger so the wire got longer, with the inevitability at some point of the wire being drawn to the spinning prop with obvious results!!  Any ideas if the batteries can be sourced from somewhere? 

My plan shows the battery pack suspended (animation)below the rudder and elevator servos. The receiver is suspended by elastic band in the recess to the side of the throttle servo. I hope that's of use, but I suppose it depends on how heavy the engine is and how scary you like your CG!

DG, For what it's worth I have the sheet plan of the fuz for CG Extra 300, but at the moment I can't find the wing sheet. I will look in the work shop Monday I see if I can find them. Anyway you are welcome to the fuz sheet if you need it. By the way the plane flew very well but is long gone. I still have the CG Ultimate Bipe with an OS 120FS flying and that's a gem too! 

It's got to be Dremel Gemma. Mine has lasted donkey's years. I think you get what you pay for in this case.

  Thanks for that Steve. I will try the heat approach and I am a bit loathe to start scraping metal as what I might leave behind will look worse that the original mark. I'll give it try tomorrow as I am off to Rougham airshow today.

Bit of a play on words I know...but here goes. After reading an old review by Mike Williams on Weston's Obsession I noticed in a couple of pics that he secured the filler tube to the 4 stroke silencer using what looked like a plastic ratchet tie. Good idea I thought to stop it flailing about in the slipstream......not.   After a few moments of engine running the tie melted away leaving a glazed mark on my OS silencer. I have tried paint stripper and white spirit but can't remove the mark at all. Any ideas how I can do it? Thanks

Great! Another positive bit of feedback. I must admit I took delivery of said engine today after ordering it from Inwoods, Huntingdon on Wednesday. Incidentally, they are selling it at just under £236.00 which is the cheapest I've seen anywhere. Can't wait to run it up and put it through its paces.

Thanks Steve, pleasing to hear. I had pretty well made up my mind to buy it anyway as Japanese stuff will be going up in price again when the full effect of the pound's latest trashing filters through. I must admit I have been salivating over the run-in vids on youtube of the engine!!

Funnily enough I noticed the very same thing regarding the tailplane. I thought it looked a bit iffy. In the build all I did was dispense with the detachable idea for the tailplane and removed some of the film and stuck the whole thing on!  Incidentally, mark one didn't come to grief it just got lots of use and I decided to pension it off and use bits of it for spares. Tailplane aside I think it's great aircraft, however.