SmarTmartY

Multiplex Zacky (or Zacki) has worked well on my PZ foamies, it's quite thick, gets in all the nooks and crannies, and holds well. If I'm in a rush I spray one surface with an activator (I think mine is a Zap one) and coat the other with Zacky, then hold together for a short while. Try not to use too much, and wipe off any excess asap. It's never let me down so far.

That reminds me, I too have an EP to re-kit at some point. I was considering removing the motor and gluing a spinner to the front for slope only use, but I reckon I'd need a fair bit of weight to compensate for the lack of motor and a smaller battery, so I'll fit an appropriate brushless and lipo (when I figure out which one) instead. I'll post my findings, if there are any.

I very much doubt I'd get any entertainment value in reading that you've destroyed a model you'd spent many hours building Wiiispa. BBC has a good point about potential claims against you, should the unthinkable happen and someone else gets injured, and you never really know how good a policy is until you need it. I am self taught, using trial and error, and sim use, and after 4 years I'm still learning, but from actual flying alone now. I've used Phoenix too, which I highly recommend, but it's no substitute for the real thing, once you have your orientation and perspective sorted, no matter how much you tweak the settings. If you have the patience to keep buidling, crashing, re-building (if possible) etc. then you have a lot more patience and free time that me. That foamy V tail could be just the thing to get you started, while doing your balsa bashing in conjunction, but you'll probably need something with wheels at some point too, there's lots to choose from. Joining a club and risking learning the conventional way is one option (I did this year), but you don't strike me as a conformist. Just be aware that these so called toys (I hate it when they are called that) can be very dangerous, even in the right hands. I hope you find a way that works for you, without too many dramas in the process.

Looks like a Funjet doing a pretty good knife edge to me (can they actually do that?). At least you have a copy for the men in white coats, just in case

I switched to lipo in my DX8 after noticing similar problems with the stock one. I've been running it on lipo for well over a year now without a single problem, you just need to remember to change the battery type in the system settings, which should alter the low voltage alarm. I can easily get 3 decent flying sessions before I need to consider a recharge. HK do one a lot cheaper than the Spektrum one I use, but I can't comment on their reliability.

Thanks again Chris. I'll put the orange 7ch Rx in my cheap HK DG-100. Problem is that I think it's a bit bigger that the AR6210, and I don't want to start carving my more expensive Willow just yet. I'm sure someone will suss it out, eventually.

I already have one of those Chris, but it's a 6210 that's already built into my Willow F3F, which would be a real pig to dig out anyway. Sorry to sound like a stuck record but I still can't grasp why the DX8 can't operate 6 servos and no motor on 6 channels. If I Y lead the flaps it will take away quite a lot of the required functionality needed. Surely HH/Spektrum have realised that there are serious glider jockeys (and me) out there who need more flexibilty to tweak, and they are releasing higher end gliders after all.

Thanks for the replies guys, even if it's not really what I wanted to hear. I know some have managed it with a 6CH Rx, with fancy Ninja mixing, so I'll have to hunt to see if I can find more info. I don't yet know if I can reassign any channels on my DX8, but I was hoping this new update would allow for such things. If it turns out I still can't do what I want, I think it's time to start looking at the Frsky Taranis that's due out soon. Ho hum

I'm assuming that my motor-less full house glider will work ok using a 6 channel Rx, by employing the throttle channel? I'm still struggling to set mine up 6 servos, 6 channels, why isn't it straightforward?

My aim for this year is to fly larger non foam models, go i.c. and fly a lot more. I'm self taught, but after nearly 4 years I'm hoping the guys at club I've just joined can help me fine tune my flying, so I can take my FW A test at the very least. Because I'm greedy and fly off slopes as well, and I aim to finish setting up and maiden my 2.6mtr Willow F3F in the very near future, which means mastering my DX8's programming, oh and get a big scalie too. I'd like to look back at my post in the new year and say "I did all that", but I'm sure I said something similar last year

Thanks again guys, I'm getting there (slowly). I was always led to believe that one shouldn't leave lipos fully charged for prolonged periods of say a month or more, and less is cold weather. This was something I picked up from my many trawls through the t'internet over the last 4 years, and also what I've experienced for myself, where perfectly good lipos have died after being left unused over a winter. I've now resorted to keeping and charging my lipos in the house, because my garage isn't insulated, and I'm not paying good money to heat it 24/7. I rarely hit LVC, or go over whatever timer setting each model may have, and I try and look after my lipos, but it's becoming a chore managing them at times, especially if an impromptu flying meet is on the cards. Nothing ready, last minute rush, daylight's a wasteing, nah not for me. I want to see how the other half lives, and if the grass is no greener then I'll revert back. I have a nice plastic garden cupboard for any liquid fuel I may use, not too close to the house should the worst happens. I also dabble with gliding and slope soaring, another area where I'm about to take a leap of faith with a more elaborate and expensive model I already own. I guess I'm just greedy wanting the best of as many worlds with this hobby as I can afford to take part in. The flying bug has really bitten me, but I'll admit that the building side hasn't so far, but I do try and maintain what I have so far, even if they don't look pristine. Most of them look good 100 feet in the air anyway Thankfully my days of impulse purchasing are over (mostly), and I'm starting to realise that I need fewer models of a better quality, than a garage full of disposables. Thanks again for all your input, though I haven't been talked out of it still, and I am looking for a 2nd hand deal when I have the time.

Wow, thanks for all your replies guys, a lot of food for thought here. I won't abandon my electric flying, but I will start downsizing. The problem I have with my smaller models is that they have smaller wheels that don't care for even short grass much, and tarmac seems a luxury mainly enjoyed by the yanks. I really get a kick when I manage the full take off to landing experience without any mishaps (I usually do a little dance ), and going large should only enhance my enjoyment. I have given petrol power some thought, but I was led to believe it's a lot louder, and noise is the clubs enemy, next to the weather of course. Something to advance onto if the bug bites in due course. The initial outlay doesn't worry me, it's my 50th next month and I have permission to treat myself, and I think I'd probably start with a WOT4, but I haven't finished looking yet. I'll do more research but I haven't seen any pitfalls to deter me so far. Thanks guys

Cont.......... My logic is that using glow fuel will be universal between every i.c. model I may own, and only the consumption will differ. In my mind it's more about matching the engine and prop to the model, rather than motor/esc/prop/lipo, or am I over simplifying things? The main negative for me against going nitro is that the fuel isn't that cheap, somewhere around £18-20 per gallon (I'm led to believe cheaper if bought in bulk), and it's a single use product. Only time would tell how much I'd spend on nitro in say a year, as opposed to a batch of multi use lipos, some which are still in use after 2 years. Then again, I forget how many hours I've wasted charging 20+ lipos on the strength of a good weather forecast or promise of a mass meet, only for it to go pear shaped. I then have to decide whether to leave them sat in their box until the next opportunity arises, or put them into a storage charge state to protect them, but either way I'd still have to plug them in again before going out for a session, on the other hand I'm assuming that glow fuel doesn't deteriorate when stored? The way I see it as it currently stands, I spend a fair bit on lipos that may or may not get a lot of use (not due to our current climate), and they don't improve with age, plus one size doesn't fit all. I'm thinking that the extra effort and potential cost required to make i.c. work for me will be worth it in the long run, also another aspect I seem to be missing from my flying experience is sound, and I've heard some of the leccy sound modules which just don't do it for me. I know this will be another learning curve for me, but one I feel will interest me more in the long run. My main goal is simply to fly, not compete or attempt the truly awesome real scale modelling side of things, just fly much bigger planes than I currently own. Foamy leccies have come on in leaps and bounds in the 4 years I've been dabbling, but I'm starting to find pitfalls with the leccy side from my point of view. If you've reached this point, thanks for reading. Go on, talk me out of it.

Firstly, I'm not looking for a leccy is better than i.c. or vice versa answer to this question, I believe they both have a place in this great hobby of ours, it's more a practicality / costs question. I've been flying for 4 years now, all electric, and mainly park fly foam, and I consider myself to be verging on an intermediate pilot level, and novice builder now. After chatting to a couple of guys at my new club who fly both, I'm on the verge of committing a few £££££££'s and dipping my toe into i.c. (or rather jumping in). I know that i.c. is more involved in some ways, sometimes fiddly (especially if you fiddle a lot), and dirtier, but one of the guys made it look so easy to get his two models flying last Sunday, plus I love the sound they make. I know there's preparation to do before hitting the flying field, but is there really much more time commitment needed than properly setting up a leccy model, and sitting monitoring the many lipos I have to charge in the house? I'd like to share my logic for this change of direction, and I welcome any comment, observations, or flaws found in my logic from you guys please? I'm not binning leccy, just branching out a bit, plus I'll still need leccy to fly at any public sites like our racecourse. I want to move onto much larger planes, and many models I've been considering require 8-10 cell lipos, and in most cases can have an i.c. engine equivalent. I have a stack of 3 cell lipos, and a growing number of 4 cells too, which I have to tote to the flying field each time, and I'm thinking is it time to draw a line in the sand before I end up with even more batteries, often lying idle. I know they can be paired to make them say 6 or 8 cell batteries, but my understanding of this is that ideally paired lipos should be of similar age and condition to work reliably and safely, and ideally matched as a pair from the get go. Now I mark on all my lipos the first charge date, and each subsequent charge, but not which model they've been used in. I think it's safe to say that my Stryker will tax a lipo a little more than my L-4 or warbirds, so actual battery conditions may vary for similar aged and used lipos, but I am pretty good at not over discharging them. Alternatively I start buying a few 8-10 cell lipos and a leisure battery for recharging at the field, which is likely to run into a few hundred £ initially, and still needs lugging about. Because of the lack of regular flying opportunities, I'm starting to find the constant charging / discharging of lipos a bit of a bind, and because I store them actually in my house (because it's warm) I do get paranoid about burning the place down. cont...........

Thanks Chris All installed, and I've had a peek at the new menus, and I might just be able to get my head around setting up Willow F3F now. Fingers crossed.

Posted by Pete B - Moderator on 30/03/2013 09:56:13: We'll probably get an email from the Community side to announce its availability, although they seem to be a bit random in their distribution if previous releases are anything to go by. Pete Seems that way Pete. Funny how I've only seen a reference to it on the German site, and even the yanks aren't mentioning it Patiently waiting, waiting patiently.

Still no sign of the DX8 software add-on Maybe it'll arrive on April Fool's Day

I'm on too, it's a bit lonely in North Yorkshire though