Simon Webb

I think it is an 8oz tank....I will check tonight and confirm with you.

Tony, I have a ball-raced Irvine Q40 in my Magician and it is nice and quick, but not unlimited vertically. I don't know how an OS 46 LA power/torque compares to the Q40, as the LA is plain bearing. Incidentally I get 9 minutes flat out flying from the Q40, it is the biggest tank that can fit inside the fuselage.

Tony it will be absolutely fine trust me! Once you have the bandage on.......it will be as strong as an Ox. My models do all the manouvres in the book at maximum G forces. The wings have yet to fold on me and I have been doing it for 20+ years!

I am seriously confused by this Lee. What are all the instructions in kits going on about when they say do not let epoxy based resins come into contact with foam on about?

When I said epoxy resin I meant epoxy based resin.

I think we may be getting our wires crossed with ambiguous writings..... Epoxy resin melts foam......ie the 2 part stuff you use for glass fibre bandages Epoxy doesn't melt foam.....ie the 20 minute stuff you get in 2 tubes. I was questioning myself reading some of this but no...I stand by my comment here!

I use wooden dowels, but your aluminium tube should do the trick. PVA takes a while to grab, but it does give you time to position your wings true. Once dry you will be amazed how strong the join is......plus your glass fibre bandage and epoxy will make it very stiff and strong! Well done Tony!

Not sure what epoxy you were using Tony. The 2 part stuff that reinforces glass fibre bandages does melt the foam as the plan says. I always use PVA for joining foam wing cores, plus I always have 2 x 8 inch dowels (4 inches in either wing panel) glued in with PVA in addition to the epoxy bandage. I tend to fly fast and pull high G forces in tight turns. I then dilute PVA with water and paint it on the entire outer veneer after the wings have been joined but before the bandage goes on, to seal the wood against any epoxy ingress.

The ASP.36 is a nice engine, I have one fitted to my HOTS fun fly......well suited for that model. I have a Wizard with a ball-raced OS 25 in it and it is lovely and quick. Again no lightening holes. I opted for Hitec mini servos all round for the Wizard to give the fuselage a bit more room as it is very cramped in their with standard sized servos. I also have hi-torque metal geared micro servos in each wing of the Wizard for the same reasons as my Magician. Knife edging doesn't come naturally to this design. It will do it but you must be ready to keep those wings vertical with aileron correction. You may find an extended rudder works well and you will be able to correct the loss of elevation when it is in the knife-edge attitude. Good luck!

My Magician has had over 1000 flights now, and I built it standard out-of-box with no lightening holes drilled anywhere. The only modification i did was install independent wing servos in each wing (I used Hitec HS-81 mini servos in home made housings). These give better control of the ailerons and allow for increased movement as the aileron chord is very slim on this design. The all up weight with an extra servo on board and no holes drilled is 4.5 pounds. My ball-raced Irvine Q40 copes with it superbly well, it has a very wide speed range ranging from nice and quick with a faster than standard roll rate to walking speed, allowing for gentle "plops" onto the grass for landings. A wonderful design, and not too heavy in standard form either!

It depends on the price. If my LHS is too expensive and I can't get it online either for an affordable price, then I don't get it - simple. I earn a fixed amount per month. My outgoings are a fixed amount each month. I only have what is left after that. I only have a finite amount to spend on my lovely hobby. There are a lot of people in the same boat as me, and if the ARTF prices go up then it forces me out of the ARTF buying market. It doesn't matter who is selling the ARTF in the first place, China/internet/LHS, it boils down to simple figures for me, and I am sure for lots of other people. If the cost of this hobby increases, then I will start to build fewer models. If it goes through the roof then I doubt I will be able to do it anymore.

When I bought my T8FG over the internet it was actually from a well known model shop down south - but buying it online meant it qualified for £25 off - delivered!. That is a no-brainer for me in this day-and-age. I have seen props on ebay for pennies, and glow plugs from HK for a couple of quid delivered, but the well known Model Shop in Frodsham I use regularly is absolutely superb, and I feel compelled to help them out for the smaller items that i need. The landscape is changing and what happened to Galaxy Models proves this - I bought from GM loads of times and they were a wonderful model shop to buy from. Polite, knowledgeable and genuine. It is very sad indeed. But we all have mortgages to pay and with the rising cost of living, we need to save what we can when we can.

Sorry I didn't read your post fully!!! None of my suggestions are Warbirds!  I am new at this  Edited By Simon Webb on 06/11/2012 23:55:55

On big ticket items like my T8FG 2.4 Ghz radio set, I go to the cheapest dealer online. For smaller items like props, fuel, glow plugs, etc I go to my LMS! PS If I lived down south I would have gone to Galaxy Models when they were around, as I found their customer service to be second to none.     Edited By Simon Webb on 06/11/2012 21:46:38 Edited By Simon Webb on 06/11/2012 21:47:21

Also their Twister is a well made Fun Fly.......I recommend it  Edited By Simon Webb on 06/11/2012 21:26:41

Black Horse ARTFs are very good. They fly really well. I would recommend the Travel Air for a beginners Low winger with a wide performance envelope - it is really docile at slow speeds, but will do most aerobatics very well. My Extra 300 is pretty hardcore, and with full control throws set up does anything you can imagine!!

Hi Fly Boy People get mad at me because I can never be serious....so no worries on the humour front Everybody hates a cocky newbie, so I will let myself settle in before I crack the gags

Nice to meet you all Lads

Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 06/11/2012 00:16:04: I've flown at Delyn a couple of times Simon. Scale days and fun flys etc. I'll be sure to look you up next time I'm there and let you know when we have an event on. BEB Please do that BEB! I would love to fly at other clubs, so Wrexham and Wirral are on my list for next year!!

Thanks BEB We will have to visit each other's clubs as guests

Hi John Here is my latest ARTF......     and my latest build.....the Galaxy Aerojet......         Edited By Simon Webb on 05/11/2012 20:27:58 Edited By Simon Webb on 05/11/2012 20:29:20

Here is my Middle Phase......I am a big Chris Foss fan   Edited By Simon Webb on 05/11/2012 20:01:45

I will do!! Great! Thanks Olly

Thanks guys

Hi Olly! .........Yes I would love to join you I fly up at Moel Famau with Clwyd Slope Soaring Association when there is a decent westerly , in fact....... I was there on Saturday with my Middle Phase a couple of decent flights 45 minutes long each...brilliant Nice to meet you!