Baron Baz

Posted by James B on 22/06/2012 14:16:06: ... I need about 3/4 down elevator to keep it level... Ouch! Point most definately taken. I had no idea it was that bad. Thanks for the heads up as I'll have to be very careful not to destroy mine on its maiden. Is your CoG good? Like Tim I've had to set my Rx very far back in the fuz to reduce the nose heaviness, although I don't plan on adding tail weight. I shall keep it slightly nose heavy to begin & adjust as required. Edited By Baron Baz on 22/06/2012 14:23:04

I may well be wrong but... The motor is used to increase lift and raise the 'craft to a suitable height from which to glide. When the motor is off, the controls should be set up for a good glide angle. Therefore I would have thought that the thrust line for the motor should be set to climb whilst under power. This being my first foray into gliders with power, and not having flown this model yet, I have yet to experience the issue, but my ASW28 also climbs when under power and is very neutral when gliding.

Excellent stuff Tim, many thanks. Masking tape is a simple stroke of genius, which explains why I didn't think of it. I'm also surprised that the tail tape is strong enough for the job! I'll put away my drawer full of epoxies and take it for a spin (not literally hopefully) as & when & if it stops raining. On another note, I maidened my ST Model ASW28 last night - 2 flights of about 15 minutes & I love it. It's a very calm flyer, not at all stressy like my IC 'planes, although a bit slow. I dove from height under full power until the wings began fluttering alarmingly. On landing I noticed that the wings had pulled out from the spar by about 5mm, even though they were screwed on!

Does anyone still fly one of these? Mine has just arrived & I'm concerned about the attachment of the wings - a simple push fit into the fuz is all that's suggested, onto the wire wing spar (which fits loose into a tube in the wing). The fit is not very firm and, holding the 'plane by the wings mid-way along the leading edge, a slight jiggle is enough to loosen one wing from the fuz. I'm sure that more force will be applied to the wings in flight & I don't want to lose a wing on it's maiden. Unfortunately I'd rather not glue the wings to the fuselage if I can avoid it, mainly for transport & storage reasons. I've considered pushing long panel pins through the fuselage & wing at the root, fore & aft, then taping over the pins for added security, but I'd appreciate some comments from other pilots of this otherwise great looking & feeling 'plane. Thanks in advance, Baz

If the sim cable is plugged in to JR units it goes into the DSC socket (Direct Servo Control) which turns on the controller without powering the transmitter element. The socket allows testing of servos without RF output. It has no facility to charge the battery. I can use my JR controllers for upwards of 30 hours on the sim as the controller alone draws just a few mA from the 8 cell 9.6V battery pack. If the power switch is turned on the DSC socket is isolated and the simulator will not see the controller.

Cheers Andy. Job done now and everything moves freely. After putting in the kinks to the wires I had absolutely no spare wire but the rod fitted perfectly as can be seen in the photo. Yes, both your elevator and rudder servos are back to front compared to the instructions but no matter. It would mean fitting the rudder wires would be easier. I also used a spare set of clevises on the rudder servo to improve the range of adjustment when fitting. It's the first time I've used a closed loop system and found it a real pain (lots of cursing, swearing and spitting out of the dummy while trying to make silly little adjustments). Now its all together it works great but I can't help think there must be a better way. I saw a photo on here from a guy who left the wire in one piece and simply threaded it through the control arms - maybe try that next time.

Thanks very much for that Andy. I'm assuming the exit slot is on the left (right of the photos). That's the plan I'm taking but I didn't realise there would be enough spare wire to make a right-angled z-bend. I've mowed the servo wire through 180 degrees so forward clearance will be no issue now with a slightly more oblique z-bend.

Posted by Codename-John on 22/05/2012 16:08:51: Your choice, if you can't use a scalpel to cut a little slot, in my opinion 30x5 mm piece of blended in solar film at the bottom rear of the fuz over the wrong hole is hardly going to make a model look second hand, unless you pointed it out to people they'd probly never even know Thanks for that. I'm perfectly capable of using a scalpel, I just don't see the point of cutting into the fuselage when there's already a slot specifically for the job. I also don't want to spend money on white solarfilm then wait four days for it to arrive. Adapting the dowel has been far simpler, quicker and has not affected the model's appearance in any way. Job done.

Posted by Codename-John on 22/05/2012 10:45:13: Wouldnt it be a lot easier just to cut a slot on the other side insted of messing with the pushrod guessing bends and having to re-jig the piano wires, measure where it should be from the other side and 2 mins with a scalpel, job done It might be easier, but I think it would be a poor option. If I don't need to start cutting the fuselage, why should I? 2 minutes with a scalpel would be a botch job, then I'd have to, at the very least, cover the original hole with solarfilm, even if I don't make a fillet to glue in place. If I'm going to have to adapt I'd much rather make the changes to an easily replaceable wodden dowel which will be inside the aircraft. If the 'plane was an old hack then maybe what you suggest would be ok, but I don't want it to look second hand before I maiden it.

Much appreciated Andy. If you can take a shot of the servo tray showing the orientation of the rod and dowel too that would be brilliant.

Ooops, clicked on 4-7 but then started counting... I have 8 fixed wing and 3 helis: Firebird STII V-tail Kyosho Calmato 40 Trainer c/w Kyosho .46 IC Thunder Tiger Cessna 182 lektrik park flyer Max Thrust J3 Cub lektrik Dynham Sbach 342 lektrik WOT4 Foam-E lektrik Art-Tech Mig 15 EDF lektrik WOT4 Mk2 c/w SC.46 IC   Raptor 30 V2 Century GL450 Century Spirit CX   So that makes 11 With the exception of the IC WOT4, they are all ready and capable of flight.  I, however, am not! Edited By Baron Baz on 22/05/2012 00:19:06

Turbycat (Andy) - Cheers for that. I love a simple solution and that sounds just like what I need - I must be simple for not thinking of it - or maybe just too overcome by solvents. I may give it a try but I suspect that my control rod may have been built for a right side exit and so the dowel will be upside down in orientation, ie: hanging down from the servo wire, rather than being above the wire as shown above. Can you remember the locations of the exit slot and servo for the elevator on your model - right or left? Edited By Baron Baz on 22/05/2012 00:05:21 Edited By Baron Baz on 22/05/2012 00:05:38

Cheers Robin & Dean (& Rusty of course!). There is most definitely no slot in the right side of the fuselage for the elevator, only on the left. I assume that these chinese ARTF models are jobbed out to whichever factory can do them at any one time. Mine was obviously made in a factory where left was right and vise-versa! It looks like I'll have to dismantle the supplied control rod & rebuild it with one of the wires mounted at 180 degrees to it's current position (If you look down the length of the dowel from the servo end, with the servo wire at the 6 o'clock position, the clevis wire is currently at 9 o'clock).  The photo below shows me holding the servo end, with the clevis attached at the other end. I apologise for the lack of focus but I've been fuel proofing in a closed environment! Hopefully, if I remount either the clevis wire at the 3 o'clock position (or servo wire at 12) then it will not bind against the internal frames (formers). The magic of photoshop! Edited By Baron Baz on 21/05/2012 23:52:19 Edited By Baron Baz on 22/05/2012 00:04:26

Rusty - I can't understand how you can have two arms to the elevator - surely that's highly unusual. If that is the case, what is the control rod visible in your photos used for? It's much more common for a closed loop system to be used for the rudder. Do you have two slots on one side of the fuselage exclusively for upper/lower elevator control respectively, plus upper & lower control horns on the elevator? I'd be surprised if there was that much variation in design between IC & electric. Mine is the IC version by the way Codename-John - I'm absolutely certain and checked this as an option before posting, but thanks for the suggestion. I could cut a new hole but would prefer to find a less damaging solution.

I'm not sure I can describe it any better, but here are a few photos The control rod... servo end on left. Wires are mounted to the dowel with a 90 degree offset The rod exit hole, shown on lower left (left fuselage) The servo tray. The upper servo (right side) is for the elevator. The instructions state that the elevator servo should be on the left side (in the gap below), but as mentioned this causes the control rod to jam against an internal frame of the fuselage, so I have mounted it here to "mirror image" the instructions I note that your WOT4 is electric and is therefore of different design (no throttle servo) but your photo shows the control rod.  However, it is not connected to either servo.    Edited By Baron Baz on 21/05/2012 21:26:17 Edited By Baron Baz on 21/05/2012 21:31:19

Thanks for your reply Rusty, but it's the rudder on mine that has a closed loop (2 wire) system.

I'm in the process of putting together an ARTF Wot4 Mk2 (no need to post all those comments telling how rubbish they are guys, I've already read them). I have had a number of minor issues, not to do with quality, but more to do with the accuracy of instructions/model variation. The current problem I have is... In the instructions it shows the elevator control rod exiting the fuselage from the right side - on mine it is designed and built to exit from the left. In the instructions it shows the elevator servo mounted on the left side of the servo tray... if I mount mine here then the rather hefty control rod (a 1cm diameter wood dowel with a 2mm wire on each end) jams against the internal frames. If I mount the servo on the other side I believe the control rod may still not work because the end wires are offset by 90 degrees (looking down the dowel) and I think the dowel end will still bind on an internal frame. Has anyone else had any experience of this issue & if so, what was the outcome? I could remove and re-attach one of the control rod end wires 180 degrees out so as to mirror the fitting but I'd prefer not to if I don't have to. I'd also rather not swap for a control snake as fixing the outer sheath to the internal frames would be a real p.i.t.a. Lots of helpful comments/solutions from the enormous Wot4 community would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance, Baz Edited By Baron Baz on 21/05/2012 19:36:56

Er, no. At least, lot with JR kit, as the lead plugs into the DSC socket & not the charger socket

I've recently fitted an SC .46 ABC to a new ARTF Wot4. Unfortunately, the pre-fitted captive nuts for the mount beams are too far apart to allow correct centering of the engine mounts to the beams. In the end I had to ream out the holes on the mounts that fit to the firewall so as to reduce the distance between the beams. It seems odd that this engine is recommended by many retailers as being an ideal choice, but without bodging it will not fit. The engine is now fitted at 90 degrees so as to allow the exhaust to go under the fuselage.

Don't worry too much about your punctuation Aaron. Some people can't even spell 'sentence'! Grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and bad punctuation are all part of being in a forum. I personally never know when to stop going on... ....... ....... .......

Posted by Bob Cotsford on 26/04/2012 14:08:02: ... covering from the milliners - plain or patterned silk and nylon... You have access to a milliners?!! I haven't seen one of those since I accidentally set my time machine to 1893. I needed a scythe a while back and failed to find an ironmongers within 100 miles. I eventually went to all the local garden centres, where the average response was "What's a scythe?" My reply: "The thing that the Grim Reaper carries!" ...and I'm not that old

Posted by Mowerman on 26/04/2012 09:18:16: '£5 for a 600mil bottle of fuel proof paint' Thats less than a packet of ciggies, will last longer, and less likely to kill you. (anti smoking soap box dept)   Smoking is the prime reason I've entered this hobby - lung disease from 33 years of abuse means that my hill climbing/photography hobbies are a thing of the past. I can still use a camera but carting 20Kg of kit up a hill in search of a photo is now a no-no. They were certainly 2 hobbies that swallowed a lot of cash - tents alone stand at around £1500 and camera gear in excess of £6K I have to be very careful when using solvent based paint (and sanding dust) because these things can actually kill just as easily as cigs. The last thing I want is to laquer what's left of my lungs!   It's £5 for a 60ml bottle by the way, not 600.  I think I currently need about 3ml Having read a few threads about proofing, I understood that varnish only offered a resistant finish, rather than a full "proof" coat.  Perhaps someone could confirm or advise Edited By Baron Baz on 26/04/2012 10:14:50

The engine is still available with Kyosho kits, although I've not been able to find a .46 selling seperately. You can buy a .40 size for about £60. Oddly enough, one of my mentors at the club knew better than Kyosho how to start the engine for the first time - only 2 turns out on the mix, rather than the 2.5 turns suggested by Kyosho. By the way, thanks David for ammending my link. I'll have to go figure how to do that myself!

I know how you feel Del. I'm a M.A.B. - middle aged biker and have to sit down when being told how much a service for one of my bikes is. £1600 for a new clutch & gearbox on a bike I'd only had for a month! My neice is into motocross in Cheshire & recently her bike died - homer mechanic said "it's a gonner" so it went on ebay - they got more for it than they'd paid originally. Turned out it was just the spark plug! If you know of any cheap 125s in the Cheshire area let me know. I also have a history in shooting, full bore target mainly, Bisly etc. I've given up live ammo & stick to air power now but it's still a money pit, especially if the Scottish government have their way and ban air rifles!

I recently took a gamble on ebay and bid for a "spares or repair" RC 'plane that looked in reasonable condition. I took the view that, if it was in a poor state, repairing it would give me some decent experience.  I also noted that the engine appeared to be unused.  Here's the link It's a Kyosho Calmato 40 trainer, fitted with a Kyosho .46 engine and Sanwa servos. When it arrived it was packed in a HUGE box, stuffed with broken up polystyrene packing.  After finally getting the model out of the box I was pleased to see that the 'plane was in very decent condition, with a few minor dings caused by storage or transit. The good points: The engine had certainly never run.  The 'plane had never flown.  There was no structural damage. The not so good points: The previous owner obviously had no experience of or talent for finishing an ARTF model - there are smears of epoxy on the upper wing surface.  The Rx was 27MHz (mounted in a toilet roll core!) so that was the first to go but I had a spare 2.4GHz Rx anyway.  The battery was a well dead nicad so that went too.  The servos, while fully functional, had been mounted with a mix of household woodscrews and servo screws without grommets - I've changed them also.  I cut a new servo tray from some left-over ply I had & epoxy'd it in place over the original.  The tail section was badly aligned but it was an easy fix because he'd glued it in place without removing the covering, so it fell apart quite easily.  The elevator clevis was attached to the control horn with a panel pin and held on with blue-tak - that has been fixed with a 1.5mm diameter bolt & the nut held with threadlock. Other than that I removed the undercarriage, engine and mount, then re-installed with threadlock (everything was loose).  I've upgraded the wingbolts from M4 to M5 plus I've added epoxied fillets around the wing mounting location, just for peace of mind. The engine had it's first run at the weekend and is as sweet as could be wished for.  I did note that the mix screw binds on the fuselage, so I've unmounted the engine again & have have cut out a small recess which needs to be fuel-proofed before the next run, during which my new machine should take to the skies!  Overall I'm very happy with my ebay bargain. Edited By Baron Baz on 26/04/2012 00:22:38 Edited By Baron Baz on 26/04/2012 00:23:04 Edited By David Ashby on 26/04/2012 06:54:17