Scott Edwards 2

Only last summer we celebrated Lasers 40th year at Buckminster. Little did we know it would be the last. I'm sure you will go onto bigger, brighter, and better things Jon. Huge thanks, and good luck. Don't be sad that it has ended, but be happy that it happened 👍

"Chipmunks are essentially metal tiger moths with a wing missing." That's my quality laff of the day 🤣 Cheers 👍

That's a mint 90 ! 11 cooling fins is the giveaway. Possibly manufactured 1985-1987 or so ? The Laser "ripoff" was the Flyte 150 in the mid 90's. Very crappily made and an obvious copy. It was basically made of chocolate 🤣

Here's the thing - as long as the fuel tank height is correct, they really don't know or care what way round they are 😁 It's common to see them at any angle. If a model has a "fixed" fuel tank position, just mount the engine at whatever angle puts the carb at the right height.

I suppose this is technically a Laser Engines development 😀 Laser 40th Anniversary Fly In ! BMFA Buckminster - Friday June 2nd. From a tatty old Wot 4 to a Lancaster full of twins - bring them along to fly, and celebrate the very best of British.

Not a technical question, but a reminder to all Laser fans ! Friday June 2nd, BMFA Buckminster, Laser 40th Anniversary Fly In !

Don't forget the Buckminster "Laser Fly In" on Friday 2nd June !

Going on the basis that Jon laughed at me for five minutes for using all 8, I learned that just using 4 will be fine 🤣

I have a 180 single in a Spitfire at 18lb and 89 inches, and another 180 in an ME109 at 17lb and 80 inches. Both fly satisfactorily, but only at a scale speed, and spend most of the time at full throttle. If you want speed and high performance manoeuvres, you need a gruntier lump.

I may be odd, and to each their own, but for me practicality is as important as scale accuracy. My scale(ish) models have their cylinders poking out because it makes them easier to install, access, cool, and operate. I want to fly, and not faff about too much. My Vees are always inverted making tank position a challenge sometimes, and needle access from below can be tricky. One of my 360V's if it ever nosed over would crunch the carbs (never has though) Therefore my vote is for an FT360, purely for practicality. Easy tank position, easy installation, easy cooling and easy needle access. But that's maybe because I'm just getting old ?

The prototype Flair Hannibal - yes the PROTOTYPE from 1981 (we think!) is alive and well and flown regularly by Neil Tidey. The insides have gone distinctly brown, and it is affectionately known as The Mary Rose. We have a 1973 Kaos still going too. My oldest plane is a toddler by comparison, a 1991 Wots Wot.

Alas poor 120, we knew him well, But like the 240, it did not sell. With the right size prop it came alive, But wasn't as nice as the 155. Laser 120 RIP. Send no flowers.

Please note ! This talk by Neil has now been postponed. New date to be announced.

Oooooh !! Do they fit the 180 ?

A decade ! Streuth. Round here we class that as nearly new. I've had the same Super Tigre Orange plug in a Laser 70 since 1995, it's been thrashed to blazes in about 10 hack models since then. I dread to think how many hours it's got on it ?

Just hold a Laser in your hands and you will instantly be a member of the Laser Appreciation Society. They are all exquisitely engineered and finished, it's an exceptionally high quality British product with over 35 years of pedigree and evolution. Spares, servicing and support is second to none. Here's the thing - they are made in the UK and sold directly from the factory. You're not paying for import duty, distribution costs or retailer overheads. Every single last penny you spend is invested in that engine, and it will outlive you.

Ahhh, the Flyte 150 saga ? This was when Jon was still in nappies and Neil Tidey was at the helm. 1992 I think ? It was very much plagiarism, by a chap I won't name (initials DH) who took a Laser 150 to the far east somewhere and said "copy this". Neil thought it was hysterical !!! Somebody bought one thinking it was a Laser and sent it to Neil for servicing. He had great fun taking it apart, and brought the bits to the pub to show us for a giggle. It was basically made of aluminium coloured chocolate and the tolerances were a joke. It's supposed "Unique selling point" was that the exhaust came blocked, and you had to decide which end to drill out ! Only one batch was ever made, because surprisingly they didn't fool many people. Unsurprisingly they ran like a bag of old nails. They still turn up occasionally, I saw one for sale at Wings & Wheels this year. It was unused ? Probably a good collectors item now actually !

Two years ago I needed to cover a 150" span vintage monoplane, and the projected cost of Oratex or Diatex made me weep copiously ☹️ I went back in time to Nylon and dope ! I watched a couple of YouTube videos, and it was much much easier than I expected, very satisfying to do, and the finish is tough as nuts. You can get 40gsm Ripstop nylon from eBay for about a quid a meter, and buy dope in as large cans as you can find. The finished covering comes in at 3 quid per meter squared, and can then be painted with anything you like. But - it seriously honks the house out, expect considerable spousal discontent ☹️

I've got three 155's ... They're stonkingly good, and quite a bit more powerful than the 150. Here's the thing with Lasers - Every penny you spend goes into that engine. They are CNC machined to the finest tolerances from solid top quality billet. Nothing is cast or pressed out from sheet. They are all hand finished, polished and tested pre-delivery. You're not paying import duty, shipping costs, distributor overheads, or retail markup. Every penny goes into an exquisitely made piece of British high-end engineering. Nothing else on the market comes close. Oh yes, and they're bulletproof too ???

Time to confess my sins - Just Engines say not to use a Lipo on their starters, but I accept the risk and have had no problems in 5 years. I'm running their 6:1 geared starter on a 5S 2500 ma pack (21v) it will churn over my Laser 360 Vee happily, which struggled on 4S. I only use short bursts, and never let it stall.

This stuff is well 'ard mate. Designed for the motor industry which wants to get jobs through as fast as possible. It dries very quickly, and fully cures within 24 hours at a guess. I've never noticed any tint, but if you leave a mixed pot to cure, the gloss goes very fractionally brown, and the semi-gloss goes cloudy. No idea why, but I've never noticed it on a model.

Yeah, professional paint systems are mind bogglingly complex, completely beyond me too ☹️ I can certainly say what products were recommended for me by a painting Pro though, and work fabulously: Nexa Autocolour Basecoat. Max Meyer 0200 for gloss lacquer, with Max Meyer 8000 hardener. Max Meyer 0750 for semi-gloss, with Max Meyer 8000 hardener. Thinners for all the above - Max Meyer 4310 Universal 2K Thinners. For spraying I use a cheap HVLP gravity fed touch-up gun (£20 or so) and a 24 litre 9.6 CFM compressor from SGS (£95). Spraying large glow models is a monumental pain in the butt and I hate it. It's a necessary evil to though.

Having had so many problems with incompatible paint combinations, poor adhesion, and fuelproofer that isn't fuelproof - I've now switched to automotive paint. Cellulose filler primer, then automotive basecoat for colour and insignia. Topcoat is a two pack lacquer. The basecoat I use is the Nexa brand (ICI) and then Max Meyer lacquer in semi gloss on top. It's totally fuelproof, and as tough as the stuff on your car doors. A paint vendor can make any colour you fancy. The downside - you can't buy less than 500ml of paint, and a gallon of laquer, but it does last and is far cheaper per CC than Klass Kote. The pigment is too big for an airbrush, so you need a compressor and a simple spray gun. You also MUST have a decent mask. The laquer can be brushed too, so I mix small quantities and use that for fuel bays and firewalls. It's the mutts nuts.

I was the same age and experienced EXACTLY the same problem. My optician said I had the beginnings of cataracts, but they weren't 'mature' enough for treatment. In reality, the NHS won't do a cataract op until you're half blind, but you can have it done privately. Cataracts ONLY get worse, so I went ahead with the private option. NHS implant lenses are OK, but the private sector can offer far better ones, including astigmatism correction. You can also 'choose' what prescription implants to have. Mine are Zeiss -2.50 and astigmatism corrective. I wear single vision glasses for perfect distance sight. Without (or underneath) my glasses I can easily read my Transmitter, a book, newspaper and computer screen. With a dirt cheap pair of +2.5 reading glasses I can focus down to about 6 inches for soldering and very fine work. I am absolutely over the moon with the results. Downside is cost of course - expect about £1700 per eye.