Tony Harrison 2

OK Beth, my fault for the confusion... rgds Tony

Posted by Beth Ashby - Moderator on 26/11/2015 18:46:39:... From Friday through to Sunday when ordering if you enter blackfriday into the discount code box at the checkout you will receive 20% off. To make things even better, it applies to everything! I thought Traplet was the same outfit as "myhobbystore.co.uk"? A combination plans/woodpack I've had my eye on (SET3592), still listed up there on the site, says "Not Available" when I try to add it to the cart; and adding the separate plans + woodpack, more expensive of course, does not work either because when adding your recommended discount code I get a message saying "The coupon code you entered couldn't be applied to your order".... Am I doing something wrong? rgds Tony

Posted by robk on 09/11/2015 10:19:04: Hi Tony This is my first build in over thirty years as well. Im really not impressed with the Ben Buckle kit ....... I would probably build from a plan rather than the kit which cost about £80, the only advantage being that the wing ribs and some of the fuselage formers were cut to shape. Good luck anyway... I love the plane - its been a lot of fun so far. Edited By robk on 09/11/2015 10:21:12 Thanks Rob, useful and encouraging. Not wholly sure I'd be wise to attempt the Traplet plans/woodpack**, rather than something more conventional, but like you I think it's an attractive aeroplane, lots of character, looks as though it might not be too demanding to fly... I wonder how rigid & robust that wing-mounting system is? It would concern me a bit, as would my ability to fabricate the "cage"; and I'd prefer a sheeted fuselage rather than the lightweight "sticks". More thinking! rgds Tony ps **available for around £63 so extra wood and the electrics will take it to what, maybe £120-£130? Edited By Tony Harrison 2 on 09/11/2015 17:49:00

Posted by kc on 08/11/2015 17:40:51: The Ben Buckle plan is a vintage plan of a free flight model ................. Nigel Hawes covered the electric conversion in RCME and fitted the Lipo from front. Presumably the same idea could be adopted for the Miller design. Thanks kc. You're suggesting it could be tricky, so given a somewhat inflated view of my technical skills, this might not be a good choice for my first scale build! It's a very attractive aircraft. I had thought that the wire supports for the wing could be awkward... Maybe I'd better stick to something more conventional for the moment. Still a nice idea, though, maybe in a couple of years' time. Wonder when that RCME feature on it was? Maybe the site has an index. rgds Tony

Posted by Engine Doctor on 07/11/2015 10:07:29: Hi Tony. If its difficult to modify your model for easy battery changing then fit an arming plug in the lead from battery to ESC . Very simple and quick mod for safe operation of electric models . Type arming in search box its been covered many times. Regards Thanks ED - I looked at various comments on this subject. I can see how important it is, and that it's not too challenging for me to incorporate in my own build(s), so that's what I'll do. rgds Tony

Very impressive and interesting, I enjoyed reading this thread. Came across it while looking for info on building the DVIII plans/laser kit offered by Traplet: a "54 inch (1372mm) span 1:6.5 scale parasol wing model of the WW1 German fighter designed by Peter Miller". Sounds like much the same scale - could it be related, or even essentially the same as this ben Buckle kit? Traplet describe it as "an ideal first scale build" so it's on my possibles list, though it does say it's designed for an IC engine, and I'd use electric, wonder how easy/tricky it might be to adapt. rgds Tony

Grateful for these further details about the Sky 40 with electric power. I spoke the other day to SLEC about this, and they confirmed the electric option is fully catered for, very helpfully. They are clued up about motors etc, and can recommend particular models. Seems like a great option and is high on my shortlist of possibles... Kc, I take your point about safety - but although my experience is still limited, I haven't seen many (any?) aircraft with top access to the battery & connections: they get turned over for disconnection and/or battery removal. This is certainly the case with the electric glider I've nearly completed, a large removable hatch beneath the centre section. This is at present retained by small screws, but I have it in mind to substitute some kind of quick release catch, when I can devise something. Regards, Tony

Late to this, but my offering: I've owned cordless drills by Hitachi, Bosch and Makita. They were/are all very good. My Hitachi used Ni-cads which is a huge disadvantage these days: I found cheaper non-Hitachi replacement batteries on Ebay, but... I have a Bosch 18v and it is excellent like every other Bosch item I've had - except that the chuck is maddeningly crap, continually works loose, really bad! More recently I bought a Makita 18v on special offer at B&Q for around £90, great value: like a couple of other Makita items I have, it is superbly well made, robust, reliable, great ergonomics - and the chuck stays tight... I'd get another Makita anytime. rgds Tony ps Been looking at Dremel cordless miniature drills, the 8200 - interested to hear others' experience of this.

Thanks kc. I'm not an experienced builder, though my first KeilKraft balsa/tissue jobs were round about 1966... However, my ongoing build of a 6'-span glider has gone well on the whole, and I really enjoy this kind of stuff. I think I could handle the Sky 40 build. Re your interesting point on substituting electric power for what was originally designed as an IC model, I thought that in its current form (e.g. from SLEC) it could be built for either, from the start..? I don't know enough to understand why a tricycle undercarriage might be inconvenient: could you expand on this? Neither do I get your point about not inverting the model for battery disconnection. Related to these areas of ignorance, no, I'm not beyond the trainer stage! For reasons to do with limited time, still working for a living, the lousy English weather (etc) I've been unable to get together with my training buddy more than intermittently: I have barely flown an aircraft at all... I did manage to crash my Radian Pro glider, though, so I've acquired some repair skills... Really like building, so I'm already anticipating my next, and which kit to buy. rgds Tony

Interested in these recent posts on an older thread, since the Sky 40 is on my shortlist of "next project" possibles. It's available from SLEC, complete laser-cut parts + plans + hardware ("..which includes: Pre shaped Undercarriage & clamps, Pre shaped steerable nose leg, Engine mount, Fuel tank & tubing, all control horns, hinges, snakes, clevises, nuts-bolts-washers, Vac-formed cowl & canopy and pre cut black windscreen transfers..": does this mean the moderately high price of £86.88 is actually not high at all? How much might the requisite remaining electric bits add to the final bill? I'm not reluctant to pay this sort of money at all, just trying to run some comparisons between a few kits that interest me. The Sky 40 certainly looks the business, and various threads here seem positive about it as a plane and a kit. rgds Tony

There was an earlier thread on this topic, quite long, with many people having difficulty in finding a copy. I bought one in early summer when I came across it by chance, in a WH Smith in Essex - it's really useful for beginners like me. But just a couple of days ago I saw copies in the Totnes and Plymouth branches of WH Smith. There must be lots around the country... rgds Tony

Gosh, expertise - exactly what I've come to expect from this forum, + camaraderie... Thanks gentlemen. Using a female XT60 plugged in, to maintain alignment, is so obvious that my brain (the size of a small planet, I always assumed) had not considered this. After dinner I shall repair to the garage and follow your recommendations. Thanks again, Tony

Further to my previous post about which soldering iron to buy (I bought a Weller 40w, seems good) can anyone tell me how to solder XT60s without melting or burning the plastic? First I tried a miniature gas torch (Dremel, really nice kit) and I've just tried the new Weller, but even with the latter, to heat the work rather than the solder in the approved manner just softens the plastic body so much that even if the metal contact stays in place, it bends to one side or becomes otherwise distorted... There must be an obvious way of doing this, but rather than waste time and destroy even more XT60s I wonder if someone can advise... Thanks, Tony

Agree about the properties of cellulose thinners: after extensive trials I settled on it as the best stuff for thinning Humbrol etc enamels when airbrushing, powerful stuff. But I stopped using it when I switched to acrylics, mainly because of health concerns. Cellulose is very nasty, not just a bad smell but unhealthy. Even using a spray-booth and pro-quality facemask I didn't enjoy the experience of using it. But it's still good for occasional other jobs like cleaning. Yes, buying small quantities of cellulose one gets ripped off - really silly prices asked for silly little cans of the stuff. I've scrounged jam-jars of it from car/paint shops, in the past, as it's actually so cheap in quantity they don't mind giving it away. rgds Tony

Posted by John Tee on 16/10/2015 20:04:19: ...I have never regretted swapping my Mondeo for an Smax. Me neither. The Mk3 Mondeo estate was a great car but I too ended up with an S-Max. Had it six years and I would happily have another: huge amount of space, or seats for six passengers if you need that occasionally; great fuel economy, overall 50mpg with the 1.8 diesel; great driving position, very comfortable cabin for long journeys - done three return trips to S.France this year and it's ideal. Seems perfect for carrying models. rgds Tony

Thanks for this very interesting test, which I find useful. I'm currently covering a glider with Oracover and Monokote, and might well want to paint a few things on top. And I've just bought some of the low-tack yellow Frog tape, on recommendation. Look forward to seeing your further results. rgds Tony

Thanks one and all for the excellent detailed advice. I've put together a Word table with your selected info, and now I'll go shopping.. Then some practice is called for, got to replace some bullet connectors and do those XT60s. rgds Tony ps I don't think anyone mentioned gas soldering devices, such as the little Versapoint that seems well thought of. Are they a different sort of beast, and really not a good idea for aeromodelling...? Edited By Tony Harrison 2 on 11/10/2015 11:47:11

Posted by Percy Verance on 10/10/2015 19:01:39: ..I usually buy the fine grit as opposed to the coarse version, as I sometimes find the coarse a bit too coarse. I do have some for rapid material removal though......... Thanks for clarifying. Yes, the fine-grit struck me as the most useful, since I find myself using the fine side of my existing Permagrit more than the coarse. Using one of their contour blocks is probably an easier way to get a consistent profile than doing it by eye, than with a flat sander - certainly for me, a competent bodger rather than a craftsman... rgds Tony

Never been much good at soldering, never bothered to learn how to do it properly. But I want to improve, not least to solder up lots of bullet connectors and XT60s. What iron should I buy? How might I best teach myself how to do it properly? Thanks, Tony

Posted by Percy Verance on 10/10/2015 11:27:03: ...If you look at the Perma Grit site, you'll see they now do a specific leading edge sanding tool. Not tried one yet myself, but I may do. I prefer the long (33 inch long to be exact) sanding block for wing work. Not cheap at £40 odd quid, but brilliant. Edited By Percy Verance on 10/10/2015 11:36:08 Percy, thanks - looked at their site but a search for "wings" or "leading edge" finds nothing. Do you mean, perhaps, the "sanding block contour" items? They do one 28cm long in both coarse & fine grit which looks useful. rgds Tony

Fergus, as a fairly recent returner to building balsa 'planes, I agree entirely about Permagrit tools and the David plane - both of which I learned about on this useful forum. The little plane is really handy for e.g. the initial shaping of wing leading edges, after careful setting up; and the two-sided angled Permagrit tool is used for the next stage... The fresh links & sources posted by others here are really interesting and useful, too. rgds Tony

Distribution was to WHS stores and by mail but I'm told they've sold out at the warehouse so it's a case of trying a few WHS stores now. My involvement was to suggest the articles for inclusion but I'm glad it has been well received, there's certainly loads of useful info in it. I came across it by chance in Essex 3-4 weeks ago while on the road, and as a beginner I am grateful: it includes several guides to e.g. servo mounting, covering, motors, which are really informative & useful. I'll be keeping this handy as a reference. rgds Tony

In general I buy few magazines of any sort since they're poor value for money: I dislike paying 4 or 5 quid for just one or two features that catch my eye, often rather superficial anyway. But recently, as a new entrant to this game, I've bought a few - including the RCME "Special" which has several really useful guides to e.g. covering materials, motors, servo mounting... But even in the larger branches of WH Smith in my nearest cities - Plymouth, Exeter - it's disappointing to find at most a couple of different titles, when I believe there are 4-5 r/c modelling magazines. I will only buy a mag if it has a few things I find interesting/useful, and while RCME is sold widely, others such as Quiet & Electric Flight are more tricky to locate. No, I'm not interested in subscribing! As I said, I only want a magazine if I know it has something that I can use. Books are generally better - but with r/c, things progress at such a pace that the books on the subject that I've seen are out of date. rgds Tony

Posted by Percy Verance on 07/08/2015 13:00:21: Nope, not an S-Max, it's a Focus Zetec Estate. Nothing special, just does what I need it do do..... 1.0 litre engine, 6 speed gearbox, goes well. Nothing more to say really. There are no headlamp beam deflectors fitted. It's as it came from the dealer a few weeks back. All I've added to it are two tanks full of fuel since I bought it......... Ah, my mistake, apol's - same general appearance. Thought I saw a black arrow-shaped sticker on the headlamp... The Focus family in general has a good reputation and I'd consider it - especially when getting older, downsize and all that. Trouble is, after driving big-ish Ford estates and now the S-Max one gets used to the long-distance comfort and load-carrying capacity. I dare say the Focus has even better fuel economy though. Might find out for myself if it turns out I can't afford an XK as my retirement present... rgds Tony

Posted by Percy Verance on 06/08/2015 19:55:43: In which case I'll just have to chance dying of boredom, as I got this just a few weeks ago..... Is that a Ford S-Max, with headlamp beam deflectors...? I think you've fitted them in the wrong position! (Unless the headlamp design has changed...) I've had my S-Max six years now and it's an excellent vehicle, not at all boring. Sure, I'd like a Jaguar XK, but... The S-Max has huge carrying capacity, originally chosen because I need to carry lots of kit around the country or sometimes abroad; and because we've done an awful lot of long drives to Germany and France. In fact we're shortly doing our fifth return trip to France (Gard) in little more than a year. The driving position is great, the cabin spacious, the performance (1.8 diesel) is surprisingly pokey, and it still delivers overall 50mpg. It's been wholly reliable too. I'd seriously consider replacing it with another - the new S-Max is even better. I don't know how people get on with small cars and model aeroplanes! I find it tricky carrying even one 6' wingspan glider in mine... rgds Tony