Tim Day 2

I had a bit of a disaster whilst finishing the wiring on my glow supply; whilst wiring in the glow outlet I managed to slip and short something on the board so sadly it is now in the bin. I decided to build a flight box and buy a power panel, which I’m happy with. My wife less so as we move house in a week and it really shouldn’t be a priority!

Thanks Brian, the reading is actually 3.18 amps - the camera just didn’t pick up the 3 as I don’t think the viewing angle on the display is quite up to iPhone OLED standards!

Thanks for all the suggestions on this topic. I’ve followed the instructions and build a glow driver. I set it to 4v then shorted the leads and then set it to 1 amp. I connected the glowplug and gradually increased the amps until the plug glowed and the voltage came up to 1.4v, with the amps rising to 3.1 - does this sound okay. The pug is glowing, but not brightly - can I increase it a bit? Thanks in advance.

Thanks Steve, I’m just returning to the hobby so don’t have any older batteries.

I am looking to purchase a 3s LiPo for both a 12v starter and to power the aforementioned step down set up for my glow plug so I can reduce weight in my flight box. What sort of size (smaller the better) should I be looking at to get me through a days flying? Thanks.

It’s initially going in a Flair Puppeteer so maybe a 13 x 6 would be better?

I am going to have a go at using this for the glow supply - thanks again for the suggestions. £2.70 delivered!

Thanks for all the advice, and I have to say that I found glow engines being referred to as “nitro” confusing as back in the day it was a term solely confined to a small percentage of what went in fuel! I’ve ordered a prop; this is only a personal preference but when I was originally in the hobby I always used Graupner Super Nylon props and we sold a lot of them in the shop (if I recall they were considered a little bit premium). I never got on with Master Airscrew (very sharp) and APC were the new kid on the block. Even further back I remember yellow props (Kavan?), which if I recall were quite flexible.

Many thanks to you both for the replies. I take it Saito are erring on the side of caution with the 20% and 15% synthetic is fine. Will order some now.

Hi there I’ve recently bought a new Saito 62b and would be grateful for some fuel recommendations - according to the literature Saito state 20% lubricant and 10-20% nitro; I’m slightly lost as when I was last in the hobby (35 years ago!) all we sold in the model shop I worked in was Flair fuel (either straight or 5%) although sometimes we would order in some “special” 10% nitro for those interested in pattern/aerobatics. How things have changed! I will need to get it delivered (Edinburgh) so recommendations for retailer/fuel would be especially welcome. Thanks

Really interesting thread and the mention of MDS reminds me of when I worked in a model shop in the late 80’s/early 90s. We started selling MDS and our local club really didn’t like them and we did get more returns than any other brand; they were obviously cheaper than the equivalent OS 40 FP so were bought by price conscious beginners but we usually tried to steer beginners towards OS then Irvine/Enya. The BD Mascot with an OS 40FP and Futaba Challenger was always our recommendation for beginners. We sold Super Tiger but they were more niche (I liked them though….I remember the model shop owner said that Mick Wiltshire took a unique approach to customer support….

Many thanks for all the helpful replies!

Hi This may be a daft question but I have an old MFA flight panel (my brother in law bought it from ebay and had it sent to my house as he is currently abroad). I placed a multimeter over the glow plug outlet terminals and I am getting 12v - should this be closer to 1.5/2v or does it drop down when it is under load? I just want to check before I fry a glow plug. Thanks

Hi there I’m just getting back into the hobby after many years and recently purchased a T6K combo and I am now looking for suggestions on rechargeable packs for the RX/TX and a charger. The last time I was involved in the hobby I was working in a model shop and we used to take delivery of a case of dry Futaba Challanger sets and then fit them with aftermarket nicads and them sell them…I suspect things have changed since then! I have looked at Overlander for NIMH packs, and chargers online; is this the best way to go, or do LiPO get used for radio equipment now? Also, the first model I will be using the set in is a small vintage Kyosho electric model which calls for mini servos; would these micro servos be okay as there will be very little load on them - https://shop.4tronix.co.uk/products/mg90s Thanks in advance.

Thanks KC. The Maricardo was named after Carlo’s two children, Marcello and Riccardo. Sadly, Marcello died in a plane crash whilst hour building for his commercial licence.

Many thanks again for all the comments. I ended up buying the T6K Futaba as it seems a reasonable deal and I do like Futaba. In terms of the Maricardo, I have the original plan and the article (thanks). It’s a bit sentimental as I worked in the model shop owned by the designer (Carlo). When the model shop moved to new premises he said I could go in and pick up any of the old models left behind in storage….a few weeks later I told him I had found an old orange Maricardo and had stripped it to recover as it really needed it. It turns out it was the prototype featured in the aforementioned magazine article and he had forgotten it was left in the old shop. I wasn’t very popular for a while!

Many thanks for all the helpful replies. I’ve had a look at the Slough sale and would something like this be a good shout - https://sloughrc.com/futaba-6k-version-3-6ch-combo-2-4ghz-t-fhss-m2-r3008sb.html

Hi there I was actively involved in the hobby back in the 80/90s, and I’m now looking to buy a radio set. Back then when I worked in a model shop it seemed much easier…we sold lots of Futaba Challangers, with the odd JR Max thrown in. I am slightly confused by the choice available now, and my instinct was to buy a Futaba set but on the face of it they don’t appear to be as popular as they once were. Brand loyalty is a difficult thing to shake off as it was always my go to choice. My plan is to build a Maricardo (mid wing with a OS 48 FS), so really I just need a fairly basic (but decent) system. In the interim I purchased a vintage Kyosho electric kit from the the late 90s (foam high wing trainer, which requires 2 channel gear with mini servos) as this has sentimental value as it was the first plane I successfully built and flew myself when I was 15. So at the moment I am looking for a TX and RX with a couple of mini servos and I will buy more as required when I build the Maricardo. Any suggestions for a good place to start would be gratefully received. Are they mostly compatible with one another (RX and servos)? Back in the day the plugs used to be different and I remember swapping the pins/wires etc! Thanks.

DaveB1 - your Maricardo looks great; hope you get it back in the air soon. Many thanks for all the helpful tips and advice. I think I will purchase the balsa/ply and make up the parts; will report back when its underway!

Thanks for the really helpful information. I did search and read through previous threads, which were really helpful. I did consider electric but I really want to build it as close to the original as possible (including the orange solarfilm!) so will keep it IC with an OS four stroke. My last electric model was an MFA BN Islander but I see that things have come a long way in terms of battery/motor tech! I have the original plan but will probably remove the dihedral and use some of the other modifications. The ribs/sarik wood packs would certainly speed the process up, but it's good to hear that the Balsa Cabin are still going so I may use them - I will really need to price the two options up. The Sarik website is quite vague about how complete the packs are which is slightly off-putting. In terms of flying, I did fly a friends plane a few years ago and it felt like I have never been away, so I should be okay with the Maricardo. Just a bit of trivia; Marionville Models also used to sell kits of the Maricardo (put together by an external company) with foam veneer wings. There was also a low wing version called the Coyote available in kit form. I remember when I was really quite young my dad bought the Coyote kit to take back to the Middle East to build (he worked there for twenty weeks on, three weeks off); I remember it arriving back at the house fully built and covered in a crate; my dad was an aircraft engineer so it was perfect...I only wish I had kept it!

Hi there I'm new to the site and I'm looking for some advice on a Maricardo build. I was really active in the hobby when I was young (25-30 years ago), and I'm really keen to get back into it. I've had a look through some kits, but would like to start with a Maricardo plan build. This has quite a bit of significance as I worked in the model shop owned by the designer; in fact, when I was young I was given the keys to the old model shop (when they moved to new premises) as there was a number of old models that needed cleared out. I found an old Maricardo that had seen better days, and decided to strip it for re-covering. When I told Carlo (the designer) his face fell.....he had forgotten that the prototype Maricardo had been left in the shop and he had been keeping it for sentimental reasons....! Although I've built plenty models, I've never built from a plan; I note there are some options in terms of buying ribs etc - eBay have a rib set for £25 and Sarik have wood pack for £62 and an additional wood pack for £65 (I already have the plan). The other option is to buy the materials online (The Balsa Cabin?), but having some pre-cut parts would definitely be nice to speed up the build. Any advice on the best route to go? Many thanks Tim