Andy Stephenson

jrman, It wasn't the Bar-fli, this had an open structure fuselage with a bulbous canopy...

The latest scam is a phone call with a very stern voice to tell you that your National Insurance number is to be suspended because of criminal activity and you must press 1 otherwise they send someone round to arrest you. They don't address you by name or quote your NI number.

A long-shot... Does anyone remember the name of a pattern-ship Phil Kraft designed that had a fuselage made from a solid balsa log or a number of them temporarily glued together caved then split and hollowed out for the gear etc. It was published in RCM&E or RM back in the 70s. Andy.

I wouldn't let this put me off building a kit like this from your report but I also wouldn't expect it to command a premium price. I have been building from kits and plans for some considerable time and I know I have never built one exactly to the original instructions, I always change some things I don't like and this includes some of the best quality kits and ARTFs.

EB, That switch is totally inadequate for the current that motor can take it is very likely to get welded on if it takes all the switch-on surge. Letting Li-Po batteries get drained till the motor stops is a one shot deal as they will be useless after the first discharge.

I've had it with Amazon because they always sneakily start charging you for prime when you didn't ask for it. You have to navigate your way through their website which is like trying to exit Ikea. I had to watch a youtube video of someone explaining how to extricate yourself from prime charges before I could stop it. This in itself is a scam in my opinion.

If it's not broke don't fix it. A.

The Zagi suffered from something we called the Zagi screw which was a precipitous spin cased by an obvious tip-stall, The Zagi had a bigger aspect-ratio which was most certainly a contributory factor. A.

Steven, Floating the mouse over the "start here" link shows an address that looks nothing like anything official, this means a very obvious scam, especially as they don't already know the registration number of your vehicle. To any readers of this thread, beware that link is live in your post and DO NOT CLICK ON IT!

This is how I fitted the ailerons on all my Zagis, It looks much better with the thin outer most and is less likely to tip-stall that way.

Is there any advice on what makes a good thin lightweight blocking coat between the patchy remains of sanding back primer and the main white base coat. Andy.

Andy, I have alerted Martyn Kinder to this as I thought it was all settled and scheduled. A.

Still frustrated with this new system. What I want to know is why isn't the UKCAA retro classic event at Buckminster on 17 Sept listed?

I've been trying various things and it's not obvious how to negotiate this but I did manage to get a map up but it looks like this...

That's odd I'm not seeing what you are seeing although if I click on the submerged link I can get the details in text form but no map. Could it be it's not optimised for Firefox browser.

Apart from making the titles of the events very difficult to read even for those of us who can see reasonably well, the details of events near the bottom of the calendar in the drop down details are mostly obscured by the bottom banner on the screen. What was wrong with a straightforward list how it used to be. Someone was trying to be too clever and mucked it up.

Brian Gardner who does an excellent job of recreating these parts as they should have been made in the first place has produced batches of OS61 RF and SF piston and liner sets. I had a set for my RF and the engineering is superb. He does however need commitment of 50 or more to sign up to make it worthwhile for each type of engine. There may not be another opportunity if he doesn't get enough interest. Take it from me if you have one of these engines that is need of an upgrade/repair it will be well worth it. Andy.

I have actually managed order some cellulose paint from an automotive paint supplier, thanks to Alan for the tip of searching for paint codes on the internet (should have thought of that). I found a Ford colour code chart. I only need white and Frozen white wasn't on there so I went back to the old faithful Diamond White. I didn't actually specify I wanted it for models as the online form asks about the car it's for so I just filled in the details of a car on the chart and they acknowledged my order and it's now mixed and on it's way. I ordered a litre which will last a long time but it will be worth it in the long run because of transport costs.

The problem of people who don't know what's important in a good solder joint is they assume it's like glue and if you put enough on it'll be OK.

I'm talking at least 1/2 litre.

I was hoping for non-aerosol paint as I like to reserve the opportunity to mix colours. It appears from that site the only artist type paints that don't come in aerosols. I wouldn't rule out aerosols if I can get the right colour but I prefer to use a spray gun. I didn't initially look at the Montana Black range because I assumed that was the only colour it came in like the model T Ford. A.

Ron, Which of their products do you use as there is a bewildering array to choose from. I'm looking for paint for glow powered models and I will be fuel-proofing with a 2 part FP. A.

I've been searching around the web for paint for my new project and looking at car paint suppliers. They always want the exact paint code, make and model of the car to be painted. The problem is I don't know a paint code to quote when I just want, say, Ford Frozen White and I don't care if it's not a perfect match with anything. Is there a better way to buy acrylic paint for modellers. I need reasonable quantities so the tiny packs from model shops won't do especially at the prices you have to pay for such small quantities. Advice appreciated. Andy.

I use lead-free solder for all mechanical joints these days as it has a superior fatigue performance to leaded solder and it only needs a bit more heat to get a good flowing joint possibly aided by the use of plumber's flux, the paste type. It needs washing off afterwards to prevent corrosion.

Lead solder has a tendency to creep under load, it acts like a viscous liquid which could allow the screw to loosen over time. Better would be to use lead-free solder which is widely available since lead is being phased out for environmental reasons. If you can solder then a better solution is to apply a solder-on threaded adaptor.