Andy Murdoch

1. Sussex Model Centre   2. Giant Cod   3. Thunder Tiger eHawk 1500   4. Horizon Edited By Andy Murdoch on 28/07/2010 16:44:53

Yup, sure is.

Well, the Macchi is a hideous flyer,but the sound is the best I've managed so far. You can still hear it with a couple of I.C models in the air but it's best enjoyed solo.   It turns out the servo probably was not to blame, it's just a heavy warbird with no washout and a small tail. Even with the cg well forward, slow it down and it bites, hard. Now it noses over  really easily too! If it didn't sound so good I'd bin it, I hate flying it that much.   I'll keep it alive for a couple of weeks till our club's Family Day then retire it. The kiddies will love the machine guns  

I agree, they are more mini than micro. They sure seem small in the big airframe though...   The manual actually calls for digital servos, 1.8 - 2.2Kg torque size 24 x 12mm.   I can't see the need for digitals in such a model really. Anyway, I can tell you HS81s fit perfectly and have been working for 50 plus flights. Edited By Andy Murdoch on 28/03/2010 22:42:29

Yup! I used HS81s all round. The rudder one stripped gears, so I swapped it for a metal gear. There's one for each elevator, so some redundancy there. Not sure what would happen if one packed up though...    

It will fit easily but not sure it will solve the CG problem if using a big motor.   I was running a 3300 4s EVO20 (which weighs 362g) with the Scorpion  3020-14 and a 600Ma 4.8v nicad Rx pack in the nose and it balanced fine. If you ran that 4000 and a BEC ESC (better make it a good switch mode one like this) :   http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=3727    And a similar motor to mine it would be OK I think. All this is moot for me now as I have 300g of speaker in the rear cockpit to balance   Andy       

Good man! Seriously though, big electrics can be so much  more dangerous than I.C. Try and stop a motor and the torque just increases till either your soft fleshy bits give way or something burns out. Our club has an electric only permit to fly, and an I.C. permit. Since I got back into the hobby I only fly electric and so that's the permit I have (even though I have a BMFA 'B').  They can't seem to comprehend that for me to go back to I.C. is much safer than someone without a clue converting to big electric, and yet all I.C. pilots can fly whatever they like!   Anyway, rant over. I'm on the committee now, trying to change the system to one based on common sense.   Andy 

It's the sound of a Cessna, which is the nearest I could get to that flat four homebuilt noise.   The sound system is now in a Macchi200 with a radial engine noise and machine guns! What a big kid.    I do like I.C. honest. It's just that now I'm all electric I can stay upstairs with my toys and nobody complains. 

There's an idea, Just need a smoke and oil generator, something to make the covering fall off after six months, the wood to rot and for the whole thing to smell so bad I get banned from the house and the illusion would be complete      

Sorry for the late reply but I have flown one of those for the past 2 years.   Firstly with a Scorpion 3020-14 on an APC 10x7 pulling 37A on 4S for around 500W. It weighed 2.35Kg, had 97W/lb and floated around on half throttle and was generally perfectly powered. Then I installed an sound system and weight went up to 2.69Kg so around 89W/lb. Still plenty of power but not loud enough so I put a better speaker in. With weight at 2.75Kg and power in the low 80W/lb range it was no fun at all to fly. It lost so much height on the turns I pretty much had to fly full throttle everywhere.   I upped the power to around 800W with a  Cermark CEM4220-770 out of my Banchee, and because I only needed any more than half throttle to "kick" it round the turns, it actually flew at a more scale speed and the flights were longer. Big non scale loops too Lesson learnt there.   Hope this helps, Andy Edited By Andy Murdoch on 14/03/2010 18:21:13

Well, after a flurry of activity I got nearly everything I ordered, so thanks to Grant for that.   I still have a motor mount outstanding but that's out of stock apparently. I held off and was going to post when I had everything so then it would be a complete end to the story.   I've had several emails from him recently with answers to questions and very helpful advice. The last was on Sunday, so he is around.   Like you Fred, I never wanted to air my problems in public but if that's what it takes to get a response I didn't know what else to do. When I have had communications with Grant I can only say how helpful he is, likewise when I have met him.   I just don't know what's going on or where these breakdowns are occurring.    Thanks are due to this forum for helping to resolve my issue.   Regards all, Andy 

Well, it was all looking so good. I got a response from Grant asking me to send details of order again. I did and he claimed the problem was my emails had been going to his spam folder. Possible, but did the money go to his "spam" bank account too? Anyway, he said everything in my order except my motors (the bit I really need from him as I can't seem to get anywhere else) was in stock and would be sent out straight away. The motors he would chase his supplier for as he had paid for them. That was on the 12th and I've received nothing and heard nothing. Numerous emails later and no response so I hope this post will wake him up again. I'm prepared to give anyone a second chance but this is just ridiculous. Andy

Mode2SussexSussex Dad / instructor taught. I didn't even know what modes were for years!!!  Started on 2 stick 2 channel mid 70s. Interestingly for statistics, I only know of one mode1 flyer in Brighton club of 80 odd (some very) members.