Futura57

Here's a good example of how my build pipeline can get interrupted... There I was making progress with my Strange Quark Mk2 prototype (vectored thrust) when a friend, who'd finished building his Top Quark from my plan, wanted me to cover it. He hates covering, is not great at it, and didn't want to ruin the model. I hope he likes Tigers 🤣 This was quickly followed by a new EDMAC club member who'd extricated a Kamco Kadet trainer from his garage, which was last flown about 15 years ago. He asked me to repair the damaged tail feathers. But there was a fair bit of other work I deemed necessary like stripping down and cleaning a seized 40 year old OS Max 30 RC, replacing a perished fuel tank bung and replacing the 4-cell NiMh flight battery that, after multiple cycling, no longer held sufficient charge. I also have made two purchases from the BMFA classifieds. Both largish biplanes circa 72-inch span. The first, a Moki 135 powered Bipablast, I've spent a couple of days checking it over, cleaning it, and ordering a few bits and pieces to get it fully airworthy. The second, an Ultimate 120 airframe, I'm collecting tomorrow. This will solve the problem of what to do with my recently acquired un-run Saito 125a 4-stroke. 👌 Before returning to my Strange Quark Mk2, after 2 or 3 weeks' absence, I first had to repair the nose of the Mk1 prototype I accidentally sat on and crushed. 🤬 Happy days.

Now I need to establish an initial centre of gravity for my 72-imch span Bipablast 😟

Very useful @Paul De Tourtoulon thank you. I find all the trade names a little annoying. This tells me what I want to know. 👍

My thanks for all your comments and suggestions. Yesterday my 'acquaintance' told me that he found at the back of his garage an old half gallon of fuel which the OS Max 30 RC engine in question was run on about 15 years ago 🙄 He says it is Duraglow 5% nitro. So without any further ado I told him to source the same (fresh) or something similar going forward, and to stop wasting my time 🤬

Having researched the OS Max 30 RC engine, other forums and sources have strongly advised even against 20% castor. The engine instructions are also quite clear. It's not my engine so I'm not going to suggest my acquaintance uses anything less. I will suggest he tries Westons. I will have a surf through all the UK model shops I use online to dig a bit deeper. In the meantime, further info is welcome.

I have an acquaintance who wants to run some old OS max rc motors which require a 25% castor oil mix with 5% nitro. He only requires a gallon at this time. Before Southern Model Craft moved from Tonbridge I would have suggested picking it up from there. Can anyone suggest an online source who would supply and deliver such a mix? He doesn't want the hassle of blending his own.

Easy on the flapperons. Rates are too high 🤪

I know exactly where you are coming from. But at least you are always striving for perfection. Reminds me of when I was a young child I used to love colouring books. Once the pencil or felt pen went over the lines more than a couple of time I would abandon that page and move to another fresh page with the intention of making it perfect. Usually the book would be filled with unfinished pages 🤔

My build pipeline is usually pretty stable for the rolling 3 to 6 months going forward. Impulses and changes are usually slotted in behind this. There are, of course, the inevitable little flying incidents which precipitate some queue jumping intervention, but those have not been an issue so far this year🤞 However, I have offered to cover a friend's model in the next couple weeks, which I can slot in during the evening, otherwise he will never finish and fly it. I also just volunteered to repair and service a new club member's Kamco Kadet trainer, unflown for 15 years. Including its gummed up and seized up OS30 rc engine. So my planned build pipeline is a little off course right now and about a week behind.

I just got back from my trip to Wiltshire today, after leaving home at 7am. It's been a long but enjoyable day. I met up with a friend who moved out of the London area over a decade ago, and I also met a few of his clubmates at the Wessex MFC. We flew out of their Poulshot field. My friend built one of my Top Quark designs from a draft plan I sent him last October. Despite it weighing in at over 1kg (the design weight is 700g) it flew really well and faster than mine. For the maiden he did the hand launch and wanted me on the tx. He describes his F111 inspired choice of colour scheme as military and mine as Disney. I kind of see his point. He's camera shy, so it's me posing with his model.

Tomorrow I'm driving from Caterham, Surrey to Trowbridge, Wiltshire to meet up with a friend and ex-member of the Epsom Downs MFC. I shall be flying at his local patch and catching up on matters aeronautical.

According to the May issue of RCM&E, it appears my design will be the free plan in the June issue 🥳

Spooky. It could be the same as my newly acquired biplane which, incidentally, I purchased from a BMFA ad just a couple of days ago, but now deleted. Thanks for the suggestion @RottenRow

On the one hand, I feel I'm being hijacked. On the other hand, perhaps we could reuse this topic for identifying all members' unknown models going forward?

I'm going to need a triple cat bypass before I can get out of bed this morning 😺😺😾

Thatz gotta be fake. Evrywon knows its pigs wot fly innit 😝

Never heard of it! Google is yielding very little: A RCM&E review in 1988 (allegedly), but no details or images. Plus a 2012 topic on this forum with photobucket images which are no longer available. So I can't verify if it is or not. If it is then it really is an obscure old design with little prospect of getting a new cowling. Anyone any thoughts?

I just acquired a Moki 135 powered 72-inch span biplane, 60-inches long. The wings look to be foam veneered and the fuselage sides appear to be lite ply. Tail feathers are pretty solid too. The whole thing feels very robust. I would like to get a cowling, otherwise I will have to fabricate one myself. Anyway, can you identify the model for me? Puffin (the cat) isn't talking to me since his full body shave. Thanks

I'm definitely in the category of multiple builds at various stages on the go in parallel. I won't bore you with the details of every model, but I fly fixed wing and helis, so that compounds the issue for me. I do have a couple of unstarted fixed wing kits in my loft, plus half a dozen helis, mostly scale, in various states of construction. These were mothballed 10 years ago when I moved from a much larger house. Back then I could leave multiple models on the bench and flip between them. As the glue was setting on one model, I would do a bit on another. All have 60 to 90 nitro 2-strokes, some unrun. At this time I have no intention of converting any to electric. Sometimes I get an idea for a design and I put it straight to the top of my build pipeline, then everything else goes on hold. I recently had the urge to purchase a foam EDF requiring barely an hour of assembly and setup, so that slotted in the pipeline line real quick. The weather was cold and wet so I didn't fancy trotting out to the shed. It was assembled on the dining room table. Back in the day, when you could get an ARTF bargain at a show I made even more impulse purchases like this. I currently have 4 builds to finish, plus I bought a built Brian Taylor BF110 last year from a club mate which needs painting and electrics installing. I really should switch attention to helis to prepare a couple for upcoming fly-in events. But hey, the sun is out, the wind is low, I think I will go flying instead. I literally change with the wind 🤣

Maidened my new xfly F22 Raptor EDF today. Two words: Gutless & Disappointing. Not me, the model 🤣 It's nearly 100g heavier than my Strange Quark prototype, has less grunt and speed and only flys for 4 mins versus 4.5 mins on the same 4S 2200 (leaving around 25%). To be fair, I did have the u/c fitted. It is awkward to hold for a hand launch.

FYI: Combined fin and rudder covered in brown paper and sealed ready to paint: weight = 14.5g, area = 220cm2 ==> 660gM2 ballpark That's for 6mm XPS foam with 1/4" med balsa hinge posts (10mm and 20mm wide) and 3/32" sq hard balsa edges with foam sanded to slight profile. I think I've done that correctly. I believe Depron is slightly lighter than XPS foam sheet, though not as nice to sand.

For such a powered model I'm not entirely sure if strong enough Depron tail feathers would save much weight compared to an open balsa structure. I'd be inclined to try a 'solid' Depron (or similar foam) outline, edged with thin balsa for ding resistance. Add more substantial balsa 'posts' at the hinge lines and to give strength and bending stiffness. Don't over do the balsa otherwise you are effectively in-filling the structure with Depron where there was previously thin air, if you follow my meaning. Then cover with brown paper (and PVA) to really ramp up the the torsional and bending stiffness. Cutting lightening holes in the foam would rule out brown paper covering for a more conventional covering material, though I doubt would save much weight. And it may not be as stiff. Brown paper can form a surprisingly stiff edge on a curved leading edge, so thin balsa edging could be omitted if you were striving to save fractions of grammes and you were careful to avoid hangar rash. Here is a picture of the twin fins and rudders for my current EDF model using the foam and brown paper approach. The thicker balsa post on the rudder is because I shall be using a long double sided horn (similar to on a closed loop rudder) to transmit rudder movement on to a vectored thrust unit. Personally, I would happily use this construction for a 52 IC powered model without fear of flutter ruining my day. I'd be happy enough to weigh and measure the areas of my fins to give you an idea.

I certainly wouldn't call FMS and Powerfun EDF units from AliExpress and the like overpriced crap. Exactly the same as from 'UK' sources, but at 2/3 the price, or even less when they are on offer. Delivery times and shipping costs are not too shabby either, sometimes free. It depends what you buy and how discerning you are I guess. Again, for certain items Hobbyking and Banggood are the mutt's nuts. Just my opinion.