ron evans Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Thanks Rosco. A splash of paint and home made markings, brings a lump of foam to life. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Vinten 1 Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 not new but updated for 2015/2016 peter millers swamp rat build one they are fantastic to fly Photos 2013/2014 2015/2-16 season Happy landings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Wow, it looks really good, no, that is fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Hi Gary. THat is a really smart job. I like the advertising, it fits in with the drag racer image. How is Jezebel coming along? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben goodfellow 1 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Ron , hows yours fly .. mines really good . funfighter motor on 4s is just right , easy hand launch , for the cost to fun factor . cant be beat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Why o why has the Ratracer not been selected this year for Greenacres? It is a country mile the most suitable model for a fun event! I for one would have built one. Just looking at the general proportions of the model it looks right, that is spot on! A good wing area, a sensible wing planform. Thje body although in principal is simple, it is elegant, as the Germans say "Less is more". Then the UC is mounted in a good location for both tracking and the simple form and point of mounting provides a secure practical arrangement. Why is this model becoming a classic, just like the WoT series of models have become? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 What month was the ratracer published? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Posted by Erfolg on 05/04/2015 17:46:28: What month was the ratracer published? August 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron evans Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Hi Ben, good to hear it goes ok, must be hot on a 4s. My flat sheet version is very similar to the foam kf version, perhaps a bit faster, well fast enough for me anyway ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Vinten 1 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Posted by Peter Miller on 05/04/2015 07:58:55: Hi Gary. THat is a really smart job. I like the advertising, it fits in with the drag racer image. How is Jezebel coming along? Thanks Peter this model is a thrill to fly goes vertical no stopping all the tricks you want it to do As for Jezebel the wing is made need to get started on the fuz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Vinten 1 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Posted by Erfolg on 04/04/2015 22:26:53: Wow, it looks really good, no, that is fantastic! Thanks Erfolg the plane is based on Don Garlitts drag racer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devcon1 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 A Dawn Flyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Posted by Gary Vinten 1 on 05/04/2015 19:49:14: Posted by Erfolg on 04/04/2015 22:26:53: Wow, it looks really good, no, that is fantastic! Thanks Erfolg the plane is based on Don Garlitts drag racer In fact it is named after the Don Garlits racer but it is inspired by a Gary Vinten 1 design. Credit where it is due!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 The Swamp Rat is an excellent model but very quick and a little small so it's very exciting to fly but not relaxing! This is my electric version powered by a BRC 2814/8 and 3S Lipo. about 300watts. The name Swamp Rat was appplied to Don Garlits because he came from Florida, so he used that on his dragsters. Later he became known as Big Daddy. Lots more info here Edited By kc on 06/04/2015 15:35:15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 It seems to me that RCME should publish Gary's electric version. It's clearly attracted a fair few comments here. The latest version has styling that is quite a bit different and it's purpose built for electric. Not that many electric balsa built sports models in the plans service anyway. With such a distinctive front end style it surely would be popular with electric builders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 That was supposed to be the idea, Gary doing to electric conversion for RCM&E Swamp Rat is my windy weather model for those days which are dark and cloudy and windy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Bastow Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Just an update on the FW TA154 now it is test flown and nearly finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Wilder Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Here's my Cartoon Cutlass. I saw the plans in R/C Model Aeroplane; it's our version of RCM&E here in the States, and aside from the cover name and tagline, it's exactly the same. However, I just knew I had to build one. Fantastic model on a Rimfire .10 and an 8X8 with a 3s2200. Speed doesn't begin to describe it. Rocket ship to Mars just might. I built mine with all 1/4 (6mm) balsa, and the KF2 wing. It's a super flyer and exceedingly light weight due to my wood choices, but a little bit of a pain to launch with such a high pitch prop. Once airborne though, it's truly a great flying airplane. Thanks to Mr. Ron Evans and Mr. Nigel Hawes for bringing this model to us. I'm super excited about it. As far as I'm aware, it's one of the first if not only one flying here in the U.S. I don't know if I dare tell anyone about it though, because I like being the only one having such a good flying small aircraft. It's like having the keys to a top secret test airplane! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron evans Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Hi Mathew and greetings from sunny Wales. Glad you like the Cartoon Cutlass, your finish really gives this simple model a flavor of the full size.. Mine uses a 5x5 and has no nasty torque reaction on launch - still need to keep fingers out of the way though ! I see from your profile you're a rock guitarist, me too back in the 60s - quite a few modelers in our club play instruments of one kind or another. Ron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Wilder Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 That's awesome. My father (whose name is also Ron) was a rock organist in the 60's and early 70's. Had a really nice Hammond B3 and the Leslie cabinets to go with it. We always joke that had he spent less time playing with his "organ" he might be famous by now! It does always amaze me though how many of us aviation fanatics are also musicians of various sorts. Both my brother and my dad fly, and my brother was my bassist for years and also one hell of a guitarist now. Ok, back on topic. You'd be interested to know that even with the 8X8, there's next to no torque roll on takeoff, however I've taken to chucking it off a local hill (and what seems the ONLY hill within 100 miles of here in ever so flat Florida) to give me the drop needed to get it up to speed and flying. It looks a lot like watching old carrier shots of these airplanes when it drops a little bit then takes off like mad. I also tried a 10X4.5 prop that the motor was originally designed for, and while acceptable, wasn't quite nearly as much fun as the 8X8 set-up, though it was much easier to hand launch with more thrust off the line. Again, toque roll even on the 10 wasn't terrible or anything close to it, probably owing to the airplanes ample wing area out back. Additionally I did some timed speed runs over a known distance today, and on average with a fresh pack it will cover 1/10 of a mile in 3 seconds flat, and 4.25 on a half discharged lipo. That equates to somewhere around 120mph with fresh batteries! It certainly is a fast bugger, so I tend to keep it throttled back more often than not. I did encounter a flutter issue with the tails early on at these speeds, but that was remedied by blocking them with triangular stock at the mounting points. I wish I could convince some of the local guys to build some and start a local Cutlass Rocket Race League, however they're all into giant scale gas 3D, or turbine flying and won't even give small scale electric a second thought. If it doesn't run on gas, they won't run it. It's a shame really. The largest craft I currently fly is a 1/5.5 Nieuport 17 (though I do have an all wood 4 meter Pilatus sailplane and a 1/3 Spacewalker being rehabbed right now), and it's still one of the smallest down here. I get looked at like I have two heads when they see these, and even more so when I inform them that I don't own any large scale aerobats, or ANY aerobats for that matter anymore. haha So, any of you guys from across the pond want to come over and form a race league and show the giant scale 3d guys that smaller and electric can be just as fun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron evans Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Hi Mathew, in the 60s I remember lusting after a Fender Tele in the music shop, but as it cost £470, the same as a new car then, I could never afford one. Wish I still had my Vox ac30 though 120mph !! That's one hot ship you've got there Mathew, might give those fancy turbines a run for their money. I always launch power off, but it's a rush to get to the throttle ( r.h. stick ) before it sinks to the ground, so given its great low speed handling I now throw it up at about 30deg. and it gives me more time to get on the power. You say the locals all fly giant scale and turbines, I wonder how many have built their own models ? Don't get me wrong, I do admire some of these fabulous ready built models, but over the years I've had great satisfaction flying simple, all my own work aeroplanes. I know I don't have the same attachment to the couple of R,T,F models I own. A race league for cartoon e jets would be great cheap fun, although my old eyes couldn't keep up with 120 mph , perhaps with one slowest lap, with the time taken off total race time would promote good low speed performance. My model will descend nose high with full up held in power off, then adding a little power will fly the circuit safely with full up held in. The full size could do this trick too. I note you've been looking at old carrier takeoff film, well sadly the old cutlass had a high loss rate in service, due mainly to unreliable, underpowered engines, but this was cutting edge technology at the time, and I don't think the more modern F104 was any better in this respect. I've read a few accounts from pilots who flew the Cutlass in service, and they loved their time with it. It was unbreakable in the air and highly aerobatic but needed afterburner to get the best out of it which burned fuel very quickly. Dig a bit deeper into the Cutlasses past, and you'll find Whitey Feightner flying the F7U-1 prototype in the late 40s, his tales of the powered control system failures are amazing...it took some 11 secs for manual control to kick in, a long time if you're heading towards the ground ! He said he spent a long time as a passenger in that aeroplane. A little later in the 50s the navy put a team of pilots together to evaluate the new model F7U-3 for carrier service, and on this day pilots Floyd Nugent and Wally Schira ( later to become an astronaut ) were doing repeated take offs and landings from the carrier Hancock parked off the San Diego bay. On Nugents last launch the nose wheel feel into the sea, and he was ordered to fly inland, point the nose out to sea and eject. He made a safe arrival but on looking up he saw his Cutlass had made its way back inland, and without the weight of pilot and seat was trimmed perfectly and flying in big circles around the San Diego coast. Much concern all round but there was nothing to be done. Eventually the fuel ran out and on its final pass it just missed the roof of the Del Coronado hotel, headed down the beach and made a decent landing in the shallows with little damage to the airframe. The pilots rejected the aeroplane for carrier use, but the Navy went ahead and used it anyway. So the old Cutlass could do a bit free flight too. Sorry if I've rattled on a bit, but after seeing a pic of this aeroplane when I was a kid ( I still am ) it's been a favorite of mine, from a fascinating era in aviation history. I think you have one down there in the Pensacola museum Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 My P51D funfighter build from Ton's plan. Unflown and awaiting its maiden. Rosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 That looks brilliant Rosco, well done! What is the silver covering you have used? Hope the maiden goes well Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Thanks Danny.It's just silver Profilm.Rosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eflightray Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 A bit late as it's now three years old but still great fun to fly. The free plan of Tony Nijhius 72" span Spitfire, but built using mostly Depron foam and for electric power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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