Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Hi all, I would like to give a brief expiation for my absence from the forum and the reason why my website has been down over the past few months, I would also like take this opportunity to thank those of you who have known about what I have been going through and for your much appreciated support through this difficult time, your e-mails and phone calls where a big help to me, thanks also for respecting my privacy by not revealing this to anyone until I was ready to do so myself. In the latter part of 2014 my family and I were struck a devastating blow when my mum was diagnosed with cancer. As a result of this dreadful news I made the decision to postpone the release of any new kits and concentrate only on my Hammerhead and Nemesis range of kits so that I could give my mum the support she needed. This was an easy decision to make as I am a fully paid up member of the mummy’s boy club, and for that I make no apology. Unfortunately I had to re-evaluate my decision to concentrate my Hammerhead and Nemesis kits when the company that supplied me with the foam blanks for wings and decking decided that they would increase the price for the foam blanks by an unacceptable 25%. Now not wishing to elaborate too much on my response to this 25% price increase, all I will say, is this, the last few words to them were ‘where the sun don’t shine’ Anyway, on reflection, their price increase can now be seen a positive, as this meant that I could concentrate on my mum, who I am delighted to say is now well on the way to recovery, only last week we were give the fantastic news that my mum has kicked cancers ass, as her latest scans have revealed that there is no sign of cancer. This news now means that I can concentrate full time with the re-design and development of my kit range, as I decided that my kits will now be all built up, with no foam in sight. Now because my kit range is aimed at modellers new to building and experienced modellers alike, I had to come up with a self-jigging wing design that would be simple to construct, which I have now done with the hammerhead. The Hammerhead is almost finished, just the motor, radio installation and covering to do then flight tests can be carried out. I have added a few photos of the new wing design to give you an idea of how I achieved this, more information will be given on my web-site which should be back up within the next four to six weeks. Thanks for your patience, I look forward to getting back to normal soon. Richie 1 2 3 4 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Welcome Back mate Missed you and so glad that the news about your Mum is fantastic...... Just about to start on the cancer kicking road myself with my wifes Dad diagnosed last week. All the best mate and get posting. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Family first Richie good luck to you all, all the best. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Bennett Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Fantastic news about your mum Richie. nice to have you back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 Cheers Tony, it was a hard slog but it’s amazing what they can do these days. I sorry to hear about your good ladies dad, be positive because the doctors and nurses in our NHS today are living Gods and they can do magic. My family and I are going to take a little time off to celebrate, things will be back on track soon. Take care Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 Thanks Tony, its good to be back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 Thanks john. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetenor Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Welcome back Boyo! I hope yhese living gods can sort out my crappy hips at last this year. &7yrs since first diagnosed. Long story but maybe '15 is the year. Anyway enjoy the celebration . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I am very glad to hear from you! It is brilliant to hear that your Mother is okay. It is nice to know that the kits will be back, the more British kit companies the better in my book. Always liked the look of the Hammerhead, I would get one if I didn't already have too many aeroplanes! Good luck, and make sure you have some good time off.CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leighfield Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Great news Richie, I'm really pleased for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy G. Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Speaking as someone who has had that particular T shirt personally all i can say is... yes the NHS oncology teams are great! Big thumbs up for your Mum ☺ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Foley Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Great news and good luck in the future. Edited By David Foley on 02/05/2015 11:43:27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 Thanks gentlemen, for your kind words. The Carey clan have just returned from a very pleasant week away so its back to work today, I will be working flat out to catch up. Once again thanks for your support. Kind regards Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Hi all, just thought I would give you a quick update on how things are going. Shortly after I posted that my mum had beat cancer, it came back for round two. She once again put up a good fight but sadly lost the fight and passed way in November 2015. Naturally as the eldest man in the Carey clan, I had no other option but to, summon all of my inner strength and loose it completely to wander around aimlessly for a while, like a ship without a rudder. Until my little sister (who is a carbon copy of my mum lol) grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and helped me back to port, so to speak. Anyway, now back on track, I have been a busy little bee and I have finished redesigning and building the all built-up Hammerhead kits. Test flights of both the 62” and 75” models are imminent. I will let you all know how it goes in due course. In the meantime, above are a few pics of the finished models. All dressed up in their new livery. I hope you like. Richie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Hi Richie Sorry for your loss, I've been through it with my mam n dad and I've got a tough little sister as well. Models look fantastic mate, colour scheme is superb John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C. Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Hi Richie, Just tried to take a look at your Web site maddog.uk but for some reason my McAfee did not like it and would not let me enter. I have had this before on another modeling site and it was something too with the site server setup I think, thought I would let you know just in case others are having the same problem, Cheers, Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Posted by john stones 1 on 31/03/2016 12:45:53: Hi Richie Sorry for your loss, I've been through it with my mam n dad and I've got a tough little sister as well. Models look fantastic mate, colour scheme is superb John Thanks John, I know where would we be without our tough little sisters? I had to lean some new skills in CorelDraw to come up with that scheme lol. though I will need to get a professional graphic artist to tidy them up for me, if I am to offer vinyl decals to modellers wishing to finish their kits in the same scheme. I will take some video footage of the Hammerheads test flights and post it on here just as soon as they are done. Richie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Posted by PC on 31/03/2016 13:17:33: Hi Richie, Just tried to take a look at your Web site maddog.uk but for some reason my McAfee did not like it and would not let me enter. I have had this before on another modeling site and it was something too with the site server setup I think, thought I would let you know just in case others are having the same problem, Cheers, Paul. Hi Paul. Thanks for the heads up on the website, I have had a few people say the same about McAfee and Norton, there is a problem with the analytics code I installed to monitor the performance of my website, which is way beyond my capabilities to try and fix lol. I have a chap working on designing my new website at the moment and I am looking to have it up and running by early May, in time for release of the all built-up hammerhead kits . Cheers Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted May 15, 2016 Author Share Posted May 15, 2016 https://splice.gopro.com/v?id=GOJXxvZJZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Cousins Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Hi Richie Been reading the post and glad to see your back on the rails. Time is a good healer and keeping busy also helps a huge amount. I have been looking for a low wing sports model for a bit. I have been out of the RC seen for 20 years and am getting back into it. I am on a trainer at the moment to blow the cob webs off and I am progressing quite quickly so much so I am surprising my self. I am a bit of a balsa basher (well in the past) so I have been looking for a kit. When I came across your Hammer head I got excited but when I noticed that it was foam wings and decking I was a bit deflated. BUT now you are doing a all built up version I started to salivate and you have my interest. I was hoping to put a Laser 100 (16cc ) in the 62" version. Any idea when you think you will be in a position to start selling the kit. Oh buy the way the new livery is absolutely fantastic. Andy C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 Hi Andy, welcome back to the hobby, I am hoping to have the first 62" Hammerhead kits ready for mid July. The 62" kit is ready for its test flight, as it has been for the past three weeks but unfortunately every day that we have set for the test flight, the weather has been less than favourable. Though we did manage to get the 75" model up for its madden flight two weeks ago and it flew a treat and handled the 90 degree gusty crosswind no problem (see video) I sent both kits off some time ago for final evaluation by two very kind fellow modellers (Steve and Peter). Who have taken the time to build the kits, checking that everything fits together and the construction manual is easy to follow. Peter has finished his 62" kit and has flown it a couple of times. The report he sent me was very encouraging indeed, just a few changes in the construction manuals to make one or two building techniques used a little clearer, everything in the kit fits as it should. as for the flying, here its is in Peters own words 'My Hammerhead flew well yesterday, stable yet responsive. The only thing I will tweak is to mix a tiny amount of down elevator to rudder as it has a tendency to pull very slightly towards the canopy when in knife edge. Other than that, it's perfect' this pulling towards the canopy is something I will have to check when I eventually get to test my model, I am thinking a slight change to the CofG will solve that issue, which I can check by putting the models into a vertical dive. The laser 100 will be fine in the 62" kit, I have one of the foam wing version kits fitted with a OS pumped 120 four stroke engine and it goes like a bat out of hell. might I suggest fitting the laser 100 with a three blade prop (13 x 7), this is for two reasons, first it will increase props ground clearance and secondly a three blade prop on idle will help to slow the model down for landing (yes it actually works, I have a three blade master airscrew 14 x 7 prop fitted to my 120 fs) Here's the video of the 75" Hammerheads first flight just so you can see how the models looks in the air. Cheers Richie. Edited By Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK on 03/06/2016 16:32:48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted June 10, 2016 Author Share Posted June 10, 2016 Well we eventually managed to get the 62" Hammerhead's test flight done. and to say the flight was the 'mutts nuts' would be an understatement. Just a little trimming out and she did exactly what I designed her to do, the only drama we had, was right at the end, with a dead stick, time fly's when you are having fun. The model almost floated down to the strip for a smooth landing, though you will have to take my word on that, because I had to check this out with my own eyes and not on a camera screen as it was the models first dead stick landing and I wanted to make sure that the all built up wing performed as it should. Here's the video of the test flight, sorry for the camera work, I promise I will get a professional camera man, just as soon as I find one that does mates rates lol. Richie . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Bennett Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 nice model even nicer flying and a much nicer landing. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted November 11, 2016 Author Share Posted November 11, 2016 Hi all, I just thought I’d give you a quick update on how thing are progressing with my kits. But firstly, I would like to apologies to those of you, that have expressed an interest in my kits, for the delay in getting them to the market. As most of you know, my original designs were all foam wing and decking’s, which I had to redesign to all built-up as a result of the gentleman supplying the foam blanks for the wings and decking increasing his prices by 25%. I had hoped to stick with the plugin wing option, using phenolic tube and aluminium wing spar. However, this has proven to be way too expensive and would have resulted in, pricing my 62” hammerhead kit out of the market. And given that my original brief, was to design good quality, easy to build kits at a competitive price. I decided, that I had to go back to the drawing board, so to speak. So on to the changes I have made. The 62” hammerhead kit, is now going to be supplied with a standard all built-up, one-piece wing. Which is attached to the fuselage with plastic wing bolts (bog standard). I have also decided to add a smaller 54” Hammerhead for 40cu.in to 60cu.in size motor to the range. The 75” Hammerhead, I have not changed, as at 75” It is, in my view, too bulky to have a one-piece wing. Especially for those modeller's with smaller cars. I had a meeting yesterday with ‘Dan the man’ my web designer. To go through the final check of my new website and I have to say. It is looking pretty good and should be live within the next couple of weeks. It has a similar layout to my original website (that I designed myself) but way more professional. I will let you know when it goes live. If you would be so kind, as to take a look at it and let me know what you think. Your feedback will be much appreciated. Anyway, I am planning, to have the 62” Hammerhead available by the end of this month. The 54” Hammerhead, by the end of January 2017 (if I get my finger out) and the 75” Hammerhead by the end of February 2017. Once again, thank you for your patience and sorry for the delay. With my reputation as a kit designer at stake. I just had to get this right. Cheers Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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