What makes a good kit ?

[David Hazell 1]

Ooooohhhhhhhhhh. I still haven't more than halfway completed the Spitfire, have the P51 waiting, but that LA7 looks TOO NICE! I want one! Add me to the list please Richard!!

[Glynn]

Just like me David, 2 Spits unfinished as yet, The P51 half done and the Bf109 still unflown.

[David Hazell 1]

9 minutes ago, David Hazell 1 said:

Ooooohhhhhhhhhh. I still haven't more than halfway completed the Spitfire, have the P51 waiting, but that LA7 looks TOO NICE! I want one! Add me to the list please Richard!!

 

Have I missed the boat? If I have, no bother, I haven't had my finger on the pulse enough so my own fault.

[RICHARD WILLS]

3 hours ago, Chris Walby said:

Glynn, Can you do a decal set of something like this:

 

 

Now my biggest problem is do I go for a Laser 80 sound system or electric with sound system?

 

Does anyone have the La 7's vital statistics? inc weight, wing loading etc and the electric set up....I am going to get tough...if I don't have the right lipo then it will have to be glow fuel ?

 

PS - Should we set up another WR Hurricane and La 7 thread for the builds and keep this the original OP topic?

 

 

Chris , perhaps an updated thread on each model would be good . They are circa 2003 kits ,so although component count is low and prefabrication is high , the newer modellers will struggle to join the dots . 

Before anyone starts building , wait (or remind me ) to drop in a few tips. 

[RICHARD WILLS]

1 hour ago, David Hazell 1 said:

 

Have I missed the boat? If I have, no bother, I haven't had my finger on the pulse enough so my own fault.

Hi David , Once Ive had a proper tot up , I will let you know if there is a spare . 

[Jonathan S]

Richard

Can you put me down for LA 7 if I haven't missed the boat.  

 

[RICHARD WILLS]

A few things worth knowing . The La7 at 57" will fly really well on an Os52FS .  If you go bigger , you will struggle to get the cowl off.

However , one of Jons Laser 70s will go in because they are quite "flat topped" as I recall . 

An electric mount option comes in the kit .  Same set up as the Spitfire , so 4s 3300 -4000 packs  13x8 or 14 x8 three blade props . 

No real tips needed as they fly straight out of the box . Balance is not an issue , They are not tail heavy like many warbirds.

They dont need flaps . Its just more weight . 

Two mods , I make : The central crutch is just an alignment tool . Once the basic fuselage box is together , cut as much of the crutch away as possible . Its just dead weight .   Secondly , the real La7 has very little dihedral . The model looks and flies a little better with 1 1/2" under each tip .  Nobody will tell you off , as they will still be calling it a Yak ... 

[RICHARD WILLS]

Right , Now the Hurricane , 

Listen carefully , I shall only say this once (allo allo) 

I designed this with a friend in 2001 . I guessed It would be light . I was right ......and wrong . 

A similar Topflite 63" model , at the time weighed typically 10 -12lb .

My prototype weighed 71/2 lb with a Thundertigre 54 FS . 

As it happened that motor was over compresses and faulty , but I was running out of time and decided to fly it .  I dont reckon it made more than 75% of its intended power . The Hurricane trundled across the wet grass with no sign of flying . 

When it was six feet short of the long grass , I heaved (metaphorically) on the elevator  . Amazingly it chugged into the sky .

Needless to say the 54 was inadequate . But my point is , that it will fly on very little if you keep it light . I also remember adding a big chunk of lead before the flight so it probably weighed eight pounds , with a C of G more rearward than that shown on the plan, but still ok for such a light model with a thick wing . 

I switched the finger biting 54 for an old OS70Fs and completed 300 reliable flights before donating it to my old friend Cyril , who was a Hurricane nut . It probably flew at around 8.75 lb . In scale manner .

 

Tips .  BALANCE !!!   The Hurricane is very short in the nose . I would seriously recommend sneaking a 3/4 balsa spacer behind the cowl to lengthen the nose a tad . Secondly , cut almost all of the central crutch away behind the cockpit to reduce the weight . 

Cover the tail feathers in lite span or similar as Solartex is quite heavy . 

If you are going to use a heavier motor , fine . But dont then get complacent and pile on the detail . That wont help you when you land . 

Remember , my model flew on a 54 . (just ) but it floated in beautifully . so you need to think about weight to make a really nice Hurricane . Be brutal , hack everything away behind the pilot . He wont complain and the model wont break . 

I never had flaps and didnt need them . Your choice though . If you build a Porker , you might need some . 

My advice , is dont .

[RICHARD WILLS]

On 15/09/2021 at 14:16, Jonathan S said:

Richard

Can you put me down for LA 7 if I haven't missed the boat.  

 

I might have to do another small batch in a couple of months as these models really hit the spot . 

[leccyflyer]

Thanks Richard - that was a nice surprise this afternoon. ?

 

Has anyone done an electric Hurricane yet?

[RICHARD WILLS]

Yes Brian  , but I cant remember who . 5s would match the 70FS but if you have some 6s packs then that would work even better . 

On the other hand , those that can shred the airframe and make it really light will get away with 4s .

Ive flown the VQ dauntless and Paul Johnson flies the VQ Hellcat on 4s . Same size and weight . 

[Paul Johnson 4]

FYI the VQ Hellcat, 60.4", weighs in at a tad over 8lbs I use a NTM 5050 580KV and a YEP 80a ESC (Hobbyking) swinging a 16x8x3 master aircrew prop. On a 4 cell 4000mAh, I get a good 6 mins of scale flight.

 

Edited September 17, 2021 by Paul Johnson 4

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

My Hellcat flew really well and scale like with a 15cc petrol, sorry none of that dynamo stuff in my Warbirds,,,?

[David Davis]

14 hours ago, RICHARD WILLS said:

Right , Now the Hurricane , 

Listen carefully , I shall only say this once (allo allo) 

I designed this with a friend in 2001 . I guessed It would be light . I was right ......and wrong . 

A similar Topflite 63" model , at the time weighed typically 10 -12lb .

My prototype weighed 71/2 lb with a Thundertigre 54 FS . 

As it happened that motor was over compresses and faulty , but I was running out of time and decided to fly it .  I dont reckon it made more than 75% of its intended power . The Hurricane trundled across the wet grass with no sign of flying . 

When it was six feet short of the long grass , I heaved (metaphorically) on the elevator  . Amazingly it chugged into the sky .

Needless to say the 54 was inadequate . But my point is , that it will fly on very little if you keep it light . I also remember adding a big chunk of lead before the flight so it probably weighed eight pounds , with a C of G more rearward than that shown on the plan, but still ok for such a light model with a thick wing . 

I switched the finger biting 54 for an old OS70Fs and completed 300 reliable flights before donating it to my old friend Cyril , who was a Hurricane nut . It probably flew at around 8.75 lb . In scale manner .

 

Tips .  BALANCE !!!   The Hurricane is very short in the nose . I would seriously recommend sneaking a 3/4 balsa spacer behind the cowl to lengthen the nose a tad . Secondly , cut almost all of the central crutch away behind the cockpit to reduce the weight . 

Cover the tail feathers in lite span or similar as Solartex is quite heavy . 

If you are going to use a heavier motor , fine . But dont then get complacent and pile on the detail . That wont help you when you land . 

Remember , my model flew on a 54 . (just ) but it floated in beautifully . so you need to think about weight to make a really nice Hurricane . Be brutal , hack everything away behind the pilot . He wont complain and the model wont break . 

I never had flaps and didnt need them . Your choice though . If you build a Porker , you might need some . 

My advice , is dont .

 

OK. I am to blame for the first tranche of Hurricanes produced in 2017: https://www.modelflying.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/37723-who-wants-a-warbird-replics-hurricane/&tab=comments#comment-657939. Mine has stayed in its box on a shelf ever since then. I suspect that many of the other Hurricane kits produced at that time also remain unbuilt. 

 

I propose to build it over the winter and cover it in brown paper. This will be a first for me but two other builders in my club are experienced with this medium. I will fit a Laser 70 or 80 to it and not being a brilliant pilot will probably opt for the larger tailplane.

 

Given that the Laser 80 is a heavy engine for its size do you still think that it will be preferable to extend the nose?

 

"Squadron Leader" D.J. Davis

[Jon H]

I have had two Hurricanes. One was no flaps and kit tail, my current Hurricane is 9.5lbs and It has flaps and a scale size tail. Both had laser 80's in the nose. 

 

It performs fine with a scale size tail. I thickened the tail to give it more aerodynamic bite and turned it into a swiss cheese for lightness. My fully built up and covered scale tail weighed only a few g more than the unfinished slab tail the kit came with. Elevators are very powerful even with the reduction in size so you have no worries here. 

 

Flaps, i added flaps and do not regret it. Yes they have added weight and complexity, but i do find they help at the 9+lb weight bracket my model occupies. Its easier to land than my old flapless one. An elevator up flap mix and slightly higher rate is needed for landing as deploying the flaps and gear drags the nose down. 

 

Lead. with the laser 80 fitted it still needs lead in the nose. Its just the way it is, dont cry about it. I have a lead horseshoe right at the front behind the spinner. No idea how heavy but its not crazy. If you want to add 10mm to the nose then by all means do. It will help with the next item....

 

Laser engine fitment. you will need to heavily modify the front of the fuselage and wing to fit a laser engine. If you dont want to, use another engine. Again, its the way it is, call a spade a spade, etc. I can provide all the details needed for anyone who wants to make the mods. They are not difficult to do but they are a bit of extra work. It will however allow the servos to fit really far forward in the 'normal' tank bay. The batteries can live up there as well. I reserve the right to be very sarcastic when anyone who ignores this advice to lower the tank calls me with running problems ? 

 

Wing incidence. The main wing incidence on my current model was wonkey for some reason and it flew like a dog. Check yours during the build. With the tail at 0 degrees make sure the wing tips are at 0 as well and probably +3 or whatever on the root. I cant recall the washout angle. Anyway mine had tips at -2 degrees to begin with and that was not ideal! With incidence corrected as much as i can without making a new model flight performance is much improved and i very much enjoy it. If you get your incidence right from the beginning yours will be even better. 

 

I covered mine in solartex (tail/fuse), glasscloth (wings/forward fuse), and a few areas have sticky back chrome colour plastic fablon stuff on them to simulate panel details. Painted with enamels, fuel proofed with some awful epoxy stuff i got. 

 

 

If the LA7's on offer are 57'' as Richard says, he is quite right and Laser 70's would be the way to go if you want one of mine. tank placement is no problem with the engine side mounted. 

 

 

[Michael Kulagin]

Jon, put me down for a Laser 80. Let me know when ready and I'll come and collect. I have sent you a message via the Laser web site.

[David Hazell 1]

Soooooo... Cat->Pidgeons... Laser 70 or Saito FA62B in the La7. Discuss...

 

[martin collins 1]

Look what just arrived here, can`t resist Richard`s planes, the Lavochkin has landed! Packed very well as usual, he sure does turn out nice kits ?

Edited September 17, 2021 by martin collins 1

[Chris Walby]

Kit arrived yesterday, well packed as ever although I think I might have upset the Rev Sweep as it seems slightly different to everyone else's. Perhaps it was the comment about his dog collar at the last visit or his unusual working practices with sharp knives...Anyway he said it would be equal to my flying ability so he must know best.

 

 

Thanks to Richard and the "team", really looking forward to the build of WR kit.

  

[RICHARD WILLS]

Do you know , that having started Warbirds in 1995 , the La7 has been the best selling kit overall ?  Isnt that weird ?

I made the original for myself , because at the time you couldnt buy one anywhere . Even a primitive plan was hard to obtain . 

Who would have thought , that a company called "Warbirds" had a best seller of a prototype that virtually nobody knew about ?

[Graham Davies 3]

I loves a rare bird, me.

 

How about a nice Polikarpov i185? Supposedly a great performing prototype, although both prototypes crashed...

 

CAC Boomerang?

 

Oh, I could be here some time...

[Jon H]

When i bought my ESM version it was the only one i knew about and it was the only large scale example available. Now, everyone does one but i have to confess many of the examples from cymodels look like they were only drawn from a rough description. Not too much attention to scale outline. 

[RICHARD WILLS]

By next week I should have the La7 retract packs sorted . 

Hurricanes perhaps need a bit of a chat . 

Having spoken to a few of you  , I think we will end up with some extremely light Hurricanes , that would get away with almost our Spitfire size retracts , but the majority will require the next size up . Some may also want oleos . 

The problem here is getting the stuff . The fall back option is to use a mechanical retract with a central driver . That has some advantages , but also some disadvantages . Lets have some thoughts on it . 

 

[leccyflyer]

Personally I'd prefer electric retracts for my Hurricane, if those are going to be doable - oleos would be nice as well. I'm not counting on my electric Hurricane being super lightweight, if past experience is anything to go by, so might be a challenge to get to using the Spitfire retract option.

[Chris Walby]

Hi, Are there any other La7 goodies apart from the decals that could be slipped in the "shoe box" delivery system (previously used, great method of getting modeling parts past the better half!) for the electric version?