Anyone into RC Cars? (Boats or planes too)

[Jiffy_Jeff]

I've been looking at some RC trucks. A couple of friends have them and they look like a lot of fun. And man, can they go fast. 50-mph!!!

Electric, gas, trucks, buggies................ There are so many choices and variables out there..

I have found a couple of used ones. They are nitro trucks. But I always think used is inheriting someone else's problems.(In some areas)

I hear that the electric ones are better due to virtually no maintenance. Brushless motors now take these cars way up in speed!!!

So, are any of you into this? Any advice for someone that is new....

[bigdaddy]

I was into planes for a while. Aside from gear, RC is the fastest way I know of to spend money.

[teefus]

when i was 15-16 i was into radio control gliders. i had a topcat and a few others, mostly 2 meter. i bought a traxxas 1/12 awd truck this summer to torment my corgi. it is a nice vehicle and super fast with the extra battery packs.

[Baxtercat]

I've seen some pretty impressive craftsmanship from model makers....
Google this one to see it flying
B-52 RC model
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/Baxtercat65/family%20surf%20misc/b52model4.jpg

a P-2 Neptune model
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/Baxtercat65/family%20surf%20misc/P2Vmodel.jpg

[xntrick]

i have 2 Emaxx RC trucks, one is stock and one has an aftermarket chassis which lowers the center of gravity(makes for great power slides on dry dirt)..havn't experimented with brushless yet as it isn't cheap and you really have to beef up the drivetrain to handle the extra power..i'll have to post some pics later

[aeolian]

My boys were into RC cars for awhile and I have one also. Other than taking a pile of batteries to the school yard I think electrics are a good way to get your feet wet. Gas is faster and you don't have to mess with charging, but it's more of a headache to keep running and annoys folks around you.

[airwarrior]

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/Davemeister1/DSC_8319.jpg

My in progress Pup. Since this photo was taken the last of the dope was applied. It's now waiting for a suitable powerplant.

[Jahn]

I made a Tamiya Fox back in my boyhood, it was awesome. In the days before gas or nitro. Here's a pic of one that looks like mine. In fact, I still have mine, it's back at my folks' place:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1037/943300740_0d584c0999.jpg?v=0

[bigdaddy]

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/Davemeister1/DSC_8319.jpg

My in progress Pup. Since this photo was taken the last of the dope was applied. It's now waiting for a suitable powerplant.

Very nice! Please tell me you are going rotary....

[coreybox]

Kinda different, but these look pretty sweet: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/

Watch the video near the bottom.

[Shreve]

I scratch built this little monkey from plans. Took the better part of a year. Never again. Still got her in my basement.

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2170/634537/3052496/186931907.jpg

[xntrick]

here's my 2 electric trucks, some guys prefer nitro but electric has so much more torque and quickness and they can climb very steep grades which you can't do with nitro:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4332192230_025270bdcc_o.jpg

[catalinbread]

When I retire I plan to build and fly RC planes. :knitting

[Ian Anderson]

As a teenager I built a powered glider from plans. It took the better part of 6 months and a small fortune. It was a beautiful creation, it came out perfectly. I didn't have lessons or the resources to learn how to fly it other than some magazines, so with great trepidation I took it to a good sized hill, tossed it off, and it went into the ground like a freakin dart.

I decided to sick to guitars after that fiasco which was probably a wise choice.

[Sadhaka]

Hey JMB,

I used to race rc cars, on and off road, pretty competitively in Australia.

Jade offers some good advice but I will differ in my opinion saying that I didn't like nitro cars due to the noise - they are intensely loud around a race track especially if you are marshalling. For me there is nothing like the clean whir of a well put together electric car and these days the speed is quite comparable.

So with that, if you have the time, I would strongly recommend buying a kit and building the car yourself as opposed to an RTR (ready to run) vehicle so that you learn exactly what you can and can't do when it comes to repairs and set up of the car. Most cars will take about a day for the novice to build (take your time and be as meticulous as you can) not including painting the body of the car.

I would definitely go for brushless these days and lipo batteries for as little motor/battery maintenance as possible but don't be fooled into the "no maintenance" idea especially if you are a basher - one who drives recreationally - because at 50mph these cars can get airborne at the wrong time and this equals broken front arms, shocks, rear arms, shock towers, possible chassis (unlucky), wheel rims etc etc. Especially for the temptation for big air, which is sick fun!!! And all that can equal big dollars if you want to keep the car on the road. You've gotta learn to drive to avoid wrecks. Perhaps start with a stock motor if you can...

One of my touring cars (brushless Novak 4.5) was clocked at over 55mph over about 70 yards and it was wicked fast.

If you want to speak to the TGP equivalent, check out

rctech.net

for all your RC needs :-)

Even in Australia, I bought all my gear from

losipartshouse.com

Steve runs a great shop and is a pleasure to deal with. FWIW I ran Team Associated cars (B4, B44, TC4, TC5, 18B etc). They are very good cars and parts availability is great.

Cheers mate and have fun!!!

[Shreve]

Is that a Kraft radio?

Jade

Sharp eye, Jade.

[Twangmaster]

Been building and flying planes since I first picked up a guitar, and that's been over 40 years. I've probably spent 10X the money on RC as I have on guitar gear, but then again, I'm better at the planes than I am at guitar. There is a very fine line between a Hobby and an Obsession. I'm into large aerobatic planes, 50cc up to 150cc engine size(!) and wingspans of around 10 feet or so. Yes they can get expensive.

[Two-Octave]

VRy9a_Vonww

[Tripower455]

Been into RC for over 20 years. Cars/Trucks, and Planes.

As for cars go. Once you've owned a nitro powered car, you'll never want to go back to electric. That being said, I don't recomend you buy a used nitro vehicle. Too many kids buy them, play with the engine tuning, run them too lean, and there goes the engine.

Get something made by TRAXXAS. They are BY FAR the most beginner friendly vehicles out there. Don't mistake that for being beginner grade... they make some of the best/fastest vehicles on the market.

HPI, LOSI, ASSOCIATED, etc, all make good stuff, but the Traxxas stuff is really where ya wanna start. they're easy to work on, parts are available everywhere, and the traxxas starting system is soooo much better than anything else out there.

A T-Max would be a good place to start.

As for airplanes. Get a Hangar9 all in one RTF .40 Trainer, and find someone local to teach you to fly.

Or be stupid like I was, and learn on your own... a more exhilerating, butt puckering experience is hard to come by than your first flight. I got lucky, and got my plane up, and down in one piece the first time, but very few do without help. Epoxy will be your friend... just try to find all the pieces when it crashes.


Once you learn to fly, and not crash, Airplanes are much cheaper to maintain than cars. The cars are constantly in need of little nickle dime stuff like Tires, and other little bits that break, or wear out. A-Arms, and drive shafts are pretty common things you should keep spares of.

It can be a lot of work, but it's a really fun hobby.


Oh.. and don't grab on to the exhaust pipe LOL

Have fun with whatever you get!
Jade

Ditto on ALL accounts..... I've been flying RC airplanes for over 30 years. Messed with boats cars and helis intermittantly.

The Traxxas stuff is GREAT. Good out of the box, tons of upgrades available and you can buy every part individually, which is nice, because you're goinna definitely break it sooner or later. I definitely recommend electric with NiMh batteries (don't do Lipo until you're really familiar with their handling. In fact, I use them for airplanes, where weight is a huge issue, but refuse to use them in the cars) for the first few, as messing (pun intended) with glow engines, even after 30 years of doing it, can be trying at times. Plus they make a huge mess.

My son has a Taxxas Stampede, and I've got a Rustler. Both go fast enough on 7 cell NiMh to do major damage when you hit something.

For airplanes, Jade's rec, or something similar (.40 sized or larger glow trainer) is perfect. The bigger they are, the better/easier they are to fly (and SEE!). I strongly recommend that if you do airplanes or helis that you find a local field, and talk to the guys there about learning to fly. They are not hard to fly, but there is a very steep learning curve in the beginning. You'll need someone that knows what they're doing standing next to you with a buddy box to avoid re-kitting the airplane. You will crash if you try to fly one yourself.

Ditto on the cars nickel and diming you. Once the airplanes are built, they rarely need anything more than minor repairs/maintenance. My "sport" planes (ie: not scale) get the batteries charged, wiped off and hung up. I can't remember the last time I even changed a prop on one of them. The cars? That's another story! My son's needs yet another steering servo case replaced.

[Tripower455]

Good lookin fox! I had one of those like 25 years ago. Had that funky front suspension on it.

I remember getting my first "Real" RC car. the "Grasshopper" and thinking to myself..."Holy crap this thing is fast!!"

LOL Little did we know then what was to come in just a few years.

Jade


Yup! I had a Tamiya Cheetah that I thought was pretty quick too. IIRC, it went about 15 mph wide open with fresh nicds.......

[Jiffy_Jeff]

Cool. Lots of great info. I have been doing some research and decided to go with electric.

Im looking at the Traxxas Slash 4x4. It's RTR and I have heard great things about it.

I just found out a couple of friends of mine race at a local track and the track owner is very helpful to newcomers.

This should be a fun adventure........

http://www.rcandme.com/images/blog/slash6808main.jpg

[Trout]

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/Davemeister1/DSC_8319.jpg

My in progress Pup. Since this photo was taken the last of the dope was applied. It's now waiting for a suitable powerplant.


I hope you are going Radial? Your about 5th scale there?

Robart is about 8 minutes from my place. I did some mold work for them years ago on a P38 giant scale racer.
I got to see the R780 assembly process and test runnings. VERY cool sounding motor.
http://www.robart.com/R780/images/engine.JPG

Or How about the Saito? 5 cylinders, more power,
http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/SAI/250/SAIE325R5D-250.jpg

Nothing looks better than a round cowl & a radial engine.
http://www.users.fast.net/~mhmyers/cdjpgs/engine.jpg

[RussB]

My son and I got into racing RC cars back in the early 90's. We started out just havin' fun with electric buggies (Kyosho Raider's) and quickly expanded into 2 AE RC-10's.

Later we got involved with racing on an indoor carpeted oval track at the Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford, CT.

Our cars evolved into TRC graphite "pan cars" which were well suited to oval racing. Lotsa fun, but expensive

[Phoebe]

I started with a Fox, then a RC10, then planes, then sailplanes, then helicopters....

Anyway, just bought a SC10 and I'm really finding short course trucks to be a blast. I agree that Traxxas is probably the best beginner choice. Get yourself a Slash and go have fun!

[captain_bob]

:rotflmaoI had one just like it! At the time, I already had a Blackfoot but wanted something with a bit more speed. That car caused me such pleasure and pain! I only had it for about a week when I broke the chassis. I remember with great sadness the day it smashed into bits on the pavement. :bonk

I made a Tamiya Fox back in my boyhood, it was awesome. In the days before gas or nitro. Here's a pic of one that looks like mine. In fact, I still have mine, it's back at my folks' place:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1037/943300740_0d584c0999.jpg?v=0

[Turbozag]

Check out the Traxxis "Monster Truck" too.
You can set the suspension high or low.

[Jiffy_Jeff]

I looked at the monster trucks too. They look cool and I could see me grabbing one to bash in the desert.

My thoughts up front were to grab something that is ready to run out of the box, durable, fast, and something that I could race if I get the itch..

That boiled it all down to the Slash 4x4.

[Baxtercat]

http://www.users.fast.net/~mhmyers/cdjpgs/engine.jpg

Wow, I didn't realize they were making them so real now.

http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/Baxtercat65/family%20surf%20misc/radialengine.jpg

[Trout]

http://www.users.fast.net/~mhmyers/cdjpgs/engine.jpg

Wow, I didn't realize they were making them so real now.

http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/Baxtercat65/family%20surf%20misc/radialengine.jpg


Ok Heck Yes!

ulL3j3vZzNA

[Baxtercat]

Wow....Tora, Tora, Tora!

[airwarrior]

Beautifull work!

Saito 4 stroke?

Jade
Very nice! Please tell me you are going rotary....
I hope you are going Radial? Your about 5th scale there?

Robart is about 8 minutes from my place. I did some mold work for them years ago on a P38 giant scale racer.
I got to see the R780 assembly process and test runnings. VERY cool sounding motor.
http://www.robart.com/R780/images/engine.JPG

Or How about the Saito? 5 cylinders, more power,
http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/SAI/250/SAIE325R5D-250.jpg

Nothing looks better than a round cowl & a radial engine.
http://www.users.fast.net/%7Emhmyers/cdjpgs/engine.jpg


Thanks! It's 1/4th scale, and this one is going to be powered by a converted 4 stroke weedwacker engine. They are really heavy (important for such a short nose), really reliable, and dirt cheap. Right now it's a matter of getting a carb to fit in the cowl and still function. I have two engines I am trying to get to work. Whichever one functions the best by the time I have them tweaked right will end up on the plane. On the test stand they sound really great; a nice chugging sound that fits the plane.

In a dream world it would have a 1/4 Le Rhone rotary; but I don't have the materials to make one, or the skill, really. Once I have it flying I'll put in a suitable dummy engine.

[Jiffy_Jeff]

Mount a camera to that thing. I would like to see it in action.

[Baxtercat]

Side note:
Last night at a patio gig near the coast here the patrons all started looking up and pointing at "UFOs" [they said!]. We took a break and saw what I guess were two RC planes dodging and dogfighting in the dark: the wings looked like they were covered with LEDs! Amazing colorful show.
Anybody seen anything like this before?

[Twangmaster]

Side note:
Last night at a patio gig near the coast here the patrons all started looking up and pointing at "UFOs" [they said!]. We took a break and saw what I guess were two RC planes dodging and dogfighting in the dark: the wings looked like they were covered with LEDs! Amazing colorful show.
Anybody seen anything like this before?

Yep, got one myself! They're Electric powered, brushless motors, usually built of foam board and carbon fiber. LED's on em so you can fly 'em after dark. Done it sailplanes too, with glow sticks stuck in the wings. Those little foamys are a ball. You can build one in a couple of hours outta 1/4" blue foam board from Home Depot. One fanfold stack of foam will build a bunch of planes. Plus the radio at about $100, plus the motor, speed controller, batteries and charger, total of about $250. Nice thing is, you can smack these things off of the pavement, rip 'em all to hell, take the radio and motor out of it and be flying again in a few hours with a brand new plane!

[epluribus]

Utter Philistine here...these are cheap old RatShack Lightnings plus a few oddballs...rescued floor demos. Digi/prop control, excellent pylon racers, five freqs, incredibly durable, and in badly beat-up shape, cheap. The idea was to have something the kids could race that were evenly matched, that raced well, and that would stand up. RatShack had outstanding parts support at the time--musta made a mint off of us. :)

Got to be a "thing" here, tearing all the garbage wings and stuff off, smoothing and repairing bodywork, then doing crazy spray-paint jobs on 'em. Had a regular neighborhood racing league with the local kids till they outgrew 'em. Good racing, great fun!

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8140/rcii1un5.jpg

...even more fun to race 'em with smoke bombs on 'em. :)


--Ray

PS...moderately serious C/L builder when I was a young'n. Magicians and VooDoos and stuff, coupla semi-scale, lotsa bench-invented parts-o-monsters! :beer

[Jahn]

You win the Coolest Neighbor award!

[Trout]

Side note:
Last night at a patio gig near the coast here the patrons all started looking up and pointing at "UFOs" [they said!]. We took a break and saw what I guess were two RC planes dodging and dogfighting in the dark: the wings looked like they were covered with LEDs! Amazing colorful show.
Anybody seen anything like this before?


Yep,

Night flying has always been one of my favorites.

When I was out on the competition trail (aerobatics) many local level contests we went to had fields we could overnight camp. We would bring models along just for the late night entertainment.

One regular event involved electric power gliders. We would tape glow sticks to the wing tips and play a poker type dice game.

I also had an electric that exceeded 90mph at night set up with leds. Basically I used it more for pylon racing though. Not many guys could run those speeds in pitch black nights. They get very small and dim very quick.

[epluribus]

Sounds kinda like night golf, only more dangerous. :)

[epluribus]

You win the Coolest Neighbor award!

I was quite popular with the nine-year-olds. Now that they're all teenagers I'm just old and stupid. :)

[Cap'n Fingers]

My older brother, the evil genius, did a lot RC when he was in his teens. This was in the 60s before the way cool stuff of today. Besides the planes and cars,
he and his buddy had a gorgeous cabin cruiser model boat that was about five feet long. After that boat became boring they made a cherry bomb launcher for it. It would light and then drop the cherry bomb off the side. Of course they had to gun twin motors to get away before the explosion. It worked great for a while and then one day the gizmo they rigged to drop the bomb did not drop the bomb. They reached it by row boat just before it was lost to Davy Jones locker. Alas, she never sailed again.

The big GI Joe tank they put radio gear in then used to chase people down the sidewalk shooting plastic rockets at them was a fun one too. They put two huge electric motors in it. It hauled butt.

[Josh O]

When I was a teenager I used to have a Tamiya Monster Beetle. Fun build, fun to drive in all terrains, asphalt, mud, snow, you name it. I beat the ever loving piss out of it Had the Futaba Magnum Jr. controller for it, modded the car quite a bit before I sold it all before I went to college. I do remember it being quite the money pit, I was always sinking money into fixing it Nevertheless, wish I hadn't sold it looking back, would've been fun to break it back out and let my six year old give it a few runs around the yard.

[Trout]

When I was a teenager I used to have a Tamiya Monster Beetle. Fun build, fun to drive in all terrains, asphalt, mud, snow, you name it. I beat the ever loving piss out of it Had the Futaba Magnum Jr. controller for it, modded the car quite a bit before I sold it all before I went to college. I do remember it being quite the money pit, I was always sinking money into fixing it Nevertheless, wish I hadn't sold it looking back, would've been fun to break it back out and let my six year old give it a few runs around the yard.


All of the RC hobbies can be huge money pits. If you are resourceful and play it right it can be fairly cheap though. I used to build a lot of kits for guys that had little time or skill to do so.
It funded about 90% of my addiction.

I remember 2 weeks before the 1987 AMA nationals I lost my #1 model to a wing tube/spar failure. $1800.00 worth of model flutted earthward into a huge waste deep runoff pond.
It took 2 weeks of dry weather before I could find it, needless to say the only part I could salvage was the motor and it needed rebuilt due to bearing rust.

I finished a new model 2 days before the Nats, at that point it was more a vacation than a competition for me. I did manage to win a couple rounds though.

[Balok]

I scratch built this little monkey from plans. Took the better part of a year. Never again. Still got her in my basement.

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2170/634537/3052496/186931907.jpg
Looks like we flew gliders around the same time in the 70's. I competed all over from CA to Chicago from 1970-73, got in the magazines..LSF 078
That looks like a 16 footer..awesome.
(I feel the bug nipping at me now)

[Balok]

I flew sailplanes and slope gliders again in the mid 80's, then powered RC in the later 80's. You sure can burn up some cash. And I would get into a zone where I was getting up at 5 am to work on planes for 4 hours before work or college. I was on fire for model aviation ( would have been a real P-51 if I had the funds). Only guitar has matched that kind of interest for me (and a couple of girlfriends come to mind). Such freedom and artistry and expression is possible with building and flying your own plane.

[Jiffy_Jeff]

Man, I would be afraid of landing that thing.

With that wing span it looks like it takes a skilled pilot!!!

Well, I ordered a Traxxas Slash 4x4, electric. Should be here on Thursday!

Then the fun begins.

[Josh O]

All of the RC hobbies can be huge money pits. If you are resourceful and play it right it can be fairly cheap though. I used to build a lot of kits for guys that had little time or skill to do so.
It funded about 90% of my addiction.

I remember 2 weeks before the 1987 AMA nationals I lost my #1 model to a wing tube/spar failure. $1800.00 worth of model flutted earthward into a huge waste deep runoff pond.
It took 2 weeks of dry weather before I could find it, needless to say the only part I could salvage was the motor and it needed rebuilt due to bearing rust.

I finished a new model 2 days before the Nats, at that point it was more a vacation than a competition for me. I did manage to win a couple rounds though.

I do remember building the car was the most fun, time consuming, but fun nonetheless. I couldn't imagine being able to fix it if I hadn't built it myself. I used to trounce the bejesus out of it, stripping gears, driveshafts, busting the $hit outta the body, snapping tie rods, etc.

I do miss it sometimes, my son has a couple of junky RC cars from Toys R Us which suit him just fine at 6 but I think when he gets a little older, maybe he and dad will just have to step it up!

[donnievaz]

I used to be way into RC Airplanes. Flew IMAC competition aerobatics for a couple years. It gets real expensive real fast when you get caught up in the competition fervor. I had a ball and met a lot of great people in the process though. When the kids came along I had to bail out, not enough time or money to really be into it the way I wanted to be. Now that the kids are a little older I may jump back into it casually. The only thing I don't miss is watching a couple of grand worth of airplane do an 80 mph. dive into the dirt. It's kind of like throwing your CS Fender or PRS off the roof of an apartment building. Except you didn't spend 6 months to a year building the guitar. :bkw

[Twangmaster]

I used to be way into RC Airplanes. Flew IMAC competition aerobatics for a couple years. It gets real expensive real fast when you get caught up in the competition fervor. I had a ball and met a lot of great people in the process though. When the kids came along I had to bail out, not enough time or money to really be into it the way I wanted to be. Now that the kids are a little older I may jump back into it casually. The only thing I don't miss is watching a couple of grand worth of airplane do an 80 mph. dive into the dirt. It's kind of like throwing your CS Fender or PRS off the roof of an apartment building. Except you didn't spend 6 months to a year building the guitar. :bkw


I can relate... Lost a Carden CAP w/DA 150 last year..:cry: servo went tango-uniform (damn hi-tecs) which snapped it straight into the ground. and of course, it wasn't into the mushy field that had been rained on for a week. no, it augered right into the blacktop runway that i've hated since the day the club put it in. :bitch Total cost of a $100 servo failure.... a bit north of $4200.00 including the plane, batts, DA 150 w/ Pipes. now THAT smarts! Wifey is still trying to convince me to spend the money i've been saving up for a new one on a new guitar instead. Still got the backup IMAC, a 100cc DA in a smaller CAP. now maybe if I sold it, put the $$ i've been saving for a new Carden with it I could afford to have me a Thorn built! Is Pete taking orders yet?

[Tripower455]

I dipped my toe into pattern flying in the early '80's...... I lost interest in about a year or so. It took all my time, money and effort to keep 2 airplanes running, and I realized that I enjoy simply building and flying them for fun.....

I love building and flying scale airplanes, but keep few beaters around for no stress, simple fun....

[Tripower455]

Same here.

Throw competition into the picture, and the costs of any of the RC hobbies goes thru the roof. About 5 years ago, I was pretty heavy into several scales of onroad racing, and spending aprox $150 a week to stay competitive. That's a nice car payment! It just doesnt seem like so much when it's 20 dollars here, and 50 dollars there.

Needless to say, they loved me at the hobby shop! LOL

Now I just aimlessly bore holes in the sky with a couple planes, and Bash around with a nitro truck at the schoolyard with some buddies.

Lots of fun!
Jade

I completely agree! Since 1980 or so, I have ALWAYS had a "Stik" type airplane in airworthy condition, regardless of whatever other types were my main passion. I still do! I recently retired a plans bashed .40 sized Great Planes Big Stik that I built in 1987. I built the entire thing around a Rossi .61 RE with tuned pipe (I ave a few leftover from my pattern days) and the thing was a MONSTER. I never even tore any monokote off of it in over 20 years of flying it regularly. It went through 2 engines and 3 radios in that time. Nothing more than minor repairs, mostly due to fuel soaking. I used a Wing Mfg foam core, sheeted with 3/32 balsa and 4oz glass cloth in the center. I was starting to worry about the wing center joint every time I pulled a lot of Gs. What IS the service life of Devcon 60 minute epoxy in that aplication? I figured that I didn't want to find out in an 8G pullout at 100+ mph!

Nowadays, my main fun flyer is a "Jerry's Big Boy" 80" ARF from Morris hobbies with a ST G90 on it. It does everything, except go fast! I've also got a few little electrics that I fly at a field locally.

[GlueMan]

Back in the late '80s, I bought and started to build this hydroplane (boat). I only got about 1/3 of the way through. Still plan on finishing it one day. It supposed to go between 60 and 70 mph. I took the picture next to a 10-speed for scale.

http://i688.photobucket.com/albums/vv247/GlueMan/98623aae.jpg
http://i688.photobucket.com/albums/vv247/GlueMan/d68fb1df.jpg
http://i688.photobucket.com/albums/vv247/GlueMan/a16c1773.jpg

It's a model of the '85 Miller American unlimited hydroplane. Pic here:

http://www.seafair.com/Images_old/Miller-Hydro.gif

[epluribus]

Always love the look of that sort of framework. Gorgeous pix too! Kinda thought it would be neat to build another balsa airplane and just hang the frame from the ceiling.

--Ray

[Tripower455]

Yup, that sounds about like me, except I havnt made the jump to electric. I really would like to build a little foamie just for the hell of it. They look like fun!

The only planes I still have are a Lanier Stinger 120 with an ST3000, and an old kit built (cant remember who's kit) Super Chipmunk with an even older FOX .60

The last project I started was a Sorta Scale XB-70 built from drawings using foam sheeting over a carbon fiber rod skeleton. I've never finished it :(. If I ever do finish it, it'll be well over 8ft long, and I have no idea how I'm gonna transport it to the field LOL

A big stick with a race Rossi??? LOL Sounds like a blast! BTW, have you seen the new DSM radios? Actually I guess they're not really new, but i havn't bought a new radio in almost 5 years. But it's a really cool technology from what I gather. No crystals, and no frequency traffic from other RC'rs.

What's really amazing is the whole ARF/RTF market. I mean they've got IMAC ARFs, and the quality of the builds is just fantastic. I think a lot of folks are going to miss out on the enjoyment of building, but on the other hand there's probably a lot more people involved in the hobby that never would have if they had to build. Which is cool I think.

C'mon Summertime!

Jade

I am also amazed at how nice some of the ARFs are nowadays. I love to build, but I still have a few ARFs in the stable.

The little electrics are nice for spur of the moment trips to the local schoolyard. I've got a little Ryan Bearcat that is a HOOT to fly. Hauls butt and it very responsive......

[Trout]

I am also amazed at how nice some of the ARFs are nowadays. I love to build, but I still have a few ARFs in the stable.

The little electrics are nice for spur of the moment trips to the local schoolyard. I've got a little Ryan Bearcat that is a HOOT to fly. Hauls butt and it very responsive......


Some of those 3D Electric Foamies are awesome for backyard low cost fun.
Normally they are for indoor competition, but on a hot summer night add a couple glow sticks and they are a gas.

Cheap to fix, cheap to buy, and drives the neighbors nuts thinking they saw a UFO :D

[Tripower455]

Some of those 3D Electric Foamies are awesome for backyard low cost fun.
Normally they are for indoor competition, but on a hot summer night add a couple glow sticks and they are a gas.

Cheap to fix, cheap to buy, and drives the neighbors nuts thinking they saw a UFO :D

LOL.... I've played around with a few of them...... They are like those old glider you used to get at the stationary store, except they are powered and RC! I used to dream about that stuff when I was a kid..

My yard is a short field, surrounded on all sides by 50' trees, so I need good power to weight ratio, and those little 3d foamys with a cheapo outrunner on lipos are perfect. I chase the bats around at dusk with them......

[epluribus]

Foamys...just followed the link. Looks cool, and I gather you're in for about $350 if you start from scratch and do the Best Buy sorta package. The jets looked very cool, but I'm going to guess the performance setup would be something like an Extra or a Pitts for about the same bucks.

So what's the story on these? I've flown some RC, (twin engine thrust-controlled) but mostly run cars quite a bit, and then just out in the street around pylons. Can I get away with a high-maneuverable airplane and baby the controls while I get the hang of flyin' 'em? And BTW, I gather you can fly these out of the front yard without a lot of trouble, and use the grass or the street for recovery.

--Ray

[Trout]

Foamys...just followed the link. Looks cool, and I gather you're in for about $350 if you start from scratch and do the Best Buy sorta package. The jets looked very cool, but I'm going to guess the performance setup would be something like an Extra or a Pitts for about the same bucks.

So what's the story on these? I've flown some RC, (twin engine thrust-controlled) but mostly run cars quite a bit, and then just out in the street around pylons. Can I get away with a high-maneuverable airplane and baby the controls while I get the hang of flyin' 'em? And BTW, I gather you can fly these out of the front yard without a lot of trouble, and use the grass or the street for recovery.

--Ray

For just starting out, you would be best off to use reduced control settings because these things cut on a dime.They can be very docile, or very crisp
so it is all in the setup and balance.
They are very few limits as the weight next to nothing, only limits for outside flying of course being high winds.



JVvcdDxf8ZU

Search "indoor 3D flying" on youtube, loads of video's

[djem]

I still have to finish off my SIG Kadet Jr. that I started around 1980 :eeks.

I heard somewhere that my radio, a Futaba FP-T6FN 6 channel system is probably not allowed to be used anymore (it's got the brown and white flag - "what's the frequency Kenneth?"...lol.) If I can, I'd like to get it retuned and get that Kadet Jr. up in the air with my kids.

Any advice form the experts here?

Pulled this pic off the net - my radio is just like it.

http://origin-images.rcuniverse.com/forum/upfiles/49826/Ca81898.jpg

[Trout]

I still have to finish off my SIG Kadet Jr. that I started around 1980 :eeks.

I heard somewhere that my radio, a Futaba FP-T6FN 6 channel system is probably not allowed to be used anymore (it's got the brown and white flag - "what's the frequency Kenneth?"...lol.) If I can, I'd like to get it retuned and get that Kadet Jr. up in the air with my kids.

Any advice form the experts here?

Pulled this pic off the net - my radio is just like it.

http://origin-images.rcuniverse.com/forum/upfiles/49826/Ca81898.jpg


Yep, broadband AM on 72.080 (brown & White)
They can not even narrowband that baby, but no worries, you can get a 25X better computerized unit for just over $150.00 (http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXRXF6**&P=TS)

[djem]

Yep, broadband AM on 72.080 (brown & White)
They can not even narrowband that baby, but no worries, you can get a 25X better computerized unit for just over $150.00 (http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXRXF6**&P=TS)

Thanks for the confirmation Trout.

Can you explain why the regs on the frequency?

[Shreve]

I still have to finish off my SIG Kadet Jr. that I started around 1980 :eeks.

I heard somewhere that my radio, a Futaba FP-T6FN 6 channel system is probably not allowed to be used anymore (it's got the brown and white flag - "what's the frequency Kenneth?"...lol.) If I can, I'd like to get it retuned and get that Kadet Jr. up in the air with my kids.

Any advice form the experts here?

Pulled this pic off the net - my radio is just like it.

http://origin-images.rcuniverse.com/forum/upfiles/49826/Ca81898.jpg

A true antique! 2.4 is the wave of the future. No more frequency crapola.

[donnievaz]

Nowadays, my main fun flyer is a "Jerry's Big Boy" 80" ARF from Morris hobbies with a ST G90 on it. It does everything, except go fast! I've also got a few little electrics that I fly at a field locally.

I used to have a Jerry's Big Boy that I built from the kit with an OS 1.08 on it. Man that plane was a blast! I need to dig for all my old pics.

[Tripower455]

I used to have a Jerry's Big Boy that I built from the kit with an OS 1.08 on it. Man that plane was a blast! I need to dig for all my old pics.

Great great airplane! Ours originally had an RCV 91CD 4 stroke on it for my son to learn on. Now, it has a ST 90 on it. It does everything except go fast.

[Tripower455]

Yep, broadband AM on 72.080 (brown & White)
They can not even narrowband that baby, but no worries, you can get a 25X better computerized unit for just over $150.00 (http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXRXF6**&P=TS)


I had that EXACT Futaba when I started as my first "good" radio. I couldn't afford to upgrade when i got into pattern flying, so I installed dual rates on the aileron and elevators. Those didn't even have servo reversing capability. It came with one "reverse" servo, and if you needed more, you had to either move the pushrod to the opposite side of the servo arm, or, open it up, and reverse the pot wires.

Nowadays, even the BASE models have more stuff than you'll ever use built in.

I'm gonna upgrade to 2.4 one of these days.... Although, I am one of the few holdouts still on 72mhz at the field, so there's never any waiting.

[airwarrior]

I'll upgrade to 2.4 when it become financially possible. My father and I simply have too many planes to upgrade them all.

[Tripower455]

Foamys...just followed the link. Looks cool, and I gather you're in for about $350 if you start from scratch and do the Best Buy sorta package. The jets looked very cool, but I'm going to guess the performance setup would be something like an Extra or a Pitts for about the same bucks.

So what's the story on these? I've flown some RC, (twin engine thrust-controlled) but mostly run cars quite a bit, and then just out in the street around pylons. Can I get away with a high-maneuverable airplane and baby the controls while I get the hang of flyin' 'em? And BTW, I gather you can fly these out of the front yard without a lot of trouble, and use the grass or the street for recovery.

--Ray

Honestly? If you've never flown RC, and you're gonna go at it yourself, go with something reaaaaaallllllly slow and forgiving at first.

It is not hard to fly RC, but there is a steep, unforgiving learning curve at first. The cars will definitely help you, especially with the "which way is right when it's coming at you", but the added dimension takes some getting used to. I know that all those Utube vids make it look easy, but it is the rare person that can fly a trainer without any experience or help. It will most likely be "re-kitted" within 10 seconds on the first flight.

If you want to progress to fast stuff, get a GWS slow stick withthe brushless power package. Get some decent batteries, charger and a decent 4 channel radio. If you get good stuff to begin with, you can use it on later aircraft (assuming it survives training). Go brushless right off the bat. The brushed motors are a PITA. Also avoid any kind of geared power setups at first. They add enough complexity and have no practical advantage over an outrunner for these kinds of airplanes. In fact, the only advantage geared setups enjoy is if you want to run a scale type prop on a warbird or other scale airplane. Even then, they aren't as efficient, but will work acceptably.

The Slow Stick is so simple to build, fly and repair, and it's the perfect trainer for someone without an experienced RC pilot to teach you. Even when you crash it, it repairs at the field with duct tape, and beyond that, parts are cheap and easy to buy.

Take the SS to a local schoolyard or other large field until you know how to fly. Most yards are not big enough to learn how to fly, and you have other issues like houses, trees and power lines. Mark my words, if there's ONE obstacle in your yard, these things will find it. I had my son flying his SS in a fenced in basketball court at the schoolyard before he flew in our yard. I still had to fish it out of the trees a few times.

Personally, I'd recommend finding a local RC field, and having an experienced RC pilot teach you how to fly. Besides, while the little electrics are fun, the larger airplanes are so much more satisfying to fly, IMHO.

[Cornbread]

I used to race at this place: http://www.rctrack.com/rcracing.html

Our club ran 1/10th scale open wheel cars on batteries with stock motors (all were the same). This made car setup and driving skill even more important. The club was run by one of the writers for RC Car Action magazine so we ended up with a story and pictures in one of the issues.

Every Thursday we would have three 5 minute qualifiers and a 10 minute race. I actually won one of the 10 week point series :D

It was sooo much fun but it was expensive.

Kinda miss it but mostly don't :p

[donnievaz]

Found a few pics from my RC days.

Goldberg Ultimate Bipe w/ YS 1.20 4-stroke

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e273/donnievaz/RC_Air/ultimate4.jpg

Morris Hobbies "Jerry's Big Boy" w/ OS 1.08 & homemade tuned pipe a.k.a. "mousse can muffler"

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e273/donnievaz/RC_Air/bigboy1.jpg

Morris Hobbies Spinsation w/OS .46, this thing was way fun, just wish it were bigger.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e273/donnievaz/RC_Air/spinsation2.jpg

TGA Mig-29 w/ OS.91 & Byrojet Fan.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e273/donnievaz/RC_Air/TGMig29RearQuarter-1.jpg

Mig in a low pass.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e273/donnievaz/RC_Air/lowpass2-1.jpg

Aerotech Extra 300S with Brison 3.2 ci

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e273/donnievaz/RC_Air/Donnie300.jpg

This thread is bringing back some great memories. I need to get back into it.

[Tripower455]

I had one of those Byrojets in a Parkinson F-18. It had a Rossi .61 RE, and it would barely fly at wide open throttle. 2 clicks off of wide open, or a smidge rich on the mixture (I had inflight miture on that one), and it was coming DOWN.... It flew well though. An .80 or .90 would've been perfect......

[donnievaz]

I had one of those Byrojets in a Parkinson F-18. It had a Rossi .61 RE, and it would barely fly at wide open throttle. 2 clicks off of wide open, or a smidge rich on the mixture (I had inflight miture on that one), and it was coming DOWN.... It flew well though. An .80 or .90 would've been perfect......

Mine wasn't breaking any speed records but it did quite well with the 91. The great thing about the 6" Byrojet was the low end thrust. Fans like the 5" Dynamax didn't really make max thrust until they got up to speed. The 6" Byrojet could get you up off the runway fairly quickly, it just never topped out real fast like a Dynamax. I doubt my Mig ever got over 100 mph.

[Tripower455]

Mine wasn't breaking any speed records but it did quite well with the 91. The great thing about the 6" Byrojet was the low end thrust. Fans like the 5" Dynamax didn't really make max thrust until they got up to speed. The 6" Byrojet could get you up off the runway fairly quickly, it just never topped out real fast like a Dynamax. I doubt my Mig ever got over 100 mph.


Great for grass fields, although, mine still used a lot of runway. One of the guys had Byron F-16 with an OS .61 and it flew fine.

My F18 would definitely break 100........ in a dive!

[Trout]

I was out in the garage today cleaning up a bunch of stuff and found a big ole box of 4lb contest grade balsa, 6 12x48 sheets of .03 carbon fiber sheet and a few full sheets of aviation ply 1/8th thru 1/4.
Basically everything needed to build up something fun quick.

My old flight box is still sitting on the shelf but I got rid of all of the radios and YS engines about 8 years ago while I could still get a few bucks for them. I found a box of old HS coreless servo's as well. Back then I rarely used a servo for more than a couple months, between gear lash, and wearing out pots they never stayed accurate enough for my F3A stuff.

Man,

All this chatter is giving me the itch lol

[epluribus]

Okay, so just sayin' if a guy was to actually get such an itch, not that I am, and that if he'd not done a lot of this before, which I of course am a TGP expert meaning I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night, what would you guys recommend a guy get?

A good controller setup...makes sense. Suggestions? And the airplane...I already know a thing or two about flying real airplanes, at least enough to carp the way a certain Mr. JM flies presuming he did and this was The Airplane Page, but RC is indeed a different beast and demands respect even of veteran stick yankers.

What airplane for bangin' around in the air in the vacant lots and terrorizing sparrows? (The sparrows loved to chase my old C/L Magicians and Voodoos.) These Foamy guys sounded pretty cool, cruising their website. Not, of course, that I would, you understand. Say, for a hypothetical friend...

:)

Dang, it is gettin' kinda itchy in here isn't it?

[donnievaz]

Okay, so just sayin' if a guy was to actually get such an itch, not that I am, and that if he'd not done a lot of this before, which I of course am a TGP expert meaning I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night, what would you guys recommend a guy get?

A good controller setup...makes sense. Suggestions? And the airplane...I already know a thing or two about flying real airplanes, at least enough to carp the way a certain Mr. JM flies presuming he did and this was The Airplane Page, but RC is indeed a different beast and demands respect even of veteran stick yankers.

What airplane for bangin' around in the air in the vacant lots and terrorizing sparrows? (The sparrows loved to chase my old C/L Magicians and Voodoos.) These Foamy guys sounded pretty cool, cruising their website. Not, of course, that I would, you understand. Say, for a hypothetical friend...

:)

Dang, it is gettin' kinda itchy in here isn't it?

If you really have the itch, I'd suggest finding your local club and attending a meeting first. You can dump a bunch of money trying to teach yourself (and demolishing planes in the process) or you can be properly trained. I know you said you fly but that doesn't translate to RC other than the fact that you understand what's keeping the plane in the air. The club I used to belong to is near Andrews Air Force base and every now and then we'd get a hotshot F16 pilot come out to the field with all his new gear refusing any help from anybody. More often than not the guys plane would end up going home in a Glad bag.

Here's a decent beginners package.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0161p?&I=LZ1164**

[Tripower455]

If you really have the itch, I'd suggest finding your local club and attending a meeting first. You can dump a bunch of money trying to teach yourself (and demolishing planes in the process) or you can be properly trained. I know you said you fly but that doesn't translate to RC other than the fact that you understand what's keeping the plane in the air. The club I used to belong to is near Andrews Air Force base and every now and then we'd get a hotshot F16 pilot come out to the field with all his new gear refusing any help from anybody. More often than not the guys plane would end up going home in a Glad bag.

Here's a decent beginners package.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0161p?&I=LZ1164**

Yeah, I am a pilot and have taught many other full scale pilots how to fly RC. Very little of the mechanics transfer over, but I have found that a basic understanding of how an airplane flies goes a long way.

epluribus,

I recommended a GWS slow stick a page back if you want to teach yourself. The little 3D foamies aren't gonna last more than a few seconds if you have never flown one before.