RC-CAKES

My Feedback: (4)

Do you have any pics of the Dubro gear mounted on your plane?

RC-CAKES

My Feedback: (4)

Hello All. I am considering getting a Revolver 70. I have a fairly new Saito FG-14 gasser that I bought for another project... was thinking it may go well in this airframe. Anyone using gas Saito on here? If so, how did it work out? Inverted mount? 90 deg Side mount? Exhaust options? Best prop?

I am slowly going to gas power. It seems there is enough room for the ignition box and battery. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Thanks!

MarkU6299

I have an FG-21 that I could never get to run right in another plane. I also have a brand new in box FG-14 that I will try to return to HH since I have no faith in the FG SAITOS. I think the smaller ones the carbs are not all that good. The larger ones I think are better.

Anyway, my large revolver has a 91 saito and I like it a lot. I'm not sure your FG-14 would be a rocket but it should fly ok.

RC-CAKES

My Feedback: (4)

Ah.. My FG14 runs great and reliable on the bench... but I have concerns of mounting it 90 deg or inverted. The carbs are unique and I wish they would just have Walbro do all their work.

rekit500

I'm getting my Revolver together, but there are some real issues with the design of this plane, as has been pointed out, that I'm surprised at the popularity of it. Some that I have not seen listed:

The cowl has ZERO adjustability due to the way it fits onto the recess, rather than sliding over the fuselage.

The exit holes for the (2-56-really, on a 10# plane?) elev rods are so close to the elevators they have to be bent to reach them. I know going to 4-40 has been discussed but will take a total rework to get a straight shot to elevators.

I'm working on the GP Zero .40 size also. It came with stronger control horns that the Revolver.

They are still coming out of the factory with the wing tube in crooked. Gap at the front on one side, gap at rear on other wing..

Tail wheel design from a .25-.40 size plane.

Semi-symetrical wing, really?

Elevator rods unbraced for front 7"

Aileron servo boxes fall out, yet they make no changes-or at least an addenum to pin them.

I'm sure there will be more things as I go. The CEO and other exec's should have to put together and fly every one of the planes they release, and have a QC department monitoring complaints and reading the forums. Maybe they are too young to remember why US carmakers almost went out of business-putting out crap and never improving, and listening to the bean counters instead of the customers.

The other ARF's are getting really good, tho nowhere near perfect, and to see Great Planes not step up to the level of quality we've come to expect-and pay a premium for-really is disappointing, (refer to my rant on the ZERO on RCGroups-horrible covering material, omissions about the canopy removal in the manual, etc

Ok, I'm done. Back to figuring out ways to get this beauty in the air and keep it there.

MarkU6299

Mine stays in the air just fine. Unfortunately that's the way it is when you buy an ARF. I don't build so I'm used to having to go over stuff on an ARF. Sucks, I agree. I redid the landing gear before even trying s maiden. I think that's about it on mine.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Re: the 2-56 hardware. You have to remember that the plane is rated/designed as a .60 size plane. The fact so many know it works so well with much, MUCH more power makes no difference at all. You want to stuff that much power into it, deal with the consequences.

Now on my second Rev (as are several other regulars), I've been dealing with them for quite a while now.

While the fact that some changes would be nice isn't completely lost on me, we have worked out patches that make this plane such a blast to fly and it remains in production - quite a feat compared to some other kits.

rekit500

This is what you get when you just put the plans in the scanner and hit +125% and don't account for the extra weight, speed, etc.I'd like to see the 50cc and see what they did. With most arf's now coming as Electric or Fuel, one thing I would like to see more of (my GP Zero has a little of this) is leaving the laser cut pieces left in the fuselage or at least in the box on these fuel/electric planes. For fuel we just epoxy the cut or add a backer and the electric guys just finish the cuts. They probably discard a lot of it. I wasted a bit of time making those pieces for the switches, and would have been great to have them at the rear for the rear servo mounts. And I'll be sealing all those cooling holes in the front so the covering isn't pressurized.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

My Rev (the second one) stalled/snapped on me at about 3' the other day, leaving me NO time to respond, so it hit wing tip first. Most that have been flying for a while can pretty well visualize what happened next. Was coming in with the power off and I just wasn't used to the fact I couldn't slow it that much without power.

Results now sitting in a dark corner of the shop. Wings and tail are in pretty good shape, even the cowl, but the fuse will need a lot of work, or outright replacement. To add insult to injury, back on the bench prior to leaving the field, I was removing the wings. The weight of the front half of the plane was being supported by the back of the wheel pants. As I was removing the second wing bolt, the weight of the plane shifted forward - dropping the alum. spinner onto what was a perfectly good canopy - which shattered that......

Love the Rev, but after flying it so many years now, it may be time to move on. We'll see... -Al

Ricko1

Hi Al,

Sorry to hear about the Revolver. At some stage we all get caught out and bend them.

My mates love the look and flight envelope of my Rev but they don't want the same looking plane at the field. So we have been looking for a similar plane but have had no luck. There are plenty of 3D / racers available like Edges and MXS but for a sleek looking, fast flying aerobat like the Rev there is very little. A Hangar 9 Sundowner would have been my first choice but the are no longer in production.

Anyway good luck with whatever you chose but please let me know if you find a better sport plane for a DLE20.

Rick

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

ahicks - after all this time you don't have a 2nd Revolver RTF, hanging on your wall?? At LEAST a Rev 59... Just joshing. Sorry to hear about your crash. btw - I've crashed so many Revolvers I've gotten pretty good about breaking out the tail section (using two sets of pliers) so that I can re-use them (if you just need to replace the fuse). You might have to file-down some of the epoxy on the horizontal stabilizer.

I had a thing two weeks ago with my Rev 70 \ DLE20. It's flying fine (2nd flight of the day) when suddenly it's out of trim. WAY out of trim. I should know by now that whenever that happens something is wrong. But I flew it for a few mins, trying to trim it out. Finally landed it and see the muffler hanging. Got closer and say the entire engine is hanging - it had pulled the firewall right off of the engine box! And it was FLYING like that!! Just the throttle connection, Halls sensor and a fuel hose kept it on. So now I need to fix that. Not a huge deal. But actually pretty lucky - it could have been much worse - could have lost the plane. (again ....)

Ricko1

This morning I planned to take the Rev 70 out for a fly. On the pre flight check found one of the original CA hinges on the aileron had broken. Lots of guys on this forum have recommended replacing the CA hinges with pin hinges when doing the upgrades.I was a bit lazy and didn't. I should have listened ! Guess I was lucky this time - it could have ended badly. Already lost one plane this week through dumb thumbs and did not need to lose a second.

Sbach342Guy

I've been having issues with outside loops on this thing. It tends to roll out at the bottom of the loop. This is the only plane I have this problem on so it isn't that I'm apply aileron when I loop. Too much elevator perhaps?

Sbach342Guy

Yep, I'm an idiot. Way to much elevator throw. Now I need to tweak the expo.

dep293

What Motor mount did you use with you DLE20 on the Revolver 70?

Does anyone like the Dubro Vibration free mount? I just bought a Revolver and am trying to get the right mount. Any help would be appreciated. shttp://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD633&P=ML

MarkU6299

You might check your CG. To me it sounds like it is a bit to far forward. Does your setup require you to land a bit fast? If you slow down on landing, does it drop a wing tip or get wobbly? Or if you cruising along and yank up your elevator, does it tend to want to snap roll or even just roll. Those could be signs of forward CG. Even if you are exactly where the manual says it should be, it might not be the best. It is widely accepted that plane manufacturers will suggest a forward CG for liability sakes. If it were me( been there, done that) I would move the CG back a bit and see if it got better. Then you know if you should go further. My two cents.
Mark

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Not a fan of the Dubro mount. Regular 1.20 glow mounts work fine. They're lighter and more compact, both important factors with this plane.

Re:CG, if you've done due diligence to arrive where you are at, great. If you are flying where the book tells you to just cuz, this is a great plane to teach you that it's ALWAYS worth your time to investigate where it flies best. Do not be shy to try further back. It's very responsive to flight tuning changes without handing you your butt on a plate. Skilled flyers often fly it WAY in back of the suggested CG.... How far is about your flying skills, and what you are expecting from your plane. I can tell you though, that if kept light and with elevator set up properly, this plane will fly slow enough to have your flying buddies holding their breath every time you land. It's possible to have this plane set up to the point it's rock solid at speeds you wouldn't otherwise believe. That's my favorite attribute of this plane. Of all the planes I've ever flown, it's the hands down winner in the width of it's speed envelope. No other plane I've ever seen or flown can slow like this one - and be still be very capable of running well into the triple digits a few seconds later.....

Papa51

My Feedback: (3)

Never mind. I didn't read quite far enough down this thread.

Thanks anyway!

oldsneakers

I got a Revolver & a DLE-20 for Xmas and just started putting it together. I've been working on all the mods in this thread. I added the aluminum bracket for the landing gear and beefed up the motor box with some trim. I CA'd many of the fuselage joints that looks suspect. And I'm adding plywood to the tail area to better support a Sullivan tail wheel. I think I'm almost ready to put the wings together. It sure is a nice looking plane.

warbird72

My Feedback: (79)

Your gonna love this plane. I have one myself. But using a supertigre 91 glow engine on mine. Happy landings.

warbird72

My Feedback: (79)

On your firewall. Drill a few holes around the box to install wooden dowles with 30 min epoxy. 3 across the top sides and bottom. It will lock the firewall in pretty tight.

oldsneakers

Thanks warbird72. That's a good idea. There's quite a few pictures of the firewall pulling out on this plane.

warbird72

My Feedback: (79)

Mine did to!.

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

Oldsneakers - I'd also highly recommend expoying-in the wing servo boxes. Then tend to fall out in flight. (has happened to me three times). btw - Just flew my Rev 70 \ DLE 20 this morning and I STILL love this plane! I'd also recommend replacing the cloth hinges with Robarts (if you're going to fly aggressively, as I do.) Not only does this plane\engine combo haul ass and have excellent vertical (with an APC 16x8 or 15x10), but I've started flying it on high rates and it REALLY tumbles, flatspins, snaps. Also, you don't need more than a 12 oz tank (and it still lands half-full). Really fun airplane.

oldsneakers

Microdon2, how did you epoxy the wing servo boxes? The balsa to the styrofoam at the bottom of the box?