julionav

Hello RCU.
I have so many questions I dont even know where to start.

I am new to RC, been reading all kinds of interesting stuff on the net and on youtube. I am some what up to speed on the very basics.

So here is my situation. I've recently gone on disability so I have tons of time and practically no money. I bought a Guilians Sopwith Camel balsa kit that I want to convert to electric RC. I'll post some pics of the build next.

So I want to buy the electronics so I can finish the kit and then go out and destroy it ( I am under no illusions.)

My main driving question is: What is the least expensive transmitter, Rx, ECS, servos, motors, batteries that will fly the Sopwith Camel relatively well?

I look forward to learning a ton from you guys so please don't be upset if the questions is dumb.

Thanks in advance.

TomCrump

Generally, scale models are not good trainers. I suggest that you would be better suited to build a trainer, find a local club, and get some assistance for pilot training.

rgburrill

I suggest you buy a very cheap electric powered, foam glider from Hobby King. They come as a complete system and allow you to have a trainer aircraft to start with so your Sopwith Camel has a change of surviving one trip around the field. After you learn with the glider you can transfer everything to the Sopwith.

The Saylors

Foamies are were i started as a kid and i can attest to them being good trainers. Nose dived that thing into the ground a dozen times before it gave up, tough little plane. Having one with a rear facing prop and a V tail helps keep it alive longer as well.

J330

My Feedback: (3)

To answer you question, Tactic sells what you need that will work and it's dirt cheap. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXEKXX&P=7 Of course, there are small 72 Mhz receivers you can find used from Hitec or Hobbyking (synthesized) and get a fleabay radio for $20 since everyone abandoned it. I have several used 72Mhz radios and I still use my 9C and 7C, because those radios didn't get the memo they were outdated yet.
Now, if you can RETURN that kit, and get something else, well, read these threads and you decide.

There is a Guillow's thread http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/elec...-guillows.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/begi...telemetry.html
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/brus...ith-camel.html

julionav

I think I will follow everyone's advice and just build this kit as a static model.

I'll be looking at getting a foam trainer then maybe I'll find a good model to build and convert.

Thanks everyone

mave311

My Feedback: (13)

if you have a computer , you can start with a basic version of real flight from great planes, they are on ebay for approximately 50 bucks and you can still build the model until you have gained the experiences through the rc virtual game. still start with a trainer like parkzone t-28 or horizon hobby cub....inexpensive and mostly RTF.

wish you the best of luck in your new adventure.....

Hydro Junkie

I'm going to throw a thought out and let you all play around with it.
If you want to build an electric airplane, I'd go with the Kadet MKII or the Seniorita, and here's why:
1) They are both trainers, therefore they would be fairly easy to learn to fly with
2) If you decide to go with the foam power-glider first, everything you learn will easily cross over the the Kadets
3) They are fairly easy to build, the MKII being slab sided while the Seniorita is more of a stick build and slightly larger
4) Both are large enough to use full sized radio gear and larger battery packs so you won't have to worry about looking for micro this and micro that
5) Both would be easy to see due to their size and are known to perform well
6) Both are easily adaptable to be used in other ways than just a pure trainer, such as on floats, multi-engine, candy bomber, etc

Okay guys, you can shoot me down now

mave311

My Feedback: (13)

LOL, no one here is going to shoot you down, we are all here to give good advise to new comers, as this hobby is getting out of control with FAA rules and regulation and registration, so fourth....

I'm sure JULIONAV got some great advise....

julionav

The more opinions the better and the more different the wiser I get, so thanks Hydro Junkie and everyone else. I have learned that when you listen to wiser opinions it ends up making you richer by keeping you from wasting money. And this is a hobby that requires money so the fewer mistakes = savings.

julionav

Thanks J330. Those are great resources and definitely sealed the deal for me.

julionav

Thats brilliant! Is now my plan.Thanks so much

jester_s1

There is good advice from others in this thread, similar to what I would have offered. So I won't repeat it.

I will, however, offer something that hasn't been said, and that is regarding the mindset that makes for a successful RC hobbyist. There are two things that everyone who has a long run in this hobby has. The first is a positive attitude that chooses to prepare for success and make the right investments of time and money to ensure it. That often mean waiting a while to get started or to take the next step, but it also means not wasting your investment when you do get out to the flying field. The absolute cheapest way to do this hobby is to buy quality equipment, take good care of it, and practice your skills systematically so that you can improve without taking silly risks. The second part of the mindset that I see in myself and many other long time RC pilots is to think of the hobby as an ongoing part of your budget, not a one time or sporadic expense. My wife and I worked out a "fun money" budget several years ago. She buys outfits and gets her nails done and has dinner out with friends on hers, and I buy RC stuff with mine. If we get in a tight spot, we don't get our fun money for a while. The value of that mindset is that you can work out your budget and only spend what's comfortable for you, spacing out your purchases however you need to. So if you can afford $50 a month, you can have a good radio in about 4 months, a new trainer plane and batteries in 3 more, and a good charger and some spare batteries about 2 months after that. Then you add to your collection based on your budget. If the plane you really want is $500, it'll take about 10 months to get there. There's nothing you can't afford if you think of the expense as a monthly investment instead of a one time splurge.

Johnnysplits

Great advice! But even at 48, I'm still very impatient. I really can't afford much more than $100 a month at this time for toys, so saving for things takes a bit of time. But taking time to save for something really makes you appreciate it more.

red head

Something that I think a lot of folks forget they can do, is to just visit a flying site / club and ask questions or just stand around and watch . It's amazing how much FREE information / enjoyment can be had by just watching and listening . You don't have to join ~~ just watch and listen . It works really well especially if you are on a very limited budget and most of the time you will end up with new friends along with a good time cheap . ENJOY !!! RED

J330

My Feedback: (3)

I just posted one, can't argue now!

J330

My Feedback: (3)

An ARF might not turn you on much, but it's cheaper and faster to get to the end. There are VERY NICE kits on the market, and then, you have Chevette/Vega/Pinto/Citation quality, that go A to B, but not so classy a ride. That said, VMAR ARF's are the low end to get under $100 and have most of the build done for you. Check out the list and see what grabs you. The covering is garbage but reinforce some bulkheads/landing gear areas with epoxy and it will stay together better. It's for the budget minded. Remember RCU has a Marketplace to buy cheap planes from members, but shipping is free on Vmar. http://www.ebay.com/sch/vmarshop/m.h...p2047675.l2562

If you're in a big rush.....Many electric choices too. Again, it's a low end ARF. See Cessna, Picanto, and maybe the Grasshopper for the low end choices. Picanto has all the character of a classic trainer. But these are not kits.

Johnnysplits

I just bought an eflite apprentice s15e...should be here by the end of next week. Yeah, I'm all about ARF's. Even as my skills improve and as I climb the airplane ladder right up to giant scale gas, they will all be ARF's.

flyboy2610

My Feedback: (1)

Until the day comes (and it will) when you discover that that plane you just have to have isn't available as an ARF. Don't feel bad, it happens to all of us.

Johnnysplits

I fear that somewhat lol, but I'm hopeful.

da Rock

People have mentioned the word foamies...

In fact, they can be about the most economical models of all. There are lots of plans available for constructing your model from sheet foam. A lot of them fly great and cost almost nothing.

One that's popular at one club field around here is the Polaris. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=922465

This is one that doesn't have to be made from EPP foam to be almost indestructible. There are others perfect as trainers. Although the Polaris isn't a bad trainer itself.

jester_s1

IMHO, when people are price conscious in this hobby, they focus too much on the cost of airframes and forget about everything else. Sure, you can save some money by adapting an airframe you got cheaply or even for free to fly with. But when you cost out the whole project, it's really not much of a cost savings if you figure it up by percentage. So if the startup cost for an Apprentice were around $450 for everything you need including a radio you can grow with, a comparable sheet foam plane will probably cost you $375 to get flying. Some would say that an extra $75 is substantial, and I won't disagree. However, the sheet foam plane won't fly as well, will take a lot more time to get airworthy, and will likely crash more. When it crashes, how much of the stuff you've bought will it wreck in the process? And then how much is your time worth? How important is it to you that your plane fly well and be fun to take out to the park? It doesn't take much compromise before that $75 cost savings doesn't really amount to much, and in many cases what actually happens is you spend $375 on at attempt that ends in failure and frustration then sell off all you have left for a lot less than you paid for it.

The cheapest possible way to do this hobby is to buy good equipment and the right equipment and take good care of it.

da Rock

This hobby can be whatever we wish. However, it we wish it to be more economical, there is a huge secret that few today have embraced.

This hobby can include "building it yourself", and to have it include "less cost" requires some of that without doubt. If you don't have some "repair what you can" included, it's gonna cost you MORE not less. And that's not economical.

Start the hobby with that in mind. To learn how to repair, start by learning how to build. Foamies you build yourself teach you a lot. And cost a lot less. As for them somehow destroying more costly equipment than PNP's can, that's a stretch. Light models hit softer. Foamies are light.

Good thing about starting the hobby by building is you can stretch out your purchasing. There really aren't any PNPs you can buy a piece at a time. Good thing about starting from the beginning is you accumulate the tools and knowledge before they're needed to repair your investment.

As for sheet foam planes not flying as well as an Apprentice........... Some won't. Ask around and don't start with them. Some will fly just as well, some better.

I'm helping a guy learn to fly using a foamie he made. It actually doesn't have landing gear. Truth is, that isn't a negative. And the fact he built it himself, and is already starting another way before this one is close to done for, is a positive. He is building the second from scraps. At least he calls them scraps. They won't look like it after it's in the air. And he's talking about what to build next. He's building (pun intended) up his fleet as he can afford it. And a new sheet of foam isn't too expensive.

Last year I helped a couple of guys learn to fly their PNPs. Haven't seen them after they solo'd and soon after crashed them. One of them didn't have the money for a new one. The other got another member to fix his but crashed it again right away and the other member said it wasn't fixable. It was, but he wasn't going to do it. And the newbie didn't know better. The hobby didn't lose anything.

Hydro Junkie

You sound just like me. I advocate building it yourself, either from plans or from a kit. When I build my planes or (more usually) boats, I build from plans just so I can configure what I'm building the way I want it and not have to deal with someone else doing an inferior job in the assembly. Not only does this let you spread out your expenditures, it lets you choose the type of materials as well as the quality. In my boats, I only use aircraft grade plywoods and West Systems epoxy to build with. This, in a nutshell, is due to the pounding my boats endure while running at high speeds. Cheaper epoxies and other kinds of woods can and do mean more weight due to heavier materials and more protective measures to prevent damage

jester_s1

My point on not flying as well was directed at the thousands of sheet foam plans readily available on the internet. A flat plate wing isn't going to fly like a properly profiled airfoil wing will. Sure, if we are comparing apples to apples and a new pilot invests in a foam cutter and starts working on the skills to make good wings, he can experiment a lot for very little money. But that's not usually the case.