E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

I got this ARF kit recently, and will convert it to the slimy power source. Has anyone else done this with the E Flite AT-6?


http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/De...ProdID=EFL4500

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

i havent dont one but if i did i would use an OS 30 FS or a Saito 40. for a two stroke go with a 25 sized engine and a 9x5

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Oh, I know this will be a cool airplane! :D

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

sweet

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

any photos?

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

OK! I'll post a photo. This is the color scheme I will use. From the old Monogram 1/48th plastic model kit.

Will start soon maybe next week. And it will look this good. AND, IT WILL MAKE NOISE AND SLIME!!!:D

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

OK! I'ts on the board. I ordered some parts today.
This project is inspired by the old Jemco AT-6 kit, which I had two of over the years. The Jemco kit was the same size as the E-Flite kit.
The difference was that the Jemco T-6 had a much more robust airframe. In fact my last one wieghed just over 6 pounds. Powered by an OS .45fsr. I crashed it a few years ago, it was a little tricky to fly, but it looked pretty good.
I was going to put the .45 in this one, but it is just way to light. So I had a .40FP laying around that I will use. Did I mention that I am going to fiberglass this whole airframe? Of course! Why not, both of my old Jemco AT-6's were! In fact the Rhom-air retracts from my last one are still good. They will go into this one. All you newbies from the ARF generation will think I am crazy. But this set up will be so much nicer than the old. Thanks E-Flite!

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Yes! We were very proud of our Models back in the day! No video games back then! This pic was taken very long ago. My friends are going to kill me when they see that I have posted this pic! We are old bald and fat now! I eventualy got both T-6's, when the other guy grew up.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Corey, I have that old Monogram plastic kit. Partially started, well actually just zinc chromated on the interior. Haven't touched it since some time in the 80's. It's yours if you want it to use as scale detail reference. Or maybe to build and then pour styrene cement over and light it. Or stick a fire cracker in it. :D

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Well, I'll take it if you do not want it. Thanks! I do have one already though.

Peeling covering and cutting hinges!

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Okay, it's your'in :D

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Is that the OS .40 4-stroke?

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

The FP is the cheap two stroke version before the LA series. They have plain bearing supported crankshaft and air bleed idle mixture.
Relatively light in weight compared to other two strokes.
The airframe on the E-Flite AT-6 is neat. Instead of carving wood blocks for the tips and compond structures they use preformed fiberglass and ABS pieces. The pic shows the tail section tips and center. If only they made kits this way....

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Talk yourself into a 4-stroke for this wonderful bird.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Yea it would be nice, but it is easyer with a two stroke to keep all the model airplane stuff inside where it does not show. (I am Scale Dail;)).
I also wanted to use what I already have. And a .40FP is what I already have. It would be a real trick to keep a four stroke exhaust ALL INSIDE! This bird may be small but I want it to look very very nice without a big pipe sticking out the side.
Still peeling covering! I ordered a roll of silver 21 Century film, to recover the control surfaces.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

I guess the wing is a little thiner than the old Jemco kit. The Rhom-Airs don't quite fit in the wing[&o]. They will stick out the bottom of the wing about 1/8th" on plates that I made. I just can't bring myself to bend the struts so far forward from scale just to fit in the wells. I did try to compromise, but they will retract just behind the wells. You'll never see it on the ground;)! The reason for this is the same problem with the full size P-51, the struts come out of the wing just behind the leading edge. RC retracts wont fit that close to the L.E. so they must be mounted further back, effecting the look of the struts.
Here you can see the plastic Robart strut covers getting filled for detail work. And Robart scale wheels.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Good call on the strut covers. I went through a few cutting wheels on the dremel hacking up a set of VQ knock-off robo struts to make them look right with the correct length and proper sag on my Great Planes T-6 ARF. They do actually move...a little, but not much better really than hard wire in terms of soaking up a lousy landing. You can place her next to the Wedell Williams in the static area at the Canyon Crosswinds Scale Fun Fly for protection if you want ;)

Probably fits right under the wing!

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Okay, so I know you are set on your old skool Rhom-Air's but what if you were not? Would the new electric retracts have been an easier fit?

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Actually I almost went with those electric retracts. They would be easyer. But times are tough we all must tighten our belts and re-use recycle, and save. So I went with as much stuff as I already had.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Progress report? :)

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

I got sidetracked! I am rebuilding a Royal B-17, 4 perfect running glow engines, Leckeys eat your hart out! Details on the Royal Thread- http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_66...page_40/tm.htm Then I will get back to the AT-6! should be about a month, but you know how these things go.......

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Boy o boy...that dangle could cost you $20...

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Hi There,

Congrats on you work!

I`m also converting my eflite texan to glow power.
I`m going for a Saito Fa-40a, it has less power but my thrill is the sound.
I would appreciate some pics and tips.
What`s the size of fuel tnak you used?

Thanks<br type="_moz" />

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

I'll probably use a sullivan 10oz. slant tank. That should give about 20 min. @ cruise power with the OS.40FP. Way longer than an explosive LiPo[:@]. And quick to refill to go again!
Still working on my Royal B-17. As soon as it is done I'll get right back on this! The B-17 will have 4- perfect running OS glow engines of course.;););)

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Wait! You can use four OS electric motors now! :):):)

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Those things are expensive! Of course so are the OS glow engines.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Thanks for your promt answer on fuel tank?

By the way, which battery packs are you using, Nicd or Lipo, please?
If Lipo, which BEC (UBEC), Voltage Regulator?

Will breakin my engine in two weeks .<br type="_moz" />

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

I like to use NiMi Nickle Metal. This one will probably get a 4.8v. 1500mil.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

I use 4oz tanks with a Saito .40. With throttle management you can fly 10 minutes on it. I usually fly 6-7 at full throttle. I always thought it was a 6oz but crashed my plane and punctured it and when ordering a new one I noticed it's always been only 4 ounces.

The Saito .40 is my favorite engine of all time.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

@scale detail -
Interesting that you are doing a conversion to glow of the E-flite T-6 Texan as that is also my planned winter project. I'd be curious to see the progress of your project through the next few months. I just put mine on order and am planning on using an O.S. .25FP (my first engine) with a pitts muffler - as the stock muffler doesn't fit well in the body (per my investigation on a local hobby stores model). Also, I'm planning on giving it a Navy paint scheme and electric E-flite retracts. So... should end up being an interesting project. I'd love to see your con't progress as you have time. The E-flite T-6 Texan kit is built quite well so it should be fun.

_andrew<br type="_moz" />

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Not that this impacts anyone, however, I've just gotten confirmation of the ordered E-flite aircraft being shipped out my way. My primary goal is to ensure a solid fit for the engine followed by proper fuel tank installation. After that, we're on to detailing the aircraft (personal paint scheme) and installing some retractable gear. I'm pretty stoked for this one (and kind of hope it does take me all winter to do it - otherwise I'm gonna get bored quick). Below is the proposed paint scheme I'm looking to have done on the T-6.

<br type="_moz" />

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Oh boy! Please post all progress here! When I get back to mine I'll do the same.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

<span style="font-size: larger; ">&gt; The Arrival</span><div></div><div>The kit arrived last night much to my delight and the chagrin of my wife, as she hid the box and said, "Nope, nothing arrived in the mail today." Needless to say I was both disheartened and excited all within 2 minutes. But as I unpacked it, I think she was just as excited as I was as she knows how long I've been waiting to work on this.</div><div></div><div><span style="font-size: larger; ">&gt; A Quick Commentary</span></div><div></div><div>Overall the kit arrived in good condition save for a rather large disappointment; the rudder was crushed at the very trailing edge. The plastic bag packing machine used to seal the ends of the bag the fuselage came in, crushed the rudder (Pic #1) and I'm stuck doing a little rudder repair. I could send it in but, its 3 hours of my time vs. 1-2 week wait for shipping. I'm a little disappointed in E-flite as this is not the only T-6 Texan kit I've seen have glaring construction / packing problems. They'll need to address this, and fast.</div><div></div><div>The construction is solid but the aircraft empennage surfaces (i.e. rudder and elevator) are rather weak. When I opened up the covering to prepare for repairs to my rudder, the balsa wood is cheaper and thinner then I expected. Hmmm&hellip; perhaps its the cost of creating ARF kits in todays world; competition is fierce.</div><div></div><div><span style="font-size: larger; ">&gt; The Early Stages
<br type="_moz" /></span></div><div>To my delight, what overshadowed the rudder debacle (which I'll repair quickly) is the 'nonexistent' need to do any work to install a .20-.35 sized engine in this aircraft. Nice! Pic #2, #3 show why. E-flite's installation of the engine screws was very intelligent. Notice how you can adjust the location of each firewall mount in or out. So all I had to do was take a .20-.35 Great Planes adjustable engine mount and set it into place. No drilling, no headaches.</div><div></div><div>You'll need a Pitts muffler for your engine as the traditional one will not work without considerable construction to the fuselage and firewall. Or, you'll need to get a muffler extension to get it away from the body. I wanted to avoid the 'dangling muffler' so I went with a Slimline $27 pitts style for my O.S. .25 FP.</div><div></div><div><span style="font-size: larger; ">&gt; Fuel It Up</span></div><div>
Picture #4 shows the nice open space in the front of the aircraft for the fuel tank, line, and fill valve. Very nice. Lot's of room to work in and the cover &amp; magnet fit perfectly.</div><div></div><div>Till next time&hellip;</div><div>
_aw
</div>

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

That's great! .25 size should be perfect.
I'll have to recess the firewall to get my .40FP to fit in the cowl.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

<span style="font-size: larger; ">&gt; Easy In, Easy Out

</span>The fuel tank sizing and future installation is about as easy as they come for this project (see #1). I went out and bought a simple 8oz hard plastic fuel tank (not slanted on the front) and dropped it right in the front of the fuselage. It fits perfectly. I'd entertained the idea of a 10oz tank but, A) A 10oz tank will be a tight fight, and B) I ran my Piper Pawnee on a 10oz (same engine) and always had 1/3 tank of fuel left after a 12 minute flight. Sooooo, 8oz it is.
<span style="font-size: larger; ">
&gt; Minor Modifications - Cowl &amp; Engine</span>

After playing around with the O.S. .25FP engine, engine mount, and the cowl, I realized that there is going to be a slight modification on the cowl positioning. While the engine fits inside the cowl, the frontprotrudesout quite a bit past the front of the cowl when mounting with the current set-up (see #2). So I plan on removing the mounting threads and moving the cowl forward and installing wood blocks on the firewall to then screw the cowl onto.

Short of that, in my quick 1 week asessment, this is almost as complex of modifications as I'm thinking will need to take place. Nice.....

Till next time...

_aw<br type="_moz" />

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

<div><span style="font-size: larger; ">&gt; Continued Cowl Adjustments</span></div><div></div><div>After a few measurements and pondering moments, I realized that I was going to need to adjust the location of the cowl mounts to the fuselage. Therefore the cutting blade came out and the existing cowl mounts from the kit came off. And fairly easy. What I'm opting to do is replace the old mounts (#3) with new ones (#1) I cut out that will be glued to the firewall and not to the fuselage. This way I can push the cowl out more to fully cover the O.S. .25 engine.</div><div></div><div>Then 2 hobby popsicle sticks (from JoAnn Fabric), super glue, and a clamp, took care of the crushed rudder (#2) and realigned the trailing edge. Just a simple cut with the Dremel, a bit of sanding, and the edge is as good as new.</div><div>
</div><div><span style="font-size: larger; ">&gt; Question</span></div><div></div><div>I'm looking to do panel lines and rivets. Any ideas or thought on what would be good for a model this size? I was thinking pin tops for rivets and 1/32 inch pin stripe tape for panel lines. Of course I'm not going crazy with the rivets but, a few here and there for looks wouldn't be so bad. Oh, and I plan on painting over all the tape and glued rivets for the final paint scheme (in case anyone was wondering).</div><div></div>Ideas anyone?

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

Are you planning on removing the covering or putting your surface detail on the plastic?

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

<div>@scale dail</div><div>
</div><div>Unfortunately I don't have a true work shop (and I live in an apartment) so any sealing and sanding is a 'no'.</div><div>
</div><div>My plan was to use 1/32" pin strip tape to 'map out' the panel lines (as I want a raised edge) and then clip the tips off of pins for some aesthetic rivets, tap a micro hole (tiny drill bits; as I have 'em), glue in place, and done. I was going to scour the plastic surface with a Scotch scrubber, prime it white, and then paint.</div><div>
</div><div>Good idea? Bad idea? I'm totally open here…. :)</div>

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

That will work. In time the covering might sag. A light application of heat gun should solve that. The Eflite covering seems pretty good.

RE: E Flite AT-6 Texan Convert to GLOW!
 

@scale dail -

For the most part I've realized that as long as you don't leave your shrink covered aircraft in a hot car on a summers day with the windows closed, you'll be good. And if you're wondering, yes, that's how I learned the hard way. Now I'm working to re-cover my entire Hangar 9 Piper Cub as the covering got too hot too long, sagged, and is no longer able to be tightened. The airplane looks like it went through the wash and was never dried.

Ooops.... lesson learned.