SeamusG

The only reason the guy used a Macs muffler is that it was cheaper than replacing the OEM OS muffler AND its a 1-piece muffler rather than the dreaded 2-piece OS unit. This motor was originally installed on his LT-40. A bit too much. He down-sized the LT to an OS 46 AX.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

That is also a tuned muffler and will give you several hundred RPM, big whoop but they also just look so cool!! Jtec, Slimline, Bison and other places i can't think of right now make some pretty good mufflers for a lot of different applications. I like the Bison because they really are baffled mufflers and make enough back pressure to keep your tank pumped up without having to narrow the pipes. Just so many choices and so little money.

SeamusG

GB - oh so true $$$$$$

Klaatu

My Feedback: (4)

That muffler really makes the mods look just right. Shiny!

R-Duhb

Nice looking plane. It doesn't look like you can remove the engine if you need to. How do get it out of there?

R!aan

Well he could always drill holes where the bolts were and unscrew them when he needs to take it out, and just re-cover the nose or put decorative stickers over the holes when he's finnished,he might have a 2 halve cowl, but it's not clearform the pics...

SeamusG

If you're talking about the white-n-blue 4Star the mount is a round Dave Brown round unit. The engine-to-mount hex head screws are tapped into the mount. The heads are accessible from the outside after the muffler has been removed so the engine can be removed from the mount without too much trouble. The mount-to-firewall hex head screws are accessible with a long allen wrench through the crank opening of the cowl. Installation and removal are pretty straight forward - no added holes or hatches needed.

Acs_guitars

My Feedback: (3)

Looking at the photos again, the engine would be quite easy to remove. Once the pipe is removed, the mounting screws would be very easy to get too, and remember, the head is the largest part on the engine. If you look at the photos of mine, it is actually a bit tighter, but still easy to remove.


Edit: SeamusG beat me to it. [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

SeamusG

ACS - very nice work!

Guild guitars

Acs_guitars

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks! The date on the photos is correct though, and my 4 star bash is still sitting as bones... hopefully it won't be much longer. I am currently covering the only other airplane that is before it on my list.

Acs_guitars

My Feedback: (3)

Riaan,
Any progress? Your thread has quickly found it's way off the first page... Thought I'd give it a bump.

R!aan

Hi ACS (and ALL) sorry but I'm stuck as my parts from tower havent arrived yet as the shipping company here has misplaced my parcel , I'm defenitely going to post my turtledeck photo's tomorrowI have also been buisy installing a new tx antenna...
Sorry, I hope I get my parts soon
Riaan

Acs_guitars

My Feedback: (3)

That's no good! I hope you get the parts soon.

R!aan

I just took a few pictures of the turtle deck, yesterday was so hectic! Really sorry, I just couldn't find the build pictures of the turtledeck because my dad erased everythingas he went to a wedding in SA, so I hope I get hold of the photo's mayebe he saved it on the other PC not sure though...

R!aan

OH and thanks ACS, I really hope it arrives soon []

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Mail order, hurry up and wait!! Sheeting the TD is a great idea, I have even sheeted the front of the wing before. For me it isn't an added strength or sitffness thing, I work on my planes on a stand and have broken stringers with the plane laying on it's back. The wing sheeting is to keep peoples fingers from breaking through, it really is a tough design, just looks a bit weak. It isn't.

R!aan

Haha, yes mail order can sometimes be a bit of a pain! But I can't afford it the other way round so I don't have much of a choice , I have thought about sheeting the LE but it's going to add weight that's not going to be worth it for me (even though I don't have a proper reason for saving weight) and I don't have that much sheeting left because I'm still going to do the cowl, I've thought about the soda bottle forming method and my dad was nice enough to bring me a large sheet of pretty sturdy Fiberglass clothback from South Africa so I'll see how it goes.. any suggestions? I also think I'm going to try and form a canopy (just cause I can ) if it fails then I'm still fine... I have also started drawing up the wheelpants and everything that goes with it (I have twoblocks of balsa perfectfor the job) should I do the wheel pants out of balsa and just cover them with fiberglass or could I mayebe seperate the fiberglass from the balsa afterwards? Soda bottle forming doesn't sound too bad but I think the wheel pants are going to have to bee more robust than that..... And the Soda bottle forming thing remains a untested method for me
Thanks Gray Beard

Andrewmc

Balsa wheel pants can work well and do not need fibreglassed, just cover with Ultracoat. I have detailed instructions to do this if you would like. PM me if you do.

Was at the flying field this morning and thought about you sitting in Dubai, so I took some photo's to make you homesick

The photos were taken about 08h00 on a beautiful Cape, late winter morning. It was about 6deg when I got to the field by the time I left it was 19deg (celcius that is). Still sitting around in a tee shirt drinking a wonderful Tulbagh sparkling wine - but I digress.

Enjoy the photos'. Close to the Kipheuwel wind turbines. The photo into the sun is towards Wellington.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Hard for me to type, I cut a little bit off my finger while cutting covering and have a big padded band aid on it, just an 1/8 off the tip but it really did bleed. My bad, not watching what I was doing and had my finger a bit over the ruler.[&:] Balsa wheel pants I have made and they work very well. You can just slather some epoxy over them to help keep them from getting dinged up, glassing is better but like Andrew said, not really needed. Forming plastic, I have tried it and gotten away with it. Not the easiest thing to do and may take you several tries. On your 4* I would just make the cowl with balsa sheeting. I have made them with glass a couple of different ways but you still have to make a plug or form to begin with. I have made them, the plugs, from balsa and foam, the foam was the easiest way. Then using epoxy resin or finishing epoxy I just laid the glass on over the foam plug. When I was finished I just removed as much foam from the inside as I could then dumped some gas inside and it eats the foam right out.
A lesson I learned on my first foam cowl. Do NOT use the resin you buy at the hardware store!!! I made one of the best looking nose rings for a giant bipe you ever wanted to see, I was really proud of myself. My wife made up songs and sang my praises to all the neighbors!! {{ OK, not really}} When I went back out to the shop to see my finished product it was a shriveled up mess?? Seems the resin gets hot enough when it cures to melt the foam.
Another pearl of wisdom from the gray bearded old poop!!
If all else fails in the future you can order some great canopies and cowls from Fiberglass Specialities, wheel pants too!!
Gene

buzzard bait

I totally agree with just using balsa block and don't mess with fiberglass, unless you enjoy it! Here's mine for a 4 Star 60. I covered with a piece of silk and doped it. It has held up perfectly for a couple seasons so far.

Jim

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Very nice work and a good looking *. Changing the cowl really gives them a much sleeker look. Last two I built {teaching} the owners wanted the engine upright, ugly but easy to get to. One, the young student got a Saito GK and wanted everyone to see it, the last one the owner wanted it to just be an easy first build. Someplace here Ed Moorman posted a photo of his done up as a Zero or Tony and it really looked cool. If I do another one I would like to talk the student into making a copy of Ed's, very cool looking.
Gene

buzzard bait

Thanks, I really like side mounting, which is how this is set up. The cowl has no removable parts...it is glued to the firewall, and it's open enough on the engine side to do what is needed, including removing the engine.

Jim

R!aan

Yes! some fairy decided that I needed a long box with lot's of nice goodies.... aka: parts from tower.... I received it yesteday afternoon so today I'm back up to speed and I have already finnished the fuel tank, I just have to install it and then it's on to the cowl.
Andrewmc: It's kind of Ironic how homesick we are this side of the world but when your In SA you just think of so many reasons why not to live there... well none of them really matter when your where we are just the sight of green grass is enough to make you want to move back home... and not to mentoin that we have 2 seasons here, summer and hell...
buzzard bait: Nice plane, I really like the silk covering and cowl!
Gray Beard: Sorry to hear about the covering misshap (and the melted cowl)! I have to say my plane is probably stuck together by skin and a little bit of CA so I'm pretty sure It will hold up and I think I'll try and stay away from the messy stuff as long as possible fiberglass+me= sounds like trouble.... But If i do use resin, which resin should I use (for the foam Idea)? And I am defenitelly going the balsa sheeting cowl route... Thanks!

djay

Hi Rianne.

have you finished the build yet?

Why mail order most parts when you can go to toys and us or the hobby shop at the Sana centre and get the parts at the same price, without the shipping costs.

Stay clear of the hobby centre as they do not know anything and just wack up the prices because they dont know any better.
Just use 5 or 10% standard sport fuel, even in 50c+ we do not have any problems with our engines, and we fly all year round.

Come along to Al lisailli one Friday morning and join us for a flying session, from 5.00 to around 11.00 each friday morning, or at Nad Alsheba on saturday morning.

Keep clear of the hobby shops for advise as well, or help in setting your model up, it will be a very short lived model if they interfere with it.
For your info, there is a Jet meet on November 18/19/20th at Al Lisailli, with people from all round the world coming to fly there model Jets, all welcome to come and watch.

Rgds

Darryl J

R!aan

Thanks Djay,
I have realised that Hobby Centre is pretty bad at just about anything, but I've found a hobby shop, it's behind 4x4 motors and their prices are way better.The reason that I ordered my Plane, Engine etc. from overseas is that It saves me A Lot of money(even over lot's of the better hobby shops here) and because I was specifically looking for the four star 40.
Thanks a lot for the info!
Will see if I can come to the Jet Meeting...

Oh and to everyone else,
School has started again and we moved house, so it was pretty hecktic
llsee if I cancontinue with theplane this weekend