Test005

Well I finished my first kit tonight.
The build was pretty straight forward and it took only a few nights to have everything framed up.
Yesterday night I started to cover (First time I cover) and what I thought would be a time consuming ordeal turned out to be pretty fun.
I listened to many good advice here on RCU and got a good iron, a heat gun and plenty of razors and #11 blades (very much a must have.)

The covering took me two full nights of work and here's how it came out:
(The color is actually maroon, but it looks a bit brighter from the camera flash)

Now I only have radio install to complete and some general tinkering and completing tasks.

spec:
Sig 4*60
OS .70fsII / MAS & APC 13x6
All Futaba radio gear
1600 mah nicad
4" foam wheels
Oracover
golden rods
voltwatch


/Edit: Building a kit this size in a one bedroom appartment takes a VERY understnding girlfriend and lots of patience.
Can't wait to do my next kit, but boy do I need a workshop!

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Good job. It will fly as good as it looks. I see you have the right engine on it.

Enjoy,

Jim

Connery

Looks good! Goog luck on the madien. What does the bottom look like? Hope you have some white stripes of something to make it easy to tell top from bottom in the air.

last12know

Good looking build. I miss mine something fierce.

fred123

Great job for a first time, or for that matter, the 10 th. time.. What cover material did you use?[&:]

GrnBrt

My Feedback: (5)

You did a real good job and should be proud as I have seen covering jobs from guys who have been doing it for a long time and theirs don't look that good. happy flying!

Hughes500E

My Feedback: (16)

Great looking 4 Star. Nice job for sure. I have covered a few to date but you're obviously a natural !
Very nice!

Test005

Thanks guys :O)

(It's Ultracote/Oracover, color is Maroon and it's like dark red (similair color to red wine), the pictures were taken in bad light though and the camera flash makes it look pink )

This is the color in natural light:



/Edit: One great advantage to Ultracote vs. Monocote is that the backing is paper.
This makes it easy to sketch patterns with a normal pencil, but the #1 advantage is that it's easy to separate the backing from the covering film!
I have a sheet of Monocote and it's litteraly taking me minutes to claw away that thin plastic backing!

After seeing and testing them both, I'm Ultracote all the way and I'm thinking for my next kit: Sig Lt-40 with an os.52 fs, covered in transparent blue and white, that would be pretty nice huh?

Rate1

Test005, what method did you use to get one film on top of the other? Myself are in the covering stage of my very first kit (GP Extra 300 .60) and man am I struggeling. So far I have riped the monokote off the turtle deck three times!!! All out of monokote but that's ok, Im going on a 2 week holiday soon and will try again when back. Still though I had a scheme in mind that would require white on top of red. Fairly large pices too. I have heard a meathod of using windex and another using solvent made from monokote. Not sure which of the two ways of doing it I will go?
Oh, yeah great looking plane.

Christian.

Test005

I cut the White to overlap the Red by 10mm (That's about 1/3 of an inch) and did the overlaps ontop of spanwise spars.

Two things:
-When covering open areas such as wing, turtle deck etc... tack the covering down around the edges and finally shrink with heat gun.

-When covering a flat surface such a balsa sheeting or ontop of covering, start in the middle and slide the iron towards the edges, pushing the air outwards to the edge (trapped air become bubbles). Try to keep the film-on-film to a minimum sice it's very difficult to get it smooth (I haven't tried solvent though)


Turtledeck was easy.
-Measure and cut a tapered piece that overlap down on the body by 10mm from the turtledeck to the last former. If measured properly, no final trimming is necessary after covering.
-Tack it on each side of the turtledeck, the at each side on F6 former (former closest to tail)
-Keep tacking spots on both sides of the turtledeck until everything is tacked down.
-Shrink the covering ontop of the deck with a heatgun and your done.

Rate1

Thanks Test005,
Hopefully I'll manage to get the turtledeck right now when I got some pointer from ya.

C.

Connery

When I sheeted the turtledeck on my 4* I made a cardboard template to use to cut the sheeting to the proper shape. I also used that same cardboard template to cut the covering and it made it so much easier.

Test005

Connery has a good point there if you want to make a template out of paper and then copy the final shape onto the covering.
I took a piece of string and wrapped around the turtledeck and straightened it out to get the meassurments front and bak, then I used a metal yardstick to draw the shape directly on the back of the covering material before cutting it out.

Perhaps I was lucky, but I didn't pull off a single piece of covering from the plane or had to redo any part of the covering.

I have another tip: Try using Oracover (It's called Ultracote in USA and Oracover here in Europe).
Some people prefer Monocote, some prefer Oracover, perhaps you're an Oracover guy inside without knowing it?

For me, it's Oracover all the way, it's just "better" for my hands.


ohh...Another thing, f the covering looks really loose and a bit wrinkly, don't rip it off, it'll turn out much better when you shrink it with the heat gun. It's unbelivable how much the covering can adapt to the surface if it's just tacked in the corners and then shrunk.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Test005

LOL, you're Swedish, I didn't see that until know

Hey, I'm Swedish as well, if you want some directions in Swedish or have any other questions, feel free to PM me 'på Svenska'

fred123

The instructions with Aerokote suggest using a small piece of tape to separate the backing from the covering.. Works great.. I had the same problem you did until i saw that tip...Fred123[&:]

Test005

Maiden flight coming up this weekend if the weather and job situation allows.
Will post some pictures then...

Can somebody tell me the CG? ...I have cleaned out my workspace and the CG should be mentioned on the plans which are stored away.
(Stupid not to mention it in the manual huh?)

Connery

CG is right on the spar

Pilot Chad

My Feedback: (4)

Did the kit come with wheel pants?

Test005

No, the kit does not come with wheel pants

boggey090

Are you planning to use the white plastic (flexible) pushrods on the rudder and the elevators? I live in Phoenix and am considering installing wooden or metal push rods. The reason is that around June till late August the tempertures are extremely high. We fly from 7:30 AM and the we stop at about 11:00 AM then the temp is already near 95-100 degrees. My concern is that these push rods (plastic) will be affected by the heat and warp inside the guide tube. Any inputs from 4 Star 60 flyers in hot temperture areas will be appreciated.[8D]

Test005

LOL, 15months later and I finally maidened the 4*60

Don't know why I haven't flown it until now, it's just been sitting on a shelf, ready to go but never made it to the field.
Since I completed the 4*60 I have built other planes and flown alot, but not with this one.

Anyhow, I installed a new reciver battery (the old have since long been "borrowed" for some other plane) and balanced the plane. With the 800mah ni-cd under the tank and some additional lead it balanced right on the spar.
I made a short radio check and dialled everything in by eyeballing the throws and settings.

At the field the .70 fired up right away and idled, trottled and ran like it had not been shelved for the past 15months with 0 maintenance or TLC.
The fuel line were dried up and actually cracked around the carb so I had to shorten them to get enough fresh line to run the engine. (need to replace all lines before next flying session).

The flight was very uneventful. Everything went fine and the plane flew great.
The .70 is probably the lowest I'd recommend on the power span, it flies good, rolls and loops but there's not much power to spare...Found myself firewalling the trottle most of the flight to get enough speed to manouver some vertical. (The vertical performance is not good with this engine, enough for a nice loop, but if you try to make it too big, you fall out at the top )

Landing was unevetful as well, this plane glides very well and I just chopped the trottle and let her glide in and make a very slow flaired landing.
It's kind of nice to fly this heavier plane (compared to .40sized planes such as the SSE) because it tracks very good and feels more stable and "solid" somehow.
Well, this 4*60 has rested enough, it is coming with me to the field from now on

rhowardsta

Here's my 4*60 sweet heart ! Haven't taken her to the field yet...........I'm still on the buddy cord w/trainer.........But soon![>:]

Test005

Looks great rhowardsta...

APIA

I am in the same boat, still building and building will get my 4*60 in the air some day. Test, what did the finished product weigh in at? I plan to use a Saito 72 in mine and wonder if this will be enough power. I reinforced the aft fuse via diagonal bracing and sheeted the turtle deck. I also added aileron hinges to the otbd three bays in-case I need more roll rate. Hopefully the 72 will pull it...
-Tom

rhowardsta

Used a SAITO 100 on mine....same foot print as the 91,figured I could use the same engine on my 1/4 scale cub. Should pull that 4* nicely![8D]