outdoorhunting

Just started my build today. After reading the instructions about 10 times. This is my 3rd kit( 4* 40 & 4*60) The 40 is deceased. My Question is what mods can I do to make the most out of this plane. (I love the way my 4*60 flies but it's starting to get a little boring.) I know the standard clipped a wing bay. If I changed the shape of the fuse. would it screw up the way it flies? I thought of trying to make it look like the old Midwest Hots fuse.( kinda triangle shaped.) Making the ailerons about 1/2" bigger & mounting the landing gear to the fuselage. Also, making an inclosed cowling w/ inverted Super Tigre 75 for power. Also, how would I figure out the center of gravity to balance the thing

chashint

The CG will stay at the same location on the wing.
Is your kit a new one or an old one ?
Mine is an old one, the tail is big slabs of hard Balsa, I cut some major holes to save some weight.
I put dual aileron servos in mine.
If I had a do over I would give the rudder more room by cutting the inside edge of the elevator.
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skeeter_ca

I also have old SS60 kit on my bench that i am wanting to bash somewhat. I like the idea of changing the wire main gears to a aluminum gear and attach it to either the fuse or under the wing. I wonder how others have done this.

outdoorhunting

It's the old kit. Yeh, the stab is kinda heavy, I'm thinking if I use the Super Tigre 75 I might need that extra beef back there. Didn't think about making more room for the rudder though.That's a good idea. I have a 4* 60 & just can't quite get it to knife edge. I guess I can't get enough rudder. The Sportster is supposed to be pretty docile lander, I hope I don't screw that up!! I checked out the Rustolem paint Is it fuel proof?Do you spray over the covering? If so, what is the proper way to do it.? Later Ed

outdoorhunting

Yo, Skeeter. I've seen different pics. of the Sportster w/ alum. landing gear & they mount it just as close to the leading edge of the wing as poss. I'm going to drill a bunch of holes in it to save weight. I think a couple of gussets & some heavier ply in that area should do the job. hey guys, if I knew how I'd post pics as I build , I would. ? But unfortunately, this is just about at my upper limit of computer work!!! You know my index finger gets tired after awhile !!! Later Ed

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I wouldn't change anything looks-wise. Remember, this plane was designed, tested, redesigned, etc to make it a great flying plane, and changes you make to its shape could really screw things up.

My brother once redesigned the fin on his Ultra Sport to make it look more like a Curarie and he regretted it later.

However, there are two mods you can do that will be a big improvement.

First, since you are going to use a bigger engine, consider mounting the elevator and rudder servos in the rear. Then you can go ahead and lighten the stab and fin if you want to.

Second, Cut the inboard 1/3 off of the ailerons for flaps. Use the Aileron torque rods to control the flaps, and either run flexible pushrods out to the ailerons, or use a two-servo setup.

I have done it both ways, and either wat works great.

Here is a picture of how I set it up on my Ultra Sport (Different plane, but same principle)

GarySS

My Feedback: (13)

Congratulations on completing your first two kits! Now you are looking to “customize” and personalize your projects. The Supersportster 60 is a fine classic model. I would agree with the others that it probably would not be worth changing as it would not really enhance its flying and may mess something up. I built mine generally stock except for a rounded off balsa cowl formed around a Saito .91. The finished model only weighs 6 pounds.

Whatever you do, be sure to widen out the two elevator halves to give the rudder a greater throw. If you don’t use a fuselage mounted landing gear, reinforce the wing LG blocks with balsa so they won’t split along the grain. Two wing aileron servos would be nice, but not critical.

chashint

To answer the Rustoleum paint question.
I applied Nitrate dope to the Koveral, several coats.
Then high fill sandable automotive primer, most of it sanded away.
Then the Rustoleum.
The paint is very fuel proof, I use 15% nitro all synthetic fuel.
I use Windex for cleanup.

Now for the negative ... it is a very hard paint ... there are several chip outs on the bottom of the plane in the open span areas between the ribs ... it is easy enough to dab some more on but in the long term it will continue to be a problem .... it took me a while to figure out how to paint the plane, I kept getting overspray between the top and the bottom requiring another application to fix the problem, eventually I figured out that I needed to mask off the top/bottom and paint one side at a time ... there are many more coats of paint on this plane than are necessary to get the job done hence my paint ended up being very thick which might be the root cause of my chip out problem.
And yeah I know that if I landed on the runway instead of out in the weeds I could probably avoid the chip outs as well but sometimes it just happens [sm=75_75.gif]

I have a magnum 91 four stroke on mine and it balanced with battery placement. I think the 91 is a great match to my plane. I don't remember the weight but it is safe to say it is a lot heavier (maybe by 2.5 lbs) than the 6 lbs mentioned by Gary. His must be a rocket ship with a Saito 91 on it.

When I say you might want to shave off a little on the inside edge of the elevator I do mean a little, even 1/8 inch off the inside edge of the elevator will let the rudder move quite a bit farther. Maybe its my plane or maybe its just me, it will knfe edge in one direction but not the other.

While the Astro Hog is my overall favorite plane, I really enjoy the Super Sportster too, it handles wind beter than anything else I have, it is a very strong plane and can handle anything I throw at it at full throttle, and when it lands it sticks to the ground.