summerwind

anyone bought one of these recently from Tower?
i ask because with a collection of GP Patriots i have, i see a huge difference in Balsa weight from original vs retro kits that were made a few years back.

my first SS was a great kit back in '92, and the balsa was well selected and light.

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

I just finished up a SS 60 kit that I bought from Tower. I built a SS 40 and SSBipe about 18 years ago that Iloved, and is the reason I built this one as I am just getting back into the hobby after 15 years. Ithink the wood is just as good in the new kit, and the cut quality is very good. Basically, today's kit was identical with the older version. Highly recommended. I've included some pictures. The Sportsters in white with red and gray stripes are the old builds, powered by a Rossi .40. The new SS 60 is the Plum (purple) and green, powered by an O.S. .61 SF abc.

summerwind

thx, that's what i need to know.
here are a couple of my SS i built back in '92

ddcook07

Hi folks;

jloane

Hi guys. I have a SS60 that I kitbashed...Changed the turtledeck and made it higher kind of like an old timey racer..also added more rudder surface for good knife edge flight..Aluminum LG instead of wing mtd gear...the only way to go....Cut lightening holes in the horizontal stab..Saito 1.00 4stroker really makes it move out like a scalded dog..unlimited vertical. I had to tighten the tail wheel up so it would sit still on idle in the grass! An awesome plane with probably 80 flights so far. Overall a great sport plane. Lomcevaks are possible with the added rudder surface.

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

Good to see guys are still "building". I swapped out my OS61SF ABC and put in a new OS75AX. Have not flown it yet. The AX bolts right in with only a slight mod for the needle position. Have not checked the balance yet, but shifted the battery further to the rear as I suspect it was a bit nose heavy. Can't wait to try the 75AX in it.

ken78cvx20

My Feedback: (3)

I am thinking about building one. I would like to use andOS 91 surpress anycoments on this combo?

Thanks
Ken

ken78cvx20

My Feedback: (3)

Well I went ahead and bought theSS 60 kit from tower should have it a couple of days. After re-reading this forum and others I decided to use a OS 91 surpress that I have and install electric retracts from HK. Any and all advice is welcome

Thanks

Ken

flying88

my super sporster 40's

ken78cvx20

My Feedback: (3)

Wow very nice and I see you are running YS 63 engines.So how is the gear holding up did you add any extra support ?

Ken

flying88

Yes, it's holding up very well! I have the build videos here,.......http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-Eh4VV-9fq4
and this is the red one, ........http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ynrB14F4pGQ

Broken Wings

My Feedback: (20)

Just a heads up... I went to the Great Planes web site and clicked on the parts section. It says that this kit has been discontinued and that parts may not be available. Tower still has kits in stock but it may not be for long. Might want to purchase a kit if you want one these Classics.

flying88

Yes! It's a old kit, I have 4 kits, 2 mark II's and 2 of the 40 size originals. It's one of my favorite kits to build. I'm building the 3rd kit now. I'll post more pics soon.

N410DC

As far as kits go, how easy is the SS 60 to build? I have assembled a dozen or so ARFs, but have never tried a kit. I love the SS, and would like to build a 60 sized aerobatic plane.

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

It really depends on your building skills and experience. The instructions and plans are very clear. The only thing that may be a bit tricky for some is shaping the forward fuselage. Once you get the pieces together, there is just a bit of shaping and sanding. A pretty straightforward build. I built the standard landing gear configuration, but reinforced the gear/ribs quite a bit using basswood. Many guys eliminate the wing landing gear altogether.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

Here are a bunch of pics from my build. I built the 90/120 back in 91 and it is still flying today. I also just assembled the giant size ARF this winter and changed the gear to fuselage mounted. For my 60 size I kept the wing mounts which I beefed up but also added a fuselage mount for the main gear. It could be switched back and forth if a person wanted to. My plan is to only use the fuselage mounted gear though. I used a set of gear from the GP 40 size stick. I started the kit on March 7th of this year and I am almost finished. Just in the process of covering it.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

Oh and here is a pic of my 90 size taken two years back. It is still sporting the same Monokote I put on it back in 1991. Also a couple pics of my giant one.

ken78cvx20

My Feedback: (3)

Hey Super08,

Thanks for posting and keeping this thread alive. I really like your pick of covering colors so what are you planning for powering this beauty ?
And please keep posting your progress.

Ken

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

No problem Ken.
Today I finished off the wing, finalized the engine mounting, did a final sand on fuselage and tail feathers. Then I coated the wing saddle and engine bay with thinned epoxy. Tomorrow I cover the fuselage.

ken78cvx20

My Feedback: (3)

Looking very good, I can see a little tease of gold there.

Ken

KDBrown

My Feedback: (1)

Looks good Super08! I too like your color choice. The gold really looks good with the red and white. Gives it a nice dimension. I just covered a wing using Ultracote for the first time. I covered the bottom with Ultracote and the top using Monokote (I have always used Monokote in the past). The Ultracote seems to adhere better, but the Monokote seems to work and form around curves (wing tips) smoother. The Monokote does not adhere to the glassed center section of the wing as well as the ultracote.

Have you had any issues with Monokote? It doesn't seem to adhere as well as it used to.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

True it does not stick like the old stuff used to. The Monokote back in the eighties stayed stuck forever. When you ironed it down it was a hell of a job to get it off again, the new stuff just lifts right off. The newer stuff pales in comparison to what it once was. I find that Ultracote shrinks a little more but I like the shine that Monokote gives.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

Here are the fruits of my labor today. It was a bit of a challenge because of where I wanted the break between the red and the white. If the red was on the bottom it would have been easy but because it was on top it meant the seam would be above the structure and the seam would be unsupported. As it turns out I had a piece of glass cut to fit on top of our dining room table. It made the perfect place to seam the two colors together before placing the covering on the plane. I made sure I had a good strong bond and used 3/8" overlap so it would not pull apart when heat was applied to shrink the covering. As it turned out all went well and the fuselage is done and is wrinkle free. Just for fun before I put everything away I set it on the wing and it looks real sharp. I will try and get the tail feathers covered during the day when I start my first night shift on Sunday. I still need to paint the engine bay white and glue black 600 grit sand paper inside the cockpit. I was thinking of tinting the canopy red and trimming around the edge of it with gold.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

I managed to get some time to work on it again today. Covered the fin, stab and rudder. I also painted the engine compartment with white dope and dyed the canopy.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

Here are a couple more pictures. All that is left is to install the pilot, glue on the canopy, install the servos, receiver and battery.
I noticed in the pictures the flash makes the red on the wheel pants look lighter. In normal light they match the covering.