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30'ish year old Ugly Stik restoration - 2/20/2013 7:59 AM   
dabigboy


 

Posts: 254
Score: 100
Joined: 5/16/2004
Last Login: 4/27/2013
From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Status: offline 		Some of you may recall my post many months ago about a pile of R/C gear I got on the cheap....a fellow had apparently bought out the leftovers of an old-timer's collection with the intention of getting into RC himself, but never did. I bought everything he had for $50.

I got a lot of odds and ends (a field box not yet completed, new iron, heat gun, starter, etc), two Fox .40s in good clean running shape, a never-run NIB Enya .45 (woohoo!), an old, complete Kaos kit, a partially completed Sky Tiger kit (forerunner of the Goldberg Tiger 2), and a partially complete Super Sportster. A good score, to be sure...I was a happy fellow!

I also got a "junk" Ugly Stik of some sort. The seller even suggested just throwing that plane away, which is something I considered when I first saw it. But, I hate dumping a potentially good airplane, and I love fixing up old/wrecked models and seeing them fly again.

As you may recall from my old post, I did patch up the Stik and flew it....and I LOVED the way it flew. I think it has to do with the fact that it looks to be about a .20-sized kit but has a peppy Fox .40 in it. Very straight, zippy, responsive, FAST little flyer. But by the time my test flight was over, I had lost several pieces of the plane, most notably:

- Nose wheel assembly

- Muffler

- Rudder

- Elevator was hanging on loosely by one hinge....oh my!

After looking closer at some of the stuff in the lot, I found some AMA literature from the late 1970s, and the paperwork on a couple of the engines is from the 1980s. I'm guessing the Stik was built around that time, it looks VERY old. The old CA hinges on the tail surfaces were definitely shot. Also, the covering scheme was hideous...when my wife saw it, her opinion was summed up with a sympathetic "Poor thing!" It was dark red and metallic green...a Christmas tree, basically.

Observe: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alfamatt/7390609710/in/photostream/ (It looks better here than it did in person...)

Well needless to say I was eager to go through this plane completely to bring it up to safe flying condition and make it not QUITE so "ugly". Hitting the web for ideas, it seems I am hard-pressed to find a "pretty" Ugly Stik.

How to make something pretty that is ugly by design? Darn it, I am determined to try!

Pics below.........I still have a lot of stuff to add (mostly "racing" logos/numbers, and a racing checkerboard pattern), but you can see where I'm going. The side stripe was really a last-minute idea while trying to figure out a way to dress up the fuse with more than just stickers. I'm pleased with it so far. I also surprised myself and pulled off the wingtip covering job just fine!

I still don't know what specific kit this is, doesn't seem to match any of the Stiks out there now. Wingspan is right at 48".

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RE: 30'ish year old Ugly Stik restoration - 2/20/2013 2:03 PM   
karolh


 

Posts: 5634
Score: 310
Joined: 5/16/2002
Last Login: 5/24/2013
From: Mandeville, JAMAICA
Status: offline 		Nice job in bringing yours back to life. The Stiks are a far cry from being things of beauty at the best of times but are such nice fliers that several folks have modded theirs to add some sparkle to them, so do a search in Kit Building and see that it turns up. Here is a picture of my modded GP Big Stik 60

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RE: 30'ish year old Ugly Stik restoration - 2/22/2013 12:47 AM   
red head


 

Posts: 1847
Score: 135
Joined: 2/4/2005
Last Login: 5/24/2013
From: Zephyrhills, FL, USA
Status: offline 		It looks a lot like the old "Midwest " 25 size stick. It's been awhile since I had one and the ones I had I modified a lot so the pictures are a bit hard to compare . ENJOY !!! RED

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RE: 30'ish year old Ugly Stik restoration - 2/22/2013 4:56 AM   
heggen


 

Posts: 114
Score: 100
Joined: 10/20/2004
Last Login: 5/24/2013
From: Wyoming, MN, USA
Status: offline 		Being able to look past the ugly to see the potential is a gift. Nice job on the redo of the Stik.

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RE: 30'ish year old Ugly Stik restoration - 4/27/2013 7:18 PM   
AA5BY


 

Posts: 1969
Score: 153
Joined: 9/7/2006
Last Login: 5/24/2013
From: White Oak, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Or it could be the Sweet Stick. Didn't Midwest models produce both the Little and Sweet Sticks? Trying to recall if the Little stick was trike or tail wheel... know the Sweet Stick was trike. A .40 would have been huge for the Little Stick where as .40 was standard size on the Sweet Stick.

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       Post #: 5

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