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GP Super Sportsters - 12/15/2005 10:35 PM   
Teachu2


 

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From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I've loved these planes as long as I can remember. I guess they're gone forever, tho. Too much carving!

Great flying sport planes. I have had all five, and they all look and fly great. I'm in the process of acquiring a complete set. Currently have: 3 .20's, all built, 2 Bipe kits, 1 60 half-built, and a 90/120 kit. The 40 size is pretty common, I might even get the ARF.....

The 90/120 is getting pricey: see here

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/16/2005 12:57 AM   
LSP972


 

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From: Zachary, LA, USA
Status: offline 		I built the 60, and later the 40 MK II. Yup, you needed to buy stock in the 3M company (sandpaper!) for these puppies.

Ya know, this has got to reflect a serious down-turn in kit sales. Most GP kits are very builder-friendly, and the Sportsters have been popular for as long as I've been in the hobby (since 1986). The Empire isn't going to discontinue a product that is selling well.

So, that begs the question. Is this indicative of a shift in interest toward other types of kits? Or a general lessening of kit sales as a whole, and this is one that was put on the block due to its age?

I know that balsa is getting more difficult to come by, as the the Asian baby-factory ARF builders scarf up everything they can.

Looks like I'll be paying eBay scalper prices for kits in my declining years... If I began stockpiling them, Fate would drop me dead before I got to build any of them.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/16/2005 1:50 AM   
tsands


 

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Status: offline 		I don't think people have an interest in building because they are too busy and/or too lazy. Most people seem to have to be around other people all the time to be happy (can't find joy within themselves)so the time spent in the shop building alone could be spent with other people flying. That's just my opinion. Not meant to offend anyone just the way I see it. I'm relatively new to this hobby but my greatest enjoyment is building and covering KITS. If I cover my own plane there is little chance I will see one like mine. ARF's ALL look the same. I have the .40 size MK II Super Sportster and I would just be sick to crash it and have to pay scalper prices to obtain another. Only other option is to buy the ARF and strip it down since it is UGLY. Super Sportsters are great looking and great flying birds.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/16/2005 7:10 AM   
RCKen



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Status: offline 		I disagree. Sometimes a manufacturer will discontinue a kit because the sales drop off, that doesn't mean that it's completely dead. I have a thread going in the kit building forum right now trying to judge how much interest there is in a re-release of the Ultra Sport 60 kit. You can find the thread here http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3631074/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm Great Planes has done a limited release of the Ultra Sport 1000 in the past, and I'm hoping that if I can show the interest in it they will consider doing a release of the Ultra Sport.

As far as the Sportster goes, just because the sales have dropped doesn't mean that the kit is completely dead. Right now everybody that wants one has one. But as time rolls by those planes will crash or no longer be flyable, and then there will be a demand for it again. If it's a good kit, then the builders will want it later. I'd say to let GP know that you don't want to see this kit go.

Ken

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/19/2005 5:11 AM   
jmps



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Status: offline 		I, too, really like the looks and flying characteristics of the Sporster. I have the 40 and just today took delivery of a 60 from the Buy&Sell. I can hardly wait to fly it in the spring. What sort of differences, if any, will I find when I take it up?

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/19/2005 7:23 AM   
MrMulligan


 

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Status: offline 		I just scored a .20 size kit on RCU. I had one when they first came out and it was a great flyer. Lost it when the radio failed or rather the aileron servo.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/19/2005 7:34 AM   
TexasAirBoss



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Status: offline 		The 40 size is the truely magic one. The power to wieght and the wing loading are amazing. Plus 40's twist up so much higher than 60's. Not only is the plane pretty fast, it is capable of amazing slow flight and aerobatics right on the deck. IT is extremely forgiving and recovers instantly. The others come close, but only close.
As for the kit requiring too much carving, I suppose some might think that. But after building mostly scale for the last 6 years, I can almost laugh at that. The landing gear blocks tend to give way fairly soon. I recommend using maple. Check to make certain the grain is perpendicular to the wire. If I remember correctly, (its been nearly 20 years) the blocks are cut with the grain the wrong way. And seal up the firewall area good. My nose section was a wrotten sponge after 7 years. Otherwise, I think it is a just about a perfect airplane. I don't have any pics, but they make a half way decent looking fun scale Spitfire.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/23/2005 8:52 AM   
hogflyer



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Status: offline 		I built the SS-20 with a K&B 3.5cc (.21). Looks great with the muffler off the back of the engine, and the exhaust outlets barely protruding past the fuselage sides (but requires cutting the firewall down a lot, and using the engine mount inverted to allow for the stock muffler to clear). Also makes a mess to clean up as the exhaust is trailing down both sides of the fuselage .

How many remember or have built the orginal RCM Sportster, or the Bridi kit? I've built 2 of the original Bridi RCM Sportsters, one with the flat bottom airfoil and one with the semi-symmetrical airfoil (both are shown on the plans). Not nearly as aerobatic as the GP version, but they slow down really nice and don't want to snap out on landing if you get too slow.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/28/2005 3:57 AM   
MrMulligan


 

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Status: offline 		I had the Bridi Sportster .20 with the flat-bottomed airfoil. Flew it with an OS.20, a converted C/L motor with a Perry carb. I had a Pro-Line radio in it, the Sport one. Lost it when the servo centering adjustment in the aileron servo let loose on landing. I wonder how many remember that adjustment? It was something you could really swear at. Sometimes it took longer to center the servo than to go flying. I remember a recall on those servos and the centering adjustment taken out. These were KPS-15's based on the Kraft servo. I really missed that plane.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/28/2005 11:30 AM   
hogflyer



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Status: offline 		MrMulligan - Haven't heard Pro-Line or Kraft radio's mentioned in years. I had a Kraft Signature Series - on great radio in it's day. Most fliers today wouldn't know how to set up an older radio today - they'd probably freak out with all the wires that ran out of the receiver in those days, and no servo reversing. Remember the old EK Logitrol with the brick airborn system? Made the mistake of getting rid of that one too - wish I could have both radio's in my collection today. Oh well, we all learn by 20/20 rectal vision .

How did your Sportster fly with the flat wing?

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/29/2005 4:19 AM   
MrMulligan


 

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Status: offline 		I had an old EK brick system. It was the three channel system with the third servo. I usually flew it in an RCM Quikstik, .20 powered. I liked it a lot. My little Sportster was a beautiful flyer. I was just getting comfortable with flying and it was my first low-wing. I wanted to get a new one with a symmetrical wing but couldn't after I destroyed the first. Speaking of old systems, how about World Engines Blue Max. I had to assemble my TX and send it out for calibration. I had an extra crystal and asked the Tech about it. I thought I had goofed somewhere in the assembly. He gave me a nice piece of wisdom. He told me it was a receiver crystal and that when I crashed, and I would crash, that it would come in handy as the RX crystals at the time were often destroyed in crashes. Of all the old systems, I like the Kraft best. I especially liked the Kraft Sport Series, the first one. I paid $185 for a basic 5 ch system no reversing switches, no adjustments like dual-rates. That was expensive at the time.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/29/2005 4:45 AM   
hogflyer



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Status: offline 		From what I remember of the World systems, weren't they somewhat unreliable? Kraft and MRC where great, but I think the older Cannon systems also had a poor reputation at the time. Remember the old Heatkit systems? I knew a few guys on the ham band would fly them so they could repair them. My first radio's where the MRC 765 and Sanwa 8084 (with small servo's it worked great in the Bridi Sportster and Airtronics Q-Tee which now resides hanging from my ceiling). My first attempt at installing the MRC almost cost me my Kadet - I hooked up the rudder in reverse. Luckily there is plenty of room in a Kadet MkI so all I had to do was swap the pushrod over to the other side of the servo arm. Still have my Futaba FP-4FN but it needs the throttle gimble and batteries. I wore out the gimble and the stick fell out on my Scat Cat with well over 2500 flights on this plane alone, and the radio has to have had well over 1000 flights on other planes. I think I got close to 5 years out of the original batteries. Know of anybody with a spare FP-4FN transmitter they want to part with so I can replace the gimble?

I getting ready to move to Wichita in a couple of weeks - after I'm settled I think I'm going to scratch another Bridi Sportster and a GP SS 20 just to run a side by side comparison. Not sure on the power, but probably an OS .25 or .32. I believe the SS 20 structure is robust enough to handle the .32 as long as the center section is glassed 6" to 8" wide. I will modify both to run an open cockpit since I don't feel like trying to mold new canopies until I have a good shop with a dedicated oven set up.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/29/2005 7:55 AM   
MrMulligan


 

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Status: offline 		Be sure to show those planes in a thread here on RCU. I'll bet there'll be a few interested people. As I said earlier, I have scored a Super Sportster .20 and it should be here tomorrow or the next day. I have a variety of engines for it. I'm not interested in it being the fastest plane at the field. I have an OSFP.25, a Magnum .25 and an OS.26FS, and each is looking for a plane. I may use the .26FS just to see how it flies. I like the little four-strokes. I have an OS.30FS in a small Cub now and it is surprisingly fast. It is also a sweet-handling motor. You mentioned the Q-Tee. I have one in the box I scored on RCU last year. Not sure how I want to power it. I have a beautiful SR Cutie that's electric powered with a geared MEGA. It's a fun flier.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/29/2005 5:55 PM   
Al Lewis


 

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Status: offline 		I just re-covered a 20 year old .60 super sportster my neighbor built and it looks and flys great! I can't believe they don't sell this plane as an arf. Sales would skyrocket.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/30/2005 3:13 AM   
MrMulligan


 

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Status: offline 		Now, that's nice! I agree with you, there has to be a place for planes like these. Not everyone wants to fly an Extra or Edge. The closest plane that looks like that would seem to be the Sig 4Star series.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/30/2005 7:16 AM   
r/cdawg


 

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Status: offline 		Wow, have you guys brought back some great memories. I remember mowing lawns all summer to buy a used Blue Max radio which I put in a Midwest foam Cardinal. As I recall the Blue Max wasn't the most dependable which meant I spent the next summer mowing lawns to upgrade to a MRC Mark V.
I also would really enjoy seeing a build thread on either of the sportsters. I remember watching our clubs pattern expert fly his Bridi RCM Sportster and do endless antenna limbos both upright and inverted. As I recall he had a Super Tigre .23 in his Sportster.

< Message edited by r/cdawg -- 12/30/2005 7:18 AM >

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/30/2005 11:29 AM   
hogflyer



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Status: offline 		Lou55 - nice looking bird. Glad to see it restored instead of trashed. Hope it flies for another 20 years before the next recover.

Mr. Mullligan - You need to do a build thread on your SS 20. I'd lean towards the OS .25 - it'll probably give better overall aerobatics and I think with the .26FS it may be a bit underpowered. To fly with the FS you probably want to lighten the airframe for it, but then it may not be strong enough if you stick a 2S on it at a later date. On a side note, I put a couple of pics of my Q-Tee in my gallery and was thinking about starting a thread on the Q-Tee/S-Tee. Power your Q-Tee with a Black Widow .049 (it's designed for a reedie) and 2-ch R/E and you wont regret it (and do a build thread on it ). Mine, with a QRC .049 and Sanwa 8088(?) with std. cox mini-srevo's of 1978 vintage would thermal with the 2M gliders of the day (I've been told after a 2-1/2 hour flight 1/2A's aren't supposed to fly past 5 minutes).

r/cdawg - I'll try to do a build thread on the Bridi Sportster when I can get to building - it'll be a scratch built version since I build the first from the kit, the second was scratched from the plans. I have the S-Tee, a BLT, Balsa USA Smoothie, B-USA Stick .15 and another 1958 version Astro Hog to finish, along with a move fron St. Louis to Wichita. I do remember the Midwest Cardinal. Being foam, I'll bet it was like the Sure Flite foam planes - a guy in my club flew a SF Cub for a few years with the nose from the windshield forward held together with duct tape!

I've also thought of reducing either the Bridi or SS 20 down to a 1/2A to .10 size. Think its possible to do while retaining the good flying quality of the design? Span around 36" to 40". I know they have the ARF electric versions, but two problems with those: They are ARF's and don't provide the building fun, and they will probalby have to be heavily modified to take the shaking a glow engine will give them. I'm just not sure which will make the better flyer at the smaller size.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/30/2005 10:50 PM   
autoguns



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Status: offline 		The SS was my first plane . I'll always have one or two in the fleet...

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/31/2005 3:05 AM   
MrMulligan


 

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Status: offline 		That's another nice Sportster. Two years ago I bought a Sportster .40 ARF from RCU. When It came, it had lead on the nose and 8 oz. in the radio compartment. I dug out the 8 oz. in the radio comartment and used a TT .46PRO for motivation. Without the lead it balanced perfectly. I flew it all that summer and then sold it at the club auction. It was pretty ratty but it sold fast.

I'll definitely start a thread when I start the Sportster .20. I have to make some room first and stay out of hobby shops. I went to a hobby shop with a friend yesterday and came away with an EFlite Mini Ultra Stick and 450 outrunner. My bench has two small Slowpokes, a large Slowpoke, an Accord 42, a Mamba, a Samba and an FW-190 in need of a radio. I bought the FW at the club auction this year. There was a lot of nice stuff there. As a matter of fact, there was a Sportster .20 that needed the wing recovered and had a heavy metal brace on the tail. It was nicely built and looked pretty good, but I shied away from it. It was the flat-bottomed wing version. The heavy tail brace was what really turned me off. It was one of the first things auctioned off. With this thread, I'm kind of sorry I let it go. I think it sold for about $50.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/31/2005 3:11 AM   
autoguns



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Status: offline 		A while back the LHS had a SS 20 that they had for several years . I kept looking at it but never bought it because I have so many planes now that are NIB...Well I went down to pick it up and once again I lost out, it's gone....

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/31/2005 4:34 AM   
hogflyer



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Status: offline 		autoguns - Great looking bird. I really like the look of the chrome on the center section with the dark blue. I may have to pirate this scheme

MrMulligan - Sounds like it was a Bridi Sportster with the flat bottom airfoil at the auction. I'll bet new time you see a SS at you LHS you jump on it.

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 12/31/2005 7:40 AM   
autoguns



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Status: offline 		Help your self to the scheme heres a few more pics of it ...JW
quote:

ORIGINAL: hogflyer

autoguns - Great looking bird. I really like the look of the chrome on the center section with the dark blue. I may have to pirate this scheme



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< Message edited by autoguns -- 12/31/2005 7:47 AM >

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 1/3/2006 9:07 AM   
hogflyer



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Status: offline 		Thanks autoguns - the pix are now archived on my computer.

BTW, what’s with the oversized ailerons, and how do they affect the flight characteristics? And how did you tint the canopy?



< Message edited by hogflyer -- 1/3/2006 9:21 AM >

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 1/3/2006 8:29 PM   
autoguns



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Status: offline 		Glad you like the covering job ... be sure to post pics of the plane you use it on.

The enlarged ailerons didn't increase the roll rate as much as I had hoped , but it didn't hurt.

I used Pactra smoke tint on the canopy .....JW

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RE: GP Super Sportsters - 5/24/2006 9:34 PM   
silverwings


 

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Status: offline 		I have a SS60 that I purchased in 1986 and kept in the attic for 17 years( I got out of the hobby while we put our kids through school and college) and then built it. I have been flying it for the last 3 years and it is hands down my favorite plane in my fleet. It started out with and Enya 60 III in the nose and was a good flyer. It now has a Magnum 75 in the nose and it really scoots accross the sky. I really like the way it handles and lands nice and smooth. I agree there is a lot of carving and sanding to get the nice rounded contour of the nose, but it is worth it to get it right. I have seen some that I did not even recognize because someone was too lazy to finish the carving and sanding.
Mine is covered in 21st Century Coverite in cub yellow with the scheme as shown on the box. I need to recover it, but just cannot bring myself to have it down that long. One of these days, though I will do it.
I like the pics that are posted here. Could some of you other SS lovers post pics? I will try to get some posted here in the near future.

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