BMatthews

... will be remembered like our beloved engines.

I see the long term enthusiasm here for the Cox and Norvel and other brands of engines and I also see the same holding to the memories in other modelers about other classes of engines. I can't help but wonder how the whole electric motor movement will pan out and if there will be the same sort of nostalgia about that favourite brushless motor from "way back when we were kids".

Seems like we are robbing the new generation of the memories and pursuit of engine matters that we all enjoy so much. And perhaps restricting them from a rather important phase of the hobby?

As much as I'm enjoying my pursuit of electric stuff (despite not building much the last couple of years) I really do cherish the memories of my early days of control line with my screaming Cox engines. I just can't help but think that the memories would not be quite as rich if it had been done with electric motors instead of infernal combustion even if they could be ornery at times.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Bruce, engines have a personality.....they come to life in our hands....they are miraculous little beasts that took a combination of chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and knowledge of thermo-dynamics, electrics just get switched on and then they spin due to magnetic repulsion......as far as electric motors go, might as well try to get nostalgic about a counter top appliance or an old vacuum cleaner.

SGC

What electric memories? Flying electric is akin to whatching electric cars drag race- the race might be exciting(flying) , but nothing impress's memories like the gut rumbling roar of a nitro buner.

KidEpoxy

I believe there are still folks that love to tinker,
be it with compression & nitro or zero-friction cranks,
that now spend their time winding & rewinding their brushless motors to wrangle every last mili-ohm from them. While they maynot have brand endearment (other than Expensive=Good) they might have a fondness for the Good Ole Days of pinions, lathe-ing the com, & can timing.

Oddly, there is still a big market to hot brushed car motors, which never seemed to happen with the electric plane crowd. Those 540 car motors came every way from Tame to Insane, but the can motors for flight didnt enjoy the brand/tinker performance aspect.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

KE, I watched the developement of the car motor as a spectator, in amazement at how hotter and hotter motors kept showing up on a regular basis. The guys at the local hobby store were drowning in motor service work. Model cars is what built that business up, not so much planes.

RocketRob

My Feedback: (1)

electric motors are a lot like computers. Every 6 months they either increase performance, or lighten weight, or cut costs (find some other poor ******* to beat them together)

And typical used sales prices reflect this

Try selling that 6month old laptop at a break even price.......or for even a bigger challange that old out runner[:'(]

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

I'm with CP on this nostalgia wise.....if people still wanted 1/2a engines more companies would still be making them....the hobby for beginners is geared toward the .40-.46 size engines........I would sure love to have that OS limited edition .049 we saw on here on the bay....but, I guess its not worth makiing......I have 2 lecky planes...soon we'll all be using .049's as paper weights to hold down the rolled plans for our .15-.25 planes...wish I hadnt spent the $ I did on the Toki...ADHD makes me jump on the bandwagon too often..thats why I have so many planes,,and the crew has seen one of my engine boxes, the toki, a va, norvels that have never run, I gotta say I do like the norvel .074, starts like a light switch every time, all 3 of them...back to the subject at hand,, if there were X-Boxes back in say the fifties, I bet there wouldnt even BE radio control stuff, we'd all have been fat kids with no building skills at all,,I look at the AMA trying to get a park flyers to subscribe as a grasp at straws...When I flew my GWS at the school yard, theres no way I would pay for that! Electrics are just the newest phase, luckily we benefit from at least the kits/arf's size for 1/2a but thats as far as it goes..the first Herr extra I bought was ,.$99, the last one was $69, because Norvel went MIA on us......but I bought the second one for the os .15 anway.......Rog

hogflyer

Yes, I can see it now – the future generation talking about their beloved Mitsubishi brushed, throw-away can motors that cost less than a buck a piece in bulk. This is the generation who will get to see a real Cox engine only in pictures, and hear one run at an ear piercing 22,000+ rpm’s only on video [X(]. Then again many of these people will have no idea how to actually build a model airplane from scratch or a kit, or even repair it for that matter, but only how to open the box and assemble a few components. [&o]

A good buddy races off-road trucks and pylon races planes on a weekly basis. He says he puts over $100.00 per week, sometimes more, into his truck and for that he could get new Sky Raider MkII every week. He goes through 3 or 4 Sky Raider Mk II’s per season. Even with higher end planes vs. cars/trucks he says planes are a lot less expensive.

Hogflyer

KidEpoxy

yup
that is exactly what I was talking about with the 540 carmotors getting all kinds of attention, tinker, & performance tiers from $10 to $80 or more for a brushed 540. That entire aspect was vacant from the "Geared300" plane side of rc hobby. Sure you could replace the $6 s300 with the $9 one for 10-30% boost, but the car540 would get 100%-250% gains. There is no brand/tinker pride in "just another geared300 like all the rest" like car motor tinkers have.

Consider that nobody will post to a motor forum about trying TeamOrion brushes on an Associated motor, like we get here with folks taching APwasp heads on SureStarts.... and they sure dont tinker with the disposable $6 s300 can.

gcb

I guess it is possible that .049's will go away...but not for awhile. Since Cox, NORVEL, and AP can share the same glow plugs, and some parts are switchable between AP and NORVEL, I think they will be around for awhile. Some old .049's with propietary glow heads are somewhat extinct...the McCoy DURO GLOW, and Atwood Shriek come to mind.

OK Cubs are still floating around in various forms, even though they are VERY anemic by today's standards. I never worry about the power per c.i., if it needs more power, just stick a larger engine on it.

Over the years there are lots of engines that were around for a few years, then disappeared.

Some of the early electrics (400's?) used car window motors, etc. I imagine some guys may say, "Dang I liked that old Chevy" or some such about their electric motor. I'm not into electrics, but I would guess you can get attached to them with fond memories of overcoming obstacles during those "discovery" times. Then again, some guys don't give a rat's backside what pulls their plane, it is the building and flying, or even just flying that turns them on.

Modelers will adapt to what's available.

George

turbo.gst

My Feedback: (8)

I don't think the electrics will have the same long term draw as glow. When I think about reading the old magazines I remember when a particular engine hit the scene and was placed on my someday list. I have a pretty big engine collection today because of that list. But I wanted each and everyone of them. I do realize that there are better engines being made today, but to me, it is different( somehow).

In the electric mentality, you would be foolish to buy any more that you can currently use. If you wait 6 months a newer design will blow away the current offerings. Battery technology is practically growing by the second. Prices get lower on all the components. You are in effect being punished by buying now.

I don't get the same enjoyment of flying electrics. I do enjoy experimenting with different motor windings, but I know thats not for everyone. I still fly electric, but my glow plans collections are growing by the day and a balsa order has been placed....

regards,
turbo

hogflyer

Reminds me of my first electric starter for the models that was given to me as obsolete and useless. Its made from a 1953 Oldsmobile power seat motor with a switch mounted on the front and the starter cone custom machined to take a Sullivan rubber insert. Still works even today (used all the time until a few years ago), just not as much torque as todays starters.

Hogflyer