I use the Dubro Kwik Switch/Charging Jack. You can barely see it in the pic (top right) included in a previous post (http://www.rcuniverse.com/attachment...postid=1035716). The switch has a small ball on the end to pull the switch on/off (far right side of picture). I beleive I mounted this with the bottom hatch removed. If possible, also include a plywood backer plate to mount the switch as this will help strengthen the flimshy balsa area, avoiding a "push through" when plugging in the charge jack or powering off the plane.

One LAST note... I also decided to attach the cowl cheeks to each side of the included motor mount. I noticed that since the mounts are very close (if not touching) the balsa cheeks on the "cowl" area, they tend to rattle/flap against the motor mounts. I simply drilled holes throug each cheek and through the motor moount (avoid hitting other screws of course), then cinched both cheeks to the mount halves using 4mmx1/2" wood screws.

Another great idea. And a couple of strips of thin, adhesive backed foam between the cheeks and mount arms beofre they are screwed together might also help dampen vibrations.

TOMAPOWA,

I like the way you connected the elevator halves together. The Sig SE and Midstar 40 I have are constructed that way. Both use one pushrod to one of the elevator halves. Do you think the Magic Extra could be assembled with one pushrod? Might save some weight that way.

Missing hardware.......no screws for all the control horns except the rudder horns. AND...the rudder horns are shown with four bolts/holes, mine have two each. Anyone else?

Sure! If done right (right gauge wire, epoxied correctly, etc...), you could easily use one pushrod (w/ minimal weight savings I would think). As for myself, I always like redundancies. If one clevis or horn gives out, you still have the other clevis/horn on the other elevator half. Now, if the servo or main pushrod gives way, you are in deep trouble in either case. With a solid pushrod pull-pull configuration, the MagicExtra in turn gives you similar redundancies (dual pushrods, dual clevises). With a "wired" pull-pull, you would not have this redundancy that would allow you to still fly if a rudder's clevis or pushrod went out on you during a flight. Granted, wired pull-pull is lighter by all means!

One note on attaching elevator halves,... cut the joining wire (pref, 2-56 on smaller models, 4-40 on larger) such that the ends go into the elevator half at least 1 inch (the more, the merrier). Now the key,.. when you attached the control horn, try to position the horn so that the horn's screws surround the embbeded wire in the elevator halves. Basically, you want to position the horns directly over the embedded wire such the force of the controlling servo is placed upon the embedded wire rather than the thin balsa of the elevator. If using two horns (one for each elevator half), position the horns similarly.

With the quality of some of the ARF hardware,.. it's probably a good thing they left it out !

No really,... I have so much left over parts form other airplanes built in the past, I often scrounge parts. I donlt rmemeber if anything was missing. Acutally, I probably never opened the parts bag as I replaced all the clevises and horns with some Dubro hardware I had laying around. You can barely see the hardware I used in a previous post picture (http://www.rcuniverse.com/attachment...postid=1035731). Attached is another pic that shows the hardware/setup...

Ya, I'll probably go buy new stuff, no more than it costs. ZFrom your picture, it looks like you have two bolts holding your rudder horns together? And do ALL of your other horns bolt through to a backing plate, as opposed to wood screws merely into the balsa?

One more thing.....those are good looking clevises. You wouldn't have the part number for those would you? Did they thread right one to the supplied control rods?

Actually, after looking at the pic, I think these are the stock horns that came with the kit (square bases). Clevises are obviously new Dubro type. The elevator horns only have two screws each, and both include a backing plate. The rudder horns are simply placed back to back, then screwed together (sandwiching rudder) using nuts/bolts (only 2 as shown in pic). Wood screws into balsa? Yikes! This only works on larger models where the surfaces are thick and a bit "harder". You need enough balsa to screw into (which the ME has very little of). The Dave Patrick Extra300L I'm building wants you to mount the included Sullivan horns using wood screws (of course, they mention to drill holes, them apply CA to stiffen them,.. them you screw the horns on). Since I do not like this method, I opted to use Robart H/W that "bolts" through the surfaces. A little heavier but a little safer in my book.

Yup! Threads right on 2-56 threaded rod (Dubro also sell 4-40 versions too which I use readily). They are Dubro Safety Lock Kwik Link 2-56 (Part# DUB815). Check out:
http://dubro.com/dubro_cat/DUBROONLI...LOG/DUB14.html

So, are the control rods that came with the magic 2-56? And did you use the supplied rods?
Sorry about all the questions, I've only been doing this for a little over a year, this is my third ARF.

Yup, 2-56. I used the supplied rods (so I remember).

I forgot but,... do the two elevator rods connect together using a collar they provided? I can not remember as I was building 3 ARFs at the time (No, not all mine unfortunately). If they are joined via a collar (by design), I think I opted to silver solder them together. If you need to fine tune the adjustment,m you can do that on the other end (the clevises). I try to avoid anything that can lossen up. Also, use Loctite (blue/removable) on everything!

Yes, two collars. I got them VERY tight, with loctite, and then ran a generous amount of thick CA into the collars where the set screw pushes against them, as well as down the rods where they sit side by side between the collars. One thing I especially like about locktite....it acts as a lubricant for the screw when tightening them, so there is less chance of stripping, and enables you to tighten them a little more, I believe.

has anybody tried the O.S. .46 LA on a magic extra? I know it doesn't have as much power as the FX does, but it is not as heavy. It is also a lot cheaper.

TOMAPOWA.......

I bought the Dubro quick links. 2-56, you used. Boy, are those things slick! Unfortunately, the supplied control rods ARE NOT 2-56, but slightly smaller. The Dubro links will thread on, but are not tight, and if threaded on about half way in, it doesn't take much effort to yank the the rod out of the link. I'm wondering if blue loctite would fill the gaps in the threads enough to make them usable. They are SO much better than the cheapies supplied, however, the supplied quick links thread on much tighter.

How about a poll.....which quick links are everone using on there Magic Extras???


One more thing, would NORMAL solder work for joining the two elevator rods, or must it be silver solder, in case I decide to replace the supplied control rods with Dubro 2-56?

Darn,.. there not 2-56? I'm certain I used the supplied rods that came with the kit. Hmmm...
Yeah,.. I would replace those rods, especially if the clevises don't fit tight. I would use something like teflon tape or something on the threads if you were attempt using your supplied rods. Another thing you could do is snip off the threaded ends of the supplied rods and solder on new 2-56 adapters. As for soldering RC linkage stuff, if it's going to be under some stress, I recommend using silver solder only because it's stronger than reg. lead solder.

I had the same problem with the engine mounts many of you have mentioned. The blind nuts were pre-installed in the firewall and the holes in the supplied engine mounts did not match. On a hunch I tried to fit the engine mounts that came with my Sig LT40. Their holes matched up perfectly to the blind nuts in the firewall. The only possible problem is these mounts are 1 mm thicker than the ones supplied with the Magic Extra. They fit right against the fuse cheeks. It's just little bit tight getting the engine to seat on the mounts, but otherwise seems to be a good fit.

I have got both the magic and the magic extra. The magic extra is midwing so knife edge flight is a bit easier. It weighs in a bit heavier than the magic but flies better in my opinion. My magic extra has an O.S. Max 46sf and has no problem hovering and pulling straight out if I get in trouble. The thing I hate about it is the quality of it. The covering is not very friendly with the exhaust oil and has come off a little at a time. But what do expect for 119 dollars.

With regard to sealing the edges of covering and decals so they stay put, what works the best? I've heard of epoxy, thinned with alcohol, any experience there?

aLSO, WILL HEAVY FISHING LINE WORK FOR FLYING WIRES ON THE TAIL SECTION, AND IF SO, WHERE CAN i GET THE HARDWARE TO INSTALL IT.

Hate to break the line of discussion on the kit quality, but I want to say that I vertical hand launched my Magic Extra yesterday. It has Saito 72 swinging APC 13x6, which will steadily accelerate it upwards w/o correction. The tricky part is the transition from ground to vertical and getting a hold of the transmitter once vertical. If it were a 2-person task, then it's not an issue. Doing it by myself is a little iffy, especially that I didn't have a neck strap for transmitter that day. I had to hold the plane vertically @ half throttle w/ just the right hand for about 5 second while the left hand fishes for the transmitter on the ground. The Magic Extra is not exactly "grab friendly" with its flimsy tall turtledeck. The mid-throttle vibration didn't help either, along with the oily exhaust residue. Anyway, I did it twice when no one was looking, and got quite nervous afterwards from the shaking right hand. But it was quite refreshing watching my plane go up from my hands full blast.

How Does it fly with an OS 46fx?
In Hover? Does it pull?


Thanks
Chris

Mine is ALMOST ready. I found my balance point, just a little more than 4" back, with the battery pack right in front of the radio, which is under the wing, just in front of the servos. Now I'm going to mix some epoxy, thin it with alcohol, and seal the covering seams in an attempt to keep the covering from peeling off. Then it's break-in time for the Magnum .52 XLS. What fuel is everyone using for break-in? They are calling for 10%, with caster oil (not synthetic), but as rich as I break them in, I'm wondering if that is neccesary????