I just bought a Phoenix Funstar 3D .40-.46 plane and would like to know if it would be better to put in a 2-Stroke or 4-Stroke engine for Aerobatic type flying... I was thinking of throwing in either an O.S. 46AX or Supertigre 45 (2-Stroke) or a Magnum XL-52RFS (4-Stroke) as I don't have a bundle to spend on an engine. What are everyones thoughts on this? Also, is the Magnum a decent motor for the money..? Thanks in advance for everyone's input...

46ax. The mag 52 won't 3d it at all, power like a tt36 two stroke.

What size 4-stroke would be good for the Phoenix Funstar 3D .40? Is it better to go with a 4-stroke or a 2-stroke for this kind of flying? Also what prop size would I use with whatever engine you suggest? Thanks... Would the Magnum XL-52RFS (4-Stroke) be good in a Sig Four Star 40?

YS 63 or saito 72. Four strokes have the best power for 3d, but its harder to mount in a funstar i run 46 ax's in mine and really happy with them. prop apc 11.5/4 or 12.25/3.75.

Yes 4* would be good for the 524 stroke

Prophanger has it figured right IMHO-

Generally, 4 strokers can swing bigger diameter props. so are better suited to 3D/Aerobatic/Profile planes etc. Especially in this size range (46-52, 2 Cy.) As mentioned by Prophanger the Saito-72/82 and YS-63 are worth EVERY penny if 3D is on the menu-

The Magnum-52FS is a great engine but will NOT 3D any plane over 4 lbs. it will fly the 4* okay but I would not recommend it... Even if you were happy at first, you would quickly be shopping for a bigger engine

I flew a Magic-3D with a Magnum-52 and it barely hovered it! And the magic is lighter than the Funstar-

Having said all that, I love 2 strokers...The 46FX/AX are great engines and the ST-51 is strong so I would recommend those before the Mag-52FS. If you want 3D on a budget, get an Irvine-53 2 cy.- It has quite a bit more power than the OS-46 and is maybe the easiest engine to set-up and run that I have seen in 20 years- (The TT Pro-46 is easy but not as strong)

I would choose a 4 stroke over a 2 stroke any day i used to be a strickly 2 stroke person but after my first 4 stroke (Saito 82a) I was hooked, it was soooooooo much more powerful for torque than a 2 stroke and cleaner. It would prophang better than a 2 stroke aswell..... just my opinion.......... Flyjunkie

How about the O.S. .50 SX Ringed for the Funstar? I am sorry for going through so many engines, like I said, I am on a budget for a while (Just Married) and although I would love to throw in a 4-Stroke (YS 63S), they just are a little expensive for me right now for the size needed. The 50 SX seems to have some power, would this be a good choice or would I be better off with something like a SuperTigre 51? Thanks again, I am just stepping into areobatic type flying and don't have too much knowlege in what works or not.

The Super tiger is a good powerful engine , if you can tune a two stroke good it would be a great choice. The OS 50 has about the same power and is easier to tune.

I have both OS and Supertigre engines now. I like the Supertigre as they seem to be a decent engine for the price but I still favor OS as they just seem to be a better engine overall. The only thing about the Supertigre is that their mufflers are so huge... Is there a replacement mufller that works well and is smaller?

Not that i have found, that costs less than the engine.

Hi steven4him.

The OS 50 and Funstar has been an excellent combination for me. I also use a Tower Hobbies 46 muffler and 25% nitro. This provides unlimited vertical and a good combination to learn the skills required for hovering, rolling circles, flat spins, etc. KE is the only maneuvre that I have not easily been able to do with this combination.

The Funstar is also very cheap. However, if I bought another one now I would probably go for the update Funstar which I think is called the Phoenix Future?

I hjope this helps.

Lang

Langster,
Thanks for your help! The O.S. 50SX is probably the way I am going to go then, my second choice was going to be the O.S. 46AX. I wasn't sure if the 50SX was worth the extra money as from the specs it didn't seem to have all that much more power than the 46AX, but from the sounds of it, it will do the job. I think I will go with the 50SX. Which Tower Hobbies .46 muffler did you use and why did you use that compared to the stock 50SX muffler? Also, isn't 25%N a little high for the engine? Wouldn't that shorten the life of the engine some? What prop size do you use? Again thanks for you help...

Also, give the Webra 50 GT at look. More power and much lighter than both the Supertiger and OS 50SX. And at 129.00 just little bit more money than the 46 AX. This engine runs well on up to 15% nitro and make great power and has lighting fast transition. It will swing an APC 12x4 at 13900 rpm using 10% nitro on the stock muffler which is great for 3D. This engine is Austria made with excellent quality and reliability. Horizon Hobby is the importer of these fine engines.

Well the Webra is an awesome engine but does not need more than 5% nitro to run with the OS-50SX... I would be surprised if the ST-51 was as strong as the SX-

The Tower muffler that fits the Tower-46 (also called the Hobbico-46 muffler) fits the FX/AX/SX/Irvine-53/ASP etc. see it [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCLH6&P=7]HERE[/link]

Or the Tower version (Identical-) >> [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJB16&P=ML]HERE[/link]

Have you looked into the Magnum 60 4-strkoe? It's light, and swings APC 13x4W well.

Hi steven4him,

Well I started with an OS 46 on the Funstar and replaced it with the OS 50. It was like flying a different plane. The Tower muffler provides way more power on the 50 and has been a real hit at my field, as a bunch of guys have purchased same for their OS 46 - 50's. I use a 12.24 x 3.75 prop which spins perfectly with that nitro and I have even flown with less and it's been fine. The thing that I notice about the Tower muffler is the responsiveness over the standard muffler. It's almost as good as the much more expensive YS 46. Rapid responsiveness is what I have found has made learning 3D and other aerobatics so much easier

I'm also sure that other motor combinations would be good as well but the combination that I have mentioned has worked for me. That's all I am commenting on. The power to weight is excellent and the plane flies well on standard 539 JR sevos.

Good luck with your choice.

Lang

Thanks everyone, thanks Lang, a lot of good information here. It will help me to move forward into 3D flying with my Funstar. Again thanks!!!

I started out with an OS .46AX in my Funstar and other than some transition hesitation was very happy with the power. I liked the APC 12.25x3.75 and MAS K-Series 12x4 props with it.

Then I tried an OS .50SX using the same props to see if it would give me a little more since it's supposed to have 10% more power than the .46AX. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if it had more power or not since I had a lot of trouble getting the needle set. A couple of times when I seemed to hit the setting right, it had at least as much vertical (nearly unlimited) as the .46AX, maybe more. For some reason, the setting changes in the air (the needle does not move). I can have it set very rich on the ground and after flying for a few minutes it will lean way out. I also notice air bubbles in the fuel line between the remote needle valve and the carb (none before the needle valve).

I now have a Saito .82 in the plane and although it's not completely broken in yet my first impressions are very good. It seems to hover the plane easier than either of the other two engines. So far I have run MAS K-Series 13x8 and 14x6 props. It's amazing after being used to 2-strokes to see the plane going quickly vertical when it sounds like the engine is hardly working up a sweat. And the sound is awesome! I'm very impressed so far.

I like all three of these engines in this plane, except for the problem with the .50SX which I assume is just that I happened to get a bad one, but it's looking like the Saito is going to be the best of the bunch at this point.

It sounds like your on a budget. So here's the scoup ,4 stroke ,25% nitro and larger props are all double the money. ST 51 would be your best buy, Ringed engines last longer ,10% nitro is perfect and less harmful on the engines. 12x4 K prop is strong and long lasting in grass and asphault nicks. I get a big kick out of all these guys saying a 4 stroke will swing a much bigger prop ,but it is almost always 1/3 larger displacement. I bought a 2 week old Harrier 3D 46 that had a 82 saito on it. I put a ST51 in its place and the ex owner couldn't believe the same performance. APC 12.25x3.75 is also a great choice.

I use the Magnum XLS 52 2 stroke to hover, and pull vertical my 5.6 lb plane (weighed with fish scale). It is not overpowered (in 3D terms) and therefore was easier to learn on. I had a Webra 50 one a previous version, and it was more difficult to fly because I was always fighting the prop torque. I use the props mentioned above. The best feature of the Magnum, is it costs (or did cost) only $90. How much can you afford to crash? I don't have any experience with 4 strokes, in fact, I avoid them because I don't want to get spoiled. I have had several planes with 46 to 120 size 2 strokes, and they were all 3d capable.