Laser 3D
 

I totally agree with salmon bug!! I have two laser 3D's and when they hit the ground its a major operation for clean up. Im not saying you shouldnt go with the Laser3D as your 2nd airplane by any means! Someone only flying a trainer could fly it just fine but there are a few things you should know. First, when it hits the ground with a medium force there is no picking it up in one piece, like a trainer. Also, please practice throttle managment on this airplane. The only time my laser sees full throttle is powering out of a hover, the first 15 sec. of take off ( I only do it here to gain enough speed to start my rolling circle 5 ft. off the ground), and to power the airplane around in a waterfall. If you stick the nose down full throttle and yank up out of it expect it to fall apart.

Laser 3D
 

in other words this plane doesn't forgive any mistake.....

YS63
 

"if you decide to build your laser 3D with a YS63, you have to know that this engine is a hig performance engine, requiring an extensive breaking in procedure on a test stand, expensive fuel and that plenty of experimented modelers have a lot of dificulties to tune this engine correctly (me first)"

Dave Shadel of YS says just fly it rich to break it in. We have three 63s in the club and no one bench ran them. Expensive fuel? My buddy is running 15% Cool Power with 3 ounces of Klotz synthetic added. His RPMs are only slightly down from mine. I'm running 20% nitro usually, but have taken a liking to 30% heli- but it is not at all required. A tach is required...don't even try to trust your ear if this is your first 4-stroke. Sneak up to peak RPM a click at a time and then back it down about 600 RPM for a new motor, and 300 for one that has seen a few gallons through it.

There is no magic to a 4-stroke or a YS63. I have seen guys totally screw up a good 2-stroke motor by running it too lean when new and then they wonder why it runs like crap. If you go with a YS, just do your homework, get a tach and some 15% or 20% fuel. You can get Wildcat 20/20 for about 17 or 18 bucks a gallon at a LHS. It's good stuff.

Bottom line: "Speed is expensive my son. How fast would you like to go?" Using the same reasoning: Performance is expensive as well. How much performance do you want?

As for the remarks about hitting the ground...well, you're just not supposed to do that! :p

Laser 3D
 

no hitting the ground is not something i intend to do and my landings are pretty good with my trainer which is very heavy and likes to land at a very high speed, unless there is a strong wind which will let it land like a feather.Also there is a line from a book called propellorhead which i remember before each landing "don't try to land the plane, let the plane land itself" It works too, I told it to my friend that used to land his plane like a kangaroo and now he does near perfect landings everytime. On the downside i dont think i will get to fly my plane until next year as the weather seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Bye bye summer, hello winter

*edit* i very rarely fly my plane at WOT

Laser 3D
 

ok, it's your choice, if you have any question about the building don't hesitate

Laser 3D
 

oh dont you worry salmonbug i will be asking questions.
At the moment I have the wing completed and just finished putting the fuselage halves together and glueing the balsa spars alomg the tops/sides of the thingys (cant remember their names) that glue in place along the fuselage sides. I was looking through the instructions and i see i have to put sheeting curved around the thingys. The instructions say i should wet these and let them dry before glueing. I take it you are meant to pin these bits in place around the curve then wet it, or is it wet the sheeting then pin in place around the curve? How wet should i make the sheeting?

Laser 3D
 

each modeler as his own technique to put a sheeting. I give you mine for this particular one

pin one sheeting to the plywood fuselage side. you will see that you will have small triangular gap in the vicinity of the canopy, ignore it for the moment.
glue the sheeting to the plywood fuselage side with CA and let dry
once it's done, take a wet sponge and wet the sheeting aplying slight pressures to round it, work slowly, until the sheeting rest on the thurtle deck formers ( the thingys) with ease
apply wood glue on the thingys and on the balsa spars
pin the sheeting on the thingys and on the spar and let dry overnight.

when you glue your first sheeting, be sure to remove the excess of glue from the top spar, otherwise you will have problems to adjust the other one

If my souvenirs are correct, the sheetings pieces provided are sligtly too big, before gluing the first halve, be sure the sheeting doesn't cover the entire top spar, otherwise you will have troubles with the second one. sand them with a long T bar if necessary (or any long flat sanding tool)

trim and place the second one......

got it?

Laser 3D
 

A suggestion that I would like to add is... use some 1/2" or 3/8" triangle stock behind the firewall instead of that 6x6 stuff, and maybe a dave brown glass filled nylon engine mount that bolts to the firewall. I had my firewall come loose, then my engine mount came loose. In fact, I still have not found the time to properly repair this, so now it is collecting dust, which is a shame since it is so sexy all the way around. :cool:

Laser 3D
 

I agree with malibu, my firewall came loose as well as my engine mount..Now that sucker is screwed in there with a nylon mount.

Laser 3D
 

I don't know about that durability (lack of) statement... My Laser had a receiver go bad (unknown to me and I unfortunately flew it) and it glitched in flight causing a nasty ditch into the freshy-mowed grass (still about 9 inches long). The only damage was bent landing gear and a broken prop.

Laser 3D
 

when I builded mine, I had the same dilemna about the firewall, here is the thread I made on the subject, there are also lenty of infos about the all building process

http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread...hreadid=724100]

Laser 3D
 

I dont understand step 63 of the instructions.

quote "to be able to fit the gas frame conduit first allow for the postion of the siphon from the carburettor (left or right) of the engine you want to install. it is important to know whether the steering rod is to be installed on the left or the right. Then install."

what is the gas frame conduit?

What is the steering rod?

What needs to be installed?

Thanks

Laser 3D
 

also do i need to glue the throught conduits for the rudder in place and do they stick out of the back of the fuselage where there are two rectangular slots (one on each side) on the bottom of the fuselage sides? If so how much do they need to stick out?

Thanks again

Laser 3D
 

God that is confusing!! I dont have my book in front of me but Im pretty sure they are basically saying. You should know what motor you are using and where the throttle linkage (aka steering rod) should come out. Now I think they want you to run the plastic blue sleeve they give you (the one the Nylon Rod goes in for throttle control) through the holes (aka conduit) and back to where your throttle servo will hook up. INSTALL THE THROTTLE LINKAGE SYSTEM!!

About the rudder, yes the plastic comes out of the fues where the holes are cut in the side. Let them stick out a good half inch or so. Be extra sure to really glue the plastic rods to the wood. You dont want ANY way for it to slip out. And I dont know if the instructions said this but its always good to sand these a little before you install them so the glue will bond better between the plastic and wood.

Laser 3D
 

Im thinking of putting in an ASP .52 or .61 four stroke into the plane. Does anybody know if it is any good?

Laser 3D
 

I personally do not think that is a good engine choice. There is some weight to the old saying..."you get what you pay for"... when it comes to rc engines. The Laser 3D requires a lot of power for its intended use. Think about what you have payed for the kit, all the related items to build, along with the time you are investing. Now doesn't that beautiful plane deserve a saito 72 or ys 63... even if it means saving a little longer? Patience here will be well worth it in the long run, as those engines can power many planes in the future.

A nice way to finish the pull-pull guides is to glue well, then sand flush with the fuse sides. Fill and sand with a lite wood filler until perfectly smooth.

Laser 3D
 

I will be covering my plane with solar film probably sometme next week and was wondering if i need to get a modelling iron or if an ordinary household iron (which has a sort of temperature control) will do ? Also do you cover first before putting servos in and what about the hinges before or after coating?

Laser 3D
 

Your going to need a modeling Iron, a house hold iron will not work. I would also suggest that you get a heat gun and a small sealing iron. And Please have someone help you with the covering. If you know anyone with experience go to them!! You do know that you have to use filler and you need a cloth of some sort to get all the dust off the wood right? Its imparitive that the wood is clean before you cover. Start at the bottom on any surface. There is so much that I could tell you about it, this is just the tip of the ice burg. At least take a look at your trainer to see what sequence they covered it in.

Laser 3D
 

if you are using solarfilm,(good stuff) there are instructions on the packet. read them all and follow them-you will not go wrong.
a household iron will work.
that engine will work fine for now, you may change it later

Laser 3D
 

I highly advise against the house hold iron!! Its far too big and cumbersome and would take one heck of a iron sock to cover it up. :)

Laser 3D
 

i've got big feet lol. Will that sock do? :D

I dont know anybody that has experiance with covering, i think most will be trial and error and whatever tips i get from here.

Laser 3D
 

Bah! An iron sock just insulates the heating element! Cover without a sock! :D

Laser 3D
 

Don't use a household iron if possible, and if you do use one, make sure it is not a steam iron, and it is a spare as you will get colour dye on it which will then get on your clothes.

Few household irons have the required temp control to work well. (either too hot or too cold)

Laser 3D
 

you can pick up covering irons for quite cheap now. its worth the money, i used a household iron for a while. then i bought a proper one and its made a huge difference. get one, its worth the money.

Ian

Laser 3D
 

I agree, you should buy A ironing tool, It makes the job easier. As I understood this will be your first covering job, so I invite you to have a look to "minflyer's how to" dedicated to the covering job

I also invite you to post some pics of your airframe before covering, so peoples who already builded the laser 3D could give you some positive criticism about your first project and help you to eventualy correct some mistakes.