RE: MosquitoBite "Robin" build
I've been reading about other kit builds on the RCU forums. I'm new to this posting business but what a powerful model building tool this is. Most amazing!
As for my Robin build, I am still waiting for the kit. Elsewhere in these forums I have read of people waiting months for their kit so I best not start whining and sniveling, yet.
Ken of MosquitoBite Planes was good enough to make and e-mail me a PDF file of the Robin manual. It is 6 meg. I printed it out and put it in a binder. I have been reading and looking and getting excited. There are some really cool features, to me, like the slotted flaps, the gapless control surfaces, the way the rear wheel is controlled. I can see that a lot of thought has gone not only into the design of the Robin but also the modern lazer cut manufacturing of the kit and yet, on the otherhand, it requires a lot of "old school" hand carving like the good old days of building a Nobler in 1961; there will be a lot of laminating, carving and sanding. Myself, I like that. I spent years in the Boeing Wind Tunnel Model shop as a modelmaker where sanding and shaping was the name of the game!!
While I have been looking over the manual and photos one thing kept lurking in the back of my mind. I love the Saito .72 four-stroke. I have one on my Great Planes Pete-n-Poke. What a sweet combination. I finally e-mailed Ken and asked him if they ever tried the Saito Four-stroke in the Robin during development. His reply was no. "The Robin is designed to use the OS .46 AX . There is no room for a four-stroke." Returning to the manual I see what he means. They designed it with a small frontal area and tunnel cooling. It is designed for that engine and, if you read specs for the .46 AX, it is a real power to weight performer.
I ordered an OS .46 AX.
Then I saw in the required accessories list that it uses a Brisson Custom Muffler #1000. I went on-line and looked around the web at various RC supply webpages. The Brisson #1000 wasn't listed anywhere! I e-mailed Ken and discovered the Brisson #1000 is so new it is not even listed on the Brisson webpage! "You need to call Brisson to order it". I called Brisson. It will be in the mail as soon as they make it! Including shipping - this muffler will cost around $52.00.
So, that's what I been doing.
I know some of you are shaking your heads but, for a 65 year old man, I am so excited waiting for my Robin I can hardly sleep at night! What a hobby!!