I haven't a clue, the only electric motors that I use are in my servos, or in my electric starter Sorry, can't help there.

Yea, I keep forgetting that this isn't an electric forum. That's where I got started, so it has just been an easier and cleaner way to go so far. But you nitro guys get some really nice plane choices!!

NITRO?? NITRO?? Gasoline here, here, thank you, and make mine ethyl, please. OOPS there I go again, DANG !!! okay, for you guys (youse depending on where you live) who were born after 1975 (S**T I've got shirts that I bought before 1975) Ethyl refers to tetraethyl lead (used to raise the theoretical octane level, and cushion the valve seats before the tree huggers got to be in control) I did just buy a new OS 91 4 Stroke (5 event) glow engine, so technically I suppose I could be referred to as a Nitro guy. (sounds better than slimer)

Just make sure you go the extra miles and go for Lipo batteries.
Guys here have upgraded to them in their various models and there is no comparison to any others..

Brad

Sorry, I thought nitro was an umbrella description (noob!).

Anyway, I got the tail on last night. Bought some balsa strips at the shop near my work and I shaved and sanded two shims that were thick enough to align the tail. I think it came out pretty good, but I try not to keep looking for problems!!

Gonna do the landing gear today to start. I started last night after I epoxied the tail, but the mount holes in the aluminum are too small for the included screws. Out to drill them this morning. I also cut and sanded the trim pieces that go over the gear mains up at the fuselage. They will be a nice touch once finished.

It should really start to look like a plane now, so I have to get my order in for a prop and battery. I WILL use a lipo. That's what the guy suggested that I bought the rest of the stuff from. But he wasn't sure if the battery tray was going to be large enough for the one he had in mind so we held off on that purchase.

Stay tuned.

The blue tape is a nice touch, Really brings out the white in the plastic
Nice going, Really (no, I mean it) you have brought that turkey a long way.

Thanks! Wait a little while longer. It's one wheel from being a rolling chassis!!

PS. Incidentally, the new fuselage came from Wattage very quickly! I was impressed. I haven't opened the box yet but it was great of them to not to forget me after I got off the phone.

Sounds like they are really trying. It would be interesting to see whether or not they built that one with a twist...
I am following your ordeal closely. I just bought my first ARF (Hangar 9 P-47 Thunderbolt) and my experience with that one has, while not been as extreme as yours, has closely paralled some of yours. (things not fitting well etc.)

I had my eye on that P47 too, so I wouldn't mind seeing some pics too. I wasn't ready to consider a low wing so I opted for the Cessna. But the videos look cool.

I feel like I've turned a bit of a corner, or made it over a hump anyway. All I have left to do is connect the aileron and rudder linkages and put in the electronics (oh, and the alieron servo still too). But not one thing (aside from the cowl) fit. And I'm a little dissappointed with only one part---the tail. Said another way, I guess I feel pretty good about how it is coming out. As far as the tail goes, I glued it up Friday night late and I guess I was tired at that point. It's a little bit leaning towards one side. I think it will fly fine, but it nags me. I tried to tape it straight after the expoxy, but the plastic mount in the fuselage over-powered the tape I guess. The thing that bothers me is I had shimmed the horizontal stabilizer an hour earlier, so you figure I would have realized the vertical needed it too. And it is cocked in the same direction as the horizontal, so the whole tail must actually have been twisted. Oh well, not a deal breaker, but I think I am going to try to separate the bond with the fuselage, and re-glue it with a shim. I'm a perfectionist.

Well, the wheels and pants are on. I had to shave all the pants to get them to not bind on the wheels. The rear wheels are a nice foam. Very light yet solid. The front wheel is rubber and it is not even close to round. I may take it bacl off and try to true it up. But that can wait. Incidentally, the only part that has been missing so far is a piece of plastic that is to be glued over the front gear main against the wheel pant. There is no screw on the other side to hold the assembly from sliding back off the axle, so the plastic will hold the main against the pant, and the whole wheel assembly on the axle. I used a piec of white tape for now, but I'll have to give that some attention before I try to land on it. Oh, I just realized, I will have plenty of scrap white plastic when i cut out the window openings.

I'm almost as far as I can go without a battery and prop. I actually skipped the motor mount as well. You were supposed to mount that and the prop adapter before putting the cowl on. But my motor is set-up for a front of the firewall mount, while the kit calls for a rear of the firewall mount. I need to slide the shaft through the motor, but I don't have the right allen wrench to loosen the set-screw. Off to home depot this morning. It's going to be a long shot because the screw is something smaller than 1.5mm, which seems to be a pretty specialized size. I did see some .05" wrenches for sale on one of the hobby sites so I guess that might be the ticket. But I'll carry the motor over to HD this morning and see if I can find a fit.

Here's a few teaser pics (more for me because I like to look at it!!!).

Oh, I meant to ask where you fly down there. I'm going to try to come down to see my parents in May and I would like to try to get my father back into the hobby. I think he has taken my mom a few times up to Ocala, but that isn't very close (in relative terms anyway). I've tried a couple times to put him in a ready to fly, but he always sent them back. I may just have to carry an Easystar down there in May and leave it with him.

Keep us posted on the P47.

E-mail me on the RCU before you come down, and I will give you my phone number. Like to see how the bird comes out. Looks a lot different from the first pics. I would not have bet on that turd ever coming together. Looks like you might be ready for the quantum leap to.....building[8D]

Well, for anyone that may have an interest in an electric, my Cessna (and first ARF/second plane) is finished!! I am actually very happy with it. It has not been maidened yet, but the weather has been at fault.

For the record, it is a Wattage Cessna 182 with a Park 450BL motor, Hitec Micro 05S recevier, Hites HS55 servos, and a Apex 2200mah lipo battery.

I learned a lot along the way, so hopefully, the next one will be easier. Here are a few quick snaps.

Thanks for the help. Andy

Andy,
It's me, (used to be Balsabandit) decided to clean up my act, and start helping out the newbies in here. You wanted to see some pics of the '47, here are a couple. Don't know that old fart holding the airplane. I'm still a kid (at heart)
Bill

oops missed that one.

I thought I had the pic captured. try again

That's a sweet bird!! Without a doubt. It must look pretty amazing in the air

I've actually been building my foamy version of that one too. Glued the elevator a little incorrectlly last night because I didn't see the modified building notes in the box. So I am going to have to cut the hinges and start that part over.

I also have a Lancair coming from UPS today. What an intoxicating hobby!!

Thanks for posting the plane!

Good luck on the maiden, it's amazing what you learn from some manufacturers ARF, I've built several, some are great, others are horrible, looks like you have a little of both, I don't think you should have to struggle to put something that was originally designed to be put together, put together..... The only concern I have is that it doesn't have a dihedral, I've never flown a plane without it, I did create one from a kit as a kid and forgot about implimenting it, it just refused to fly because that wasn't addressed, it also happened to be a classic cessna.......

In the future, look forward to having to learn it all over, then moving onto kits, then scratch building, then back to arfs, more kits, a RTF once in a while, back to scratch, more kits, more learning it all over again, then an arf, then scratch again, hehe, lmao, you are now initiated to this hobby, this will push your skills in all areas, yes, very intoxicating and fun hobby, good company as well.

The thing I'm worried about is having to step up to piston engines. You guys get a better variety of planes! And that also means I can't load the Element and head to the playground for a relaxing evening of flying. But I guess that's how you get deeper and deeper into it.

I think you are right on the manufacturers too. My Cessna seems to be a bigger challenge than some others might be. My Foamy P47-D is going together while sitting on the couch watching TV. Not a very difficult build, but what a beautiful plane! It's going to be a lot of fun to fly I am sure. The Lancair is fiberglass. So that will be an entirely different build too.

I'm going to need a bigger apartment!

Hi Andy
Your new bird looks great. I've assembled 4 ARF's so far and have yet to encounter the prob,s you had on that one; But so you know it looks great. And I agree this is the most intoxicateing hobby I have ever seen. I have two more ARF's still in the box in line for the work bench and two kits waiting to be opened too. Like you, I have spent many many hours on the simulator and the club I joined is giving me free lessons. (I must be certified before I can fly at the feild). Anyway Happy flying Andy, and keep-er-outa-tha-tree's.
Skip

Hey, that's nice, thanks!!

You don't know the half of it. This plane wrestled me right down to the very last screw (the second screw on the spinner). I had to drill it out becuase I stripped the head (stripped a few of the M2 size screws!). But my bits are all dull so I had to pull the screw through and buy another spinner. I think I am the only Wattage Cessna with a white spinner!!

Thanks for the reply and good luck in the air!

Just for future reference, who manufactured that ARF, It's always good to learn from others mistakes and to know who to avoid in future purchases. This type of question is the opposite side of the coin since these guys obviously are not taking pride in what they produce and will continue to keep their standards low as long as the public doesn't speak up.

Along variety, there are plenty in electrics as well as gas, you just need to surf around. This market "www wise" is not nearly as developed compared to many others on the web, so the first search results are not going to be your only options, believe me, the more I search, the more options and plane lines I find, it's utterly amazing the shere volume of good ARF's. I'm like you with the space issue, I just put together a green model butterfly, it's a high wing rather advanced trainer design, very well thought out and extreemly simple to put together, with a 4' wingspan, I'd never be able to get it in my girlfriends kia, luckily the wings detach, you might want to get ones that break down like that as well. I also do think most of these players that have a fleet, never take them all out at once.

It's a Watt-age product. I may not be the end-all opinion though. This was my first ARF. I would say that most of the stuff was just learning curve. But it did seem to have some issues with trueness in the frame and saddle and tail area. But they gladly shipped me a new fuselage without question.

Having said that, I was just looking at a Cub electric conversion review over on another site. It was a plane I saw on Hobby-Lobby's site in the scale section. There was one picture of the saddle area, and it looked immaculate (and straight!). The price was almost twice what my Cessna cost, but it was also a 50-60" wingspan versus my 40". I may have to loop around someday and pick up a real cub like that. They also sell a Bird Dog I really like too.

You won't have to worry about anything you buy from Hobby Lobby, the guys there are all pro's. I used to live down the street from them, and they sell first quality equipment. If one of the employees there tells you something, it's not that he read it, they live it. Nothing for them but thumbs up.
Bill

My new Lancair came today. My fleet in progress:

Hay Andy
Thats some fleet ya got going there. Looks great man. My garage has begun to over flow with planes. I have a Fokker triplane, an Avistar trainer, a lil GWS tiger moth, a pico slow stick, a 120 size Bee Gee still in the box, a dirdi birdi 60 still in the box, a b2 bomber still in the box, and a tecate biplane still in the box. If I can figure out how to attach pics I'll send a couple.
Keep-er-outa-tha-tree's
Skip

Man, that Fokker is nice. My Dad built one of those when I was a kid. That's the one that stands out in my memory.

Hey, I actually have another build question for anyone that can help. My prop keeps unwinding from my prop adapter. That is, the keeper nut keeps loosening. I think I have everything on properly, but maybe I have it backwards. If you are looking at the front of the plane (from in front), the rotation is counter-clockwise. I have the APC prop on in what I believe to be the correcct direction, which is the flat side of the hub against the base plate. The thrust is out the back, so I guess it is all on in the correct direction, but maybe I have the whole thing reversed (prop and motor rotation anyway). Any ideas? The keeper nut if an E-flite product and is simply an aluminum spinner shaped nut. There is no nylon insert or anything on the threads.

Thanks.