Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

I just got one of the Kyosho 60-size Calmato Sport ARFs and thought I'd post a few photos of what you get. I have the 40-size and it's a great flying and the quality was superior. If anything the 60-sized Calmato looks even better. More has been done for you and there looks to be a number of improvements (for example, the "trim" on the cockpit canope is now painted on). Most of the work has already been done and I imagine that if you really hussled you could get this model flying in a single day.

All flying surfaces have already been hinged, the rudder is built into the fuse, the elevator bolts on, the aileron hatches in the wings are ready to go, the servo tray is pre-installed, the engine mount and tank are also already installed. In short, there's very little left to do -- and that's just the way I like my ARFs. If I'm going to build, I prefer to build scale.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

BTW, this is one HUGE and IMPRESSIVE looking ARF. It'll certainly get some attention at the field. The wingspan is 72" but the long fuse makes it look really big. It is designed for a 60-class 2-stroke. I'm using as a test bed for a Saito 72 FS that I'll later be transplanting into my 1:6 scale Sopwith Snipe. I've been flying the 40-size Calmato on a Magnum 52 and that's all the power it needs.

The only modification I'll make is to convert it to a tail-dragger. You couldn't pay me enough to ever fly a nose-gear model again! :)

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

that is a beutiful model, I am getting ideas again for a simple sport model such as this style.

I too would prefer the taildragger version, is the model setup so you can make the change easily?

I am not even sure if its possible to get this plane in the US? Anyone know where it can be found for purchase?

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

There are two local hobby shops within 1/2 hour of my house. Both of them have stocked Kyosho ARFs in the last months. I had one of them order a couple at different times and got 'em within a week.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Would you please let me know where I can purchase this plane. Thanks!

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

One US source: http://www.rocousa.com/kyoshoairplanes.htm

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Here's an update. I've started to put it together and, as I mentioned above, there are a number of things that have been improved over the Calmato 40. And all in all the quality seems excellent down to the pre-installed string to pull the servo leads through the wing.

But there are also some of the same problems. Specifically, the rod guides for the elevator and rudder seem to have been messed up. The way they are set up (and they were set up the same way on the 40-size model I have) the left-side elevator guide goes to the left side servo and the right-side rudder guide goes to the right-side servo. This seems logical. But this creates too much curve for the metal control rods to handle and they both stick badly. Most models solve this problem (at least partially) by crossing the guides so that the right-side rod connects to the left-side servo and vice versa.

So I cut the guides free at the former behind the servo tray and switched their positions. This helped but did not completely solve the problem. There is still a lot of sticking and I'm not quite sure why. On my 40-sized Calmato I ended up removing the guides completely and just using old-fashioned dowel-type control rods. I'd like to use the metal rods that came with the kit. BTW, another minor problem is that the rods for the ailerons are too thin for the plastic clevises provided. The clevises just slip right on instead of threading on. So I'll probably have to replace those.

As for the convertion to a tail dragger, that's fairly simple. The first step is to cut out about 2" of bottom of the fuse just forward of the bulkhead that the wing slips into. You'll be slotting in a 2" x about 4" (width of the fuse) piece of 1/4" aircraft ply. Cut out the bottom of the fuse and a 1/4" deep (by 2" wide) cutout in the side-wall so that the ply piece fits snugly. The rear edge of the ply piece will be butted against the wing saddle former. This will provide a solid attachment point for the forward gear.

Before epoxying in the ply piece, I fitted four large T-nuts at the position of the holes in the gear bracket I bought. BTW, I recommend using large nylon bolts that way if you have a rough landing the gear will get sheered off cleanly without ripping the bottom out of your model (as will happen if you use metal bolts).

The tail is pretty simple too -- especially since you lock in the elevator by putting in two screws from the bottom. It's a simple thing then to use these same screws to anchor the tail wheel. Any commercial 60-size tail wheel assembly should do (with a little ingenuity).

Forget trying to run a control rod from the rudder servo to the tail wheel. What a hassle. Most tail wheel kits just have you link the tailwheel "axel" to the rudder through a hole in the elevator. This works perfectly.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Here's a photo of the problem with the control rod guide tubes as they come installed on at least this instance of the Kyosho Calmato 60. As you can see there's quite a severe bend where the guides exit the fuse and so the rods are extremely stiff. I tried cutting the guides loose from bulkhead in back of the servo tray so that I could reverse them. But the curves are still too tight.

I'd like to think this is an isolated incidence on an otherwise extremely well-made ARF but I had an identical problem with my 40-sized Calmato.

Looks like I'm going to have to replace the guides with either traditional wooden-dowel rods or open up the bottom of the model so I can install Golden rods (red/yellow). It's an annoying flaw on an otherwise great ARF.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

You've probably got the room at the front of those tubes to cut them loose. There wouldn't be room back in the tail to work, so do the work where it's possible and easiest.

Cut them loose. Cross them to go across as shown in the picture. Rebrace them in the new orientation. Airplane won't know the difference. More than one way to skin a cat.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

nice looking model, but I dont like upright engines, OK for trainers but not for more sporty models. JMOHO

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Well, being a fan of those WWI birds with inline engines (I hope to be doing an 1:6 scale Albatros CI next) I guess I don't mind cylinders "sticking up in the air." Honestly, I don't care at all about how the Calmato looks. It's just a realistic flying model that I'll use to put some solid runtime on the engine. And if it flies like it's smaller brother, I won't have to be learning the feel of a new model just to break in an engine.

:D

But you'll be glad to hear that on the Kyosho I've mounted the engine inverted. Since the whole point of this model is as a test bed for the Saito 72 I'm going to be using my my Sopwith Snipe -- and since it will be mounted inverted on the Snipe -- it made sense to mount it inverted on the Kyosho. Actually, best would probably have been to mount it upright for the engine break-in and then remount inverted to do the fine tuning. But that's WAY too much work for an ARF! [:@]

BTW, it's unfortunate the so many ARF manufacturers only think of the set up for 2-stroke installation. On every ARF I've ever bought I've had to do some "ARF bashing" on the engine mounting and/or connection since I much prefer 4-strokes. On the Kyosho 60 this involved drilling a new hole in the firewall and one of the formers to run the throttle control rod. I also needed to reverse the postion of the throttle servo to the servo arm was on the same side as the throttle arm.

I've got it all put together now -- minus the tail-wheel. As mentioned above I've converted it to a taildragger. And a rough balance shows it's going to need more than a bit of weight up front. The 40-size Calmato Sport balanced just about right from the very beginning, which was a surprise given how long the tail is. But the 60-size isn't nearly as nicely balanced. Kyosho should probably have moved the servo tray forward (to the front half of the wing) instead of it's current position in the rear of the wing saddle area.

I still need to fine-tune the radio setup and get the balance right and since I'm going to be leaving Japan in a couple of days for a 2 month holiday in the US, I guess I won't get to do the engine break-in and maiden until the fall. [:@][:@]

Well at least it'll be here waiting for me.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Rock, that's exactly what I ended up doing! I hope Kyosho figures this out.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

At present the model balances at about 40% MAC, which is about 5cm further back than the recommended CG 10-11cm behind the leading edge. This is with the battery and received stuffed into the compartment forward fo the wing LE (the instructions show the receiver and battery in the forward half of the wing saddle area). I'm awfully tempted to move the servo tray forward. Otherwise I think we're talking about at least a pound of lead up front.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

BTW, Kyosho is right on with the weight. The box says about 3600g and that's exactly what mine weighs with radio (including battery) and engine. I figure the weight of the taildragger gear about equals the tricycle gear.

But that does help account for why it's tail heavy still. The nose gear would have added some weight up front and since the wing gear is on the CG that wouldn't have affected things. My forward gear is ahead of the CG but not all that far ahead.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

A balance check reveals that with the radio gear in the stock position, I'll need to add about 250g (1/2 lb) of weight to the nose. I might be able to get away with a bit less if I move the servo tray forward. On the other hand, I doubt that half pound of additional weight would make or break the model.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

On second thought, moving the servo tray forward doesn't look like a practical solution. The three servos would need to be squeezed into the 10-11cm of space between the CG and the wing bulkhead. This might just be possible. But then there would be no way of accessing the fuel tank. Of course, the servo tray could be made removeable but...

...well there's always a way to do anything. The simplest solution though is just to add the weight -- and get out and fly.

BTW, here a photo of the Vanessa Rig I used to check the balance.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Nice

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

The Saito 72 is advertised to weigh 16 ounces. Most 60s are over 20 ounces. I think the OS 61FX is about 24 with muffler. There's 8 ounces difference right there.

The 72FS is going to give power like a 46-50, so it'd be a really good idea to try and keep the weight down. Have you considered trying to get the battery in front of the firewall? With the engine inverted, it's kewl that it no longer sticks up, but that large gap over it seems to stand out as, well a large gap. Is there room to build a battery compartment over the engine in that gap? It'd help the looks of the nose and help with the weight problem.

BTW, the weight of a taildragger gear setup should actually be a saving in weight over a tricycle setup. Think about it. The mains in both cases should be no more than required to do the job, so both should come out the same. And what's left to compare? A tiny tail wheel that will never see the landing shocks a nose wheel will see almost every landing. The nosewheel is going to need at least as strong a strut as the mains, and is going to need a support structure to match. However, when you convert from a tricycle gear like on the Calmato, if you leave the main gear blocks in the wing, what are you saving? And removing the nose wheel does what to the balance? Tail heavy?

Your balance rig is really good quality workmanship. Nice. You do good work. And about the CG. If you run the measurements of that Calmato through Geistware's CG application, I'll bet you'll find Kyosho's recommended CG to be a bit conservative. I'm uploading a picture of my 40Calmato Sport with arrows showing Kyosho's recommended (the not very wide blue line) range, where the NP is (green arrows) and where Geistware suggested the CG be for a very stable flying model (the light blue arrows). I'd suggest that Kyosho probably has done the same thing with the big Calmato Sport that they did with the small one, advise for a clunker CG location. I've flown mine over a year with a CG that's almost 1.5X's farther back than Kyosho suggested. I've had students fly mine and they had no problems with it being hard to handle with that CG. Check out that CG a bit deeper before saddling that 72 with dead weight.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

I'm back at my workshop after a long summer away and want to finish up this "ARF" so I can fly it while the weather's still nice. The problem in short is the balance is WAY OFF. I was finding I'd have to add significant amounts of lead to the nose to get it balance at the recommended CG. This CG might be a bit conservative as DaRock points out, but that's the way I like things for a first flight anyway.

So...

I've decided I'm going to have to move some things around. This included replacing the push-rods and guides with lighter (old-fashion) dowels -- as I had done on my 40-size Kyosho. This will also completely eliminate the problem of sticking that wasn't solved just by crossing the rods. Each of the wire_guide combos were about 22g and I think I should be able to fashion replacements at about 13g each.

Next, I carefully removed the ply servo try, cut off the forward section (with the round holes) and will remount this in the forward half of the wing saddle area, that is, AHEAD of the CG. I'm also moving the battery switch forward a couple inches and will build a battery compartment forward of the firewall.

And even with all this re-building, I'm still going to need some weight epoxied onto the forward sides of the engine compartment. Honestly, I'm a little surprised that the model is so far out-of-balance in it's "stock" configuration. Granted I've converted it to a taildragger but that doesn't begin to explain why so much weight is needed. It's almost like the model is really designed for the weight of a much larger engine (at least a 91FS).

If it wasn't for the fact that my 40-sized Calmato is such a beautiful flyer -- particularly on extremely low-speed passes -- I might be a bit more frustrated with the work I'm having to do on this "ARF."

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Build a box in the nose to hold the battery and the lead. There is room for lead where the nosegear used to be. Boxes can be heavy wood. After all.............

Weigh the nosegear you left off and you'll get an idea where some of the imbalance came from. Figure how much the tail gear weighs and multiply that by say 2.5 and there's some more weight to consider. That won't change anything, but that plus an 8oz lighter engine/muffler ought to give you an idea if the model really is abnormally tail heavy.

About time to fly it??? Tell us how it goes.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

I've spent about three weeks so far trouble shooting what should have been a one-week assembly. It may take me a a few more days to make all the changes and get everything set up again.

One other thing I've just noticed is that with the Saito 72 mounted inverted the carb is about an inch below the level of the tank centerline. Is that a problem? I'm not sure I see any solution to this other than just mounting the engine upright.

After I've got all the ARF-bugs worked out, I'll need to give the engine a careful break-in (attached to the model) so that will mean a couple of more days probably. But hopefully within the fortnight, I'll be able to get'er up into the air.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Depends.
Mostly on luck and the laws of siphoning.

Little or no siphoning usually happens when the carb is above or even with the centerline of the tank. Only usually happens when the carb is below. And doesn't always.

You rolls de' dice, you takes yo' chances.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Several sweaty hours of work later, the servo tray is now in it's new forward position, new push rods are in place, and the model now balances with the battery inside behind the tank with the Rx. I did have to add a small additional weight of about 25g onto the firewall. I also decided to balance the model at a point 11cm behind the leading edge, which is the back end of the area recommended by Kyosho but still ahead of the other lines in DaRock's photo. Thanks, BTW, for posting that. It gives me confidence that I won't have a repeat of the wild ride I experienced on the first flight of my Seagull Spacewalker -- which ended disasterously.

I agree that I'll just have to take my chances with the tank position. I didn't have much of a problem with this with my EIII that had a custom tank located a couple of inches above the trottle. But we'll see.

All that's left now is to do a few final set-ups and double checks. Then it's out to the field for some engine runs.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

A Saito 72 is a 4stroke with a tube for an intake manifold from the carb to the head, right?

Mounting them inverted can give problems.
That pipe from the carb to the head is no problem when those engines are mounted 90degrees or upright. Any raw fuel drips out of the venturi when the engine isn't upside down. When it's upside down, every bit of the stuff is caught. So you really need to work out a fueling proceedure that doesn't allow siphoning to start, and a priming proceedure that is on the safe side.

4strokes already have a pronounced tendency to backfire. Make sure you don't increase that. And they'll hydraulic lock easier upside down too.

Turn a 2stroke upside down and siphoning or excess fuel drips out of the carb onto the ground. Turn a 4stroke upside down and those intake tubes can hold up to a couple of ounces, and will hold everything that would have dripped onto the ground. Everything.

An awful lot of hard to start engines are that way, not because of the engine but from how the modeler worked with the airplane from the moment he started the fueling process.

RE: Kyosho 60-class Calmato
 

Thanks for all the tips. I'll keep them all in mind when I head out to field tomorrow. The Magnum 52FS that I used on my EIII was mounted semi-inverted with the head in the 7 o'clock position. I was advised to use a clamp on the fuel line when the engine wasn't running to prevent siphoning but didn't find it was really a problem.

So we'll just see what happens tomorrow. Whatever happens it'll be good to find out any problems with this setup now rather than once it's all mounted in my scale Snipe.