O.K. here is a list of the stuff i ordered so far. The O.S. .46AX is already on its way. I need to decide on a radio still, something that will still be suitable for more advanced planes. I know, i know i didnt order a trainer yet. thats part of the question. I was thinking of getting the Tower Hobbies .40 Trainer combo w/radio and engine. i was going to set up the Tiger with the .46AX and a nice radio and just use the engine and radio that comes with the Tower trainer combo to learn. would i be better off getting farmilar with a perticular radio and then switching it into the Tiger when i am ready? keep in mind that i have been around r/c for quite some time and building,setting up and radio systems are nothing new to me, just the planes are. Actually there is a part of me that wants to just learn with the Tiger, but i wont. Anyway i really want to build a nice plane this winter and i dont want to sacrafice a nice engine and radio in a trainer that i may well crash. so basically what i am getting at is- i am getting both a 1st and 2nd plane, is it nessecary to purchase 2 radios?
i havnt even started flying and i am already obsessed! i even sold off all my land vehicles. oh, and as for radios, i think i will go with Futaba(thats what people use around here) i just need to know which one is good(i am not interested in bells and whistles that i will never use, just functionality) also which servos would you recomend for the Tiger 2?

thanks sean


$15 Promotional Discount 1 -15.00
TOWER SPECIAL OFFERS-C 1 .00
Dubro T-Pins 1-1/4" (100) 1 2.89
Dubro Treaded Wheels 2-1/4" (2) 1 4.89
Hobbico Latex Foam Rubber 1/4" 1 2.49
Great Planes Pro CA Glue 2 oz. Thin 1 6.49
Dubro S8 Square Fuel Tank 8 oz. 1 3.69
Dubro Spinner 2-1/4" Black 1 4.89
Top Flite MonoKote Orange 6' 2 21.98
Goldberg Tiger 2 Kit .40-.46,61" 1 99.99
Great Planes Silicone Fuel Tubing Standard 3' 1 2.19
Great Planes Ultra Precision Fuel Filter 1 2.99
Tower Hobbies 30-Minute Epoxy 9 oz. 1 7.99
Great Planes Plated Wheel Collars 5/32" (4) 1 1.29
Tower Hobbies Build-It CA- Thick Glue 2 oz. 1 5.99

any standard servo will work with the tiger. The .46 ax was a good choice of motor. however, you can use the same transmitter for more than one model if you wish, and computer radios make that really easy. I would get the tower trainer combo thinger, and turn around and sell the transmitter it came with, and buy either a futaba 6x, (not the 6ex!) or an 8u. 8us are now discontinued so you can get some off of people who are going to the 9c, (the 8u's replacement) in good shape for real cheap.

You are going to LOVE that AX. I have 2 trainees that are flying them. They are really smooth and powerful. Only thing we had was a bad low end adjustment on one of them. We went back to the manual and set it according to specs and it is THE best running smoothest 46 I have ever flown. If its hesitating when you throttle up from idle to max suddenly go back and check that low speed adjustment. Excellent choice IMO.

i have the .46 fx which was it's ancestor, and it runs just like the ax. the only difference between them really is that the ax turns an extra 200 rpm or so on an 11x7. i have however opperated both. the fx line was the best line of 2 strokes i had ever used, and that has been caried on quite faithfully in the ax series. they are practically the same motor.

Your choice of engines is great. You are on the right track on radios, I would suggest something like a 6X, the older one with the 6 plane memory. It has high/low rates and mixing and will last a long time. There are also an number of the older 3 plane memory transmitters but hold out for the six plane model.
Do not worry about growing out of the trainer right away, you will have plenty of uses for it even just as a tune-up plane from time to time. If you wreck it you arn't ready for anything advanced anyway.
The best thing to do is find an instructor who will help you and obtain his views as they will be helpful to him also, remember it's his time also. He will not want to spend un-necessary time because you have a plane not really suited as a trainer. The rest will come with time........

i am looking forward to the AX i cant imagine anything could be more troublesome than tuning a nitro sedan motor. its very hard to find a happy medium with those things. either too hot or too rich, nothing in between.. BTW i cant find a Futaba 6x, just 6ex and other variations. could someone supply a link?

looks like they have been discontinued it to make way for their new 7 channel.[:'(]. that was my first radio. i outgrew it quickly however becasue i was quickly advancing and needed switch assignability. the 6ex is really not great. i was not really impressed. it sports "new features" that the old jr century IVs have had for 10 years or so. you could get a 6ex, or the next step up now looks like the 7c is it's replacement. the 7c is basically a 6x with a big dial and model naming. you could get one of those but my suggestion still would be to get a used 8u. if you can find someone who is getting rid of it because they are going to the new 9cs, which are the 8us replacement, you can get a fine radio for cheap. for a while the 8u was futaba's 2nd best radio, being only surpassed by the 9z. my 6x lasted me two years before i needed switch assignability, and the 8u has it. you can assign any function you wish to any switch or knob, has all the functions you would need, model naming, and EXPANDABLE MEMORY. they sell their "campac modules" for like $24 but you can make your own out of an eeprom and a resistor and a 3mm connecter for about $5 in material costs, and all you need to know how to do is solder it together. the 8u was so advanced that the manual could not adequatly explain everything because of page limits, (it was actually quite primative) so there was a book published by don endberg (the guy who wrote the manual) called "getting the most out of your 8u" that will show you all the cool little tricks you can do to maximize the radio, and toward the end it shows you a diagram for the memory chip, and gives you all the part numbers you need. it sounds complicated, but it is really not. i was 13 when i put it together, (14 now) and i had no clue what either of the thingies on the circuit board did other than eeprom was memory and the resister increased the impedance, but i just knew how to solder. the book is referanced, so it is not like reading a novel. you just look up whta you want to know.
most people dont need most of the 8u's fucntions, however i am an agressive pilot who is always looking for the higher performance notch and i just could not get by with the 6x. and considering that a mint condition 8u costs the same or less as a new 7c, and you know you will never outgrow it, i think getting the used 8u is the better option, given the choice. some people are hesitant becuase of the warranty. i have never had a futaba product go bad, and i have been a heavy user for almost 5 years now. i have not known anyone who's futaba gear went bad either (other than the bushings on their standard servos) so the warranty is pretty useless anyway. getting the 8u was definatly one of the better decisions i have made in the rc world. your choice though.
regards,
clam

My advice still stands. KEEP IT UNCOMPLICATED AT FIRST. I have seen 6x radios for sale here on RCU and other places, there are other choices like HiTec, JR, etc.
With all due respect to Spaceclam, You don't need to be building radio components right now.
Remember my advice about an instructor? The last thing you need is a system beyond his and your abilitys. I can instruct and could struggle thru the 8 channel, after spending more time than I would like when the student could be in the air(get my point?). Remember it's the instructors time also.

I totally agree with Gizmo.

Spaceclam is somewhat of a prodigy to the sport. He picked it up quickly and advanced at lightning speed. (You can take that as a compliment Spaceclam). But he's also a kid, and doesn't realize that not everyone can absorb so much, so quickly.

Get a good entry-level computer radio, it should be all you'll need for years.

[X(] Jeezus Spaceclam... look me up when you graduate college. I'm always on the lookout for brilliant mechanical/electrical/computer engineers...

Sorry, not helpful to the original thread I know... but wow!