rjm1982

Hey there...

Just looking forward a bit...and was thinking about going ahead and getting the kit for my second plane while im learning to fly my nexstar...so i have something to do all those days when i cant fly....

What does everyone think of this plane...its a sig...so that seems to mean good quality....and from what ive read its stable enough for a second plane...

Was thinking along the lines of an OS .70 4-Stroke...

So whats the deal...i want my second to be low wing...and though i wouldnt -mind- a taildragger, i love the looks of low wing trikes...

carrellh

I bought an Astro Hog to be my "second plane" and first kit. I ended up having the Hog built because it looked way over my head. Fuselage sides are just printed on the wood, you cut them out. The front of the plane is balsa blocks that you carve and sand until an airplane pops out. I saw a review that joked you need a chainsaw for this kit.

Instead of the Hog I built a Great Planes PT-60 trainer as my first kit and it turned out good. I'm positive that trying to build the Hog would, with no experience, have been a disaster for me; others might do fine.

A good looking low wing that can be built as a trike or tail dragger is the Skyshark Fantasy
www.skysharkrc.com
It's a modern laser cut kit.

rjm1982

ok, so the more i read, the more i think..... 4star....

now just to decide which size...

TyBryner

I have both a .40 and .60 4*... (well, had a *40, that's another story)

Having flown both I'd pick the .60 given the choice again. I'm not sure why either, the 40 flew great. I just like it better for some reason.

Pilot Chad

My Feedback: (4)

can u do 3d with a 4*

rjm1982

dont know about 3d...but ive seen alot of stuff done by it with the right engine/prop combos...

My question now is 4 vs. 2stroke....leaning towards fours...seems to be more pros than cons....but without personal experience, its a descision that i cant find a clear answer on...

Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

the 4* is not a 3D airplane. BTW you can make the Astro Hog a taildragger.

Chevalier

I've had the same Astro Hog in my hanger for nine years, and it is a lovely flier. Fred Dunn gave R/C modlers a jewel when he designed the plane back in 1957. It doesn't build as fast as a 4 * but there isn't really anyhting hard. There is just more to do (shaping and sanding) in the older kits. Your reward will be a little piece of model aviation history. ( The Astro Hog was the first low wing plane w/ alerions and the first pattern plane. ) If you have time, why not give it a go? There are plenty of build threads for the Hog, and the old fellows at the club are bound to have built a few of these birds themselves.

rctrax

I have a hog and it is the best plane i have. I have a 91 4 stroke in it and it flies like a dream.I would think a 70 would work also.I am going to try a 70 in mine this spring. When building I recomend discarding the multi piece doublers and cut new one piece ones and trim the formers by that much. It will strenghten the fuseloge a lot with no wieght gain.Mine had very poor wood for the fuse sides also so I made new ones for them too.

Fastsky

The Hogs fly great. As a kit compared to the newer kits they are rather crude. A lot of cutting, shaving, and sanding involved. If that sounds like something you would enjoyand have a lot of spare time, then you will have a fine plane when its done. If you want a plane that builds together quick, can be built either as a trike or tail dragger and is a great flyer, then maybe look at a plane such as a Sig Midstar or a Super Sportster MK2. The 4* plane are a quick build and fly well but are way too floaty for me. [8D]

forestroke

i think the world models rambler 30 is modelled after the sig astro-hog. if you don't mind not building it, this is a great flyer and a cinch to put together. i love it!!! it is by far my favorite plane. it is smaller than the hog since it is a 30 class plane. i have an O.S. 52 fourstroker in there. sounds sweet and has that old school charm!

ksechler

You'd be hard pressed to go wrong with a hog as a second plane. It has a large wing (6') and lands like a trainer. In flight it will loop and roll like a sport model should. It would be a good step for learning aerobatics without paying a penalty in slow speed handling. The Hog was my first low wing model and I loved it.

Prawnik

Thanks for the information, folks. I am considering a Hog as my second airplane, but since I like to build, all this sounds intriguing to me. I come from a scale FF background, so I am used to cutting out my own formers, carving cowls and scoops, etc., so I enjoy building. I am a much better builder than I am a flyer, not that that says much.

FWIW, the other candidates are as follows:
Sig Kavalier
Sig Kommander
Sig 4*
Goldberg Tiger II
Goldberg Falcon
Maybe the GP Super Sportster or the old Kaos

Chevalier

If you already have building experience then you won't have a problem building any of the planes you listed. The mid wing planes Kavalier, falcon will be easiest to fly. The Hog, Tiger and Four * are in the middle. The Sportsers and Kaos's are the most aerobatic and are a little harder to fly than the others. All of the kit desings and manufactures are solid. I am a little partial to Sig because every Sig plane I know of flies great.

Fastsky

1,2,4,6, and 7 would be good choices. The others, not so much. My opinion!

Prawnik

Thank you, everyone, keep it coming.

Woody 51

If your're not fussy about manufacturers, the British FLAIR Kit manufacturer makes a very nice Astro Hog which is easier to build than the SIG offering.

As for the actual Astro Hog. It is a far superior model to a 4 *. A simply wonderful plane.

The fact that the design has stood the test of time since 1957 speaks for itself. (Nearly 50 years now.)

I often wondered why "Old Timers"at my local Flying Field went all glassy eyed when anyone mentioned the words "Astro Hog." Then I flew one one day and on the spot, understood.

It's like recalling the "1st time" one did it with a girl!!! (And for some of those old guys, that was a LONNNNG time ago.)

If you're prepared to go the "hard yards" and build one, whichever manufacturer's kit you get, you will never regret it.

Chevalier

Years ago Sig used to advertise that "Nothing Flies Like a Hog" I built mine because all of the old timers raved about how good these planes fly. Nine years later, an old timer will strike up a conversation about my plane which will always lead to the Hog they had or used to have. Don't get me wrong I have built and flown other planes beside the hog, at present I am putting the finishing touches on my first giant scale plane. But the hog still flies, its about wore out now so I may have to replace it with one built from the plans.

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

Hog is great....but so is the Kommander - I think I still have mine....somewhere

Jerry

Prawnik

Why does one say that the Hog is superior to the 4*?

I suppose I considered the Hog even though it was designed way, way before my time, and I've never been crazy about its looks, but I like the old-school design philosophies. Back then, inexpensive, lightweight, proportional multichannel radios didn't exist or were rare, as were the powerful, light and reliable engines we take for granted today. The designers couldn't simply power an airplane into the air; it had to fly.

Besides, any airplane that has been in production continuously since 1957 without just being a nostalgia trip has to have something going for it.

But why is it better than the newer Sig designs?

rjm1982

The hog will probably come later for me, just because of the build requirements...i think it would be easier with the 4* in the beginning...

But ill be making a closed cowl on the 4*, so it will be good practice...

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I'm thinking the AstroHog came out in 1958 as a Berkely kit? When Berkely went out of business, Sig picked up serveral of the Berkely kits with the Hog being one of them. They moderized it at the time but even that was a long time ago. Like was said up aways, it's still a carve it kind of plane. It's not lazer cut are anything like that.

But it flys excellent up in the air and it doesn't float much when landing.

A 46 will fly it but barely. A 91 four stroke is nice.

Enjoy

Jim

Prawnik

I was thinking my old K&B .61 ought to power the pig along nicely, unless it goes in another airplane.

crossfire

I'm old enough to remember when the Hog first came out! Everyone was in LOVE with that plane!
40 years later I built the SIG kit. (Ya gotta love building a plane) I built it heavy and strong and put an OS .61 in the nose.

I used strip flaperons but never liked the way it ballooned using flaps. It just didn't want to land!

I had a great time with this bird - it flew great for a heavyweight - until one day I tried a few snap-rolls with it and heard a gunshot-like craaack in the sky overhead. It went into a hover and then torque roll all by itself and began drifting with the wind sideways!!


What had happened was the little dowel that connects both halves of the elevator broke loose (couldn't handle the g-forces) and I had zero pitch control.
With the crowd at the field directly below the plane I waited till it drifted out a few hundred feet and cut the throttle.

It was a spectacular rollover into a nosedive to beat all - circa WW 2 movies. The fuselage compressed to a length about 6" shorter. The wing survived 70%. Not really rebuildable as far as I was concerned. The Coverite covering formed into a bag of wood chips.

The lesson: This plane wasn't designed to do what I did to it. Lesson #2: If you build this kit, trade the little dowel for a heavy wire "C"-shaped connector for the elevator halves. It would have saved my Hog from my overdoing it.

It was such a neat airplane. I highly recommend you have the experience of building and flying one.

rcdude37

i am finnishing up my first kit... its a hog. as the first time doing it it wasn't hard really, just take the few extra minutes thinking something over before you do it and it will work out just fine. im building this plane to resemble a crop duster so i had to square the wings up, rework the tail, make the cockpit, and make the balsa cowl... not including the little things. as a first time doing this i thought it was easy, just take your time, our club had a show about 4 months ago and i was hoping to have it done for that but it isn't done yet, i was invited to another show were they want to see it this coming weekend and i told them if its done it will be there!
i also have a 4* 40 its a fun plane to fly not much to the building part of it, but if you are one of them guys that has trouble building an ARF then well, may i suggest a new hobby!
the bottom line is you just do what you think needs to be done, because after all it is your plane and your skills that will be put to work, we are just here to help you with problems