hello all......I'm seriously thinking of starting R/C flying as a new hobby. I've done some extensive research and am trying to narrow down to the plane,radio,and engine. I'm leaning toward a .46 engine but not to sure what make is the best to get. is there a difference between the Thunder Tiger and GMS brands???? the plane I was looking at was a Galaxy Trainer.40 and the radio was a Futuba 6YG 6channel(just in case i get hooked and can actually fly these things I'd like to go after the Corsair w/ retracts which i love the looks of) Any input or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
Rick

Rick,

I am sure there are guys that can help you here but your guestions can better be answered in the Beginners Forum.

LAter,
Tim

Rick,

What are you looking at in the hobby? If you’re looking at a .40 sized trainer, they you’ll need to look at a kit or ARF. You can find out good information in the ARF/RTF, Beginners and Kit Build forums.

Check out the thread here in the 1/2A forum for the LST. It’s a plans built craft that is very well designed and easy to build, plus you’ll get tons of support on its build from the guys here. You can download the plans for it for free. Take your time and read through the complete thread. I know there is a lot of information there, but it’s well worth your time and you’ll learn a lot not only about the design, but scratch building an aircraft is not any more difficult than building a kit. Plus you have a lot more pride in a craft you built over an ARF.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2301186/tm.htm

Good luck on your start in radio control aircraft. It’s the best hobby I think one can find.

Scott

Hi Rixter2, congratulations on discovering this fantastic hobby! I just started flying last year for the first time, and I can't believe what a blast it is!

If you're mostly interested in flying (rather than building/assembling) for right now, you should consider a Ready-to-Fly (RTF) glow-powered trainer package from Hobbico, Hangar 9, Thunder Tiger, or Tower Hobbies. The planes come almost totally pre-assembled with radio equipment and servos pre-installed, and you can get in the air very quickly. If you choose an (ARF) trainer, it may require as much as 8 to 10 hours of assembly and ground trim (CG balancing, etc.) before you'll be ready to start breaking in the engine.

There are a couple of ARF Trainers available that are "glueless assembly," meaning that they go together very quickly simply by screwing together the body parts and adding the motor and radio equipment. The Thunder Tiger Tiger Trainer .40 MkII and the Global RCM Trainer are two such trainer ARFs. If you don't mind spending some time mixing epoxy and cutting away iron-on covering with an exacto knife to make glue joints, building a traditional ARF trainer isn't that difficult. If you have the help or advice of an experienced RC pilot, this may be a fun option if you would prefer to put a little extra "sweat equity" into your first plane.

As for engines, GMS engines are different from Thunder Tiger engines. In my experience (I own two O.S. Max engines, 1 GMS engine, and 1 Magnum engine), most RC engines will run powerfully and reliably after a few tanks of fuel (5 to 10) are run through them. The difference between an inexpensive engine (GMS or Magnum) and a pricier motor (O.S. Max or Thunder Tiger) is quality of fit. My O.S. engines just run and run without issue. My Magnum and GMS engines have more of a tendency for things like muffler screws or carburator screws to work loose while flying. My O.S. engines are also quieter and smoother running than my Magnum or GMS engine.

I have a GMS .47 engine on my Goldberg Tiger 2, and it's absolutely terrific from a flying standpoint. It's very powerful and reliable, I just need to check it more often to make sure nothing is working loose on it. My Magnum .52A XLS is still being broken in, but I've already had to order a set of replacement muffler bolts for it. It's going to be a powerful and great running engine, but I have to work a little harder to keep everything screwed together. Having a muffler or carburator work loose while flying can either kill an engine or cause you to lose throttle control while flying. It's nice to save money, but having a quieter, smoother engine that actually stays screwed together while flying is worth spending a little bit extra. Thunder Tiger is a nice compromise between budget engines and top-priced models. The TT Pro series model engines are very reasonably priced and are very well engineered.

If you want to put an ARF training package together, I'd recommend the following items:

JR Sport 6-Channel Radio System
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByC...dID=JSP16000**

Global RCM Trainer
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXWH71&P=0

Thunder Tiger Pro .46 engine
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXKF97&P=0

You'd need to pick up a couple of odds and ends like fuel, starter, glow starter, prop, spinner, and glowplug; but this would be a really nice starter package.

You'd have a high-quality Trainer ARF that wouldn't require much assembly other than installing the radio and engine. The radio would be a 6-channel computer radio with 10-model memory and all of the most popular computer mixing functions for whatever else you might want to fly. The Thunder Tiger Pro .46 would be a great, smooth, reliable engine you could run on many different models for years to come.

You could spend less, but if you really want to keep your options open for future flying I think the little bit extra invested would be well worth it. Feel free to post any further questions you might have, I'm sure folks here would be more than happy to offer friendly advice.

The quality of the Thunder Tiger has been more consistant than that of the GMS engine. Get a .46 engine. It will give you more flexibility in the future.

Enjoy,

Jim

Another excellent trainer setup is the Hobbico NextStar. I put one together for my boy, but used my own OS .46 AX and Futaba 7C radio. This plane is available with an OS .46Fxi, 4 ch. Futaba radio and a NextStar version of the Real Flight flight sim in the box. Very easy to put together. I've had a blast with my son's just shooting touch-n-go's (usually lasts about a half hour per tank), and it glides very well when I fly out the tank of fuel. Overall a great flying basic trainer.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXEXK2**&P=0

No mater what plane you go with, take your time and if you don't understand something, ASK! Most of the guys on the forum have a lot of experience and are more than willing to assist you all they can. Also don't trust any ARF that simply bolts on the tail - always expxy the tail end on, and make sure it is aligned with the wing and fuselage. This will give you a great flyer - it worked on my boys NextStar.

Scott

will any other carburator fit a gms 47 engine or could any one tell me where i could find a carburator for gms 47 2 stroke engine

Did I miss something? This IS the Beginners forum.

CGr.

Find a way to fly on  a flight simulator.

Don't do it!!! Take up another hobby quickly before it's too late.

Remember, you WERE warned

Terry

Hmm I,am betting what you missed CGR is that post is bout six years old

Think a few of us are guilty of that!!!

How does a post like this get resuscitated

Terry

Indeed I too. In this case Rickey510 a new poster did what is often recomended and searched on RCU about GMS engines with his question and added his question to an old thread about GMS. This is perfectly fine but it does catch all of us off guard every once and a while

Rickey510 back to your question I have no direct answer to your question other than carb substitutions are done often with some problamatical engines such as the GMS which I do not beleve are being distributed any more in the US at least under that name. I have done some carb substitution on various engines of mine but it is normally a case of digging through the junk box to find one that fits.

Now in this case I do beleve if you would repost your question here at RCU in the glow engine forum that there are others that have done just what you ask and could give you a direct answer.

John

I'm betting you are right, John.. [X(]

Thread started in the 1/2A forum and got moved over.

if you are just starting and want to go with glow power, I highly recommend getting an O.S. engine. It's worth every extra penny for a beginner. The most frustrating part of learning is dealing with dead sticks and engine tuning. Once you've learned to fly and engine tune, then by all means go ahead and try out the cheap Chinese brands.