is the tunder tiger trainer 40 any good

I've got a TT Easy Trainer 40 that I bought used. It has a TT 42 engine and has been a rugged little plane and has survived my antics with little repair. I like it so much that I plan on sticking a set of floats on it in the spring. My particular plane has been discontinued from TT, but it's been easy enough to make the few repairs that I've needed. I'm well satisfied with mine.

I haven't actually laid hands on one but have read no negative reports on them and quite a few good ones.

Mark,

I have one that I pulled out of my basement from 1999, I am in the final assembly stages of this ARF kit. I find the kit to be put together with some good quality. I have a thunder tiger .46 engine that will power this trainer. The only concern would be replacement parts down the road, but it's a trainer and I should learn on it and move on. I don't want to fly a trainer indefinitely anyways. Good luck in any choice that you make.

Regards,
Steel

While mostly known for their outstanding engines and helicopters, Thunder Tiger also makes very high quality airplane ARFs. Thunder Tiger ARFs are very well constructed, and generally come with thorough, clear instruction manuals.

Finding spare parts for Thunder Tiger products used to be a bit of a problem at times. Now that http://www.thundertiger4u.com is available, you can find replacement parts for most any ARF or engine that Thunder Tiger manufactures. At the front of the manual for most any ARF is a parts inventory that is seperated into groups of items, and each group has its own parts number. If you need a replacement item, you simply order that particular group number.

For example, if you're flying your Thunder Tiger Tiger Stick .40 ARF and you accidentally smash your wing to pieces, all you have to do is find your manual for the plane. The wing set is listed in the manual as #AS0081 and includes left wing w/ aileron, right wing w/ aileron, wing center tape, aileron servo tray, plastic wing plate, plywood wing joiners, and torque rod horns. If you go to http://www.thundertiger4u.com and enter the part number AS0081 into the search engine, up pops the wing kit for the Tiger Stick and you can order it on the spot.

Thunder Tiger is known the world over for making exceptionally high-quality products. Now that http://www.thundertiger4u.com is readily available to supply these products as well as the spare parts needed to support them, hobbyists no longer have to worry about keeping their Thunder Tiger products running for a long, long time.

Mustafa,

Great post! I don't know if you work for them but that really doesn't matter because this looks like a great site for parts. I had done some google searches with no luck. So I really appreciate your help and I agree Thunder tiger produces a great product.. now if my flying can measure up.

Hehe, thanks Steeltiger. Sorry if I sound like a walking commercial. You can tell by my profile at bigedmustafa.rcuniverse.com that I'm just a regular guy who owns a lot of Thunder Tiger and non-Thunder Tiger aircraft gear. The biggest knock against Thunder Tiger engines has always been that, great as they are, spare parts can be tough to find. That's why I was so excited to find http://www.thundertiger4u.com I've ordered spare parts for both my electric and glow Thunder Tiger airplanes from there. They seem to stock everything both big and small; if they aren't stocking it, at least they're getting Ace Hobby to drop-ship the stuff quickly.

Thunder Tiger is a top-notch manufacturer who is under-represented here in North America, which is too bad. I've heard that Ace Hobby, the North American distribution arm for Thunder Tiger, can be difficult to deal with so hobby stores don't like to carry their stuff. It's only hearsay, but it makes sense. They're completely dominant when it comes to glow helicopters, so a lot of hobby dealers have to deal with Ace to some degree. I haven't had any problems with any of their excellent products, so until buying items indirectly through Ace Hobby comes back to bite me, I'll keep buying Thunder Tiger planes and engines when they fit what I need.

I actually wonder if http://www.thundertiger4u.com isn't just a retail web site run by Ace Hobby to get more product out. If so, they've done a good job with regard to customer service. The shipping and tracking is quick and communication is very good. I've needed parts that weren't listed in the thundertiger4u catalog, and they've added them so I could order them right after I e-mailed in a request. The pricing at thundertiger4u.com is pretty aggressive across the board, and they offer free shipping on orders over $150. The web site as a whole is a little sloppy, but they've been continually updating and improving. Good products, good prices, fast and accurate shipping... what else could you ask for?

SteelTiger - I just joined RCU and saw you question today. I hope by now you've bought the TT 40 Trainer and are flying. I highly recommend the model. It was my first RC after not building or flying since we were using single blip transmitters and rubber band powered escapements (60's), servos weren't invented yet! It is a very cool model to build and fly. I over powered it with a TT pro .46 and it actually does great aerobatics for a trainer so it got me up through intermmediate manuvers. My next model was the Seagull PC-6 ARF with the same engine. Great model for #2 'cause not many people at the field with it. It's great looking too. GREAT performance but enjoy the Trainer for a long time. My buddy has mine now and is just learning so it continues to handle small repairs and minor dings VERY well.

oduinn07,

I 'm not up quite yet, but I'll be ready for spring flying. My son is 7 and I can now bring him to the field and have something that we both can enjoy. He has a love of aviation genetically passed on by me I'm impressed by the TT trainers build quality and really want to get in the air fast. I'm trying to figure out if I want to go with the Spektrum 2.4ghz radio and weighing that against a 6EXAS by Futaba. It was great to hear about how you've been through the evoulution of this hobby. I believe people like you keep this alive and lend a guiding hand to upcoming pilots. I wish you many more flights.


regards,
Steeltiger

S - Radios, get a programmable one that supports multiple models like the Spektrum 7. You'll pay more now but <$99 for each additional model. I have Four radios for four models (long story) and would rather lug only one around. Also I would highly recommend RealFlight G3 RC flight sim for you and your son to practice on this winter. I soloed with an instructor after three flights all because of the sim. It'll save you LOTS of money in model repairs. It is absolutley realistic (physics based software). It's one of the best all around computer games on the market too, tons-o-fun. Especially when you have friends over and let them give it a try. Everyone I've recommended this route to said it was the first investment they would've made getting into RC.

Don't forget to shop EBay.

Ive built one but not flown yet. Had engine running & its "sweet like candy girl" what a buzz.

Kit is very good quality and instructions very clear and simple

EXCEPT

1) How and where does the fuel tank go. They say 6" tube to engine but where the tank fits it doesnt reach the engine or sit snug anywhere. What am I missing here?
2) Where does the receiver go etc as there isnt much room given the elev & aileron push rods to the rear and the engine & steering to the front.

I was goint to make a shelf for these but am concerned about the CG position.

Anyone any ideas before I use my imagination and cock the job up.

Many thanks in anticipation.

Martin

The tank goes in the cavity immediately behind the firewall and will be entirely forward of the wing leading edge.

The Rx can probably go in the area below the front of the wing beneath the steering pushrod and forward of the servos. The battery may also fit there or aft of the servos beneathe the pushrods.
http://www.thundertiger4u.com/pdf/45...rainerMKII.pdf
Look at page 8 of the above manual. Not sure you have this exact plane but it gives you the general idea.