SlickCE

I bought this ARF kit thinking that it would be close to finished and not need much work or time to get it done..

I will admit that it would not have taken much time to finish if I would have been able to use all of the hardware that came with it instead of having to run to the Hobby Shop every few hours of work to get something to fix the latest problem.

From the first step ( gluing the wing roots which were misaligned) it seems as if I have been modifying. Then I discovered a small piece broken out of one of the wing ribs under the coating.. no damage to the coating though.

When setting up the steerable front wheel I discovered that the flat ground in the wire was not located correctly, if you followed the directions on gluing in and trimming the pushrod guide you did not have enough rear throw on the rod to get the wheel to turn to the left... and it interfered with the rudder throw to the left. Once I moved the locating flat on the spring rod it worked fine. Of course in trimming to the recommended settings I ended up with a pushrod too short and had to replace it.

Then the unthreaded portion of the pushrod connectors was not deep enough to allow the connector free movement in the servo arm without either trimming the servo arm or lock nutting the connector.. not enough nuts so off to the hobby shop again for another Dubro kit.

In centering the Servos and then trying to get the elevator and rudder surfaces centered I discovered the clevis's that came with the kit take 2 men, a boy and his pet mouse to turn to try to get the final centering in. Replaced with Dubro's and working great now.

Then when mounting the engine I found out that the screws from the kit only go into the blind nuts just far enough to allow them to be pulled in half when you tighten them.. off to the Hobby Shop again to get more pieces...

Of course in all this removing of the engine and reinstalling it the engine mounting screws now have the heads worn and will have to be replaced if I ever pull it off again.

At this point I am wondering if it is just me? or is it this Hobbico ARF...

Frustrated up by Seattle

grimace

As a guy who has only built a few planes to date, everything you've discribed here sounds fairly normal to me. I find that upwards of 50% of my building time is spent disassembling things that I'd already completed (eg. removing the muffler and engine from their mounts, pulling out push rods etc.) in order to clear up something else. Still, I imagine that after a few more ARF kits I'll start to anticipate the roadblocks before they arise and greatly reduce the time it takes for me to put my planes together. Keep at it!

tinman

My Feedback: (13)

and most people that build arf's like to use the hardware that they prefer. most of the screws etc are of real poor quality that come in arf's. that flat on your landing....you could have put the gear in a vice and twited the axle slightly to line it up the way you want it also. sounds like most of your problems were the usual hardware problems....

hookedonrc

Hang in there, you will get used to the things you will need to replace on each one anyway. Then when you buy the ARF, you will know where to start. No, I haven't stopped the going to the LHS to buy single items, but it does get eaiser. Besides, you meet the greatest people at the hobby shop. I have been known to go there just to browse the kits and equipment and nothing to buy. Of course mine is only 3 miles from home.

SlickCE

I thought about doing the vise trick on the strut.. except my Uncle has my vice

I kind of suspected the things I ran into may be the norm... I mean an ARf kit for $129.00 ? they have to save the money somewhere

Cheers!

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Grant,
It is fairly normal to run into the things you have. You WILL find that you begin to anticipate what's coming next, can tell whether alignment or fit will be an issue, and make corrections BEFORE trying installation.

You'll also find that you'll accumulate the small bits that you have to run after now. Pushrods and clevises, horns and hinges, extra wheels and landing gear, motor mounts and mounting screws of all sizes and types. The real problem gets to be keeping this stuff sorted so you can actually FIND it when needed! :stupid:

After eight years I have nearly a hobby shops worth of stock in different bins and drawers.
Dennis-

SlickCE

Well... currently I am trying to calm the attack wife down..

She turned into the attack wife when I accidently epoxied a popsicle stick to her kitchen table top...Then the rag with all the alcohol in it softened up the wax where it was laying in another spot...

I am currently in recon mode trying to work my way back towards the bedroom while she hunts for me out the front door...

The Superstar is done, at least for a few for a few days.. until I get a fill kit.. hmm.. I wonder if the aluminum fuel line may have a hole in it....


Haunted by HoneyDo's

crossed thumbs-delete

Four words of advise.

Large Cheep Folding Table

NOVAflier

My Feedback: (21)

I know on my Kadet Senior ARF, I replaced just about all of the hardware that came with it. I like using Socket Head Screws for the engine mounts, along with Nylock nuts, pushrods and clevises I replaced with Dubro...Changed out the steerable nose wheel with a Fults, which was a complete rework of the entire firewall...Now, if I could only get some decent weather to fly the thing!

Cyclic Hardover

My Feedback: (3)

One thing most do after there third plan is to toss all the hardware and control rods away and use new ones. Arfs are great. it saves alot of building time but they do come with flaws. Taking a couple days to make modifcations is no big deal and keeps your plane around longer.
I always glass the firewall whether it looks good or not and retracts too. I epoxy those too on the inside for better strength
As far as the epoxy on her table. Take her blow dryer and heat it up and it will come off easier.

SlickCE

Yeah .. I got it off ok.. but I do have to get a worktable..


What Fling Wing did you fly Hardover? Hehee.. Great name

NOVAflier

My Feedback: (21)

I'll tell you what I have. I am on assignment in DC, and have a small one bedroom apartment. I bought a $30 folding table at Staples that I have used to build both of my airplanes. I built a kit and an arf on that table with nothing more than the normal building tools and a cordless drill. Only two things I wish I had:
1) Table-type drill - just for the engine mounting holes. I got away with drilling all of them on my $30 table using a few c-clamps.
2) A better place to sand! Whenever I sand anything, I end up cleaning the entire apartment because it goes EVERYWHERE! Maybe that is not such a bad thing though!

In short, I don't think you need a whole workshop to work on these things. One thing that is invaluable, I have found, is my Dremel tool and Cordless Drill. Without these, I don't think I could have done it..

lownslo

Ole' Uncle Sam and local governments always seem to come up with a lot of unpopular, un-necessary laws.
A law I would like to see passed is.... A ban on the manufacter and sale of slotted screws and bolts!!! I just plain hate them in any application. The ARF's always seem to have a bag full of these worthless junk screws and bolts. ..... lownslo....

PS. I love this country and system, so this was only an attempt at humor, although........ I do hate the slotted stuff!!

Bob

SlickCE

Well...

After talking to another FNG who has the exact same Hobbistar that I do I learned he had the exact same problems to fix..

So I fired off an email to Hobbico's support folks and told them of my experience and my frustration with the (to me) kit finish details.

I received a computer generated response back, and not one other thing from them..

I guess they just don't care.

Montague

As guys said, after a while, you get to know your own preferences, and will start to toss the junk that comes with most (inexpensive) kits.

Personally, I buy my hardware in bulk from www.microfasteners.com. Saves a pile on things like 4-40 and 6-32 bolts for engine mounts and such. Their socket head servo screws are worth the shipping.

Between the socket head screws, and chucking ball drivers in to my cordless drill, I can swap a servo or even an engine in no time flat.

But, even with all that, and buying common hardware in quantity, I still find myself going to the LHS fairly frequently when I'm building for that little thing I forgot I needed or whatever. I just go less often than I otherwise might.