RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Actually the updates to the FX to create an FXi were basically the same updates made to create a AX. Still, the muffler is different but believe it or not they are very very similar engines. I would not say they are much different power wise.

Some of us also bought the ARF version and a AX engine to get a different radio set up :)

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

o, srry i thought the ax engine was much powerful, or thats a least what i have heard. i am acutally odering it for my 4 star 40 so i will kind of be able to compare it to my nexstar engine. and u are right, the .46 fxi is a great engine very reliable i can do loops, spins, and even stall turns with my nexstar. i have found though that flying upside down is such a challenge because of the shape of the wing. it seems like when i turn it over i alomost have full elevator up. o with the fxi engine, if u are having a problem with the engine, like when u go from a high rpm to a low rpm, the engine dies try some muffler gasket sealent, its like a paste u put on and worked very well for mine.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Stunner, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the AX on your 4*, even if they are similar in power to the FXI.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Hi Justin,

I am in NY state up the Hudson Valley - have gotten a group of folks together (9) to fly R/c. I have some experience, the others not. Everybody bought Nexstars. They perform well, are reasobaly strong in a crash and serve as good trainers. The radio is basic and if you stick with it you would want a better radio. Motor is high quality. The stabily system is disabled in our planes as we always fly late in the day and the stability system requires high sun.

Good luck!

Peter

PS I rarely check the postings so pls don;t be offended if I don't reply.

Peter

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

love this debate well here's mine I own the NEXTAR was super easy to fly when after my instructors"several of my club members helped me" fly it a couple of times have been flying it for a couple of years now. FXI ran great still does after leaning it out after 10 flts. crashed her a couple of times and had minor dammage finally nosed it in and had to apply some epoxy LOL . not sure which plane some have purchased, mine has been a work horse after a patch job or 2 its still flying, its nice when I havn't been to the field in a while and feel like putting arround. I also own the ax 46 and havn't noticed that much of a power increase between the 2 engines. early on bought a ARF NEXTAR after crashing thought I needed it for parts it still in the box the repaired one flys great still. some planes are lemons and some are great, it depends on the pilot, and what time of the day the little chinese lady was putting it together.thinking of putting a os 61 in NEX #1 and putting floats on it . now to the radio the 4 channel is basic for a radio but works fine for a beginer and to start with a computer radio for the first time doesn't make sense I also have aEXA 6 ch computer radio for my more sophisticated planes ie:U CAN DO 3-D,H-9 p-40,TF spitfire,and a couple more hope my wife isn't reading this, but all those planes require alot of practice and time . my 4-ch is going in the float plane if it goes in the drink its no loss. In closing I have to say the plane flys easy and looks good mine was worth the 379.00 sturdy to a point and lives still to fly another day it seems that some people think there trainer should be indestructable, no one is. glue is your friend in this hobby get used to it if it makes it to the ground in one piece its a great day of flying the NEXTAR gets 2 thumbs up from me

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

I have noticed that there are alot of used Nexstars for sale. I wonder if this is because people are shedding their trainers and getting something else. which is great because I got a pretty good deal on one. Just curious

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Two reasons come to mind: There are a lot of people buying Nexstars -- and a lot of students get rid of their trainers when they think that they know everything.

Enjoy yours

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

I support the Nexstar fully. I got mine just a few weeks ago. Takes very little time to get it assembled. Granted it can have its assembly flaws (the bolt to hold my wings on didn't quite line up) but for the most part, nothing major. Its a lot like Christmas with ARFs as you never know what your going to get really! Sometimes their in bad shape and sometimes their great. Mine happened to be good. Few cosmetic problems with the skin but nothing to bad. Its really stable, really forgiving, has a very low stall speed with all the trainer functions attatched and I found it a great plane to learn on. The first time I've ever flown something was yesterday and I'm already off the instructer's cord and have take off and landings down already. I'm starting to take off the trainer features and its a completely different plane! Its great for learning with them on but once your ready, start taking them off and you'll have a nimble, quick, yet stable plane. The AFS is great for learning and with that, the simulator, and the general niceness of the plane and its flying ability, I'd say its definately worth the extra $ if you have it! Great plane, great trainer, but do you totally need it? No, but it makes learning less frustating and reduces the risk of turning your brand new plane into a lawn dart! And the simulator is a nice touch and helps you learn some before you get into the air.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

I also have the Nexstar. It was the first gas plane I ever bought and I was able to have it ready to fly in about one hour. I did not have an instructor, but I did go with a friend who had been flying for about a year at the time. I was able to take off, fly, and land on my first try. Without a crash. I have been flying the nexstar for about two years now and would not think of selling it, I just love it. However I have never used the AFS. I don't know why not, but just never have. I have had no problems with this plane from start to now. So I guess you have already guessed that I would tell anyone to buy this plane, but I am sure their are many other great trainers also.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

ya, everyone at our club when i was a newbe recommended the avistar and i have also been very pleased, reaaalllly sturdy. also very basic and easy to fix.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

You can add me to the Nexstar fan club. It seems like everyone & their brother at my club has the Avistar & I like the fact that my Nexstar actually stands out. :D I think the extra 10 inches of wingspan helps the flight characteristics & on landings, but of course I'm biased! :)

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

I have a NexStar ARF, and a Futaba 6EX-PCM radio. I bought an OS .46 LA motor to put in it. I have to say that the plane looked great coming out of the box. I only had one problem and it turned out to be a fatal flaw. The mounting holes for the engine were low and to one side, making it impossible to install the motor and get the silencer installed. I shimmed it up to horizontal center using basswood strips 1/4" thick, but there was nothing I could do about the vertical centerline. Eager to fly it, I decided the slight off center would not affect the flight characteristics too much. I was wrong. On take off, the plane nearly ground looped before I could get it up off the ground. It took about 2 minutes to get the plane turned around to try and make an emergency landing. It was extremely difficult to turn and wanted to flip over. When banking to make a turn, it would just lay on its side, elevator addition didn't help much. I tried to get it into a slight bank and use the rudder to kick the back end around just a bit, but that was just too much for the struggling plane and she snapped into a nose dive from about 40 feet. The front end was obliterated, the landing gear ripped out of the fuselage, tearing it up in the process, motor mount and prop were shattered. Replacement of the fuselage and motor mount will cost me just $30.00 less than the complete ARF kit. I e-mailed pictures to Hobbico and have not heard back. I am hoping that after seeing the pictures of the motor placement, they will replace the fuselage under warranty. I know I am asking a bit much considering I flew the plane, but I think they may see the problem and agree that it was a fatal manufacturing flaw.

Having said this, I was still impressed with the sturdy construction of the plane, the smooth covering, the size, etc. It was FAR better and FAR prettier a plane than any of the other trainers I have seen. I believe the motor mount was a fluke, and I am planning to buy ONE MORE fuselage or possibly rebuild the one I have. This pilot will still fly a NexSTAR.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Sig LT-40. I find the Nexstar to be cheap covering is wrinkled ////not in balance////and the afs fights you making turns get an LT-40 i still like flying the plane.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

I personally own a Nexstar and love it - minus the AFS. I did install the flap option and love it.......it gives me the option of flying slow and fast without having to land and take off the "pre-installed flap. Acrobatics is limited, due to the dihedreal, but the engine in the RTF version is plenty powerful. It is a pretty good built aircraft and the ARF version comes with alot more than other ARF trainer aircraft (fuel tank, propeller, wheels, engine mount, etc). Heck... all you need is a motor and a radio system. On my recommendation, my brother bought one and he has never soloed/flown an R/C Gas Airplane before, but wants to. You can't beat the price $109 at Tower Hobbies.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

My nexstar has been great

No real problems with the covering.

The things that most people are picking on about the nexstar, are things that you see in any ARF...the engine is great, I can flip-start it every time on the first or second shot....

Ive had one hard landing where i broke a prop...but that was it...I am going to switch to rubber wheels though, but thats minor.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

It's not a manufacturing flaw at all -- the Nexstar is designed for a BB 46, which is larger than your LA. Why didn't you simply drill new holes & re-position the (correctly-sized) engine mount? You would also have had to add nose weight to correct the balance with the lighter engine. It is an easy thing to do & your probs would have dissappeared.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Britbrat, After taking all the training aids off & about a gallon of fuel ran thru it. I need more power, yea you heard right I want more speed.[X(] Now that it's broken in I think I need to get rid of the idiot-proof stop on the needle valve. I got it to spool up a little better yesterday by going down to a 10X5 on the prop, but no top end improvement that I could notice. While the Tower carried an 11X7 just fine. I seem to remember you saying somewhere that the big pipe that comes on the Tower Pro.46 gives an increase in power over the stock OS .46FXI muffler. I have that same type of pipe as the Tower Pro brand new off of a TS .56 that I put a pitts on. I matched up the exhaust flanges & they are the same size. As long as the holes line up it looks like it will fit. So what do you think will it give me a little more ooomph? and if so what prop do you think is the best size & pitch for the NexStar? I know you have the combination to the Hot-Rod NexStar. Don't make me put my OS .60 on it, or I'll come up to the "Great White North" & fly at your field eh![sm=eek.gif]
Thanks in advance.;)

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Funny, my old K&B .46 fit the same way and it IS a bigger motor. I couldn't re drill and move the mounts because there wasn't enough room between the existing holes and the fuel tank hole. Besides that, the problem you are referring to is that the LA is supposed to be to short in the shaft to tail direction to go on the plane, the manual indicates that might be an issue. That wasn't a problem. It fit in that direction with 1/8" to spare for prop movement. I am talking about the motor being 1/4" off of centerline from right to left on the aircraft.

I spoke to Hobbico today. They want me to send the plane to them so they can inspect it. If it turns out to be their problem, they will replace the ARF kit. If not, I'm on my own.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

First things first -- make sure that your FXi is running as hard as it will safely go -- Put on the Tower muffler. The NV limiter should go into your box of bits & tuning should be carefully optimized -- both high & low speed needles. Fit an APC 11-5, if you haven't done so, & have both an APC 11-6 & APC 10-7 in reserve for further testing.

Shim the engine mount to get rid of the right thrust. Center the engine mount if you feel energetic. I do this by glueing in a balsa wedge to square the firewall, then glue on a 3/32, 1/8, or even 1/4" ply firewall "applique". I screw directly into it to re-mount the engine. I also pin the thickened & straightened firewall throught the sides of the nose with #4 screws.

If you get rid of the dihedral, you can also reduce engine down thrust & reduce tail-trimming forces.

Convert to a 'dragger if you haven't already done it yet -- dumping the nosewheel gets rid of a fair bit of drag.

Close in the open-cheek nose to clean up the airflow -- you can bend a "cowling" to shape from bleach-bottle plastic & glue it into place over the gaping void on the underside of the nose with CA.

Put on a big spinner -- 2 3/4" will help to further clean up the front end & will also give you a few more RPM by hiding a bit more of the prop root-transition zone.

Shift the C-of-G as far back as it is safe to do -- this will reduce the required nose-up trim forces & hence, reduce drag.

Make sure that your aileron trim & rudder trim aren't fighting each other to give you balanced flight -- the control surfaces should be as close to the "trail" position as possible.

You should exceed 70 MPH in that configuration -- maybe even hit 75 -- but that will be it with that engine. A smaller, steeper pitch prop, like an APC 9-8, might give you just a bit more speed, but performance everywhere else will suffer noticeably.


The real answer is a Tower 75 mounted sidewinder, a full nose job & wheel pants -- but that's another story

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Lol I just got back from the LHS with all the props you just mentioned.(except for the 9x8) Tomorrow's my last flying day for a couple weeks so I'll play around with it a bit. And wouldn't ya know it? I had the bigger spinner in my hand too then put it back. Guess I'm going back to the shop.[:@] Thanks I'll save this post for later if I decide to do some of those other mods. But I'm really just looking to get it a little hotter to practice on for my Dragon Lady.:D

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

I've flown the Nexstar, Avistar, and Superstar and they are all good. I would select the Superstar and Avistar over the Nexstar anyday. The Nexstar is just not all around as solid as the other two.

IMHO

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

As straight flying machines, I agree with you. It's pretty hard to beat an Avistar for fun & capability, even with some pretty sophisticated birds, & the Superstar is a nice crisp flying machine even without mods. However, IMO as a primary trainer, the Nexstar easily beats the Avistar and slips by the Superstar. Additionally, despite their excellent flying qualities, neither the Avistar or Superstar have a shred of scale-like appearance, whereas the Nexstar looks pretty much like a real airplane.

All three are excellent platforms for bashing & hot-rodding.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Britbat,

I have a picture of the position of the motor mount. If you looked at it could you tell whether it is where it is supposed to be? From what I can see, it puts the crank shaft of any motor that will fit on it off of the centerline of the aircraft. I have attached the photo for you to look at. If you think this is right, then I stand corrected. This was my first NexStar, so I'll concede to your expertise on the matter.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

Ouch -- looks painfull. [:o]

Yes, the left offset is as designed. When you had it in one piece you will also have noticed that the firewall was angled to the right and that your engine didn't fit the mount correctly. All of those things are as designed.

The Nexstar is configured to accept a 40/46-size BB type engine & your LA is narrower across the mount, as well as shorter & several oz lighter.

The left offset & right thrust are intended to counter engine torque & swirling slipstream-induced left turns. This is all intentional & not a flaw. With an engine of the correct size & weight, everything works well.

What you should have done was to fit a mount that accepted your engine, plus added weight to correctly balance the aircraft (maybe you did balance it, but you didn't mention that).

What you could also have done was to center that mount on the firewall and reduce or eliminate the right thrust. That is not necessary, but if you are already going to fit a "foreign" mount, it is another thing that would be easy to do. This isn't really your fault, other than you could have asked some questions before proceeding with your engine mount solution & first flight. -- if it doesn't look right, ask first & fly later.

I'm surprised that your hobby shop didn't raise the engine-fit issue -- unless you didn't buy the engine & airplane at the same time.

RE: Nexstar or NOT
 

The manual mentioned using the LA engine (since you can't get the engine that comes in the RTF kit without the plane). It doesn't say anything about having to re-balance, or change the engine mounts Mine fit perfectly in those mounts. The BB (I assume you are talking about Ball bearing) engine I had was an older engine and it had the same offset, it just stuck out of the front a little further and it was harder to get it between the engine mounts, which is the ONLY fit issue either the manual or the hobby shop mentioned for the LA. The manual directed you to put an 1/8" plywood spacer behind the engine mount to extend it out so the prop would clear the front. I didn't have to do that, mine cleared with almost 1/4" to spare. I checked the CG on the plane and it was almost flat with a slight nose down pitch.

Also, while the manual did mention the angle of the firewall, it wasn't apparent to me that there actually was one.

I guess I am out both a plane and an engine, then if the LA won't fit in the NexStar. I'm not going to do a bunch of modifications to a new plane to get it to fit, and at this point, I'm not planning on spending another $115.00 for an engine, and another $100.00 for a plane when I just bought the one I had. Know anyone that needs a brand new 6 channel PCM and a one-flight OS MAX .46 LA engine?

First $250.00 takes all! Hell, I'll even throw in a few spare parts from what is left of my NexStar.