hey david radio is in ecexpt for the two aileron servos. Going to get it weighed again this weekend at the lhs so i should have a number for you then. The retracts work great for my first try at the i'm really pleased how they came out. And last question yes that is lk primer but a cheaper alternative to lustre cote will be good. How closly does the dupli color match the mk. Hoping i can get this pretty much wrapped up this weekend and then pick up on the nano rare again so hopefully i'll be posting over there in that thread again soon. But yeah i'm really happy with way it is turning out. Phil

Cool,

what are you looking for in terms of a color match with the canopy? If you are looking for a white match to MK jet white, there should be a better match than LK but if you are painting in another colour, no need to match.

LK at $7 is reasonably priced. There are lower cost primers and even paint but I tried using a $5 primer as a first sandable layer and it wasn't worth the $2 savings. The stuff came out of the can in all kinds of nasty spurts and splatters. Just about any good quality fuel proof paint is likely to cost more than LK, especially automotive paint but I believe paints like Klass Kote also cost more. They do give amazing results but on a small electric they are probably not needed unless you want that super rich look.

On an electric if you want to save some cash in the finish, you can simply use water based paint. It is rather mat paint but once you are done painting, you can sand it lightly with 800 or 1000 grit, clean it with a damp rag and then shoot it with clear to give it depth and shine.

On the other hand, for a small canopy I wouldn't worry too much about all that and just pick up a can of good paint in the color of your choice. You can buy small cans of paint used for lexan painting from the LHS too. I think they run about $5 for a small can. Dupli-Color is pricey at $12 for a large can (same amount of paint as LK cans I believe or close). The cans are shorter and wider.

Looking forward to seeing more on the Nanorare!

David.

alright david here are the numbers for ya. 28 oz without battery 32oz with. want's to pull out of my hand with a good battery in it i have a 7/4 master airscrew prop on it has plenty of power. Just a few more things to do and we can fly it. Oh yeah i've been "employed" by the guy at the lhs to build one for him too. Phil

Just finished mine yesterday! Can't wait to put it in the air! Picco/Skyward .40 power. Should Kick Butt!

Max

very nice model. Good luck with the first flight. Let us know how it goes. Phil

mrshea, very nice work, your plane is looking great. You must be very close to flight ready. Let us know how it goes?
Scott

maxtenet. Nice plane, have fun with it. I have almost 7hrs on mine and love it! It likes to go fast!!!!

very close to flight ready however, I've made the executive decision to open the front of it back up and go with a more proven power system. I have a scorpion 2215 1860 kv motor on the radar that i'm gonna order for her in a week or two here. Just not comfortable with the motor that is in it. This scorpion will turn a 7/5 apc prop at 16,100 rpm 284 watts 76 mph pitch speed and 37 oz of thrust. I like those numbers alot better than what i have. I also have a castle u bec on the way because there are 5 servos in there and i don't want the speed controller taking a dump on me in mid flight so cheap insurance. Stayed tuned maiden flight will be here pretty soon. Phil

alrihgt kept the motor the speed control was crap so it is fixed, bec is installed so don't have to worry about that. Rebalance and maiden this weekend. Wish me luck. Phil

well the maiden was supposed to happen this weekend but is not going to happen. The hobby shop can't find the bec i ordered so waiting for another to come in and i painted the canopy and i apparently mixed two incompatible paint types so alot of sanding in my immediate future. Hopefully this thing will get airborne next weekend. Phil

Phil,

what paint system and process did you use on the canopy?

You might find the table in the following post useful:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10706350

The thread also contains a good deal of useful info on paint.

David.

yeah i wish i would have read that before hand. Lesson learned i used the dupli color paints but i mixed acrylic enamel and lacquer so it bubbled and cracked really bad. Have it sanded down and put a thin coat of finishing resing back over it and i'm waiting for that cure up so can start again. . Phil

Phil,

I see. You must have put lacquer on top of enamel - no can do. If you haven't tried the DC filler primer, try it, you'll like it. Then you can paint color using lacquer (e.g., perfect match) and if you want, you can put an acrylic enamel clear coat on top of that after wet sanding and cleaning. Lacquer will just not hold on top of enamel.

David.

well i wet sanded the thin coat of finishing resin down and resprayed. Much better. Will spray the metallic platinum tommorrow and hopefully have my bec in hand by the weekend. Maybe in the air this weekend? hope so. Phil

alright here are the finished pic's Came out much better this time.Anyways final specs 30 ounces with 3s 2200mah20c battery on board motor is a scorpion 2815 1860 kv with a ma 7/4 prop and a 45 amp commander speed control. Has gp .10 size retacts and the futaba 3114 servos are on their way here. Just need a bec and we'll fly hopefully this weekend. Enjoy. Phil

Phil,

outstanding, very nicely done. The retracts are a nice touch and will give her that groove when doing low passes!

Just a couple of thoughts if I may; I trust you are going with 4 3114's for controls? Those HS55's can be a little spongy. I actually don't use Futaba servos much but I believe the 3114's are not bad. Spektrum has recently come out with a nice selection of servos especially for these little ones. They have analog and digital versions of each model for the most part - much like HiTec does. The HS-65HB's are another story - fast and strong but a tad pricey compared to the 3114's.

What servo will you use for retracts? I'd use a MG servo. Actually Frank over on the RCG thread pointed me in a good direction for MG micro retract servos. I have misplaced the web bookmark unfortunately.

Good job on the wheel wells. You might like to try using flat paint in your next build - it strikes me as a better look if black or grey rather than the surrounding base color (white in your case).

Do take some pics of your radio and gear installation when you finish things up - always interesting to see.

Looking forward to the maiden report!

David.

P.S. What happened to your GP right strut? Do they sell replacements?

bent it wrong and yeah they sell replacements those are coming with the servos. I'll take some pics of the radio layout after it has flown and i have the right servos in it. If all goes well maybe this weekend i hope. Phil

Phil,

I'd be interested in knowing how much the fuse and wing weigh separately AUW "dry" (i.e., no lipo). When you get there...

Have you run up the motor? Know how many watts it's outputting?

David.

yeah i've run it up, No watt meter yet that is on the short list to get. However it will hold it's own weight at full throttle so i'm guessing not quite 1 to 1 but close. Should be enoght power to fly sportly i would think. I have room to prop up a little as needed to because of the different motor and esc. Phil

the twins almost finished with them both. Next flying season should be fun. Phil

alright i'm building another vortex to trade for a futaba 9c transmitter. Hvve a few ideas to make the tail lighter and and make battery acces easier. Will post pics of the mods i make. Phil

Sweet deal Phil!

Sounds like I should start thinking about some concept royalties!

BTW, what's powering your Tsunami? K&B 48? Any more data on the Vortex in terms of weight and motor power?

David.

thunder tiger .46 with a ma 10/6 prop. All up weight of the vortex ready to fly is 32 oz even. Didn't weigh fuse and wing seperatley so i don't know. Will post pics of radio layout in the morning. It has flown. Flys just like it's big brother. Phil

Hello to All

does anyone please have the rib templates and plans for the tsunami 40 (58.5 inch) wing span version?
i'm really interested to build this model, looks fantastic in the air

Kind Regards
Daniel

Well, it turned out to be a good thing to start this thread; it's the thread that "keeps on giving"!

Daniel,

Did you drop me a PM some time back with a plan request? I unfortunately temporarily lost access to my file server with my RC archive (OS drive crash) but there should be copies floating around. Perhaps someone else can come to the rescue (Phil?).

By the way Phil, did you complete the second Vortex? I was curious about your hatch improvements and other mods you had in mind.

David