David,

Kraft Multicon retracts were the cool retracts back in the 80's (at least, certainly to me). They of course have long been discontinued. I was lucky enough to secure a couple of sets recently and although like other electric retracts they are a tad heavy, they are also very cool in operation. I guess the trick is to really build the model light so as to be able to end up with a reasonable AUW when using Multicons.

Let me see, I think I have a picture somewhere... Not very good but you get the idea. There are some old Kraft wheels on them which mate nicely. They work with an amp which is basically an armless servo that simply plugs into the Rx. You can run them off the radio pack or a separate one which is more secure.

I look forward to seeing the finish of your Illusion!

David.

Also a picture of the nose gear installation during planning and the Tipo sitting on all three struts.

David.

Keep us updated on the gear installation, David.

Vince

They look about the same size as the Kraft multicons

JeffH,

You don't happen to have a set of the Kraft Multicon retracts sitting around collecting dust do you?????

I'm building an Eyeball with Scorpion electric power.

tommy s

I have a T2A MKII on order from Carolina Custom Aircraft and will likely start the build sometime after the first of next year. Since my building skills are a little rusty I'm having Dan do some of the more critical work.

I'll do a build thread here when the time comes.

Rebellion,

I'm glad you are going to be doing a build thread for the T2A. When funds become available, I'd like to order one from Dan as well, but I don't think I will have time to get around to it this winter. I have a NIB Rossi FI RE 61 and a pipe waiting for a home. What engine are you planning on putting in yours?

Hi David,

Look for the thread around late Jan. to early Feb. I'm sure I'll have a number of questions for the pros during the build. Be advised that I'm a slow ( ! ) builder. Dan is sheeting the cores and installing the stab for me, plus a couple of other minor details.

Planned engine is a Jett 100LX F.I.R.E. Dan put a little extra carbon in the fuselage just to be on the safe side with this engine. Retracts will be Spring Airs. Servos are undecided as yet since JR is discontinuing the SA line. I may go ahead and order the gearsets for these while they're still available and convert the metal gear versions to SA.



Dave

Sure thing Vince.

There isn't much to it really other than the need to be careful in the prep of the cores since the opening required for these beasts is substantial compared to using pneumatics or mechanicals. The 1/4" ply gear plates are held into the wing core with six wood dowels and bonded in with poly glue (Gorilla). The wells are laminated with 1/64" ply all around.

I will be working on a second Tipo wing this winter and if there's interest, I could post the usual gear installation details. The trickiest part of this gear is getting the nose gear installed and the steering linked in glass fuses as they are large and require some thought in order to avoid making a gaping hole in the bottom. There is no way to actually get the nose gear in place (in glass fuses) without making an opening in the bottom to pass the actual gear. The photo shows the installation of the nose gear in its plastic FW box mount which provides some foam padding to reduce vibration from the engine. It is also possible to install the NG much like the MG using metal flanges and mounting it to the tank plate. This does reduce the size of the opening required as the gear can be installed via the wing saddle and screwed down flat from the underside. In the Tipo though, the tank plate is a piece of 1/16" ply which is not exactly structural so I preferred to install it with its dampening FW mount.

Access to the steering linkage is rather tricky and I haven't actually entirely figured out how that will be done. Some shots of the basic fuse gear installation. Servo's shown include a dedicated steering servo (mini), throttle, P-P rudder and FG shaft elevator mounted sideways for linear action along the fuse C/L. Note the need for a low profile elevator servo in this configuration. A Futaba 9551 in this case - nice servo! BTW, the throttle linkage, when using these retracts, passes nicely through one of the mount holes for the NG box mount. The tank plate is installed just above both the steering and the throttle linkage and rests and aligns nicely on the FG reinforcing strips along the fuse sides (early vintage Tipo fuse).

David.

I thought this might be a good time to reactivate this thread!

For my part, I hope to finish up the aforementioned Tipo (shameful to have it more than two years in the build process - at least now it's painted ), do some covering on airframes that are built, finish a kit built Calypso and perhaps start a new build to keep the excitement up. I'm considering putting together a Matt Saphir ARC so that it can be flown and so that it can be removed from my shop! That beast is large.

David.

Tipo, Curare, Cutlass or Deception after I finish my TF P-51!

Deception is done, Kaos 60 build in progress, got to resume my Tipo project, really interested in doing a Kirkland Mustang X.

Greg

Greg,

Deception looks good !!!

Finishing a rebuild of a curare 60 and then hopefully start and maybe finish an atlanta

Flys very nicely too. Landing gear is a little too stiff for smooth landings... gotta fix that.

Greg

The Deception is sweet! Is it Fixed gear?

Tim

Fixed gear, tail dragger, alum. main gear. Built to meet SPA rules, thought the tail dragger configuration would be better in rough grass. Thinking about making a custom carbon-fiber replacement as described in the current issue of Fly RC. One problem with that plan.... the author mentions a chart to determine how many layers are needed for a specific size/weight model, but the chart was not published with the article. Sent an email to Fly RC asking for the chart, but no response so far.

Greg

How do you like the way it flys?
I have a kit I might be talked into building this winter, LOL!
Tim

Bridi Sun Fli 4-20-have ribs cut. Might build Hustler Delta-have been flying smaller size (30 " span ) of this model.

Tim,

This Deception is, without a doubt in my mind, the best flying classic pattern airplane I have ever flown (and that list is fairly long). That said, I still have a lot of work to do to improve my piloting skill.

Greg

Is it time to refresh this thread yet?

Gonna build a Tipo 750 I got from RC Air. I flew Tipo's from 1979 to 1983. My first US Team was in 1983, the last World's that flew one maneuver per pass.

Looking forward to having a nice, fully painted Classic built just the way I want it!

I'm actually "rebuilding" the Deception you see a couple of threads above. It was lost due to engine failure and pilot error. Stalled the airplane trying to get back to runway. I salvaged the wing, tail, and canopy, and I'm building a new fuselage. I'm also working on a very old partially built J&J original Troublemaker that another flyer gave me. The Troublemaker is the first airplane that I ever competed with back in 1974. Nostalgia at work here. Meanwhile the very old Tipo that I started in the early 80's is still waiting for some attention. The photo is my 1974 Troublemaker.

ChiefK

My Deception is about done so I ordered a Illusion from RC Air also.