dadzilla-5

Hi - here's a picture of my new Graupner Terry - no flights on it yet as there is a foot of snow still here! I covered it in Black Baron White and monokote trim sheets. Anybody else have a Terry picture to share?

dadzilla-5

this time?

cabanestrut2002

looks good=more like a 'real' plane, did you prime the surface of the foam before covering with balsaloc or coverite etc??

dadzilla-5

No special prep is needed, the covertite Black Baron film is low heat. I put it on right over the foam with a hobby iron set at 225. I don't know if Black Baron film is still sold, but "econokote" or "towerkote" work the same way. It takes a bit of time to get it right, but I think it was worth it. The foam should last much longer now, and the plane looks pretty good.

darenm

My Feedback: (2)

Beautiful Bird you have there, BUT why oh why did you put those nasty decals on that nice covering job?

Is it only me who doesn't like stickers? I like my planes to look like planes. Can you post a picture of the bottom? Thanks.

Again, great job on the covering.

dadzilla-5

Here is the bottom of the Terry - simple, but one needs to have contrast from the top. So bottom is mainly black, top is white with stickers. Yes, stickers can be a bit cheesy, but I needed some color up top and they do match the wing shape well. Besides, plain white would fade into cloud cover too easily. Anybody else have a picture to share of any foamie?

npereira

What is the best receiver to use for this type of plane?
I'm looking to purchase one but need to know what to buy.

I have a Airtronics VG400 TX, but don't have any servos, receiver, motor or speed control.

What do you suggest?

dadzilla-5

I'm not an expert, but I have been studying this airplane all winter, so here goes: The hitec 555 receiver is a perfect fit, and you can buy one to work with your transmitter, just make sure it works with airtronics before you buy, because they make both positive and negative shift and you have to get the right one. I am using a full size hitec receiver - which may be too heavy - and it fits, but is very tight. I am using airtronics microlite servos, which are a bit bigger than the Hitec 55. Hitec 55 servos would fit right into the servo pockets. I had to trim some foam to get my servos in. So: Best set up: Hitec 555 receiver and Hitec 55 micro servos, you need two. Also, you need a speed control, I am using Castle Creations Sprite 25, which is excellent, and Castle is an outstanding company for service and questions answered. all in all, 60 for the rx, 40 for the servos, 50 more for the speed control, and then flight batteries....Yikes! Do you have a good charger? That is another whole story. But it is fun once you get it all to work.

npereira

Hey Dadzilla-5,

Great! At least I know what to purchase now. Yes I do have a charger that I bought yesterday, the Hobbico quick field charger MKII wich handles 1-8 NiCd or NiMH cells, and 1-3 Li-Ion cells.

What about the 555 receiver. What is the range? It is good for the kinda speed/distance the Terry can acheive?

What about the motor? Does it come with one?

What about the speed control? what amperage do you need for the Terry? Anything cheaper then the Castle creation? like the greate planes C-10 or the GWS GS-400? They are a litle less expensive. Would they be ok?

I am trying to save as much money as I can!

dadzilla-5

Hi - good questions for sure! I can relate to trying to save a buck. The Terry does not come with a motor - you can order one from hobby lobby, but cheaper is to go on ebay and search for "speed 400" - you will see many brand new speed 400 motors listed for buy it now of less than $6. I bought two brand new ones with "zagi" stickers on 'em for 8 dollars (I think it was) and they work great. I have been told that all the speed 400 motors are the same, and that there is only two factories that make them regardless of what it says on them. Could be true, I don't know. As far as other speed controls, I don't know. I would say if it can handle 10 amps you should be O.K. - we should get a post up on this and see what other guys are using. I'm going to fly tomorrow, both the Terry and another slightly larger speed 400 powered airplane that is my own design. Oh ya - get the 6V speed 400 rather than the 7.2 because the 7.2 is a bit low on power. I also put a wooden spar in my Terry wing which was not on the plan, but after reading that some guys have had problems with the wing folding up coming out of a vertical dive, I decided last night to put one in, and I used some dowel wood to do it. If you are interested I will let you know how it flew with the 7 cell 600Ae packs I am using - these are about half the price of the 500AR packs Hobby Lobby is selling to use in the Terry. Good Luck! - oops - the hitec 555 - yes it will handle anything the Terry will do - I have one in my other speed 400 airplane and I have control up to the point that I can no longer see the model. I climbed up to speck altitude and still had control.
zilla

npereira

Dadzilla,

Let me know about the flight times with the 7 cell 600mAh.

Also, could you post some pics of your modified terry wing with the wooden spars?

dadzilla-5

Hi - flights were about 8 minutes, and I could have done a bit better if I'd taken it easy on the throttle. So that is good, because 8 minutes is long enough to keep this little guy up. I'm sure others have done much better. I'd post another picture of the wing but you won't see anything different. Basically I just took a hobby knife with a new blade and cut a slot on the bottom of the wing for the dowel to fit into. I cut the dowel half way through in the middle, and bent it to match the dihedral, and then glued it into the slot with white glue. Then after it dried, I sanded it a bit, then covered over it with white film. It is almost invisible, which is what I had hoped. The plane flies much more quickly than my other speed 400 and I am very happy with it!

npereira

What size are the batteries you use?
Are they 2/3A or something else?
I want to build my own packs, but need to know what type of NiMH batteries to use.

dadzilla-5

Dave Thacker from Radical RC sells and recommends the KAN 950 cell. Check http://radicalrc.secure-mall.com/sho...op=1&cart=5581 for his stuff. He cells individual cells and tabs too. My cells I believe are 2/3A - but I am no expert, as I say. They say Sanyo Cadnica 600AE on them, they are green and about an inch long. If you want to try the same pack I use, go to http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...category=10554 and buy it now for 20 dollars. I've dealt with these people and they are good. There is a picture of the pack there as well.

electricfan

My Feedback: (1)

i didnt even know you could cover foam. (im a beginner). can you cover epp? how do you do it? are there any special tips? thanks

dadzilla-5

I'm not sure about EPP but regular foam, like the Terry is made of, can be covered if you are careful. You need a low temperature film that works at 225 or less. You put it on with a hobby iron, and just rub it with the heated iron until it sticks. After an airplane or two, you can get most wrinkles out. DON"T use a heat gun, your foam will melt and the airplane will be ruined. So if you go with Black Baron Film or similar, and go slow with the iron set at 225 - 250, you can cover foam. Really thin pieces, like the tail, you lay on a flat surface while you cover, so they won't warp. The finished product is much more dent resistant. Good luck!

Salty25

My Feedback: (9)

Just ran across your thread. This is the first Terry I've seen covered. I've seen alot of foam wings, Zagi, Wingwarrior, etc covered with Econokote. They look good but have probs in the long run with covering tearing and repairs. Not a prob if your a good pilot, I guess.

If you're looking at the 555 I'd say lean towards the Electron 6. It's smaller and cheaper then the 555. It's a dual conversion also so range isn't an issue. You're only using 3 channels on this bird so the extra channel isn't an issue either but price and weight are issues for elec.

I also like the Wattage PF-12 Peak Charger. It does up to 24 cell, ac/dc, does NiMh and NiCad, up to 2000.

But this is only my opinion, for what it's worth.

dadzilla-5

Hi - thanks for the input - who makes the electron? Sounds like what I need...
zilla

Salty25

My Feedback: (9)

Dadzilla,

The Electron 6 is made by Hitec, the same company that makes the 555. You shouldn't have a prob finding one, they came out late last year. Check with your LHS to see if they have them or any of the websites that sell Hitec will carry them for sure.

Later.