RE: Como Engines
 

So at this point the Aero Commander's exhaust system becomes a small crude jet engine assisting forward progress while the low pressure areas ahead of the props "draw" the plane forward as in other recip applications? A small B36.

RE: Como Engines
 

Your engine was made when SuperTigre was being imported by Great Planes and World Engines was trying to still sell the Como products at reasonable prices.

I think the old style carbs are the best made. If you look at the crankshaft you'll see the reminents if copper plating to keep the threaded portion of the crank soft during the hardening process.

Enjoy!

RE: Como Engines
 

Jolly: Just tried to Google some info on the augmenter and found this, from a Piper Apache manual:

The exhaust system is a cross-over type with exhaust gasses directed into jet augmenter tubes located on the outboard side of each engine. This system provides for exhaust elimination without power loss, and effective engine cooling through the pumping action of the exhaust gasses into the augmenter tubes, which draws cooling air through the engine compartment; no cowl flaps or cooling flanges are needed on the cowling. Higher aircraft speeds are obtainable with this system due to reduced cooling drag and due to extra thrust furnished by the exhaust augmentation.

RE: Como Engines
 

Kool, Kmot. Amazing what you can learn if you just pay attention. Back to the original thread, some of these old engines fascinate me. I know they are not as good as new engines, but some of them run quite well anyway. I would much prefer to have a 2007 Impala than a 1970 Impala, but still some of the cars from the mid fifties thru the mid seventies are intriguing just as these old RC engines can be.

RE: Como Engines
 

Back on topic. :)

Here is where my CoMo .40 has resided since about 1978:

RE: Como Engines
 

How many RPMs will it turn in that configuration?

RE: Como Engines
 

The way I remember it, World Engines - Indy RC were selling both the ST and Como engines. I often wondered about that. The Comos had a lot of ST external parts in them but were different internally as to borte and stroke. The Comos were longer stroke enines than the STs. Finally, Saturno, the ST mfr, sued World Engines/Indy RC to stop them from selling both ST and Como engines. WE finally lost the ST distributorship. I never did find out how WE managed to sell the Comos with so many ST parts.

I made out pretty good when Indy RC sold all their ST/Como parts. I was running ST engines then. :D

CR

RE: Como Engines
 

Dharley,

I thought Great Planes, the new importer of the Super Tigre line sued World Models for selling the Como engines.

RE: Como Engines
 

Not the way I remember it,, but shoot, it was a long time ago. :D

Anyhoo, I have a ST S.40 that was rebuilt using $15 worth of parts from when Indy RC sold all their ST/Como parts. Still have it on a Scat Cat that I built from plans. Want it? I'm getting rid of my glow stuff.

CR

RE: Como Engines
 

Just like ASP is the same as Magnum . Como is just a rebadged Super Tigre with parts interchanging. Other dealers were complaining that como's were cheaper than the Super Tigres they sold and it wasn't fair. Just like I shop at Kroger and they have alot of private label foods made by the same Mft's that are more expensive sitting on the same shelves. They have choose to sell these cheaper.............

RE: Como Engines
 

Only the external parts. Internally, the Comos had a different bore & stroke. They were not identical.

CR

RE: Como Engines
 

Charley Como made a 40 ,St made a 40. Como made a 45, ST made a 45. Como made a 51 , ST made a 51. Como made a 61, St made a 61. Como made a 90, St made a 90. This doesn't look like a bore and stroke difference to me. Prove it!!!!!!!

RE: Como Engines
 

As I remember it, World Engines was the importer and distributor of both OS engines and Super Tigre. They were inexpensive engines at this time.

Great Planes offered to place full page, color ads in the model magazines if both manufacturers would jump to them as a distributor. World Engines didn't want to do the ads so OS and ST moved. Of course, the price of advertising was passed on to us, the customer, as higher prices. To their credit, Great Planes has kept a good stock of parts, better then World Engines, and has good service.

After losing OS & ST, World Engines got ST, and I think it was a brother of the owner, to manufacture the Como. This was obviously a relabeled Super Tigre, who probably sold more engines than did OS at the time. Great Planes couldn't have the same engine with a different name sold cheaper so they brought a law suit. I also understand they stopped a shipment of Comos at the port of entry. This killed World Engines' attempt to keep somewhat of a Super Tigre.

John Maloney, World Engines owner, then went to China and had the Awesome Speed and Power (ASP) engines made. These were to be his low end engines. His next engine was the Tiger Shark, his mid range. He talked them into a new factory to build his top line engine, the GMS. Before this all came to fruition, Maloney died and Jim Goad of Indy RC bought WE from the widow. Then he died and Circus Hobbies/Horizon Hobby bought in and used Indy for their mail order retail store before changing the name the Horizon.

At least, that is how I understand what happened.

RE: Como Engines
 

I have a ST S-40 and an old World Engines Catalog. The S-40 ring & ABC is listed as, bore: .846", stroke: .701", Displacement: .39 cu. in. The S-.45 was really a .46.

The point of this is that they called it a .40 when it really wasn't. They rounded the # off. The lesson to be learned is that calling an engine a .51 doesn't make it identical to another .51. As I recall, the Comos had a little lower bore:stroke ratio. Lots of parts were interchangeable but the engines were not identical.

CR

RE: Como Engines
 

Do you remember the Maloney 100?

CR

RE: Como Engines
 

Fascinating history lesson from an insider. I would like to see some of you older old timers write a book about what you know of the inside of the RC industry from the 70's and later.

RE: Como Engines
 

There's sure been a lot of Como's ruined because they've had Super Tiger parts put in them for the last 20 years.

I had a Como 40 and it was as close as it could be to my ST S40 except for the name. I put a ST ring and bearings it it once. They seemed to fit just fine.

RE: Como Engines
 

I wonder if you ever looked up the part #s for the crank. I remember that lots of parts were the same for ST and Como but some were not. Wish I had the old WE parts books but , alas.......

CR

RE: Como Engines
 

Now maybe you guys are confusing the sport line of these engines. They had the same sizes but were a bushing front bearing and a rear ball bearing and yes the internal parts didn't interchange. They were still advertized as ball bearing engines and a cheaper offering to probably compete with the OS FP's.................
Charley you still haven't proved it.

RE: Como Engines
 

Speedster you are right. I remember people talking about that cheaper line with the bushing now. But I've never seen one. All I've ever seen were the twin ball bearing models that were identical to the main line Super Tigers.

I did have a Super Tiger 35 for several years in the late 60's - early 70's and it was all bushing. I cannot remember the model number. But I kept the G21 -40 and G21-46's ball bearing engines until recently.

I don't remember the Como's being as old as the G21 series. All the ones I've seen were like the "S" series.

RE: Como Engines
 

I don't feel the need to prove anything. If you guys don't remember things the same as I did, that's fine with me.

RE: Como Engines
 

w8ye Let me clear up my post. The Super Tigre offered the sport line and were G-40 and G-49 and aimed at the 40 and 51 true BB engines. No crankcase or much internals interchanged. I am not sure about other sizes offered or if COMO had the same offerings. Como's copied S and GS series ST engines and I know they were going strong in 1988. I don't know if they went further than 1988............Charley you don't have to prove it !!!!!

RE: Como Engines
 

Ed explained the same story as I heard it over ten years ago as told by the local hobbyshop owner who personally knew John Maloney, Phil Kraft and the Circus Circus/Sahara guy that used to pay for the TOC out of his pocket. He had gone to the SuperTigre factory and purchased a matched quad of 21 engines for a scartch built B-24. I think he knew what he was taking about.