Hey guys, I am starting on a Magic ( the original version) and am going to power it with a TT46 Pro with a mousse-can setup. This is what engine I have to use, so is this a good choice?
Anything I need to know as far as assembly? I would really like to use nylon screws to mount the wing, instead of the recommended rubberbands,.. anyone done this? Also, can I get away with using standard servos on all the surfaces? Any other tip/tricks would be welcomed.
Thanks in advance!!
John

My first instinct is to tell you to not even mess with it.....put it back in the box and get a real profile like a Mojo. But then I figured we all have to start somewhere........

You won't like the way it handles on the ground, and if your skills are a little lacking, this thing will be a handful for you. My point is...don't bother messing with nylon bolts, it's not going to live that long. Just follow the instructions, slap on that 46, install the standard servos and go fly the beast.

Just speaking the truth here, so all you Magic experts...BRING IT!! But remember, before you flame my opinions, you must have at least 5 years minimum RC flying experiance, and built more than 1 ARF!!!

Thanks for the reply RC,... I just didnt want to fool with the hassle of rubberbands and such since all my other planes ( YS powered Ultimate and warbirds) use the nylon bolts. A buddy has one he's been flying for over a year, powered by a TT36 pro and it seems to do real well. So what do you not like about the plane? If you want , gimme the good as well as bad.
Yeah, I agree with the ground handling part, it would be nice to try to adapt a tailwheel of some sort back there.
Thanks,
John

Well I have been flying from about 1985 I'm am now 61 years old and have had 2 magics and I will say they are an excellent sport flyer.I am not a expert on 3d but I get by. There are some things that it won't do but tell me a plane for $100.00 that does it all. As far as a rear steering wheel it is off the ground in about 3 feet anyway.I use a ax46 on mine and at one half throttle I can hang it buy the prop for about 4 minutes (about as long as I am able). just my two cents..

They are nice models just watch for warped ailerons and tail surfaces.

The TT 46 is more than man enough even with a standard silencer. See the Pylon forum for hints on how to get silencer to stay together. use the APC 12 1/4 x 3 3/4 prop.

Standard servos will do just fine and personally I woukd not bother with the bolts but they will work too.

Hi...I have been flying for 11 years...on my 3rd Magic, still new, deciding if I should electrifly it. My first 2 magics were worn out, gave them both away.

My setup.

Engine : OS40FP + mcp (home made)
Prop APC 11x4
Servo: JR BB standards all around.
AUW : 3.7 lbs
CG: 5.5"
Throw: Max deflection with expo (adjust to suit yourself)


Some mods were,

1. Cut off the servo tray, moved the throttle servo forward
2. Smaller fuel tank (6oz) located at the cg, found a tank that fitted nicely in the center bulkhead.
3. Batt / Rx installed just behind firewall
4. Engine was tilted so that mcp was inbetween the landing gear.
5. Operated on the wings to make it boltable, just 1 bolt at the rear and a CF tube as dowel infront.


Learnt to hover, harrier, rolling circles with this plane...its a VERY good machine, u need to get used to it. I loved it so much I scratch built a bigger one http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_58.../tm.htm#584250

Im sure u'll enjoy it.

regards

Very impressive Marcus. Your power selections for your Magics are wise. I see too many people overpower. You've kept it light which is key.

Thanks for the compliments....learnt at that time, the key to 3D was 'wingloading'. I really miss flying the Magic3D....hhhmmmm... now this has got me thinking to get the new one up with the same specs as above!

regards

I am now on my 3rd Magic and love the plane. I personally have flown all of mine with a Webra Speed .32. I never liked the way they flew with a .46 on them. The wing loading is higher and the natural CG seems too far forward for me there. The .32's are awesome. I think a .40FP is another good choice because it is so light. That being said. The ground handling sucks, but that is to be expected with the way the landing gear are and no tail wheel. However, i have my ailerons mixed with my elevator, and even use spoilers for landings and never roll more than 2 or 3 feet anyway.

The airfoil is not really setup for true 3D. It is not symmetrical and therefore it doesnt do a lot of things well. Anything "outside" it doesn't do well thanks to the airfoil. It is by far though my favorite sport plane and it will help you learn a lot of fun stuff. The biggest trick to learning 3D is becoming good with the rudder and throttle. The magic will hover, but it definitely is a lot more work than some of the "dedicated" 3D profiles. If you can hover your magic, hovering the other stuff, will be easy.

Archie Stafford

This is not an airplane to be overpowered. A .36 is plenty. When you hang weight on the front, you will have to hang more weight on the back and turn a 3lb. fun-fly into a heavy slug!
I can put my rubberbands on the wing and fly before your glue dries on all the work to modify it.
Change the fuel tank...thats all, and have fun!

Well I flew the magic for the first time yesterday and flying buddy Frank Comer just let me borrow his stock muffler for the TT46 engine( thanks again Frank !! )... more than enough engine for this plane and it will go out of sight in a hurry if you want it to!! [sm=lol.gif]
A question please: I cant get it to flatten out while doing flat spins. I flew it with the stock cg with no weight added to the rear on the first couple of flights but added a 1/2 oz weight to the rear and it seemed to fly a little better. Pointing the plane straight down doesnt make the plane pitch out or tuck in, that may suggest an off cg, so you think I may need to add a little more weight to the rear to get it to flatten the spins out, maybe a 1/2 oz at a time? Also, Im not sure I have enought elevator travel, I mean its moving up and down a pretty good bit, but I think I may need a tad more ( due to the elevator servo arm arangement on pull-pull cable,.. I may need a shorter servo arm to get the pull-pull cable more in alignment). I gots TONS of rudder and ailerons movement though[sm=thumbs_up.gif] !!!
Thanks,... its a hoot to fly this plane... as stated in an earlier post... I just need to get used to it now since I cant even spell 3D yet ,lol
John

Thanks for the flight report John, you're having fun - that's the main thing!!

When you are inverted, does the plane climb or dive? If it dives, then you're nose heavy. Adjust to suit your style, but yeah it will flat spin far better with a rearward CG and more elev. throw.

Goin,..... I have to feed just a little down elevator to fly level, not a lot, when inverted. Maybe a little more rearward weight is needed? I also got a fellow flying buddy to program airbrakes linked to the throttle so it will slow right down on landing and touch and go's without floating by you half a mile
Thanks,
John

Yeah, you're a tad nose heavy... My best flat spinners are my Morris Knife and my Chinn Yak (Pictured in my profile). These flat spin great and both climb pretty good inverted.... Super fun tho'

Ok while you're on the subject , tell me how to do a climbing inverted spin please as well as a climbing spin, if it will do this ( ?)

I'm not sure if it will do it either.. If you can get it pretty flat upright then you may be close. I start by flying inverted and then start feeding in a bunch of rudder then down elev.. Adjust ailerons as necessary. Some of my planes need almost no ail input at all and others need some (opposite direction from rudder to get it flat). I have a lot better luck with left spins as the engine torque helps take you around. My right direction spins get wierd..

Try flat spinning inverted. I do not understand the aerodynamics but many aircraft do better upside down at this.

IMHO it will not do climbing flat spins but it should flatten out. Remember you only want use a little opposite aileron. Also try it with flaperons enabled.

Change the landing gear, add a tail wheel and bolt the wing on. I flew mine last with a magnum 52 four stroke; will not do all the acrobatics but but it was a joy to fly.

I've been scratching my head trying to figure out a good way to replace that tail skid on a new arf build, any thoughts on a tail wheel mod? Anyone?