Looks great Jon! Glad the initial flight tests are promising. My SkyStar is still bit away from completion- finishing the fuselage has been tedious but I'm almost there. Still planning on film for the wing & tail and glasscloth/paint on the fuselage. Will post pictures when she's done, hopefully by the end of this month.

Regards,
Scott

Good luck with your plane Scott, l'm sure you're enjoying it although I agree the fuse is a lot of work to finish off. It frames up in a weekend but takes forever to complete!
Film on tail and fuse is not easy. I'd have glassed it myself if I'd had better facilities and some experience with glass/resin. I can imagine it's easier to glass this airframe than cover it with film when you know how.

I've no plans for wheelpants, my field is rough so I don't bother with them. The would look smart though but as it stands now I don't even see the u/c in flight so it looks like it has retracs

ok... u were saying u were using a 12 by 11 prop... dun u think it is too small?

It's definately too small. 10.500 on the ground slobbering rich is not good but since it didn't want to run right with the 13x11 I had no choice as I had no other prop. I'll use the 12x11 for break-in, running it rich so it doesn't go above 11K rpms and then I'll try the 13x11 again. If it's still to big I'll try 13x9, 13x10 etc. I'll definately go up an inch in diameter to decrease rpm, noise and all out speed, in exchange for better vertical performance.

Hi Jon,
Thanks for the update. Bummer about your painted cowl. I painted the cowl on my Joker only to have all the paint peel off (I was using Lusterkote, but it was a 1/2 used can about 4 years old); so I monokoted the cowl and sealed it with some clear epoxy on the seams/edges. Worked fine, but it was a bit tedious. I've painted a lot of airplanes over the past 35 years and while I love a nice painted finish, Monokote can be applied with excellent results. There are pros and cons to both, but I like being able to cover inside (I paint in my garage) anytime I want for as long as I want and no smell.
The 12x11 on your Webra has to be a bit 'underpropped'. I've run lots of Hanno SPecials and prefer the 12.5x11 or 13x10 APC props for best performance. The 12x12 works well and is very quiet, but not the best choice when the weather gets hot unless you increase the nitro content of your fuel. Is the Webra .80 ABC or ringed or some or variation. I've run several Bully engines (Webras with different head/pump/modified carb) 1.20s and 1.45s. They are all ringed. Out of the box, the low end was too rich on all of them. Break in was slow, but after about a gallon of fuel I could fly a complete FAI sequence with confidence, after that I continued to lean in the high speed needle for another few gallons. I run my engines pretty rich. Once the Webra is broken in you probably won't adjust it much for 1,000 flights or so!!!
Happy flying,
Will

Ha Jon...I sure am glad the first flights went well as I have been following your updates through the winter and I watched it go from a box of wood to a really classy looking plane that just beggs to be flown. I have had several Webras and they do need a gallon or more to settle in and start earning thier pay. Tha's almost all I would fly on my choppers and I always had gobbs of power to run all the pitch I wanted. I downloaded your pics of your My Star to paste on my web site...hope you don't mind. Keep us informed in this upcoming contest season and some video would really be nice if you can arrange it. Will is dead on about glassing and painting tho...I would rather use an iron over a spray gun if at all possible...been there...done that.

Thanks for the feedback guys, particluarly on prop selection. I hope to use the 13x11 after break in. Also I have a Hatori 700 pipe on the way, maybe it'll be better than the Webra Pipe which is heavy and not really all that quiet. The 80 is ABC. If a Hanno special can run a 13x10 the 80 should be able to pull a 13x11 if 'm able to tune the pipe correctly.

My Como 75 ring ran 10.4K with an APC 12x12 and 10% Rich's Brew. I was using a mac pipe set at about 17.5 inches. I think your engine should spool up more once you break it in. Take care and wish you luck.

In Christ,

Joel Chavez

Hi Jon-

I'm getting closer with my Skystar. Have the fuselage & belly pan area on the wing glassed. Will get the stab and canopy glued in & some nice fillets made then on to priming & painting. Using PPG Concept paint system as sold by Radio South. The wing & stab will be film covered, but if I had it to do over I would probably have sheeted the entire wing & just glassed and painted the entire airplane. Very little of the wing is "open" as it is anyway. It will still be light & the YS 1.10 will be plenty of power

Can't wait to get it done & in the air- should be a good one! I promise I'll post pics once it's finished.
Seriously considering the MK TopStar 2 for my next pattern project, although the next model on the bench will need to be a new "vintage" pattern model as I am also active in our Vintage Radio Control Society. Planning on building Wolfgang Matt's 1969 design Superstar (was lucky enough to meet someone here on RCU from the UK that sent me the plans) and would definitely be the only flier to show up with that model at the next VRCS reunion. Even have a NIB Webra blackhead .61 to power it.

Regards,
Scott

Hey Scott,
Here's an FYI regarding MK kits. According to the latest catalog MK is releasing the Extra 300 (1.40 size) without all hardware (and retracts, etc.) that made the first version of the kit soooo expensive. In fact, the catalog list the price for the original Extra at 109,800yen while the 'airplane' only version lists for 55,000yen. The Topstar lists for 59,000yen. I suspect the Topstar II kit will be more expensive if it includes the hardware for the plug-in stab as described on the Pro-Built website. I just want one of each :-)
-Will

Hi

Could you provide a link for that Pro-built website, or any website that has the current MK catalogue.

Many thanks,

Steve Garlick

Here’s the web-site; [link=http://www.probuild-uk.co.uk]http://www.probuild-uk.co.uk[/link]

Flywilly, the plug-in stuff offered with pro-build kits I believe are after-market conversion parts, the Topstar and Topstar II have one-piece wings.

I've contaced a Swedish dealer whom I hope has the MK catalog.

Hi Jon,
Yes, Pro-Built offers an after market conversion to plug-in wings for the TopStar (personally I MUCH prefer 1-piece wings), but in their description of the TopStar II kit they mentioned plug-in stabs. Maybe (hopefully) this is also their own addition. The only thing I like to plug-in are my charging jacks :-)
-Will
PS how's the WEbra .80 running? Have you been flying your Skystar Much?

Hi Flywilly, I've only got three tanks and two flights under it's belt so far, been away skiing for our easter holiday last week but hopefully I'll get to fly this weekend. I've put on some custom made stickers with the text "Sky Star 90" that a local guy here made for me and the result was very cool indeed. I'll post a few more pictures from the flying field next time I take her out for a spin

I can see already that the Webra and I are going to be great friends. I just have to get used to the pump, I kept flooding it during starting.

Hi Jon,
I hand start all my engines (welllll, not my car <VBG&gt. Pumped engines I open the throttle and choke until fuel reaches the carb. Flip the prop 2 or 3 more times (depends on the engine). Shut the throttle to idle, connect the glo-plug heater and flip the prop. The engine should start in just a few flips at most. It is very easy to flood the pumped engines, especially using an electric starter.
Happy flying,
Will

Thanks Flywilly, I'll try that. I only use starter on rare occasions but on the Webra I have no choice, my 7a battery will never be able to turn that engine over.

Hi Jon,

Did you get a final weight for the Skystar?

Just been rereading the thread, and I'm definately tempted . Would make a good new home for my OS 91 FX I think. Certainly looks good.

Oh, sorry I've forgotten to weigh it after completion. I'm rather curious about that myself Will try and get it on the scales tomorrow maybe, it's down in the basementnow, resting peacefully

Managed to get one engine run and two and a half flights today. Still using the 12x11 prop for break in. She really is a very smooth flier. No bad habits at all and she lands very slowly. I cranked up the aileron throw and that's really all the trimming I needed to do, it flies just like I want it to now.

I gotta make a large air-exit hole in the belly pan. I flew a short hop with it on today and the engine went a bit hot and starter leaning out so I landed and took it off.

Here's two pix that show the new stickers I got for it. It's plain black 3M vinyl that's cut in a special machine.

Finally put it on the scales today. It weighs 3250 grams RTF without fuel. Pretty good, and right on target according to the weight specified on the box. If you use a YS 1.10 it should be about 250 grams more.

lightweight then

Ha Jon...Boss here....dang man that's only 7.16 lbs. in American...can you say..."Vertical" WOW I bet that's fun. My Zenn .90 with the YS 140 in the pic is kinda fun too..very good Pattern trainer and does some 3D as well...it will hover all day long at 30% throttle and the blast out of hover is something to see...I just love power...!

Boss

Here's an update after countless trim and practice flights and more than 2 gallons of fuel through the Webra.

The Sky Star is a fine flier. There are some flying characteristics that I'm having trouble getting used to in rolls but that's personal taste. It flies great and holds the line very nicely in all attitudes.

The Webra is a different story entirely. It keeps making my life miserable. What I thought were break-in quirks are now full blown contest-wrecking poor running characteristics. It started leaning out sometimes when I flew and I found it was overheating. I wasn't even using the belly pan on the plane at the time. Plugs started to get whacked more often that they should (OS #8's) and now it quit on me during a contest flight, probably overheated again. The bearings sound... not great and would you belive RPM is dropping all the time. This week I got 9500 on the 12x11. That's down 1.000 rpm from the first days test! Today it would not even run properly on a 13x9. I have left things well alone for the break in but it appears I should not have. I have found it to be rich on low mid-range so the low speed needle will be turned leaner and I have been told my pipe setup, which is a Hatori 700 (43 cm) and the header, 24 cm which is about 65 cm from plug to pipe's high point is too much - Experts tell me they ran their O.S Hanno's on 55-60 cm pipe length. Bring forth the saw, this header is about to be chopped!

Jon
If you send me your Email address I have a couple of Emails from a gentleman in Germany who has a great deal of experience with the Webra.
I will forward them to you.

He gives pipe lengths, fuel, plug info etc.

Mike

Thats great Mike, thanks a lot! Look in your inbox.