RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><font size="3" face="Calibri">MD is right about the longevity of the pup,mine was twenty years old when I sold it on ,however, I did re-furbish it twice in that time ! But that&rsquo;s the thing with &lsquo;stick &amp; rag &lsquo; planes, repair/rebuild is much easier<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>(just remember to keep the plans ) I did and I miss not haveing a pup to the point that I may have to buildone from scratch ,ho-humhttp://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...n/rolleyes.gif</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><font size="3" face="Calibri">I had the Mk 1 pup that was more straight forward to fit a 4-stroke to ( IMHO ) my one first had a ST G23/46 2s and then<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>a ASP 61 4S (same size as a 52 ) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>mounted upright with no problems , I also had the one servo for the ailerons ,but converted to the duel set-up&rsquo; much better !!</font></p>

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Jeff - you make an excellent point. My primary purpose for building from a kit is so I can improve my practical skills. However a very close second is that I know that if I damage the plane I will be able to rebuild/fix it.
Cheers,
Dub

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

I had the puppeteer and its a beautiful kit but the problem that I encountered was measurements are not in inches and pounds etc.if that is an issue you might want to to take a crash course in metrics..I also built ansd still fly a dynaflighte SE5A.it is true funscale and you can spruce it up as much as you want.I take it to rhinebeck in the fall and it blends in with the big guns.

my preference these days would be a balsa usa kit .they are easy and straight foward the fokker D8 you mention is available and a wonder plane..comes in quarter scale and 1/3 ..its readily available and acess to parts and finishing options like guns etc are available here in the usa ..I built a balsa usa 1/4 cub love it..

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

opps sorry I see your in the UK where flair is readily attainable my apology.

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

No worries. I've been lusting over balsa usa for years! :) I am sure i will build one some day in the future.

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

you'll love the flair kit as well.if you want to lust over a kit gander a lookie at the "arizona "rc kit web site..they are museum quality with wall street prices..

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Wow!!! They are truly drool worthy. Note to self - NEVER visit that site again lol!

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

not only do you not want to visit that site but NEVER buy from that site!!! check the threads!

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Thats right, stay away from Arizona models, attractive as they look, or you will probably regret it to no end.....
BTW...don't you use metrics in England now??

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Hmm I guess that probably depends how old you are! :) We still drive in mph but we buy our fuel in litres. Go figure! :)

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

More importantly, what do you measure in on a small scale for models and around the house etc. ...not long distance driving miles

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

It varies to be honest. For modelling I do prefer metric but I don't know what people generally use. Balsa thickness still comes in imperial measurements though as far as i know.

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Between buying modeling supplies in the US (but also occasionally the UK), living in Japan and prototyping kits for a Germany company, metric/imperial are for me hopelessly interwoven. For some reason, I can (usually) only think of model wingspans in inches on the other hand I tend to think of wood sizes in metric. Weights are in grams and kilos. Cowl sizes are always in cm (because that's how the available pots are sold) but wheel sizes are usually in inches. The nuts and bolt around the shop are a distressing mix of the two. :D

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

When you add to that the fact that a gallon is a different size depending on if you are in the UK or the US ...

Well.. WE ARE DOOMED! :)

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

ok you guys got me..I have learned to use a metric ruler since my experience with the flair kit..as for arizona I have heard thesame things but on paper the kits look awesome.personally I would build a balsa usa or zirloi kit.straight foward with conventional construction.

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Dubcat....hereare a few pics of my recent Flair Pup (with OS 70 engine just barely protruding through cowl) before being shot down on an early morning Dawn Patrol where the pilot fell asleep!! It's also possible that I could have fully enclosed the engine if I hadn't incorporated side and down thrust...but in any case you still have to deal with a silencer hanging out...mine had a large decibel killer which added to the sweet 4 Stroke throbbing sound...the Orig OS muffler is even smaller.
To give you an idea of the deatiling you can add...some of it requires pre planning
..Scale functional / sprung landing gear
..Fake landing / flying wires from black elastic thread (local sewing shop)
..Spruce struts (instead of alu supplied)
..Tail rudder raised off fuse
..Functional sprung tail skid
..Cut out in top wing center section
..Alu panels on forward fuse....circular burnishing polishing

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Don't fake it! Make your Pup some REAL flying and landing wires (the "rigging") from 0.8mm stainless steel wire (from a fishing shop). It's not actually needed on the Puppeteer but it just looks cool and absolutely adds significant strength to the model. It's not that hard.

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

How would you attach the .08 wires quickly and still have them add strength?...
It takes me about 15 minutes to get flight ready even with my elastic wires.

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Mein - she is LOVELY! Really inspiring! I especially love the burnishing on the ali front! The engine is not protruding much at all - and the cut out is minimal i agree.

RE: First build, third plane. Looking for recommendations (must be scale)
 

Ah. Well, the solution there is just to transport the Puppeteer fully assembled! :D Works for me, but others may need to be able to break the model down for transport. What a royal hassle. I just put the Puppeteer out of my Toyota Estima, gas it up and fly.

On my Pup the rocker arm caps of my Saito 56 just barely made contact with the cowl so I ended up cutting out little slots in the cowl. But now that I think about it I could have just hammered in some little "blisters" and that would have solved the problem. The thing is though that the Puppeteer (like all the Flair and BUSA kits) are strictly semi-scale so there's no point in obsessing about something like a bit of engine protruding. There will plenty of other things on the model that are less scale than that.