New-to-Me Model! Drooling!

[quote="Tee Bee"]My friend who knows my passion for Cox-powered models went to a swap meet this weekend(I am working long hours, as usual.).  This morning, he texted me a pic of this mean little .010-powered beast.  I told him to buy it on my behalf.  It is now on it's way across Texas to it's excited new owner.  We think it is a Micro Estrellita built from a JM Glaskraft kit.  According to my friend, it has antiquated RC gear installed and will need to be retrofitted with new stuff.  I can't wait to get my hands on it, weigh it, and start working it over.  If anyone here has experience with these small racers, I'd be interested in what others have used regarding control throw setup.  Ole' 1/2A Nut is already dreaming of me trying custom speed props and upgrading to a Big Block .020 but I'm curious to try it in sport mode with the .010 and a stock prop, at least until it's airborne quirks have been resolved.  I believe it has a 17" span.

You just never know what the day will bring!  


Friend that model is beautiful! ... you have information if there is a plan to build it, it would be interesting to place it in line of my projects!
CONGRATULATIONS and THANKS for sharing that little gem!

Thanks Mauricio! I don't know of any plans ever being available outside of the kits. From what I've read, the designer made up each kit individually and hand-laid the fiberglass fuselages in his own molds. This meant the cost was evidently significantly higher than mass-produced model kits bit the quality was good. Some of the wings were built-up wood and some were wood-sheeted foam. I think this one is built up. The designer evidently is retired from making airplane kits and that was partly due to him developing an allergy to the epoxy resin used. I'll keep you guys updated as I learn more about it.

By the way, this is the poc my friend sent me this morning and all that I needed to see to tell him to buy it for me.

I like the flames, kinda unusual for a model. Cool find.

crankbndr wrote:I like the flames, kinda unusual for a model. Cool find.

Yeah, looks fast just sitting there!

Mauricio, here's a pic of a kit sent to me by another Micro Estrellita owner yesterday showing the fiberglass fuse and another of the finished plane. Evidently there are 2 versions of the plane drawn. Note that his tail pieces are curved and mine are straight.

You've got vision, man! A real gift!

Tee Bee wrote:

Mauricio, here's a pic of a kit sent to me by another Micro Estrellita owner yesterday showing the fiberglass fuse and another of the finished plane.  Evidently there are 2 versions of the plane drawn.  Note that his tail pieces are curved and mine are straight.  

thanks for placing those photos ... so the kit came with a fiberglass fuselage, interesting!
I like both versions, although the curved stabilizer seduces me even more!
Beautiful model, I hope to see you in flight soon!

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?292900-JMGlascraft-Estrellita

Wow, just tons of eye appeal.

Tee Bee, this one is also a nice model, of fast lines, I run into him when looking for images of your model...

Very nice indeed!

Picked her up on the way to work this afternoon. Love at first sight! The TD .010 turns over tightly and may be gunked up. I'll remove it promptly and go through it carefully. It has a backplate mount. I'm not yet sure what kind of tank is in the fuse. Will try to weigh her as is tonight if time allows.

She's a little badass!

One more with a more appropriate background

SWEET ! That's a Great Looking Bird, Congratulations on the find!

Thanks! After removing and oiling the .010, it turned over very nicely with a solid compression pop. The plane has what appears to be an eyedrop bottle fuel tank. The old 72MHz radio gear is all glued in place and will require some careful prying to replace. Weight as purchased is 4.71oz on commercial lab scales. Time to start prying stuff out.

Since aquiring the little airplane, I've learned that it is actually a Micro Shark instead of a Micro Estrellita. That explains the difference in the tail design. It is essentially a Pee Wee Penetrator fuselage with a Micro Estrellita wing. I've corresponded with the original owner and he says he built it around 2002 on a dare from a friend who said it would never be flyable. He then flew it a handful of times over the next year or so to give it some validation, saying it was pretty touchy and susceptable to wind gusts. Warned me to only fly it in calm air and not to blink! I think part of the problem may have been restricted aileron deflection. It is mechanically limited to very small throws by the installation. The radio gear is currently being upgraded from 72Mhz to 2.4Mhz Spektrum. A new 170mah NiMH pack has arrived to replace the old crusty NiCd cells that were still in it. The TD .010 appears to be in great condition and has now been upgraded from the OEM plastic backplate to a nice aluminum unit. The thinner aluminum mount required fabrication of a plastic spacer/shim to keep the prop clear of the cowling. There are still a few cosmetic flaws I want to touch up. I'm leaving town for vacation this weekend but looking forward to further progress and engine testing when I get back. Stay tuned...

I love it. That penny really puts it in perspective. Did you ever get a weight on it? I might have missed it.
It looks like speed just sitting there. I look forward to seeing it fly.

And I got a kick out of the classic Kim artwork. Like redbirds chasing a hawk away from their nest.
Rusty

Thanks, Rusty. She weighed 4.7oz as previously equipped. I'm hoping to shave a few grams off that with newer hardware onboard.

She's getting closer to flying.  I was able to do some engine testing/tuning today.  The old .010 that came on it just wouldn't run for some reason.  I had disassembled it, inspecting everything including the fuel passages.  After getting frustrated with it, I finally switched out the aluminum backplate to an older gold case engine that I restored last year.  After a few minutes of fiddling, she was running pretty good.  With the new radio gear and battery installed, she's gone from 4.7 to 4.5oz weight.  Not much lighter but better peace of mind.  Our winds are howling every day on the TX coast right now and I've got a lot of overtime on the work schedule.  Hoping to get this thing dialed in before the trip to SMALL next month.

Gold case engines where better made, what's the inside look like with the new gear?

This plane looks awesome...my experience with small RC planes of this size is that flying them in strong wind is just less risky and troublesome than bigger ones like .56 sizes. Once I find the prevailing wind direction hand launching into the wind then landing is just safe. While I went to a flying field where others flew with much larger planes (the field has been closed) I was always the last to abort flying with my small planes when winds got gusty and too strong to fly. Anyways I am looking forward to seeing your plane fly.

Looking Good TEE BEE,Hope you get the chance to trim it before the SMALL event . Wounder whats up with the engine that came on it ?