Finally got my Starfighter...maybe two?

Way to go Mark. I was going to bid on the Starfighter, but another engine came up. Nice Aeromite, too; my first ukie and engine, a Wasp Aeromite in 1953. Then a Turbo-Jet, no tanks 2 bladed prop. I on the lookout for a Baby Spitfire Aeromite.

When I look at the size of the elevators and horizontal stabilizer on the Snark, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to actually fly this thing.

Will you be giving it a try?

I wonder how hairy the snark is taking off from the rolling launcher

daddyo wrote:I wonder how hairy the snark is taking off from the rolling launcher

About like this probably Sorry about the finger pic...  


When I took the video for the 3rd test, I didn't know he was going for it... barely got the camera recording.

706jim wrote:When I look at the size of the elevators and horizontal stabilizer on the Snark, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to actually fly this thing.

Will you be giving it a try?

lol, absolutely...not.

Plastics don't fly well, i don't need to try them out to confirm that. All I would do be doing running the risk of damaging an fairly rare, collectable old toy.

Although, i remember reading in John Krickles 049 Collectors newsletter for the mid sixties, they few a lot of the plastics, as they were collecting 049 engines and he noted that the Comet Snark flew decent.

looking forward to seeing the starfighter build back together I hope you have twins.you do a nice job of your models mark!craig

The Comet Starfighter came today and like I hoped, there's two! I am missing a nose gear and one LH main, but i'm not gonna bee-itch! A little Windex and a soft toothbrush and they'll cleaned up nice, the gluing will be the hard part. I'm torn between plastic cement and CA, might even try them both.
Couple interesting things...
I got to wonder how two Starfighters ended up in a box with both having almost identical breaks. The nose weight is almost 40 grams...yes 40 grams!







Walt's Regulas plans with decals!


Army guy, found in pile, looking for his platoon)

hello mark Im guessing two boys from same family got them for christmas presents for there would be know fighting as for the breaks probably a comin weak point Im guessing.still havent heard anything back on stuka I was interested in maybe I'll wait a couple days and email him again.It happened to me once before wanted it didnt haggle about price then seller is looking for someone local to just swing by for it.how dissapointing but theres still more out there surefacing from garages basements etc.please post:-)more pictures as starfighter comes along its like reading a good book you want to read the next chapter, cheers craig

Yep, that's kinda what I was thinking, they were both started (both pull starters broke) lines are untouched.

yes at a closer look both lines are still:-)rolled up very strange.you would think at least one handle would have the line on it!I guess it will always be a mistery?

maybe the li'l brats fired 'em up and sent them off ""ROG"

I got tired of using plastic glue and ended up repaired the wings with CA and kicker, quick and easy..and hopefully strong...they will be display only.



No, these are not Pratt and Whitneys, they're O.K. Cubs, make in Herkimer N.Y.! Quick li'l scrub with WD-40 and old toothbrush, took all the surface corrosion off in seconds. Plan to detail little more, heat up and get'em to turn over and restring pull starters...

...one down and one to go, kinda got a little aggressive on the dirty decals, didn't want to take them off, but they don't look great. I hope to make or find some reproductions.


Also, one of the engines was locked up pretty good, after several attempts of heating and soaking i had to twist the conrod off.

I have twisted con rods on a few occasions before realising that unscrewing a cylinder with a seized piston isn't a good idea.

I now mount the engine on bearers deeper than the crankcase, no screws - just blocks of hardwood, steel, aluminium - anything I have to hand as long as they are the same size.

Then, if it is a small engine - I mount it in a drill press - heat and apply press with an appropriately sized aluminium rod or wooden dowel mounted in the drill chuck. I am always amazed by how strong a glue castor oil can make.

The larger the dowel - the safer it is - ideally the same diameter as the piston.

For larger engines, I use an arbour press (yes, I have more tools than engines!) but it takes more setting up and the one I have can apply 2 tons of pressure. It needs to be used carefully.



However, as usual, I have a few warnings.

Do not use a vice unless there is no slop in in and it has deep parallel jaws. The pressure applied must be in direct line of the pistons motion in the cylinder.

Do not use a hammer and rod! It is not easy to keep the rod in line even when just tapping with a hammer.

If the piston is stuck top dead centre - be extra specially careful! With the backplate removed (should do this anyway!) make sure that the crankshaft is free and it can move. Most crankshaft can be wobbled back and forth a little, and the con rod ends have been well soaked. If everything is seized solid then the conrod will bend.

Too small a diameter rod will punch a hole in the piston.

If the piston is domed, the rod must follow the shape and apply as even a pressure as possible. I have often hollowed the end of the rod to form a small tube to achieve this.

Now it isn't always plain sailing. I had one engine seized solid and no amount of soaking or heat freed it. (and I mean heat - I am not patient!). I freed the piston but the rod expanded during the process and stuck fast. Luckily heat removed this.

I have also used various rods in the press to squidge pistons to a better fit before honing. Don't recommend this though - if done this one homemade engines where I haven't got the taper quite right on the piston or the contra piston and it doesn't always work!

Very nice restorations on the Starfighter Mark. I really need to find one of these; what a great design! After looking at it, do you think the wings and tail may have been based on the old Sabre 44? I think the Regulus was.

Excellent hints on unsticking pistons Ian.

Good point, it may be. i'll take some side by side photos later today. I also never thought of the Regulas/Sabre using the same wing. I know toward the end they redid the Regulas into a T-38

The piston was pretty much bottomed and turned out to be rusted together...that and i got tired of messing with, knowing I had several spares, it could be sacrificed.

Lol, i did use you "press method" to remove piston, using a vice, piece of wood and a large allen head socket, pressed it out without damage to case.

I guess the only similarity is the swept wing.

Yep, i think there close but not the same.

The T-38 photo is from eBay, i had a chance to bid on it, but was bidding on a Wen-Mac XL600 at same time. I wanted the Wen-Mac more and thought I could always get a t-38 later...still have yet to come across another one!!!!

rsv1cox wrote:Mark, if your posting pictures, I'm not getting them

WD40 is not high on my hit parade, but I have a can or two laying around, doesn't every body.  But if you have luck with it cleaning exteriors, I will have to give it a try.

CA with a "kickker".  What's that, a little PBR?

I had great luck freeing a couple of really stuck Gilbert .049 pistons by soaking with Remoil on top of the piston for a couple of weeks then tapping downward with a wooden dowel the diameter of the cylinder.  Got lucky once twisting the cylinder off a piston enclosed Cox .049 without destroying the con-rod or piston, but I had heated it well first.

Sorry, i meant the WD-40 (Stoddard solvent) for cleaning up the surface of the engine, i like Windex or DAWN Power Dissolver in a blue spray bottle for plastic, or brake fluid for decal removal, heavy oil, etc.
"Kicker" is a spray accelerator for super glue, commonly sold in hobby shops. The super glue joints are not real strong but will work for display models, if i was gonna fly one i'd use plastic cement and some type of brace and clamp to hold pieces in alignment untill glue sets.

PBR? I still prefer the High Life, the champagne of bottled beer!

Mark Boesen wrote: I still prefer the High Life, the champagne of bottled beer!

Well, it is "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous"
Bob

..it's funny how trendy beer can be, i got a buddy who runs his parents restaurant/bar and they're all about the latest IPA and how they refer to Miller and Bud as "lawnmower" beer, yet they have PBR on tap?????

I was gonna correct you and say it was Old Milwaukee that made Milwaukee famous, but i goggled it...and we're both wrong, it was Schlitz!