Rubber power anyone?

Ken Cook wrote:I just stare at it and wonder how it will fly prior to finish.

This is exactly what it is all about. Set it free and see what happens. While it flies, admire the transparent colors of the wing and tail as they catch the sunlight.

My son wanted a Guillow's Spitfire, but he has never built a flying model by himself, and I managed to talk him into one of the beginners' series Cessna (or was it a Piper) instead. I think I'll get the Lancer I never had as a kid and we'll build them together. I like the Guillows sets, although the models are a bit heavy for "serious" or competitive flying. But they are not expensive, instructions are detailed and the die- or laser-cut parts are great. If you build them with care and follow the instructions, they will fly, at least the ones with a wingspan greater than 20" or so. One can always replace some simpler parts easily with lighter quality balsa. The black plastic propeller is not bad either, but there are better ones available nowadays.

I mentioned in a recent thread of Ken's; a rubber-motor winder that I saw at a LHS near me that was going out of business. It was the coolest thing.. battery operated and shaped like a pistol with a transparent shell. You could see the motor, gear-box, wiring etc. and it had a "counter" for the # of winds you put on the rubber.

I think this was the winder..



I have a "Comet" P38 Lightning kit#3504 NIB that is all printed parts.. not die-cut. I didn't realize this when I bought it (mail order).. It's a 34" span model. My Sterling Fokker Dr1 by comparison, had die-cut parts.. and is mostly built.. but has been beefed-up/modified for 4ch. nano radio gear and a throttled Babe Bee.

The Lancer.. I've heard is an excellent model.

I have these three Guillows models (built by my late Uncle Len in the 1970's).. but they've all got some hangar-rash/missing parts from a few moves and less than adequate storage.

Thomas Morse "Scout"



Nieuport II



Fokker DR1



They're so fragile now.. that the tissue tears with discouraging ease.

Roddie, as showing the planes those pictures are awful.

The composition is rather hauntingly artistic.

Phil

pkrankow wrote:Roddie, as showing the planes those pictures are awful.

The composition is rather hauntingly artistic.

Phil

yes.. As I was posing the models for photos this morning.. it brought back a memory. My late uncle who built them was a career Marine Corps veteran (Staff Sgt. Leonard K. Kritz 19 years with service in Vietnam/Okinawa) I was at his home visiting one day (1980's?) and he was launching some of his rubber powered models in the back yard. One of his model's rubber broke.. (it was a built-up stick and tissue Piper or Cessna.. I can't exactly remember) He got so frustrated trying to replace it, that he crumpled it into pieces to my horror!

Nice Ken The Moth is looking good also the others , I have been thinking about tring some rubber models but don't have a clue. Some thing simple to start off ??? Eric

My son is plying me to death with all along the watch tower JH. Nice plane's Roddie when you said ... He got so frustrated trying to replace it, that he crumpled it into pieces to my horror! No All I can think of is Ron Cribbs talking about Boot Stomping his Race if his son wasn't there Eric

Will try again for a pic.

No, I give up after trying to follow the instructions. The several other forums I belong to it's I find a very simple matter to put a pic up, but sorry boys and girls not here.

Eric, something simple and reliable is a high wing plane. Forget about scale or WWII type models. Guillows now offers laser cut kits. I prefer printwood like the old Comet kits where the wood has it's parts inked on but most don't like cutting things out. Guillows Javelin or Lancer kits fly very well and are inexpensive. They're very forgiving in terms of weight and they will fly out of the box with little difficulty. Ken

gossie wrote:Will try again for a pic.

No, I give up after trying to follow the instructions.   The several other forums I belong to it's I find a very simple matter to put a pic up, but sorry boys and girls not here.

Don't give up mate! We need to see more pictures... If all else has failed, PM me and send me the Picts in a PDF or JPEG format and I'll post em up for ya. ....I was VERY frustrated in trying to post a picture for. Engine Of the Month...a while back, now I can do it like a pro...just need to learn how to focus the shot. I think the trick is to "Copy" then paste the "linc" from the host server to the forum, but I'm not a IT guru by any means. I've learned by failing many times. Give it one more try or pm me.

gossie wrote:Will try again for a pic.

No, I give up after trying to follow the instructions.   The several other forums I belong to it's I find a very simple matter to put a pic up, but sorry boys and girls not here.

I also had trouble initially.  Click "Host an Image" in the bar above. Click "Choose File", then "Host It" once you've selected the image.  Wait a minute and you'll see three addresses under "Thumbnail, Image and URL".  Copy the middle one, "Image" and paste it in your message where you want it.  I found I actually had to use the menu commands for copy & paste rather than using the right click menu.  Check it in "Preview" and Bobs your Uncle

Far East Rod.

Thanks anyway Marley.........Crabby I think it was did the same for me re. an engine pic. I've truly given up here now, and will just be a lurker now and then. I'm not the only one either, having spoken face to face over the last year or two with fellow aeromodellers be they be competition minded F/F like me or just for fun fliers.

Perhaps for example the owners/runners of this site should take a look at how RC Groups, Barton, Small Flying Arts and Hip Pocket are so simple to put pics up for simple people.

I just can't follow what's needed to be done. As mentioned earlier why is it so difficult to put pics on this site yet so easy on a dozen other world wide sites on all sorts of things that interest me?

gossie wrote:I just can't follow what's needed to be done.   As mentioned earlier why is it so difficult to put pics on this site yet so easy on a dozen other world wide sites on all sorts of things that interest me?

+1 I gave up trying to post pix here a few years ago.

I still build rubber ships. Lots and lots of Comet kits over the years. Sometimes it takes me a few days...others a month enjoying every moment I am building. Never liked competing against others. I liked the clubs that was more show and tell sort of thing. At JD Hobbies they call me the stick and tissue queen as I get lots of youngsters building. Sort of like a drug dealer, lure them in with something small and cheap...up their dose to 1/2a and they are hooked..then coming in to get speed demons...combat...Navy!! I have them hooked!!! Oh sorry yeah I like rubber too

Thanks Ken , I think the HL has those kits I keep looking but no CL kits I'll check it out next time around Eric

gossie wrote:Thanks anyway Marley.........Crabby I think it was did the same for me re. an engine pic.    I've truly given up here now, and will just be a lurker now and then.   I'm not the only one either, having spoken face to face over the last year or two with fellow aeromodellers be they be competition minded F/F like me or just for fun fliers.

Perhaps for example the owners/runners of this site should take a look at how RC Groups, Barton, Small Flying Arts and Hip Pocket are so simple to put pics up for simple people.

I just can't follow what's needed to be done.   As mentioned earlier why is it so difficult to put pics on this site yet so easy on a dozen other world wide sites on all sorts of things that interest me?

Its fairly easy to upload a photo to a web page like eBay does it, here they use an image hosting service in my opinion so they can harvest your photo.
I did a Google search of "Thimble Drome Champion" and up came dozens of photos I've posted here with a link to the post the photo was in.
"cut and paste" is required here to post a photo, I did not know how to do that till someone told me how. On a Mac "command c" is cut and "command v" is paste.

gossie wrote:I've truly given up here now, and will just be a lurker now and  should take a look at how RC Groups, Barton, Small Flying Arts and Hip Pocket are so simple to put pics up for simple people.
other world wide sites on all sorts of things that interest me?

I'm sorry you've given up. But at the same time I want to thank you for the leads to the "other" web sites.  I've been on RCG, my first visit it SFA was just a few seconds ago, and I'm hooked!  Hip pockets looks to be intresting. I couldn't find anything hobby oriented on BArton,  what's the full address?  

Marleysky wrote:

gossie wrote:I've truly given up here now, and will just be a lurker now and  should take a look at how RC Groups, Barton, Small Flying Arts and Hip Pocket are so simple to put pics up for simple people.
other world wide sites on all sorts of things that interest me?

I'm sorry you've given up. But at the same time I want to thank you for the leads to the "other" web sites.  I've been on RCG, my first visit it SFA was just a few seconds ago, and I'm hooked!  Hip pockets looks to be intresting. I couldn't find anything hobby oriented on BArton,  what's the full address?  

Barton controline should get it.

Roddie- sorry to have hijacked the thread. I do like your photographs.

Gossie - thanks again for the leads to the other web sites. Just a few clicks in on the barton model flying club and  BLAMO, right there in the "rouges gallery" is a smiley face Gossie!!  
If there is one thing I've learned (other than I have adult onset HADD ) is that the more I learn about this hobby, the more I realize I don't know. But thanks to connections to this and many other similar forum type websites I can learn the things I do not know, to do the things I didn't know I wanted to do!  
Re: I just learned how to vacuum bag wings  and things using a recycled refrigerator compressor, and how to make clear canopies out of pop bottles from Barton's web site.  Jeez, I learned 3 things today. I'm Allready ahead of my self for tomorrow.

Just found a Guillows Kit #302 Cessna 170 that I forgot I had I must have had it for 15 or 20 years, with its 24in wingspan it should be a decent flyer. I also found a Tiger Moth kit, not a Guillows, forgot the manufacturer's name already. Anyway, it's a 20-ish in wingspan balsa construction, not die-cut but printed parts.

I guess the Cessna will be the next father-son project after we get the Scorpion C/L trainer built first.

I work on these with my son as well. We have a good time doing it . Ken

Here's my old Guillows Chipmunk, built about 30 years ago. The original design has a flaw in the area where the wings are attached to fuselage (or I misunderstood something in the instructions). If the wing hits something, or even the landing gear in a hard landing, it'll break the fuselage side. I believe if I fix that, and fit a better propeller, it'll fly OK.

akjgardner wrote:nice chipmunk, I've been stocking up on the new guillows lazer kits.have you built any of those yet?

Thanks. I have never seen a laser cut kit "in person", Guillows or others. I've heard good things about their quality, although some folks tell that the balsa Guillow's use is still heavy, like it was in the old die-cut kits. I haven't weighed the Chipmunk, but it doesn't feel all that heavy, although I am no expert.

The Cessna I mentioned earlier is old stock, I got it as a gift maybe 20 years ago, so it's a die-cut kit too. The cutting quality could be better, the cuts have not reached all the way through the sheet in all parts, so I'll need to cut most of them loose. Still a lot easier than building from plans&scratch though