"Well as the flying season comes to a close it seems like I finally have time to write to tell you how things worked out. This was my first kit build in nearly 20 years and it was an absolute pleasure! I was sad when it was over to be quite honest. Here are the modifications I made:
- Soft balsa cowling around an inverted Saito 82B. This engine turned out to be a great choice as it was actually lighter than the 72 but boasts more displacement. Not that the planes needs it, most of the flying is done at 1/3-1/2 throttle. Full throttle is not even used to take off! Only for some tight loops have I ever used it.
- I stepped down from the called out 2-1/4" spinner and went with a 2" Tru Turn. To make the plane pop even more I polished both the landing gear and the spinner and it really sets it off!
- I shortened the wing by one bay and used digital servos with ball bearings as recommended.
- The rear part of the fuselage was sheet with some light 1/16" balsa to give it a more solid look.
- For the radio system I used a Hitec Auroa 9X and added telemetry. It's really great to be able to see your battery voltage, fuel level and it even has a GPS unit. Truthfully I don't use the GPS function much as I'm too busy concentrating on flying as it should be.
"When I used to fly many years ago ARF's were in the minority. I'll be building a new plane this winter as well as assembling an electric 3D plane. I think it's pretty sad these days how few good kits there are on the market. I would love to build an SBach but it seems like all there is on the market these days are ARF's from overseas. The one thing I really like about a kit is the chance to customize it and make it your own. If you want to use a different engine or servo placement it often can't be done on a pre built kit."
