RE: *Parkzone Typhoon 2 -Official Thread!*
I just bought the parkzone typhoon 2 plug and play model and was wondering what type of battery should I get at my LHS for it? Also I am going to need a charger as well (since this is my first electric) and was wondering if anyone had a good suggestion. Thanks.
Posted on: 8/3/2009 4:15 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "3D Electric Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8986792

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 Finishing Build
Well, I think I see a plane in this thing I'm building! I've done quite a bit more and it's really coming together nicely. Some of the paint looks kind of slopping in areas, and in others the masking didn't work as well as I had hoped (especially the wheel paints) but otherwise I think once I do a full detail sanding/run over it will turn out a lot better. As you can see in the pictures I finished painting the wheels and the rudder, I also painted the turquoise strips on the side of the fuselage.. looks pretty snazzy... and installed the tail feathers. I also made a compartment for the servo receiver and the battery, complete with a top! The landing lights where also installed and I cut a whole in the firewall so I can take out the circuit when I remove the cowl. I hope that's not to big of a whole as it won't cause any unneeded vibration, and if the fuel leaks... well let's hope it doesn't leak :)
Posted on: 7/10/2009 5:58 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8922461

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 Finishing Build
Here's some updates on what I've gotten done: Finished painting the top of the plane blue and the side of the wing tips blue. I am getting ready to cut masks for the pin stripes on the wheels and under the blue on the fuselage. I've never done this before so hopefully I get it right the first time! I've been working on and off on this plane for probably 5+ years and am READY to finish it! We'll see... Also there is a picture of my trainer plane (Alpha 60 that has an OS .61FX engine installed)
Posted on: 7/8/2009 7:00 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8917052

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 Finishing Build
Hah nope, In fact in will be quite a while before it's maiden! I've been practicing relentless on my Alpha 60 and have gotten pretty good with it I think. New pictures coming soon!
Posted on: 7/8/2009 11:59 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8916099

Futaba radio AILERON stick is basically stuck! Help!
Hey all, So I picked up my radio today (yesterday it worked fine) and noticed how the AILERON stick is super sticky. The elevator motion works fine, but the aileron stick won't even return to center on its own! It feels like its rubbing on something, but I can't seem to figure it out. I took apart the TX and tried to adjust the tension spring (I even took the spring out) and it doesn't seem to do anything. Would oil help? I'd really like to figure this out, cause I plan on going flying in a few days and wouldn't want to have to buy a new transmitter :(. Any advice? Thanks for the reply! Keith By the way I have a T6XA(s) 6 channel radio.
Posted on: 7/8/2009 12:35 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8915084

RE: Futaba radio AILERON stick is basically stuck! Help!
I'm sorry wow, I can't believe I did that but its the AILERON stick that I'm having trouble with! It's definitely not normal. All the other three control movements are working fine. Throttle included.
Posted on: 7/8/2009 12:35 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8915195

Top Flite Cessna 182 Finishing Build
Hey all! This will be my finishing build thread for the first plane I've ever built! Being that this is my first plane it's not going to be the greatest, but I'd appreciate all the help I could get from you guys! (One of the reasons I made this thread) So some of you may know, but I've been posting in ANOTHER Top Flite Cessna build thread and have decided to start my own to show the progress (as well as keep a little record) of my own Cessna which I've been relentlessly painting and am getting close to finishing! As I update this thread I will post new pictures of my plane and try to explain my progress and what I plan to do. Some of the pictures below are kind of old, but they show the stages from the finished fiberglassed plane to the primed coat. As the moment I have finished painting on the white coat with my HVLP spray gun and the top blue coat that you can see in the picture I'm using for reference. At the moment I don't have any new pictures of that but till update as soon as I return home tomorrow. Here's a bit of what I have left to do: Engine: OS .91FX (might get a four stroke instead if it fits... right now I've been using an OS .61 but I don't think thats going to be enough power) Fiberglass: 3/4 oz. / sq. yd. Paint: KlassKote, white, blue, turquoise - Finish masking the plane for the turquoise stripes and paint those on (I'm definitely going to need some help with this) - Finish the inside of the plane with foam and receiver, etc. (I don't plan on doing a scale interior) - Put lighting on the cowl and maybe try and wire them through the wings and tail feathers.. seems impossible since I never but a pull string there when I was building the plane) - Fit the control surfaces and permanently install them - Fit the struts and scale antennae - Fit the side and front windows - Refit the engine - Test CG and weight - Missing anything? (this is off the top of my head)
Posted on: 7/8/2009 12:31 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8915183

RE: Question about final paint coat, paint detailing.
Well I've gotten the base white coat finished and also masked and painted on the main blue part (covering the top of the plane and the edge of the wing tips) but I'm kind of stuck on masking off the small pin stripes you can see in the picture I posted. Like the ones on the wheel paints and the rudder and under the blue part on the fuselage. Any advice for masking those off? Is there any place I could maybe print out something similar and then use that as a template? Or buy something like that? Also if you check out the Kit Building forum I am going to start a new thread for the completion of my plane and will be posting new pics every update!
Posted on: 7/8/2009 12:00 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8915111

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: heritageman What is the best thing for the cowl?Putty,primer and painting or purchasing a fiberglass cowl.I read somewhere that the cowl was flimsy,and paint was easily cracked.Why come you cannot glass the cowl and make it stronger? [/quote] You can glass the cowl, except you only glass the inside. I used 2 oz. fiberglass tape cloth you can get at your hobby store and cover all the seems on the inside with it. This made it really really strong, but still a bit flimsy. You shouldn't fiberglass the outside at all, just putty all the seems from where you glued it together and then your ready to primer. After primer, wet sand with some good high grit sandpaper and you'll be amazed at how smooth it will turn out. After that, paint.
Posted on: 7/6/2009 2:13 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8910962

RE: Question about final paint coat, paint detailing.
Ok so now I'm at the point where I have just finished coating everything with the base white coat and recoated in places where i sanded down any runs and such. However, you can still see some of the runs and lines from the first coat under the one I just finished. I'm wondering what the best way is to get it to a uniform base. I'm more interested in getting the whole plane to "feel" the same then it to be perfect looking, if you know what I mean. So I've gotten some 1500 and 2000 sandpaper and have been sanding on the wing a bit and got it pretty smooth (any overspray or dust was sanded off). Now I'm interested in getting more of a shine to it, is there an easy way to do this? Another light coat? Thanks for any help! Happy 4th!
Posted on: 7/5/2009 1:42 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8907308

RE: Question about final paint coat, paint detailing.
Thanks for the help, that was great advice to help me concentrate more on spreading a thin layer to begin with and then coming back with a thick one. I was kind of doing more of two medium layers or in some places only one layer. I'm getting close to having to mask the plane to put in the blue's, and I would appreciate anyone sharing their experience masking a plane for a design like this. I already have frisket film and a bit of masking tape and was planning on just drawing it on the plans and then transferring that, but...I'm not really the best artist out there. I thought maybe printing out a very large copy might work.
Posted on: 7/3/2009 4:21 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8902987

RE: Question about final paint coat, paint detailing.
Grey Beard, thanks for the reply, I appreciate the advice guys! Anyways, since you've used KK you know that you have to mix it with the gloss catalyst, so what exactly do you mean by the final gloss coat? I am usually just doing a fast bottom coat, so some of the primer is still showing through and then I'm going back over with the spray gun once more and it usually fills it up. I had a bit of a program with orange peal on the bottom side of my wing, but I think I'm either going to keep it like that (I kind of like the way it feels) or just sand it down a bit. Do you have any other finishing tips you could share? I definitely need all the advice I can get! Thanks again!
Posted on: 7/2/2009 3:11 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8901279

RE: Question about final paint coat, paint detailing.
Is it possible to just sand it with say really high grit paper and not have to repaint it? I'm afraid if I repaint parts, or even the whole thing again, it won't look right because it might run again (this is my first painted plane)
Posted on: 7/2/2009 11:18 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8900681

Question about final paint coat, paint detailing.
Hey all, I've just finish spraying the top white coat (using KlassKote) on my Cessna 182 and have quite a few places where the paint ran a bit, or its kind of bumpy. A little bit of orange peal as well in some places. I was looking here for some help on how to get rid of these, can I use really fine sand paper (like 1000-1500 grit), or should I sand it down and repaint? I've also heard of buffing after you are done, does anyone have any experience with this and if so how would you go about doing it? Thanks a lot! Keith Here's some pics of the plane when I was priming it.
Posted on: 7/2/2009 4:06 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8900076

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
It should be very thin on the weave, there should be no spots that feel smooth like dried epoxy resin.. basically it should be just enough to fill the weave without having a layer of resin coating it. The more you put on now the more you are going to have to sand before you start filling with body putty. It's not going to feel very smooth yet, but once you cover lightly with body putty and sand than with 320 grit or something the magic will happen and it will be quite smooth. After primer and wet sanding, it will feel like glass.
Posted on: 7/1/2009 3:13 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8898308

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: Bax When spreading epoxy or polyester resins, you don't need to use a credit card (and I have no extras), you can use an ordinary playing card. I bought a whole deck just to use as epoxy spreaders. When done, just toss the card. Works every bit as well. [/quote] Definitely a good idea, I tried that but found the cards way to flimsy to hold it shape as I was spreading the resin. You would want a plastic coated card though if you are you going to try it. Another idea is to ask a store if you could have some gift cards that havn't been registered yet. Think, Starbucks?
Posted on: 7/1/2009 11:53 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8897716

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: mikesan152 Here's the link to the soft sanders: http://www.style-linecorp.com/ [/quote] WOW I need that! Where did you buy it?
Posted on: 6/30/2009 2:04 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8894897

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: heritageman Has anyone got any preferrences on which to use to put fiberglass cloth? I tried the z poxy finishing resin and it doesn't flow very well, plus is hard to smooth. [/quote] Heritageman... I used 3/4 oz/sq.yd. cloth for practically my entire plane. I used two sheets of the 3/4 oz. cloth for both sides of the wings, just to make it a bit stronger. Most of mine was also resin finished with the z poxy finishing resin, which flowed like melted butter. I can see how yours wouldn't flow very well. Try this: Mix equal parts of the hardener and resin (make sure your box says finishing resin on it), stir really well (until whiter opaque color) with mixing sticks, and finally just pour it over your surface and use a credit card (make sure its a card you will never use again!) to smooth it over the surface. You can even bend the card to the contours of say the wing and it will track it very well! Remember, you don't need a lot of resin everywhere, but you will need enough to fill the weave (and letting it dry first helps you determine where it needs more).
Posted on: 6/30/2009 2:01 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8894888

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: heritageman Can anyone tell me if klass-kote epoxy paint can be applied over minwax polycrylic ? [/quote] Not sure what minwax polycrylic is, but if you email klasskote@gmail.com they will definitely be able to help you out. I have one question though for those that are building or have built the Cessna's. How did you mask off your back window to get the right paint job to fit correctly over the parts of the window that are supposed to be painted. Mine doesn't seem to have any visible line that I could follow and I can't find any diagram to cut out on the plans. Any suggestions?
Posted on: 6/30/2009 1:56 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8893701

RE: Creating a
[quote]ORIGINAL: LouisB Wouldn't it be possible to fly from the pond instead? [/quote] Sure, though I think my planes would probably sink first without any floats. Sorry for the sarcasm :) but that does kind of inspire me to build a foaty, anyone have any easy suggestions? Gboulton, thanks for the info, I'll send those guys a PM as soon as I get a chance. I really think I'm going to go the natural grass way, hopefully I'll go out to the land soon and can take some pictures.
Posted on: 6/27/2009 4:13 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8886147

RE: Creating a
[quote]ORIGINAL: CGRetired Our field is owned by the NJ Department of Forestry. It's a full scale runway that they use whenever there is a nearby forest fire (yeah, there are forests in New Jersey.. we live in the middle of what's called the New Jersey Pinelands). The field is 3500 feet long and about 500 feet wide. You can clearly see the runway. We use a section just about in the middle of the runway. It's mostly grass with some areas of clay and, in the rain.. mud. [8|] [;)] CGr [/quote] That looks like a really exciting field to land a real single-engine plane on!
Posted on: 6/26/2009 9:50 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8884356

RE: Creating a
[quote]ORIGINAL: WestCoastFlyer Quite frankly, I'd totally forget your temporary idea, the ground evidently is not flat now and unless you do it right you're asking for an eyesore on the property that will take more maintenance than mowing. Get a load or two of fill and a Bobcat, then roll it and plant grass. Keep a riding mower on the property to mow the runway when you're out there and you're good to go for many years. [/quote] Somehow I never really though of just plain ol' grass, thanks for the idea! I think I'm going to try and find something to smooth out the ground.. may have to do that by hand, than pick up all the weeds and replant some grass, doesn't sound too bad.
Posted on: 6/26/2009 5:30 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8883716

Creating a "portable" runway out of my farm!
I've been thinking lately of a way to create a runway that would be 1. easily transportable 2. fairly inexpensive 3. simple to build or put together and have come up with a few ideas that I'd like to share. Your input is definitely appreciated! My family owns an 100 acre patch of land about an hour from where we live with is quite a beautiful, picturesque peace of land complete with a mobile home and a nice little pond! Only thing thats missing is a runway! I've tried to take off my trainer plane on newly cut grass out there, but all the hay/weeds just is still to big and bumpy for the plane to take off. The prop will almost always strike the ground even with full up elevator. I've been looking around the land for the perfect place to take off and still have not found a suitable place; though the area surrounding is very open and perfect for flying. I think the simplest idea would be to use long tarps, these would be easy to roll up and carry away, but not very durable. Pretty hard to land on I would think too. My goal is kind of to have something over 50', as 100' would be about the size a good scale runway, I doubt landing on anything smaller is a feat I'll accomplish very soon! :) Another idea would be to use some sort of astroturf, though this is very expensive and heavy. I'm willing to set up something that is permanent, but it will have to be able to withstand the weather, since it's obviously outside; which kind of puts cardboard out of the question. I have heard of something call asphalt sheeting, or some type of black playground-like material that would be thin and could be staked down to the ground, perhaps on top of tarps. Does anyone know where to buy something like that? This would provide a hard surface for landing, and seems like it would be way to much money for say a 5 x 50' sheet? When I say cheap, I'm talking like < $500.00 which might be quite a low estimate... We'll see.
Posted on: 6/26/2009 3:49 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8883420

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: teookie KillerTGK - If you have not already talked to Klass Kote, ask them about automotive primers too. I'm using a high build primer from Dupli-Color (see post 524). I'd be interesting in hearing from them if the last coat of primer should be sanded or not too... [/quote] Teookie - I remember reading somewhere (I might have read it on the KlassKote website
Posted on: 6/24/2009 2:57 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8877523

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: sugarfox Tookie, on your third picture it shows a spot where the faabric isn't filled. Hit that again with filler or you will wish you had! I was taught long ago that your paint will not cover a blemish, it will make it stand out even more. I know your're sick of fillin and sandin but you have gone this far to build an outstanding airplane and the end is in sight! Pleeeeeze, fill that spot and any others, I'd hate to see the look on your face if you don't. Great work so far but you're not done Yet!!!!!! By the way, don't wet sand your final primer coat. The paint must have something to [/quote] So your saying that the primer should completely cover the airplane (or at least where your first paint coat is) or is it ok to have spots like Teookie does all over the wing?
Posted on: 6/24/2009 3:51 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8876359

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: teookie I'm just using rattle can primer - and no clear coat. If you use the klass kote epoxy paint than you don't need to clear coat it. They just started selling automotive (urathane?) paints that do require a clear coat though. I'm going the epoxy route though. Already got the paint in a box in my garage. Should probably bring it inside since it's been in the high 90's lately. [/quote] Thats probably the route I'm going to go Teookie, but let me show you what this dude from KlassKote told me. I askedhim whether or not it was ok to use a rattle can primer (I'm using Rustoleum from AutoZone) and he gave me some good advice that it might be better to use their primer.. not sure if he's just playing the marketing game though. :) Either way, he told me to call him today to discuss some the steps of using KlassKote and also to order my paints, so if he ends up telling me something different I'll post it in this thread and let you guys know! Here's his email: [quote] It would work best to re-prime your project with Klass Kote Epoxy Primer... The reason is because epoxy primer forms a stronger bond with the surface than does the Rustoleum Primer. If you just come along with Klass Kote top-coat, the bond between the Klass Kote and the Rustoleum will be stronger than the bond between the Rustoleum and the surface - not the best situation... Here's what we would recommend... 1st) - sand the majority of the Rustoleum down...wipe it clean with a slightly damp cloth with Epoxy Reducer #500... Be Gentle! Next - apply a very, very light coat of Klass Kote Epoxy Primer, wait for it to "flash off", and then come along and apply another, wet coat of epoxy primer... (one more may be necessary) You can then wait for it to dry, and sand it with 600 grit (or higher) to get the desired smoothness before you apply the epoxy top coat. As far as how long you will need to wait between coats at 90 degrees - if you use our Primer catalyst #415 (with Gray Primer #50), you will need to wait at least 2-4 hours, but not more than 24.. With White Primer & Fast Primer Catalyst #420 - these cure times will be reduced by 1/3 to 1/2... Re-coat windows are short especially in such high temperatures. Be sure to add enough thinner to help keep the coating "open" and you get a good flow. Check our Cure schedule on our Product Data Sheets. [/quote]
Posted on: 6/23/2009 1:56 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8874315

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
[quote]ORIGINAL: teookie I'll be using Klass Kote. www.klasskote.com Deadeye - What did your's end up weighing? [/quote] Hey teookie, I also think I'm going to end up using KlassKote. They seem to have their products down pretty well and have some pretty good testimonials. Are you going to be using their primer and clear coat? If not what are you using?
Posted on: 6/22/2009 4:32 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8871985

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
Looks great tookie, you used quite a lot less body putty than I did, as you can see.. hah. But other than that I'm pretty much at the same stage as you. I'm still trying to figure out what paint would be best to use with my spray gun and airbrush I recently purchased.. I heard good things about both urathane based paints and latex paints. I'm alittle skeptical of the urathane paints because of how dangerous they can be, though I'm not sure if latex will get me that "automotive" finish that I'm looking for. What are you going to end up using? EDIT: also, deadeye what paint and primer/gloss did you end up using for yours? I having quite the time trying to decide! Just need a first hand opinion on the matter :) Keith
Posted on: 6/21/2009 10:00 PM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8870107

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
Yep, everything is glassed with 3/4 oz. fiberglass except for the ABS parts.
Posted on: 6/21/2009 2:49 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8868492

RE: Top Flite Cessna 182 build
I am also building a Cess-nawh at the moment and am getting quite close to the end! Although most people say finishing is = building time.. thats bad news for me, I've been working on and off on this plane for over 4 years... I finally got back into the hobby and had some time out of college to complete it and thus here we are: In all of the pictures you can see that I've body puttied and primer both the wing and the control surfaces, only the fuselage needs to be primered and painted to get that nice fiberglass smoothness. I know it looks like a ton of body putty and primer still on there, but lots more of it will be sanded off before priming and I'm also looking for a much bigger engine than the OS .61 I had for my Alpha 60. I just finished priming all the ABS stuff on the Alpha wing tonight and it came out great. It's smooth as glass and I fixed all the imperfections with Bondo putty as well. I also tinted the windows today with a bit more blue than black dye since my paint scheme is utlimately going to end up being blue I think, and well it came out as good as I expected. I think the next step will be to primer the fuselage and get the tail cone on nicely and then ready to paint!
Posted on: 6/21/2009 12:50 AM by Author "KillerTGK" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8868331