RE: Looking to mod out a vintage Grasshopper II......
i was given a rough rider chassis and drive train. i wish to do something with it someday too. it came without the body and the front bumber is gone. the tires are shot as well. it would be interesting to see what you can do with yours.
Posted on: 7/28/2010 4:53 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9894693

RE: Kit or RTR
[quote]ORIGINAL: jack463 So I really enjoy fixing and taking apart my cars and other things too. That is why I am rather interested in buying a kit instead of a RTR. I don't actually have a car or truck in mind I would like to buy I am just not sure if I should buy a kit because I am going to have major confusion when building it. I fairly confident with working and fixing my cars but just not sure I will be able to put it together. [/quote] to the original poster i will say this if you have an interest in building one just do it already. a sparked interest should never be smothered out just because someone might say its too expensive or impractical. if that were the case many things would never have been done. the wright brothers never would have flown if they let someone extinguish their intrigue. so the ball is in your court you want to built a kit do it! there is no justification why you cant. there really is no mystique in building i will use my airplane example. I have built a couple of airplane kits and if you can follow directions you can build. the instructions are a step by step process. with cars you might need a few more tools than you are used to having just repairing. for example; http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/89_254/products_id/37306/n/Team-Losi-Camber-Gauge [quote]ORIGINAL: jatoracing33 RTRs are just appealing to new people, lazy people, and people with a tight budget. I, myself, am one of the tight budget guys... [/quote] this sentiment gets tossed quite alot around here. I for one am in another category all together. I do not wish to build cars because I build model airplanes and furniture as a hobby. ive got into cars over 10 years ago and i had a break then got back into it a few years ago. I do not wish to build a rc kit car unless i can get the time freed up on my other hobbies which wont be soon. rtr are nice for those who do not wish to mess around with assembly because our time is better spent elsewhere, although i am not saying its a waste of time. [quote] Or someone that wants a particular vehicle that doesn't come in a kit... or sometimes the RTR to kit version has a huge price gap, or the kit is inferior to the RTR. [/quote] I agree with the above statement that sometimes the kit is inferior to the rtr. take the Goldberg Ultimate Biplane. the arf comes with nicer landing gear and a fiberglass cowl, the kit comes with abs plastic and crappy gear. for the price of the arf the kit just isnt worth it. I think its a misnomer that you have to put together your car to understand how to work on it. I for one am mechanically minded. mechanically minded people can look at a parts explosion and take apart and replace parts. I dont feel that assembling a kit helps in that fashion at all. that is especially true if the person has no mechanical ability. it might help some people but the people who cant repair rtr's arent to have a light bulb go off just because they build a car. sometimes it comes down to history the people who tend to build kits and think its the only way to go are the same people who were building back when there wasnt a such thing as a RTR. its how they learned its how they will always do things. a few of them have branched off and bought RTR but most wont. my first car was a rtr up till what i have now. I say to each his own. rtr vs kit is a personal choice. we are joined in our hobby by its entertainment lets keep it that way.
Posted on: 7/28/2010 4:38 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9894653

RE: Honest truth! Stock slash durability?
[quote]ORIGINAL: jermpool [quote]ORIGINAL: The Mad Modder [quote]ORIGINAL: Fast Ass J What's with almost everything coming pre assembled these days!? Does anyone build anymore? [/quote] I could go on for hours(but I won't) about how RTRs are hurting this hobby. I'll limit it to saying that I prefer building kits. [/quote] I am on your side with the rtrs all the way. [/quote] why is it in every hobby there are those who wish to bring doom and gloom to it. I have NEVER built a kit rc car. I however tend to build rc airplanes and a fair amount of woodworking projects call me a loser if you will for not building a car to bash in the front yard and occasionally take to the track. from the days of my old traxxas sledgehammer the slash i have today. I have two losi mini-t's as well. the same debate comes up and clouds up the rc airplane kit and arf forums. to each his/her own when it comes to a hobby. i prefer to work wood with hand tools should i chastise the power tool guys etc. (that was a woodworking reference nothing more thilling for me to glide a hand plane over a plank of wood.) on the subject of the durability of the slash mine has taken a beating :)
Posted on: 7/20/2010 12:02 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9875767

RE: Dont Buy RTR Brushless Trucks!
wow this thread is do done with. bottom line let people enjoy the hobby in their own way opinions don't matter to anyone but themselves. if you don't like rtr brushless oh well it wasn't being made for you then.
Posted on: 7/13/2010 10:53 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9862092

RE: Dont Buy RTR Brushless Trucks!
its a help to me for cars to come prebuilt since i build rc airplanes and i build wood crafts for a hobby as well. so I take no issue with RTR brushless or anything else for that matter. someone somewhere may want to put their time somewhere else. im not planning on going brushless anytime soon though on my cars.
Posted on: 7/12/2010 12:46 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9859793

RE: Do you get offended when someone calls your RC
i say the only difference between men and boys are the price of their toys. Friends I know are into real cars and i still call those toys as well.
Posted on: 7/12/2010 12:43 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9859785

RE: New slash body coming soon, A few suggestions?,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pWNgDn6rGI&feature=PlayList&p=6EFC1586EAA7BEDB&playnext_from=PL&index=7&playnext=6
Posted on: 7/8/2010 4:27 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9852596

RE: The Official Traxxas Slash short-course race truck
I have yet to tear out a part on my slash im no fan boy either i have losi and i have had tamiya(rough rider). i ran the slash head on into the curb missing where i was needing to go i always expect to see a torn A arm. upgrading to aluminum is not always a good thing like mentioned in previous post it bends so you have to replace it anyhow but much more expensive to do so. i can scarcely say anything i have bought was junk mind you i may not have liked a feature or design in a car but junk hardly! what exactly did you break on it and what were you doing leading up to the crash. also get a blitz SC10 or any of the other flavors of Short Course truck and see if it doesn't have plastic on it. to be honest i bash pretty hard sometimes and haven't broken parts like some of the guys. breaking a part heading into a curb isnt exactly the cars fault. ive seen videos of cars being launched 30 feet and surviving or breaking in both cases didnt make the car a better model or not a better model. RC CARS BREAK simple as that if you are bashing racing etc and you hit it with enough force it will break. now if you are just taking it out for its first spin and something falls off that is the fault of the manufacturer. often enough you will find your own full scale automobile is more fragile than most rc cars all with plastic. at the smaller scale the plastic is more resilient than the metal and its cheaper. try replacing all the plastic parts with metal see how much it costs. i would rather replace a 8 dollar A arm than a 40 dollar A arm. the asinine part was the comment about how your "brushless" tamiya was faster than the brushed slash well DUHHHHHH. bet if they upgraded to brushless they would out pace your tamiya and actually have the transmission not tear itself out after a while. unless you made an upgrade your gears will do so after some hard runs. also the whole transmission set of gears are nylon if it was the same as my rough rider.
Posted on: 7/6/2010 1:33 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9847876

RE: I need to stop staying up late at night!
i'd also suggest a cage around the prop for two reasons 1st being the most important is for safety the 2nd being in case you turn it over so you wont lose a prop. other than that its pretty cool.
Posted on: 7/5/2010 7:33 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9846512

RE: Weed eater
ive converted acouple of engines. i liked the experience it was fun never got them on an airplane but i liked running them on test stands. on putting them on airplanes i never got time to get around to that. there are a lot of things you can do if you know more about engines to work more power out of those engines.
Posted on: 7/3/2010 12:35 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9842376

RE: The Official Traxxas Slash short-course race truck
[quote]ORIGINAL: AE RC10 GUYS! I NEED HELP!!!!!!!! what is the best gearing for a traxxas bandit for racing!!!! PLEASE WRITE BACK AND YOU WILL BE WELL APRECIATED! [/quote] why didnt you post this as a seperate post? this thread is for slash, might be more helpful if you post your own thread with a bandit question over posting in this thread. ps hope my tone doesnt come off hateful wasnt my intent just trying to say it is more beneficial for something like your topic to post a new thread. bandits a whole different animal than the slash.
Posted on: 7/2/2010 10:44 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9840416

RE: What would you do (RCU Marketplace question)
when i buy used stuff i give good feed back if not DOA otherwise i wouldnt expect a refund after 10 days or so after fiddling with it. this guy shouldn't expect his money back either.
Posted on: 7/2/2010 10:35 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9840398

RE: Stickers that come with the 325 Blades?
you can put those on the blade tips to atleast where it helps with blade tracking most i have seen wrap them around the blade on the tips
Posted on: 6/25/2010 4:08 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "T-Rex heli"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9826618

RE: SPAD
i have the short wing kit from spadflyer its a fun airplane and you can put a supertiger 51 on it for cheap. I use a 12.25x3.75 on one of the old ST 45 italian made engines. on the supertiger 51 its a screamer.
Posted on: 6/17/2010 5:52 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "S.P.A.D. Aircraft - Coroplast design"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9809809

RE: *** Ultra Sport Brotherhood ***
[quote]ORIGINAL: Navy18 Quick question... what is the largest 4stroker placed on an UltraSport60? [/quote] i have a YS 110 sitting in the waiting i am going to try.
Posted on: 5/24/2010 9:19 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9756860

RE: *** Ultra Sport Brotherhood ***
can i be number 54? I have a kit I want to build soon. I flew a 40+ and was told the original flew even better. cant wait to get it built putting retracts in it. this will be my first plane with retracts.
Posted on: 5/13/2010 10:05 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9732295

RE: Life without CA
i bought the little jar of spring clamps at harbor freight they are useful for glue ups like that and i have a big bag of wooden clothes pin too.
Posted on: 4/12/2010 1:36 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9655499

RE: seagull models yak 54 .60-.90
i want to clarify part of the confusion on the CG is where you obtain the measurement the instructions were not clear whether you balance at the wing root or wing tip.
Posted on: 3/26/2010 7:52 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9614729

RE: What is scratch building?
im sorry if i have to cut my own parts its building from scratch regardless. I'll continue to call it scratch building. Its semantics just like Cache i still pronounce cash. oh well my airplane my rules :D
Posted on: 3/26/2010 7:47 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9614722

RE: unusual servo connectors
[quote]ORIGINAL: LesUyeda The connector shown is ''Deans''. Les [/quote] WOW really? http://www.wsdeans.com/products/plugs/micro_plug.html not likely. to the original poster you might post something about this in the futaba support forums. you might find that the wires wont just connect to a modern radio because servos typically have a 3 wire configured with + - and signal. airtronics up till recently had the signal wire in a different position than other manufacturers. make sure you know the wire positions before attempting to plug it into a modern radio. not sure if futaba has always had the same locations for its wires ie + - and signal. might dig around for some information there. i know the plugs were different but not sure what wiring differences but here is a FAQ from futabas website; [quote]What is the difference between a "G" or "J" connector? What about other brands of servos? Can I use them with my Futaba system? Most older Futaba radio systems use a "G" plug. It's called a G plug because, well, it looks kind of like a G, with a 90 degree hook at the exposed metal pins. These were replaced with J plugs in roughly 1991. The J plugs are just a straight down plug which has a small key on one end to keep you from accidentally plugging in your servos backward. This is an important safety feature unique to Futaba, as plugging in a servo backwards may do damage not only to the servo but also potentially to the receiver. Many other manufacturers now also use a very similar plug, but without the safety tab. Hobbico's U (universal connector), JR's, Hitec's S, and Airtronics Z plugs are all compatible for use in Futaba radios. Futaba J servos are likewise compatible with all these other brands of receiver IF you shave off the safety key.[/quote]
Posted on: 3/25/2010 1:06 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9610982

RE: seagull models yak 54 .60-.90
the 61 size had an misprint with the balance point if i remember correctly. look on the arf forum for the seagull yak 60 in whice i was a poster someone mentioned it not being right in the manual. still havent flown mine hope to this year
Posted on: 3/21/2010 12:28 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9598825

RE: UltraSport 40 Plus ?
loved mine only two things i didnt like were the 2 piece firewall ( split it when i brought the nose too far forward ) and the cowl which split not long after i built the plane. if i had to do the plus over again i would went with a wood cowl and fabricated a single piece firewall. i did rebuild the firewall and flew it for a while. had a saito 72 with a 13 inch prop it was nice. not a serious 3d plane by any means but a decent enough sport plane. i bought the ultrasport 60 when it came out.
Posted on: 3/21/2010 12:12 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9598789

RE: Work Bench Finish???
on a wood top workbench you can use just paste finish wax or boiled linseed oil. I am a hobbyist woodworker and I am designing a woodworkers bench will finish with paste finishing wax on the top since i will need to dress the surface flat from time to time.
Posted on: 2/3/2010 1:15 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Tips & Techniques"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9473282

RE: Novus & walkera
when the novus helis came out i had always seen the walkeras and they look identical and even the tx looks the same.
Posted on: 12/3/2009 1:54 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9300669

RE: For all you Oklahoma Sooner fans.............
you have those upside down!
Posted on: 12/2/2009 3:27 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9298010

RE: Titebond Glue
I have built with it for a while now. I think you will like it just fine. I started with CA and due to issues with using CA I switched to titebond. Built a dynaflight chipmunk almost entirely from titebond.
Posted on: 12/1/2009 10:03 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Tips & Techniques"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9294477

RE: Can you heat and bend Carbon Fiber gear????
no you cannot heat and bend carbon fiber parts. all carbon fiber is carbon weave penetrated with epoxy. think of it as fiberglass essentially ( carbon weave is stronger of course). the only way to get more ground clearance is to buy another set of landing gear to get up higher.
Posted on: 11/30/2009 4:28 PM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9292637

RE: Kit Building Cool Tools
i use just a plain razor saw but a friend of mine built this project for fun(wind mill) using a [link=http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42307]HF Cutoff saw[/link]. it looks like a miter saw but really small. here soon someone is going to post the 300 dollar micro table saw and all i have to say to that is its rubbish, not because i think its junk its not but spending 300 on a micro ts is not worth the money. at that point get a real table saw and a razor saw.
Posted on: 11/18/2009 10:33 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9262601

RE: maple or spruce?
the way i can tell maple apart is what i refer to as ray flecks they are small(minuscule) compared to oak. on the face grain one of the adjacent faces will have a little showing of the ray flecks. they are straight and run with the grain. as a hobby i woodwork and only have access to oak maple walnut pine and poplar for that hobby. I haven't ran into any that would use maple for spar material, not saying there isn't just none that I have seen. for the planes I have built i was fine with spruce or basswood for a spar. carbon fiber is nice but too expensive for the airplanes i would build since i build mostly sport airplanes.
Posted on: 11/13/2009 11:45 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9250939

RE: Why Clip the Wing???
i tend to like the idea of experimenting with four stars and goldberg tigers. if you have flown one already and want to play with the next build you can do that. thats what makes kits so much better to me. the ability to experiment from the ground up. clip dont clip change what you wish or dont. thats the best part of kits. what makes certain kits so great is an ability to be a base platform for that experimentation like the four star and tigers. would like to see a tiger 2 with a v tail and clipped wing. :)
Posted on: 11/10/2009 12:32 AM by Author "carlosponti" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9242369