RE: Looking for a Source for Coroplast Sheets
I have cultivated friendships with a few local gas stations (buying gas and taking a minute to talk to staff) that have coroplast signs. They let me know when they are going to take them down and throw them away... not a quick source but the price is right. Bob
Posted on: 8/6/2012 11:20 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "S.P.A.D. Aircraft - Coroplast design"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11183001

RE: foam wing
Pretty easy to cut your own foam... if you search youtube with the phrase "cutting foam wings" there may be enough there to get you started. That search also will bring you to a web site my son set up to sell copies of a foam cutting primer that a local hobby shop owner and I did about 10 years back. So if you want more info check out the links from his 8 minute snip. Duplicating the ace wings isn't hard and it leaves you with new skills and abilities that you can use to create all new wing profiles. Bob Furr
Posted on: 6/13/2012 11:55 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11116985

RE: Glow plug life?
Back in the 60's (and internally the cox engines are still in the 60's) Cox wouldn't honor the waranty if you didnt run oil that was all castor and 20%.... so my guess is that you will get more life out of the plug than you will out of the connecting rod/piston ball joint. Do you have a reset tool? You will need it. Castor gets into the ball joint and helps... synthetic keeps the engine cleaner but doesn't do a very good job of protecting it from wear.
Posted on: 5/16/2012 10:55 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11083164

RE: Ace Foam Wings
I have built combat style models using the constant cord wings for CL. Because they have a lifting airfoil they will turn much better inside loops than outside but if you allow for about twice as much down elevator as up you should be able to fly them. They make a fun sport model if you stick to inside loops. If you want to you can even use the tapered wings to make simi-scale profile WWII models but will probably want something like the Norvel 061 for power if you use them full length.
Posted on: 4/24/2012 5:04 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11055367

RE: Found a couple of old kits....
Well... I built both when I was about 16. That would have been 42 years ago. Use a little fiberglass tape when you install the firewall and wrap it from about top midwing over the firewall to bottom midwing and the nose should stay together even in your worst landings. And the bellcrank issue was one that caused problems for both planes so work hard to make sure that is free and cannot hang up.
Posted on: 3/27/2012 7:56 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11017879

RE: 1960 Fox Combat Special: Orig. Box, Manual & Even A Service Bulletin!
DONT OPEN THE ENGINE! Parts like gaskets are not easily available so opening up the engine only guarantees that you will not be able to put it back together correctly. Instead bolt a prop to the motor and put it in a preheated oven at 200 (no more than that). The heat will loosen the hardened castor oil enough so that while hot you can turn it over. Then you can put a few drops if 3 in 1 oil in the exaust and intake to keep it free. DONT force the motor over if the heat doesnt loosen the engine up as that can bend internal parts. Bob
Posted on: 3/12/2012 10:40 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10997076

RE: No more Youtube, engine videos
The comment about not watching porn reminded me... the folks that run porn sites for a living work really hard to avoid giving anyone a virus... they are in it to make money and dont want anything to chase away a customer.
Posted on: 3/10/2012 10:08 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10995011

RE: 1960 Fox Combat Special: Orig. Box, Manual & Even A Service Bulletin!
On ebay with the box and lightly used these sometimes sell for $60 to $120. If the engine shows signs of hard use broken head fins, bent needle valve, drilled out or broken motor mounts they can go for as little as $20 without the box. So if you want a fair price for it take good pictures and post it to ebay. Bob
Posted on: 3/10/2012 10:06 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10995009

RE: Found a couple of old kits....
Great flying with a strong black widdow or golden bee style engine. A little weak in the nose. I have a couple of the molded wings but no kits. You do have to be careful to build them so that the controls do not hang up as there is no nice way to cut into that foam wing once the two pieces are glued together. They are not quite collectable yet but are not something commonly available either. The should sell well on ebay if you choose to do that. They were just about the last planes manufactured by American Jr in the early 60's. These are the same folks that really introduced control line in the 1940's. Bob
Posted on: 3/10/2012 12:40 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10994370

RE: TA-152 foam build
Do a google search on foam wing cutting. There is a lot available there. If that isnt enough my son sells a video I did on cutting foam thru his website (you will come across it when you view the 8 minute segment posted for free). It isnt difficult but will take some practice. How much experience do you have with RC and model building in general?
Posted on: 2/24/2012 1:52 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "S.P.A.D. Aircraft - Coroplast design"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10974223

RE: Cox 8cc aluminum tanks for .049 engine now available
Yea! Thank you for making these available again. And I am perfectly happy that this is without the stunt venting as I can make this work just fine for most models. Thanks again! Bob Furr
Posted on: 12/13/2011 11:05 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10857619

RE: OK .074 recommendation
APC makes a special prop for .15 size combat that is 6.5X4.5. You might give that one a try. The OK isnt a stump puller... more like a Cox reed engine that can turn larger props.
Posted on: 11/21/2011 8:10 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10823208

RE: Cox Texaco Jr
Texaco is an event where you try and get the most time out of the least amount of fuel. So the engines were set up to run large props slowly. This engine is set up to run slowly and modifying it to run fast will take replacing or changing many things. If you want an engine that runs fast you really do need another 049.
Posted on: 9/26/2011 4:38 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10734391

RE: Control Line Build?
Laughing... some of the good ones visit here.
Posted on: 8/20/2011 7:38 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10678642

RE: Control Line Build?
Most CL activity is over on Stuka Stunt or one of the other specialized forums... just too few of us checking in here to make it likely that we would post a build thread here. Bob
Posted on: 8/20/2011 7:08 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10678621

RE: Tufstrand
Check the AMA site. I believe they require the same diameter as steel. That does nothing to reduce drag but gives you about 5X the strength! Of course that assumes you tie the correct knot. A bad knot reduces the line strength by 50% or more. Again all this is on the AMA website. Bob
Posted on: 8/14/2011 8:12 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10671042

RE: Tufstrand
I really dislike tufstrand. It tends to turn flat side into the wind. That suddenly increases the drag and unless the lead out guide is waaaaaay back that causes the plane to turn inward. With AMA making spectra fishing line legal for sport flying I dont see any reason someone would use tufstrand for anything other than reinforcing material. Bob
Posted on: 8/14/2011 7:51 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10671013

RE: Brodak Baby Clown ARF Landing Gear
Took a look at mine... the landing gear on the current version is plug in. There is a slot on the bottom of the fuselage that it fits into. If you need to you can use a drop of CA to hold it in place. Mine was a tight press fit. Bob
Posted on: 8/9/2011 4:12 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10662275

RE: 1/2 A electric
Pink foam is at least 4 pounds per cubic feet maybe more... like building with solid balsa and way heavy. Have new cores cut with white beaded foam if you must use a foam wing, that is 1 or at most 2 pounds per cubic feet. Foam works well with larger wings where you can core them but other than for racing I wouldnt use them on a wing of less than 400 sq inches and then only by coring out as much foam as I could. Bob
Posted on: 8/7/2011 6:42 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10659309

RE: Brodak Baby Clown ARF Landing Gear
Is this the current version that is a full profile for beam mounted engines or the older one that is for firewall mounted engines? Bob
Posted on: 8/7/2011 6:34 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10659299

Fun fly at Strategic Air and Space Museum in Nebraska
Here is an opportunity to visit a world class air and space museum for free. If you are an AMA member we welcome you to come fly with us on August 6 at the Strategic Air and Space Museum on I80 about 25 miles west of Omaha. This museum houses nearly every aircraft that SAC flew during the cold war and many WWII bombers. It is amazing seeing aircraft in multiple hangers large enough to display planes like the B36 and B29. Flyers will be "encouraged" to go into the museum to take breaks from the heat and to use the "facilities". This is a combination fun fly and learn to fly event so about half the time we will be teaching kids from 8 to 80 how to fly control line. The flying will be on the very large RV lot near the entrance to the museum. Come join us for a day of fun. Any type of CL plane is welcome but all flying is off a paved surface so flying without landing gear is at your own risk. Bob Furr PS If you are a photographer make sure to bring your camera.
Posted on: 7/25/2011 9:18 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10639067

RE: 049 or 051 engine
About that time Cox was assembling engines from parts boxes where they really were not very careful with what they used. It sounds like they used some late production run 051 parts in some "product" engines. Enjoy your good fortune and if you decide to part with one or two drop me a line. Bob
Posted on: 7/24/2011 11:23 AM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10636482

RE: Cox .049 Fuel Nipple Extender for production backplates
Bernie thanks for continuing to be innovative and for providing Cox "stuff" for us to enjoy.
Posted on: 7/19/2011 5:06 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10629312

RE: Still any interest?
Those are the 4 strokes correct? Assuming they are in good to excellent condition and in running order they are worth maybe $100 each on ebay. That said sight unseen and not knowing for sure what real condition they are in I would tend to bid low myself (about $30-40 each) and probably get outbid. They are great little engines. Bob
Posted on: 7/5/2011 9:22 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10607952

RE: Another 'What Is It
Only one more piece of advice from me... run the engine rich not full out lean. McCoy engines were made from rather mild steel and it was easy to overheat them and at a minimum wreck a head gasket... at worst it might damage the fit of the parts. Also the engine wasnt designed to start with a electric starter so put on a heavy glove and hand flip the prop. Bob
Posted on: 5/28/2011 2:27 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10545306

RE: Plane wash
Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Learned this from a combat flyer who flew with Fox engines that all liked high castor fuel. The alcohol liquifies the oil residue and you just wipe it off. Works great. Bob
Posted on: 5/12/2011 7:41 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10516794

RE: Help Identifying Cox Engines and Parts
Google up cox international they are a Canadian based company that now own the production rights to these engines. You may have some problems with getting the gaskets and such that you need because these engines were redesigned with a new backplate and tank arrangement about 20 years ago... If that is what you find out communicating with them I would suggest that you put the parts on Ebay and buy current production engines from them that are assembled and ready to run. I know that wouldnt honor your dad as much but I suspect he would simply be delighted that you are flying model planes again. Bob Furr
Posted on: 5/5/2011 5:31 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10503829

RE: Cox 4.5 x 4 Competition Props now available for .049 engines
Cool! The yellow props remind me of the old Grish props that were so good for things like 1/2A combat or even just teaching kids to fly. I will talk to a few guys in my club about getting an order together. Bob
Posted on: 4/21/2011 7:24 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10477484

RE: Help with Sig 1/2A Skyray
Dont know what you are using for a motor but if it is a Cox with the tank attached the plane balances... and you dont really need to do more than make sure the nose drops when you put two fingers under the wing 3/4" back from the leading edge. CL 1/2A planes tend to fly better with the CG a little further forward than you may expect. The only time I have seen a skyray not balance was when someone locally changed the fuse over to a beam mounted engine resulting in the TD being back about an inch and a half from where it would be if firewall mounted. Bob
Posted on: 4/7/2011 2:10 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum "Control Lines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10449495

RE: COX Wrenches
Be careful with the forked end... I have put little burrs on more engnes using that.... and bought more cox parts to replace those that I damaged than I want to admit.... Bob
Posted on: 3/13/2011 1:45 PM by Author "icerinkdad" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10397472