RE: towerhobbies alternative?
it is certainly some affiliation with tower, the exact pages show up, the inventory is the exact same also. No idea why they run two sites like that, anyone else have any insight? (two things I wanted, one was out until mid april, one is early may, on both sites) coupon codes are similar, not the same. omni has free shipping if over $100. Both ship from the same warehouses. I put together identical orders on both, and ended up being $3 cheaper on omni. (I was over $150, so I could use the $15 off at tower, but pay $7.99 shipping)
Posted on: 4/11/2006 2:35 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4152441

RE: towerhobbies alternative?
yes I do, and they are the exact same price for what i'm looking for now unfortunately, thanks!!
Posted on: 4/11/2006 2:09 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4152355

towerhobbies alternative?
Does anyone have the site url for the towerhobbies alternative site? Used to have it and lost my old bookmarks. It is the one that is nearly identical to tower hobbies in design and info, probably owned by the same company, but has somewhat lower prices on some things...
Posted on: 4/11/2006 1:38 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4152264

RE: Official St-15 thread!
[quote]ORIGINAL: ryan_t888 Edit: Sweet, how fast is it? Have you ever used the TH 2 speed tranny with the .18. I posted question about it a few post above, if you have. Ryan [/quote] i have the two speed with a os .18cvrx in mine. i had it on the gps earlier when the engine was still barely out of breakin and it was mid 50's (52 or 53 IIRC).
Posted on: 3/1/2006 6:30 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Nitro Stadium Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3978027

RE: Our new 40 foot blimp test flight pics
[quote]ORIGINAL: Dr1Driver Very cool! What size engines does it use? I'm assuming 3 channels. Throttle, elevator, rudder. Dr.1 [/quote] just from the pic it looks like it uses a couple more channels then that... I'm guessing 5 channels mixed via a computer radio. the 4 tail surfaces are most likely independent, since they would have to be mixed for elevator/rudder. add 1 more for throttle. (might be 6/7 though, hard to tell if the motors rotate or not, if they do it isn't much, the fuel line wouldn't have a very long life!)
Posted on: 2/28/2006 7:16 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Unusual R/C"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3973587

RE: Make your own fule
wow, didn't realize there were that many people so scared of handling mildly dangerous chemicals! it isn't that hard, it will NOT kill your engine, and if you use common sense it isn't any more dangerous then any other flammable liquid. glow fuel is not some top secret mix that is made from magic. it is 1) methanol, 2) nitromethane, 3) oil, best to have both a mix of a little castor and then synthetic. (maybe a 80/20 oil split) the ratios are no big secret. 10-30% nitro, 15-22% oil, the rest methanol. (adjust to your own personal taste, especially on oil. i usually run high nitro w/high oil. great power, lots of oil for lubrication, but the engines tend to make a big slimey mess with it) If you burn more then 15 gallons or so per year you will save money. (if you don't go through that much fuel don't even consider it, you will NOT be able to save money at all)
Posted on: 2/28/2006 7:07 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3973553

RE: diesel convertions
why? especially for a ground vehicle. fuel is just as expensive or more so unless you can get it locally. rpm is lower, torque is higher. overall HP is also usually lower. they work fairly well for a plane where lower rpm and higher torque are advantages, but for a ground vehicle it can just make gearing a pain. you are also going to have to replace fuel tubing and seals on the tank, possibly the tank itself.
Posted on: 2/28/2006 6:56 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Car Nitro & Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3973522

RE: Are you impessed with your Tower engines?
my first tower .46 cracked the piston after maybe 3 or 4 runs, still in breakin. after sending it back to tower, they replaced it, but said it was NOT a manufacturing defect but would replace it anyway. (not really sure how I could have caused that type of a fracture if I tried, but oh well...) anyway, tower #2 was nearly impossible to tune, and once it was tuned it wouldn't hold it for more then about 2 minutes. I had this in my airboat, i became a very good swimmer because of that tower engine!
Posted on: 2/28/2006 6:54 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3973511

RE: Stupid question
[quote]ORIGINAL: J_D all that damage without load its bull crap... when i do jumps with mine you have to give it heaps of throttle to get it to back flip in the air... no dramas [/quote] wait until your rod breaks.. running the engine above its specified rpm DOES stress the engine. it usually isn't one of those things that is all of a sudden, it is cumulative over time. one run out your engine suddently just quits if you are lucky, or has a hole punched out the side if you aren't.
Posted on: 2/20/2006 10:29 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Car Nitro & Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3935311

RE: Official St-15 thread!
how much did you have to play with the spring rates and shock oil to get it to ride correctly?
Posted on: 2/20/2006 10:19 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Nitro Stadium Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3935271

RE: MRC Super Brain 959 any good?
i've got a 959 which i don't trust anymore it WILL fry some battery packs for you, i've had some too hot to touch.
Posted on: 2/20/2006 10:15 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3935251

RE: .21 pipe on .46 engine
[quote]ORIGINAL: cyclops2 Is there a good reason why the tuned pipe can not be bent, within reason, to fit under the body? I remember seeing some bents years ago. [/quote] full size 2c motorocycles/atv's often use all kinds of funky bent shaped tuned pipes. pressure is pressure, although you will get some pulse reflection off the sides, it still is mostly the same effect. but, you need a pipe MEANT for that, you won't be able to take a normal tuned pipe and bend it.
Posted on: 2/16/2006 5:44 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Car Nitro & Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3920129

RE: Saran wrapped reciver
balloons work great, just make sure to change the balloon occassionally. fuel residue/exhaust attacks the latex and it makes an ugly sticky mess that is hard to clean up. the coloring in the balloon ends up working like a fairly good dye on your hands also. (hint, if you can find any unlubricated polyurathane condoms, they won't be attacked by the fuel and do not have any dyes to run. of course you have to deal with driving around with a condom hanging on your vehicle...)
Posted on: 2/14/2006 6:39 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3911852

RE: shims in engine
[quote]head shims have nothing to do with timing...timing is all in the crank yes it would increase compression but if there is not enough clearance it will be a fatal move [/quote] umm, NOOOOO! lots of things regulate timing. think of it this way, your crank sets the timing, while plug temp and shims adjust the timing. you contradicted yourself there also, if you increase compression you also effectively increase timing, no way around that fact, it is a law of physics. Fuel that is compressed more ignites easier, and sooner. or in the case of a true diesel compression itself is what ignites the fuel. also, i seriously doubt there is any engine on the market that could be damaged due to lack of clearance from removing a shim. if tolerances are that tight already you have other issues to deal with. every engine i own will spin over fine with no shims in, although they may not actually run that way.
Posted on: 2/14/2006 6:36 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Nitro Stadium Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3911829

RE: .21 pipe on .46 engine
[quote]ORIGINAL: Wide Open now i see why you need a long pipe but how do you fit something like that on your car? [/quote] not supposed to, the ones i linked to are for boats and planes/heli's. if you have a .46 in a ground vehicle you either have plenty of space to mount it already or have waaaaayyy too much power to be concerned about a tuned pipe.
Posted on: 2/14/2006 6:30 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Car Nitro & Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3911811

RE: When you CAN'T use a pilot's station for takeoff...!
someone else mentioned it, but i've had it happen to me personally. (i was the guy landing) just because someone doesn't think they are going to land doesn't mean they won't be coming down soon, and some planes glide like rocks... I had my shrike deadstick on me once with someone on the runway, and from deadstick to on the ground is about 5 seconds. they managed to move VERY quickly to get out of the way of a very fast moving shrike, but had i not been sure they had been out of the way i would have been forced to ditch a plane to avoid someone on the runway. personally i would not do that with anyone in the air, beyond that I think it is fine.
Posted on: 2/14/2006 6:27 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "AMA Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3911801

RE: Flying Car??? Can it be done?
I built a hydrofoam about a week after the first copied plans showed up on the internet. it is cool, but unfortunately it flys like a boat... EXTREMELY roll sensitive, the slightest gust will flip it over for you. anyway, nobody mentioned it yet... wing size vs weight. a typical .40 class trainer has about a 60 inch wing span and weighs around 5 pounds, so if you have a car (plus wing weight) close to that you basically could use a trainer wing. keep in mind driving around with a 60 inch wing on top is going to make for a very unstable car. also, without a full tail behind you, you will have absolutely no control or stability.
Posted on: 2/13/2006 12:45 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3904077

RE: shims in engine
[quote]ORIGINAL: zackesch if i do remove one of the shims in my engine, i know it will increse my power but will it do any dammage? [/quote] no it may not increase power and yes it may do damage. shims control timing. remove them and you advance the timing which could give a little more power if you have room to spare, otherwise you will loose power and cause the fuel to ignite before TDC, which can damage the engine. if you do remove a shim drop your nitro percent also, less chance of detonation with lower nitro content.
Posted on: 2/13/2006 12:40 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Nitro Stadium Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3904054

RE: .21 pipe on .46 engine
[quote]ORIGINAL: SManMTB That's completely wrong. The pipe design is directly related to engine size and rpm range. A .21 size pipe will not work at all on a .46 and that's not due to more 'back pressure'. A .21 pipe will be way to short for a lower revving .46 and the exhaust will not be tuned. [/quote] just to go a little further, pipes are designed for the exhaust volume per stroke and the frequency of those pulses (rpm) as sman mentioned it won't even be close when going from a 21 to a 46, double the volume coming out per stroke while probably half as often. effectively the pipe probably needs to be 4x as long. anyway, there ARE tuned pipes for engines that size. they are LOOOONNNGGG! the .46 pipe is 14 inches long, the .60 class pipe is almost 19 inches. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDR46&P=0 http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCC49&P=0
Posted on: 2/13/2006 12:37 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Car Nitro & Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3904046

RE: Which Stinger??
[quote]ORIGINAL: aircraftusfragmentum Put a Evolution 1.0 in mine, got over a hundred flights on it with no problems. [/quote] what size stinger? I've got a 25cc gas on my 120 stinger, and that is certainly not overpowered, i can't imagine going with any less power. also, the 120 needs LOTS of weight up front, you will be adding lead to an already underpowered plane.
Posted on: 2/13/2006 12:31 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3904029

RE: EXPO OR NO EXPO-THAT IS THE QUESTION
at least for 3d, you get to a certain amount of control throw where the plane will be almost unflyable without expo. my ucd36 has an obscene amount of elevator travel, and without 50-60 expo it is very, very tough to fly. the slightest movement sends it off 90 degrees to where it was a second ago.
Posted on: 2/13/2006 12:23 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3904000

RE: breaking in weather
[quote]ORIGINAL: kuhndog599 i guess i'll break the engine in without one. otherwise i'd have to wait another week and a half. [/quote] takes longer then that to rebuild an engine if you have to wait for a new piston/liner...
Posted on: 2/11/2006 1:54 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Nitro Stadium Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3896066

RE: ? on hot and cold plugs
hot plugs increase the timing, which could possible give you more power. cold plugs retard timing, but allow you to run higher nitro and compression ratios. idealy for performance you want to run as hot of a plug as you can up to the point you have problems or pre-ignition.
Posted on: 2/11/2006 1:52 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Car Nitro & Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3896062

RE: what planes to buy before jet
[quote]ORIGINAL: rjm1982 Jet-A is not very expensive and does not require a licence...its called kerosene on the pubic market...its pretty much the same stuff...jet-a is just a little more pure, but not enough to warrent using it.... [/quote] the fuel doesn't, but yes, to fly it with any AMA coverage requires you to be checked out and certified on a high performance prop plane. (my converted weedie engine runs on basically jet fuel. kerosene with a little oil and some octane boost thrown in for good measure) anyway, to the original poster, take the good advice given. don't plane on going to a jet without a couple years experience, and at least $10,000 into the hobby. (counting previous planes and the jet) I would HIGHLY suggest getting some trainer stick time on a high speed prop plane as early as possible, you may find out fast planes aren't nearly as much fun as you would think. (screaming by one way, turn around, rinse and repeat until you are out of gas... I fly an overpowered shrike .40 so I know how that goes!)
Posted on: 2/11/2006 1:49 AM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3896059

RE: machining gears?
[quote]ORIGINAL: zx32tt Nearly all plastic gears are injection molded. Metal gears are cut on special gear cutting machinery. In short, you can buy a ton of gears before you would ever get close to what the machines would cost. Z [/quote] at least in the rc heli world, lots if not all better plastic (delrin) gears are machined, not injection molded... anyway, doesn't change the fact it is going to cost $$$.
Posted on: 2/6/2006 11:19 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3878717

RE: Cna you race with 2ch?
you do NOT need a 3 channel receiver. just get a regular old Y harness and plug that in, couldn't be simpler!
Posted on: 2/6/2006 11:14 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3878697

RE: Want my next plane to be big.
stinger 120 is a very easy plane to fly and is relatively cheap. you can get a converted weedy motor for it for around $200 or less also.
Posted on: 2/6/2006 11:09 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3878671

RE: Tower Hobbies .46 engine
I'm of the exact same opinion as ckangaroo70 . I've had two tower .46's, the first one died a premature death when the entire piston cracked down the side. It hadn't completely come apart, but it wouldn't run reliably so I tore it apart and found the crack. Tower replaced it, although they were nice enough to include a note saying although it wasn't due to a manufacturing defect or anything under their control, they were still fixing it. (this engine had maybe 3 runs on it, was still being broke in) anyway, engine #2 was a horrible @#)(*% to tune. It would seem like once you had it tuned, it would hold it for a couple minutes if even, and then you start from the beginning. (the needles were NOT moving on their own either due to vibration) overall one of the worst engines I've had.
Posted on: 2/6/2006 11:08 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3878664

RE: Aluminum Rims?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Skullbasher No, I don't see the [i]advantages[/i]. The wieght of aluminum rims will just increase the amount of rotating mass. They will slow your truck down, and more than just getting aluminum parts. And plastic rims are strong enough, not to mention a whole lot cheaper. [/quote] don't forget they will increase unsprung weight, which can dramatically make your handling much worse.
Posted on: 2/1/2006 11:50 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "RC Nitro Stadium Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3857222

RE: Diesel conversions
[quote]ORIGINAL: Wide Open anyways, enough about stolen stuff. where do you get diesel for model engines? i cant find anywhere that sells it. do you have to buy pump diesel and mix in oil? [/quote] http://www.davisdieseldevelopment.com/orderform.pdf $20-$25 a gallon.
Posted on: 2/1/2006 11:48 PM by Author "smokingcrater" in the forum "Car Nitro & Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3857219