Tim Donald

Thanks Jon. Yes - I'm finding similar problems with lots of modern kits these days. It's like nobody has ever built one and tried to sort out the problems before bringing them to the market. Anyway - the Bolero looks a pain to modify and I have been speaking to another Bolero / Saito82 owner who said that he kept the tank in the original position but the Saito comes factory set very rich on the low needle. He had to lean his quite a lot. I'm going to try that first but if I can't get it running to a reasonable standard the tank will have to move.

Thanks Jon, I appreciate you looking for me, even if it's not what I wanted to hear ! I will have a look and see how easy it would be to lower the tank. It's already taken me longer to sort out that plane then building one from scratch would have taken so a few more hours won't hurt. I'm suprised they haven't done something about it as the model has been around for years (previously the Bossanova). I might ask other Bolero owners what they have done about it. I did notice that after the first run (which went ok) the engine had flooded. I wasn't sure if that was due to siphoning or the engine being upside down. It needed the plug removing before it would re-start.

I'm having a problem with a new Saito FA82 idling whilst inverted. I did the recommended run in on a test bench with the engine the right way up. I didn't notice any idle problems but I was controlling the throttle with a pushrod by hand so didn't really do much idling. I have now mounted the motor in a Ripmax Bolero which requires it to be inverted. I am trying to set up the throttle linkage but the engine cuts out after a few seconds at tickover. I have set the high speed needle to slightly below max rpm and it runs fine from mid to full throttle. My guess is that I need to adjust the low speed needle but I'm new to 4 strokes. The procedure in the manual is a bit vague and talks about setting 2000rpm and increasing the throttle to look for a delay in pickup to set the low needle valve but without it idling I can't do that. Is there a better way to set the low speed needle or any ideas what might cause the problem? Fuel tank height is maybe slightly high but I know lots of people do run this setup without problems.

I had an original back in the day (40 size). I was fairly new to flying power at the time and flew in front of the sun. Ended up going in vertically at full speed and that was that for the plane and the engine 😂. I'm hoping this one lasts a bit longer !

I'm building a Mirus 40 that Nick Reeves is now producing. I used to have an original back in the day. Just wondering what is the biggest size IC engine anybody has tried in one of these? Since .40 size is not really a thing anymore I was thinking about putting a .46 in but the OS Max .55AX is only slightly heavier. Has anybody tried that? Wondering if it will balance ok and if there is any performance gain?

Thanks Andy, very nice - I might have to make something similar.

Thanks, might be a bit overkill for my needs but interesting none the less.

Just googled that - great idea, thanks !

Can anybody recommend a decent C of G balance that doesn't cost the earth? Needs to work with a wide variety of models from 70" IC acro planes to EDF's and gliders (and be more accurate then my current finger and thumb 'that'll do' system 😂)

I have got a couple of Futaba R3106GF receivers that have only got one aerial. 2.4ghz and T-FHSS but without telemetry and branded as AirMono. I bought them as an experiment to see how they perform since they are almost half the price of any Futaba receivers with dual antenna. So far I they have been floorless in both power models and slope soarers. I have chosen models that are not very precious to me just in case !!! It makes me wonder how much marketing hype there is with radios these days. Sure if you have a very expensive model you want the best of the best but for an every day club flyer I'm not 100% convinced that it is necessary. The only times I have seen problems personally with 2.4ghz has been when the antenna has been heavily shielded by carbon such as in a DLG fuselage. Maybe I have just been lucky 😂

Thanks Peter, I'm going to try and repair mine but good to know about these for future. I'm not sure Hobbyking will send to the uk any more.

I've been looking at one of these too. I was originally looking at the machine mart ones but I like the 3 year guarantee on the Axminster ones (the others seem to just be a year). I've not tried one myself so can't comment on what they are like.

Sent you a pm Jason.

Hi Jason, you were right - there is some delamination on the shoulder of the undercarriage - just at the front. Pic attached. Do you think I could flex it so that it opens a bit then fill it with thin CA? I don't think I would be able to get much epoxy in as the gap is so small. I could also fibreglass bandage the shoulders and top of the flat bit if the CA didn't seem strong enough. To be honest - I'm not bothered what it looks like, just want it functional and strong so that I can fly it.

Thanks Jason, that is very kind of you. I will take it off and check it for delamination tonight. I was half thinking about fibre glassing over it as I've done quite a bit of that over the years but not got much experience with carbon. I would rather sacrifice a bit of weight for extra strength.

I have a Pilot-RC Laser 67" which has a fixed carbon undercarriage. I have noticed that one of the legs flexes substantially more then the other. If I gently push down on the fuselage it tilts quite a lot to the side of the weaker leg. I have gone over it with a fine tooth combe but can't see any signs of damage or cracks so I'm not sure if it has always been like it or if it does have damage that can't be seen. The plane has only flown a few times and never crashed but I've always had problems with the landings - it has been very difficult to get a clean landing without bouncing - something I don't have a problem with on any other models of a similar style. I'm wondering if the undercarriage may be causing me the problems. Anyway - just wondering if anybody has had similar problems, if I can stiffen up the weak side somehow (fibreglass ?) or if anybody can recommend a decent replacement that doesn't cost the earth. Thanks.

Excellent, thanks Jon. I've got all sorts of two stroke oil for mowers / strimmers so will use some of that. I checked the tank height in the plane and it seems ok but will mount the engine on a test rig now until the problems are sorted. I also watched a youtube video and it said that on the TT .46 engine the idle screw has to be set almost fully in for some reason. Strange though because I had a few flights ok before the problems and did not change the idle screw. Could be the plug too I guess so will try a new one.

Thanks Nigel. I had the local engine wizz at my club look at it but the idle needle never seems quite right so just cleaning the carb in case that is the cause. The engine does run enough to fly with but something stops it idling consistently.

I think it can but I have not done it myself. I checked the book and the ratchet mechanism needs to be physically moved to the other stick. It claims this needs to be done by a Futaba service centre but they always say that and you can probably do it yourself fairly easily. I think I took the ratchet out of mine because I use it to fly helicopters but it was a few years ago. From memory you need to take the back off and unscrew a small metal ratchet plate and move it over. You can then go to the software to re-calibrate the sticks.

I have just stripped down the carb on a Thunder Tiger Pro .46 that was having trouble with idle. It is an engine that I got second hand and I think has been left for quite a long time without use (it's not been run much from new). It's also something I wanted to do as a learning experience with an engine that I'm not too precious about. The carb had a bit of gunk but was not too bad so I am re-assembling and was wondering if I need to oil the parts and if so with what sort of oil? I have 3-in-one, WD40, engine oil and glow fuel with synthetic readily available to hand. I will probably go on to take the main engine apart and check / clean once I get hold of a puller to remove the drive washer collet. Any tips for that would be appreciated too ! Thanks.

Thanks Engine Doctor, 3mm now installed. I must say the Bolero so far has been disappointing. Shipped with snapped servo tray / former just glued back together, very poorly fitting canopy / hatch (big gap at the back where they meet but are made at different angles). It's taken me longer to assemble and sort out the problems then building a kit would have done. Also lots of mods needed to use a 4 stroke as no provision for throttle / servo on the opposite side etc. Hope it flys well to make up for the effort.

Great advise and help as always on here. Thanks everyone. I've now fitted it with the 3mm bolts that I had and I think it will be fine. I will keep an eye on it anyway just in case. Good to know about the 6UNC size being so similar to M3.5 for future reference.

Thanks John / Denis. Yes the M4 for the mount to bulkhead is fine. OK I will try to get some M3.5 - they don't seem very common though - most places seem to only have M3 and M4. Thanks for your help.

OK Thanks John I won't drill the lugs. Do you think the M3 that I have would be ok? It would save me faffing around ordering stuff. A bit annoying that Ripmax supply the wrong bolts in the mounting pack - you wonder who designs these things.

I'm assembling a Ripmax Bolero and have the Ripmax IC installation pack but the supplied bolts for engine mounting are M4. I am using a Saito 82 and the maximum size of bolt that would fit through the lugs is 3.5mm (same on the recommended OS 55Ax). I have some M3 nuts / bolts but they seem quite thin compared to the supplied M4. Will M3 stainless steel hex cap bolts be strong enough for the Saito? Otherwise I could drill out the lugs on the engine for M4 but don't want to do that in case it weakens it. I could source some M3.5 bolts / nuts but I can't understand why Ripmax would supply bolts that don't fit the engine that they recommend? Am I missing something? Thanks for any help !