Another new one

[Warren Leadbeatter]

Well this ones almost done... I'm waiting on some more Solarfilm to arrive so I can finish it off so it's just sitting waiting on the lounge room floor hangar at the moment.  I'm pretty happy with it and the way it's turned out... I'm also waiting for a Smoke Tank to arrive by Airmail so I can do some smokin'. Can't wait to fly it.

Brodak 38 Special Kit
Designed by Tom Dixon
Wingspan 38"
Engine: Thunder Tiger GP40 ABC
Prop: Hawk 10x6

Just thought I'd share...

[Keith Spriggs]

That picture makes me want to cry. I have a 38 Spesial  kit waiting to get built when I get another project (steam engine) done.

The reason I want to cry is I already know mine is not going to look that good.

[john e. holliday]

Warren the 38 Special looks great to me.  I have one that I have been flying that is finally equipped with an OS 35FP.  I fly it on 60 foot .015 lines with a Zinger 11-5 prop.  Started out with Fox 35 Stunt and Top Flite 10-6 power point.  It was hit or miss with the Fox, but, with the OS and 3.5 ounce tank flies the pattern with ease.  Keep us posted on how yours flies.  DOC Holliday

[minnesotamodeler]

I sure hope for your sake one of those wings comes off, otherwise finishing that film is gonna be a toughie!

Verrrrry nice looking bipe.

--Ray

[Warren Leadbeatter]

Hi Ray,

Yes the top wing hasnt been glued on yet, it's just sitting there.  Funny you mention that actually, the other night a friend came over and admired it, then said, I don't mean to criticise but does that top wing look crooked to you. I laughed and took the top wing off and showed him why it wasn't glued there yet.

Does anyone know what a Thunder Tiger GP40 goes like?  I bought this engine for about $30 on eBay NIB. I convereted it to CL using a Super Tigre NVA and a nylon venturi. I haven't even run it yet.

Cheers

[Warren Leadbeatter]

OK guys the Solarfim arrived so here it is readt to fly.  Just have to run the engine in first.  I might also add that I received some Red Solarfilm in the same shipment and boy, is there a big difference in weight between the transparent Red and the Transparent Violet. Initially I thought there must have been 2 rolls of red.   Solarfilm for anyone who hasn't tried it seem to go on much better ie sticks and stretches a lot better, than the recent Monokote that I have used. I think I'm going to try to stick to using Solarfim now.

Enjoy...

[Richard Grogan]

Very NICE Warren! You out-did yourself this time!!

[JB Ford]

hope you have a head gasket or two for the GP-40.  if it is like mine the compression is very high and it will overheat with anything over a 10" prop if run with the RC carb wide open.  (guess the venturi could help there)

it does seem to be as well made as the FP-40, but maybe timed for higher rev's.

please keep us updated on success of the plane/engine combo.

[Bill Little]

(snip)
Does anyone know what a Thunder Tiger GP40 goes like?  I bought this engine for about $30 on eBay NIB. I convereted it to CL using a Super Tigre NVA and a nylon venturi. I haven't even run it yet.

Cheers

Hi Warren,

It's a beauty!  I saw the first one that Tom built, and they fly surprisingly well!

The TT GP40........ as far as I can remember, they can be just like the OS 40FP in stock trim.  Prone to running away if you're not careful.  Low pitch/high rpm set up should be fine.  AFAIK, the head shims from the OS FP are a swap, so you *might* need one or two extras to tame it down a touch.  Prop it right and it will be plenty for the 38 Special!

Bill <><

[Michael Floerchinger]

Hello Warren,

   Your 38 Special looks great! I built one and had a ball with it. The plane flew extremely well, so much so that I competed in a few contests with it while I was building my P51. I really like the red and white color scheme, seem to fit the plane perfectly. I used a modified Fox 35 with a Hemi head and a stuffer back plate. I used to let it off at about 8200 RPM with a 10x6 and it had that classic Fox 2/4 break that sounded so cool.

Mike

[Warren Leadbeatter]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback.

The TT40 has been fitted with a Nylon venturi and Super Tigre NVA from Stuka Stunt Works.  Thanks for the advice on setting it up. The venturi has a pretty small bore so I'm hoping it won't run too fast. Leonard did ask me what I would be using the engine for before he made the venturi so I'm confident it will be fine. But it's good to know a Fp40 heady will fit if I need to add one.

The Solarfilm looks like a dark red but it's actually called "Transparent Violet". I also got some Transparent Red and there's not much difference between them except as I mentioned earlier the red is much heavier in weight.  The fuselage is painted Cherry Red and the whites strips and stars are stick on trim.

[john e. holliday]

Your 38 special sure looks a lot better than mine.  Solar film was one of the first iron on coverings that I used.  Did not have sealing iron then.  The old house hold iron melted it in a couple of spots.  Hope your 38 flies as well or better than mine.  DOC Holliday

[Warren Leadbeatter]

Gday Doc,

Yes I used to have that problem too. I got a Monokote iron, but I needed to get a 240v to 110V transformer to run the thing. The transformer is big and cumbersome but it works, and it sure beats using the wife's iron.  I got a 240v heat gun locally, but had to get used to it because then I was burning holes in the film with that.  I'm getting pretty good at it now.

I'm looking forward to taking it on it's maiden flight this weekend.

Cheers

[Warren Leadbeatter]

Hi guys,

Just got back from flying my 38 Special for the first time.  What a beauty!  The TT40 purrs along like a kitten leaving a nice faint smoke plume behind.  After reading Randy Smith's fuel tips posted here yesterday I decided to add some castor to my cheap hobby shop fuel and I'm very happy with the results.  The engine has only been run 4 times and has 2 short flights on it and is working nicely using a 10x6 Hawk Prop. I only got 2 flights in before the wind came up...

See pics

[john e. holliday]

Glad to hear it went well for you.  With more practice and trimming it will blow your mind what a terrific plane that is.  Have fun.  DOC Holliday