I'm surprised this has not been kicked to the ARF board.
Check out these old posts and view the ARF Nobler pictures in the photo gallery.
Last ARF Nobler Nobler 1 Revisited
There are tons of other posts on this kit; lots of good info and experiences of others. I doubt the 57 Nobler or other BIY variations ever got as much press as the ARF. I added some photos that may not be included in older posts.
"Is the Nobler ARF that bad in terms of quality and mods needed to make it fly ok?"
I suppose you could get a bad one, but the quality is usually pretty good for the price. I did 4 of these. The two I have are still flyable. Unless they have been crashed, the two I sold should also be in flyable condition.
All 4 kits were bought between July 2002 and January 2003. I haven't examined a fresh production kit, but the ones I did were covered with real Monokote or something close to it. I had no problems with it pealing off at the field. I used high temps on the iron to apply the trim colors with no melting.
In contrast, the white base and trim colors on the Score would melt at high temps and peel off at the field. I "solved" that problem by sealing all the seams and trim edges with 1/4 inch wide strips of clear Monokote, but that's another story.
I probably made more changes (and added more weight) to my Noblers than anyone in there right mind should (or left mind in my case, since I vote Democrat). One purpose of an ARF is to limit building time and get you flying safely but quickly. With that in mind, these are items I'd take a hard look at:
1) Replace the hinges (as everyone suggests) with a good brand of nylon hinge (Sig, Du-Bro, Goldberg or similar). Unless they have changed with recent production kits, the supplied hinges are a brittle plastic. I've seen them fail on at least one local model. Inspect the control horns. Add silver solder if you don't think there's enough. If the design of the included control horns has not changed since 2003, this type does not require high temperature brazing or welding to work. If you replace the horns, make sure the new ones look at least as good as the stock horns. "Looks" are all you have to go by, unless you test them to destruction, in which case they are no longer usable.
2) If you know how to do it, replace the leadout cable. I don't like crimps, so I wrap and epoxy the ends. If you don't know how to do it, give the stock system a strong pull test. If there is no slippage in any of the crimps, I'd run some warm 5 minute epoxy into them and leave them be. One local flier, after hearing everyone tell him to replace the leadouts, did a poor job of wrapping the ends and one failed. The model crashed safely, but he should have left "almost well enough" alone.
3) If you replace the leadouts, but use the stock aluminum bellcrank (or similar Fox, Veco or Perfect crank) bush the cable with brass tubing before installing it in the bellcrank. This will keep the cable from cutting through the crank or the crank severing the cable. If you install one of the newer Brodak Zytel Nylon cranks or a cut down Sig Magnum crank, bushing is probably not needed. It's OK to use a 3" bellcrank (stock or replacement). A four inch crank is probably overkill on a Nobler. It will butt up against the "innards" of the wing and require major surgery to achieve adequate clearance.
4) The relatively soft stock pushrods should be replaced with 3/32" music wire. Use "Z" bends or "L" bends with silver soldered washers (or small brass eyelets for more surface area) wherever there is room to do so without binding. There may not be room at the elevator horn. If you use a clevis, I like the Sullivan Golden clevis. Three of my Noblers have at least one; the forth has 2 and none has failed yet. That said, yours could be the first! In at least one Nobler, the long pushrod is a carbon fiber tube with titanium ends.
5) Forget about a line slider or tip weight box. On my Noblers, the stock leadout position and tip weight seem about right. If I could make any changes, I'd do so out of curiosity rather than necessity and probably end up back where I started.
6) Reinforce the motor mounts (where the engine goes) with plywood and lots of slow cure epoxy. Glassing this area is also a good idea. I sometimes grease up the bottom of a motor and bolt it into the wet epoxy and over the glass cloth. I get a perfectly molded bath tub, shaped like the lower engine case. Just make sure you heavily grease the engine and mount bolts so it does not become permanently installed! Don't worry about making it nose heavy; it will probably be just right or a little tail heavy. Make sure it balances slightly nose heavy before flying.
7) Try to shoehorn in a 1.75 inch wide 4.5 ounce Brodak (or similar) fuel tank. Of course keep it removable. Some of the engines I've used in the Noblers, under certain conditions, have done the pattern on less than 4 ounces; others have needed nearly the whole 4.5 ounces. If you plan to use an engine whose mileage you are very familiar with and know you can get by with less fuel, then you can go with a smaller tank. The same is true if you don't care whether or not it runs long enough to fly the pattern. I think they include a 5 oz. plastic tank now. If it works that's great. A larger tank lets you meter in just the amount needed, without overflow and waste.
Use whatever engine you own, have experience with, and feel it's power and performance are a good fit for the Nobler. This is what I like to do: Set up the front end for the FP 35 and 40 (they are a direct swap; one for the other). Also make sure you can mount a LA 46. There are minor differences in the lower case and head shape, but all else is the same. If you own all three of these engines (and who doesn't) you can fly with the 35, 40 and 46 and decide which one works best for you and your Nobler. I've done that and found the FP 35 will fly a lighter weight one (45 oz. or less) pretty well. If I could choose only one engine the FP .40 would probably be it. They are powerful, dependable, user friendly, ubiquitous and a good value. My Noblers are all take-apart to varying degrees and heavier (46 to 51 ounces) than most one piece Noblers are likely to be, so I fly the two I still own with 46s (LA in one and rear exhaust Stalker in the other). In my experience the LA .46 is not too much engine for the Nobler. Power output and run quality varies noticeably with fuel blend, prop pitch and diameter, venturi size, muffler type, whether or not you run on pressure, the needle setting and climate conditions where you fly. I read a while back where someone built a Nobler (ARF, kit or scratch) and put a rear exhaust Stalker .60 in the nose!
9) Dry fit everything before gluing and "dry practice" the assembly process as if the parts had glue on them. Use a slow cure epoxy to allow plenty of time for alignment and clean up. Have lots of lacquer thinner and paper towel ready. ARFs are advertised as 90% pre-built, but that last 10% can be a b_ _ _ h!
10) Enjoy your ARF Nobler. Even if it's a total failure (unlikely) it's a learning experience. Just make sure all safety precautions are taken during the building process and flying adventure.
Topic: Nobler ARF (Read 4554 times)