stunthanger.com
General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: big ron on March 11, 2015, 12:08:00 PM
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Ordered a 46la from tower a couple days ago now they show them discontinued does this mean that hey will not be made anymore by OS or disconnected by tower?
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They still have the RC version. They are probably just discontinuing the CL version.
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If they discontinue the CL version you can always just wire the throttle down on an RC version and go fly.
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It wouldn't be too shocking if OS discontinued the LA 46 altogether. The average RC enthusiast is most likely to look down on a plain bearing engine that size. With electric alternatives also factoring in, there probably isn't a huge demand for them. Maybe they'll come out with something new...
There are a ton of LA engines and FPs, even the old Max-S series out there with carbs that are easy to convert to C/L. What's more troubling is that Tower doesn't have a single C/L needle valve assembly in stock. Fox is gone, SuperTigre is gone, all that's left is OS and their offering is a left over from the FP-S that's been discontinued for over a decade. Once OS stops making a C/L needle valve assembly, the only options available will be cottage industry.
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Fox is gone, SuperTigre is gone, all that's left is OS and their offering is a left over from the FP-S that's been discontinued for over a decade. Once OS stops making a C/L needle valve assembly, the only options available will be cottage industry.
Enya's NVAs are still made and readily available. Their fine-thread, ST-style 'Pro NVA' is particularly good.
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Once OS stops making a C/L needle valve assembly, the only options available will be cottage industry.
Fortunately, a NVA is possibly the simplest part of an engine to make (even I can do an acceptable job!), so cottage industry NVAs will probably do.
And, there's always wired-down RC carbs...
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I just looked at the Tower site and it says that the 46S is discontinued and the R/C version is available in "limited Quantities". Might mean that OS is going to replace the engine with another...an upgrade presumably. They did the same thing when the LA replaced the FP series.
I find it hard to believe that they are not going to produce and "entry level engine" for all the R/C trainers. They still sell a lot of those set up for IC Engines.
I really think that would be a dumb move on their part. Of course the hobby industry has been known to make dumb moves before!
Randy Cuberly
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You can get the OS NVA and venturi from RC JAPAN for a really good price. Depending on how many you get and factor in shipping, the NVA would cost about $6 each.
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I just looked at the Tower site and it says that the 46S is discontinued and the R/C version is available in "limited Quantities". Might mean that OS is going to replace the engine with another...an upgrade presumably. They did the same thing when the LA replaced the FP series.
I find it hard to believe that they are not going to produce and "entry level engine" for all the R/C trainers. They still sell a lot of those set up for IC Engines.
I really think that would be a dumb move on their part. Of course the hobby industry has been known to make dumb moves before!
Randy Cuberly
Given that we've seen an explosion of RTF electric trainers, I don't think there is nearly as much demand for entry level glow engines as there has been in the past, and those who 'try' glow are probably going to go for an AX over an LA anyway.
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Given that we've seen an explosion of RTF electric trainers, I don't think there is nearly as much demand for entry level glow engines as there has been in the past, and those who 'try' glow are probably going to go for an AX over an LA anyway.
Maybe...but the AX costs nearly twice as much as the LA and probably costs more than twice as much to make.
I could be wrong but I don't believe that electric is ever going to completely replace IC. I know a lot of R/C guys that feel just as I do about electric..."Never going to switch".
The biggest part of the electric stuff now is sold to Helicopter and quad copters. I also don't think they will ever totally replace fixed wing airplanes.
Randy Cuberly
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I sent an e-mail to Tower Hobby asking about their posting that the LA46 was discontinued. They answered stating it was an OS discontinuation. I also sent an e-mail to OS asking about that. I have yet to here from them. (I just sent both those today however.)
Hopefully OS is replacing it with something just as good, or better.
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Well we still have K&B http://www.mecoa.com/kb/aero/controlline.htm
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Fox is not gone they have other shop work and are working off inventory, they do patches when shop time is available. Parts are still plentiful, go to the web site.
For the LA 46 RC version just contact Jim Lee to get a venturi and Randy Smith for a NVA (Randy may have both), swap out the carb and you are in business.
Best, DennisT
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Do you happen to know if the port timings are the same in the RC version as the CL version?
Tx.
Mike
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Mike, The port timing is the same for rc and control line versions. Several of my la 46s are converted rc and they run exactly the same as the cl version.
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RSM Distribution has lots of venturis and ST needle valve assemblies to fit the LA.46 engines. It takes about 5 minutes to remove the R/C carb and fit the venture and needle valve. Our part numbers are:
Venturi - VENLA
Needle Valve - STNVA46
Eric Rule
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Well we still have K&B http://www.mecoa.com/kb/aero/controlline.htm
I looked and couldn't find any prices. I guess if you have to ask you can't afford one. n~
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I have a Fox 35 stunt on order. The Fox web sight is up and running but they are not responding to orders. I think Fox control line engines are gone.
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I looked and couldn't find any prices. I guess if you have to ask you can't afford one. n~
https://mecoa.biz/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=29
However, note that some show out-of-stock but "soon" items. Some of them have been "soon" for a really long time. Many of the items advertised have small print about "do not order this engine, we might make it some day". Make sure it is in stock and ready to ship.
Brett
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RSM Distribution has lots of venturis and ST needle valve assemblies to fit the LA.46 engines. It takes about 5 minutes to remove the R/C carb and fit the venture and needle valve. Our part numbers are:
Venturi - VENLA
Needle Valve - STNVA46
Eric Rule
Thanks Eric....nearly bought the wrong thing for mine from Rossi...to short to center...using a borrowed ST modded with opposing holes either side for the moment. I will contact you soon and I want a couple. Hope you are feeling better! H^^
By the way guys, when I purchased my LA46S last month there were only two available...I should have bought both but. you are going to replace the S version NVA anyhow and probably use your old FP 280 or whatever venturi anyhow so you might as well get the RC....there is no difference in timing.
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Does this mean the LA-25 that Brett did all that testing on is going to go away too? HB~>
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Does this mean the LA-25 that Brett did all that testing on is going to go away too? HB~>
No!~ His works great ...saw it last month in action...should have taken the ride offered but was busy doing other things. The stock NVA on the 46 I just bought vibrated the backplate screw right out of the engine three times during break in so....Get what works repeatedly for you. The needle worked fine on a test stand but the engine developed a hgarmonic when the line was piched to goose up the RPM....modded the engine and the stand. Works perfectly...just about any modeler wants simple and repeatable consistent results.
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Does this mean the LA-25 that Brett did all that testing on is going to go away too? HB~>
I am less confident than John - it wouldn't surprise me tremendously to see the engine discontinued. I would be slightly more surprised if it is not replaced with something equivalent, but its possible that this is the end of the line.
The saving grace is that just about any of the current 2-stroke engines (RC or otherwise) seem to be perfectly satisfactory for most stunt purposes with a prooer venturi and the correct prop. It's extremely convenient that it has the right stuff with it, assembled in the box, but if you have to take out the carb and put in a venturi, that will work too.
The problem with that approach is preventing everyone from "fixing it". As soon as you start talking about getting a venturi and spraybar, it's a much smaller leap to, "well I got a so-and-so venturi and reduced the blowdown, put in 17 head gaskets, and then got a chip muffler" which is usually what screws everything up. Or at least, we get into people with various venturi size "theories" (like the "chart" that goes around every so often) to screw up everything.
If you can take it straight out of the box and bolt it to the airplane with NO CHANGES AT ALL, it takes it out of the realm of looking like a modification, and you can have repeatable system that everybody understands.
Brett
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No one wants these for rc they just don't have the power. You can get a evo 40 for 1 cent more and these have the power. Did a bench run one the evo 40 open face and it will out turn even my ops 40, and that held the record for 20 years. I just got a enya 40 cx, to try. They are side exhaust.
I know that a lot of people hate RC, but if it does not sell for RC they will not keep things around for CL.
Steve
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I know that a lot of people hate RC, but if it does not sell for RC they will not keep things around for CL.
You are certainly not going to get them for $89 without RC!
Brett
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The saving grace is that just about any of the current 2-stroke engines (RC or otherwise) seem to be perfectly satisfactory for most stunt purposes with a prooer venturi and the correct prop. It's extremely convenient that it has the right stuff with it, assembled in the box, but if you have to take out the carb and put in a venturi, that will work too.
Hey Brett! What's your take on grabbing an RC engine out of the box, setting the throttle at some mostly-open position (which would vary by engine and maybe by plane), and running it? In other words, dispense with the step of getting and fitting a venturi? All of the RC carbs in by (rather limited) experience let you screw the idle stop screw all the way down to full throttle, so you can get a pretty nicely repeatable adjustment, even.
I've done this with an LA 46, and it seems to work well -- but it's all been in the context of a science project I'm working on: I've never done it in competition.
It seems to me that this would be a good answer to any unavailability of CL engines, particularly for individuals who live away from a pool of talented CL folk and who want to start pursuing it.
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Hey Brett! What's your take on grabbing an RC engine out of the box, setting the throttle at some mostly-open position (which would vary by engine and maybe by plane), and running it? In other words, dispense with the step of getting and fitting a venturi? All of the RC carbs in by (rather limited) experience let you screw the idle stop screw all the way down to full throttle, so you can get a pretty nicely repeatable adjustment, even.
I've done this with an LA 46, and it seems to work well -- but it's all been in the context of a science project I'm working on: I've never done it in competition.
It seems to me that this would be a good answer to any unavailability of CL engines, particularly for individuals who live away from a pool of talented CL folk and who want to start pursuing it.
It works OK most of the time, and I have recommended it to various people for casual use - including using the throttle in a fixed but ground-adjustable setting (instead of the needle, which is actually part of the big misunderstanding about venturi selection). There are a couple of issues with that but on 2-strokes it works OK most of the time. It works much less well than 4-strokes, despite the insistence of some of the self-styled 4-stroke experts.
In either case, it's a matter of never being able to entirely get rid of slight speed "step-change" speed variations and mixture changes. i never actually figured out why it was like that for sure, but I presume some combination of the barrel shifting slightly, the atomization not being consistent (particularly with partially-closed settings), and intermittent air leaks around the barrel. It seems to be much worse of 4-strokes, and solved in the first case by Ted in the mid-80's by putting a fixed sleeve through the inlet (brass tubing) which defeats the throttling or later the Berringers who removed the barrel completely and put in a big, ground-adjustable screw - now used with great success by Bob Reeves. The Berringer system retains a small adjustment range and permits you to decouple the needle and power settings, which solves the issue with deciding which venturi to use, too.
The latter seems to be the issue with just replacing it with a venturi (which are widely available and cheap). There are still people trying to use 1950-style "venturi charts" that relate the displacement to the venturi size - and implicitly assume a bunch of other stuff that may or may not be true. That, and the fact that you have to buy and install a venturi plants the seed that you need to modify the engine somehow. I have had plenty of people watch Skyray "fly-arounds" where various people cranked out 500+ point flight after 500+ point flight with dead nuts repeatability on both the 20FP and the 25LA, and still have them say stuff like "yeah, that was pretty good, but how can I make it run like a stunt motor?" And then an overwhelming feeling of despair follows.
Brett
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.......I have had plenty of people watch Skyray "fly-arounds" where various people cranked out 500+ point flight after 500+ point flight with dead nuts repeatability on both the 20FP and the 25LA, and still have them say stuff like "yeah, that was pretty good, but how can I make it run like a stunt motor?" And then an overwhelming feeling of despair follows.....
Brett
Have to agree wholeheartedly. While there usually is something that can be changed in a plane/engine setup that will improve it, the question becomes when is "improving" the plane worth less than improving the pilot. Generally, in all events, very good pilots(or teams) get better by flying and practicing than messing with a reliable engine setup. Very few people who haven't years of experience or very good goto flyers can easily correctly diagnose why something is no longer "right" when a plane/engine starts giving them trouble. But you gotta keep trying,.
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Fox is not gone they have other shop work and are working off inventory, they do patches when shop time is available. Parts are still plentiful, go to the web site. For the LA 46 RC version just contact Jim Lee to get a venturi and Randy Smith for a NVA (Randy may have both), swap out the carb and you are in business.
Following is from a Fox Engines former employee, who visited the manufacturer on Sep 23, 2014. Here's what he had to say in http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2252059 (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2252059):
Had a hankerin' to stop by me ol' haunt (Fox Mfg.) from way back when and see who all was still there as well as the state of "things hobby" at Fox.
Unlike the news I posted last night, this news ain't good.
As has been previously posted/speculated/discussed, even denied by the faithfuls, around here: Fox is indeed out of the hobby business. For example, they haven't made fuel in over a year. The hobby product shelves are bare. No engines, nothing.
Sharon was kind enough to let me go out and dig around and I came up with a gallon of Duke's Fuel and bought it /brought it home, but it is a sad sight indeed to see the engine assembly room and shipping room: Emptiness.
What a far cry from 70+ employees buzzing about the shop (20-30 at peak in my Assembly/Honing Department alone)... with the constant din of engines being heard from the run-in buildings out back or over in the run-in rooms. The shelves in the shipping room would have CASES upon CASES of product organized and stacked: Cases of 35 Stunts here, Eagle 60 R/C's there... parts galore on the parts racks... fuel on pallets over there... and PALLETS of stuff at the shipping door waiting to be picked up for shipment by FREIGHT truck outfits (Yellow Freight, ABF, etc.). The Glow Plug room would have a half dozen women in there busily making Fox glow plugs... you get the idea.
Why, on a typical day we would put something like 350-450 35 Stunts through Assembly... and on an EXCELLENT day we could crank out 500. A large batch run of 35 Stunts was something like 20,000 - 30,000 units! A 15,000 unit batch run was considered "small".
R/C engine production was slower (on account of the carbs)... so production figures for those were around 200 or so per day with the batches being not as large as the most popular of C/L engines.
I can literally remember BARRELS (plural) full of raw engine case castings waiting to start their trip through the machining processes. How about BINS full of crankshafts? On and on.
Alas, 'tis no more. The Fox Mfg. of today is nothing like the one I knew. Some of my most fun C/L (and life) times happened while working at Fox Mfg.
A day later in Post #8 of same thread he had this to say:
Stopped by Fox Mfg. again today a purchased the rest of the (last) case of Duke's Fuel. Asked Sharon about parts for the later run engines. In a nutshell:
* Basic parts such as screws, gaskets, etc: Shouldn't be a problem.
* Pistons and cylinders: Iffy at best.
I believe Fox is gone for good.
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.......I have had plenty of people watch Skyray "fly-arounds" where various people cranked out 500+ point flight after 500+ point flight with dead nuts repeatability on both the 20FP and the 25LA, and still have them say stuff like "yeah, that was pretty good, but how can I make it run like a stunt motor?" And then an overwhelming feeling of despair follows.....
Brett
Have to agree wholeheartedly. While there usually is something that can be changed in a plane/engine setup that will improve it, the question becomes when is "improving" the plane worth less than improving the pilot. Generally, in all events, very good pilots(or teams) get better by flying and practicing than messing with a reliable engine setup. Very few people who haven't years of experience or very good goto flyers can easily correctly diagnose why something is no longer "right" when a plane/engine starts giving them trouble. But you gotta keep trying,.
That's a little different that what I meant. I was actually referring to the tendency to not even try the engine as it comes, and establish no baseline whatsoever, reliable or otherwise, and immediately launch into grinding it, adding head gaskets, trying to run it at 8000 rpm, etc. Even if you manage to get it to run reliably, you have given up a huge amount of performance right off the bat, and you never even knew what you missed. There's an entire industry formed to do it for you, too.
But, I think once you have a reliable system, THEN, trying adjustments to look for more performance makes sense. As long as you can go back to a baseline. One of the big mistakes competitive fliers make is assuming that a familiar setup is preferable to an improvement. Better is better, period. Back in the good old days, you were afraid to make changes because you never knew what they would do for sure, and, it was not always possible to get back to the original performance if it turned out not to work. That's no longer the case, changes are almost always pretty predictable and you can always put it back the way it was.
To compete in stunt today, you have to continuously evaluate your system and if there is a shortcoming, you have to be willing to change it, right then, no matter what the situation. The days of getting it just close enough to get through patterns and then attempting to burn 40 gallons of fuel in June is not a winning procedure. Of course, the change might hurt, but if you don't you will get eaten alive. You need to have enough practice and experience making changes to know you aren't going to screw it up, but trying to overcome a flaw by more practice is just not going to work.
Brett
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Buy a lifetime supply of LA46s, Tower 40s, LA25s, plus needle valves and venturis. Check out RC sites. Swaps. How many can that be. Most of us are (real) old.
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Foxe 35s are also fun, common at swaps. The LA CLs are RC engines with fixed throttles (venturis and needle valves). Same with the FPs and the Tower 40 clone. No doubt there are usable RC Engines out there that can be put to use. Someone here will stumble up on them. The LA46 was a lucky combination of factors, timing, porting, whatnot, that made an engine easily tuned (also flexible) for stunt. Doubt that it was designed with that intention.
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Think I am going to try one of these on my next .40 project that I don't put a 4 stroke on. I have a .15 Norvel going in a Perky and a .25 Norvel for my Flite Streak Arf but have yet to try one of their .40s. I wonder how their .40 compares to the .46 LA.
http://www.nvengines.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=138&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=65
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I got an OS .46LA coming through Amazon. Last one. Whoooo Buddy. Been running mine on the Nobler ARF and like it. Like it a lot.
Shug
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There are a ton of LA engines and FPs, even the old Max-S series out there with carbs that are easy to convert to C/L. What's more troubling is that Tower doesn't have a single C/L needle valve assembly in stock. Fox is gone, SuperTigre is gone, all that's left is OS and their offering is a left over from the FP-S that's been discontinued for over a decade. Once OS stops making a C/L needle valve assembly, the only options available will be cottage industry.
eBay!
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Tower says late march for OS needles. Usually they're right.
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I can easily believe smaller, plain bearing engines going away. Look at RC and RTF with TX/RX everything in the box: radio, batteries, everything. Charge the batteries and take the box to the field for help setting it up and fly within minutes of arriving. Under $300, under $200 even. For slightly less turnkey ARF/RTF kits, lower prices can be had. (... although some of the low priced RTF kits are quite some ways from ready to anything.)
http://www.hobbyexpress.com/j3_piper_cub_rtf_1100mm_43.3_34_1043398_prd1.htm
http://www.hobbyexpress.com/super_cub_s_rtf_with_safe_trade_technology_1043411_prd1.htm
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCKWL&P=7
Larger engines are not going away as the sound, smell, and everything about them will remain "cool" and cost the money, (people who want the glow power will also pay the money!) but these are not going into trainers. Large engines are not going into CL trainers anyways.
In a few years entry level CL will be electric, or used glow. "The writing is on the wall" so to speak.
Phil
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Funny thing is that I got a flyer from Tower the week before last that includes the LA-46.
Oh well, so last Saturday I went to the Lebanon flea market and found an RC LA-46 NIB. Paid $55 for it.
Yee-hah! They may not be the perfect stunt engine, but they certainly are good enough for about everything but the Nats.
Scott
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Seems to me a smart move for any manufacturers making R/C engines would be to offer a controline conversion kit of Venturi and needle for it, like Fox did with the Eagle .60 and maybe other engines. No extra production runs or major costs. They could serve both markets just as easily. Build them all as R/C but the optional kit of parts. Maybe someone might approach OS with the idea.
Dave
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Think I am going to try one of these on my next .40 project that I don't put a 4 stroke on. I have a .15 Norvel going in a Perky and a .25 Norvel for my Flite Streak Arf but have yet to try one of their .40s. I wonder how their .40 compares to the .46 LA.
http://www.nvengines.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=138&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=65
I don't know if this is still true, but I was told that the first thing you should do with a new-in-box Norvel engine is to tear it down and make sure there's no metal chips in it. The last time I repeated this rumor it was to a buddy of mine when he was putting a Norvel into service. He said "Oh, interesting", flipped the prop and went flying. The engine was worn out after about ten flights, and when he tore it down he found metal chips and severe scoring on the cylinder walls.
Aside from that I hear they're excellent engines. Let us know how it works out.
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I don't know if this is still true, but I was told that the first thing you should do with a new-in-box Norvel engine is to tear it down and make sure there's no metal chips in it...
Tim,
That statement works for ANY engine. Better to check and find nothing than to ignore it and possibly ruin your engine. Not complete tear down but remove backplate and head so you can flush or swab the inside. If not chips, perhaps excess lapping compound may be present.
George
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Tim,
That statement works for ANY engine. Better to check and find nothing than to ignore it and possibly ruin your engine. Not complete tear down but remove backplate and head so you can flush or swab the inside. If not chips, perhaps excess lapping compound may be present.
George
I wouldn't take any engine apart unless there was some reason to suspect a problem. Just like the "modify first, test second" plan that gets so many people in trouble, the "disassemble/clean/lube" is notorious for causing more issues than is solves in most cases, particularly with modern engines. Unless you have pretty good reason to suspect problems - like it's a MIB Fox, the engine has been crashed, came from one of the more questionable reworkers with a reputation for this sort of thing, or someone found a problem in a similar engine (like, apparently, the Norvel).
Brett
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I wouldn't take any engine apart unless there was some reason to suspect a problem.
Ditto. Barring modifications out of the box, I wouldn't be any more ready to take apart a new OS engine than I would to buy a new Ford and tear it down before I ran it. Norvel, after what I've heard -- yes. Magnum or ASP? Hmm. I dunno.
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Looking back over the last 50 years. I would never run a new engine without taking off the head and backplate. Amazing what you find, in even in an OS. If you don't look you never find!
Andrew.
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First engine I ever found with a big steel chip in it was an OS Max III .35, circa 1963. I only pulled the backplate off and there it was, in the crank bore. I like Magnum engines and OS engines, and have many other brands also. If they're NIB, the backplate comes off before I run it. SH^ Steve
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Jim Lee has venturis readily available and perfectly machined to suit. Bought two this week. I saw several LA 46s haul the mail with authority on birds larger than i have used them for in the past.....best buy for nearly stunt ready IMO for the money. I own two and sold two I had barely investigated properly in years past. Snatch em up or I will! ;D
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I was at a swap meet last week, and bought a N.I.B. .46LA-S for $35.00. It is the blue model. What is the difference between the blue LA-S and the silver LA-S? I vaguely remember reading something about the silver being better, but can't remember. Is there really a difference?
Mark
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I was at a swap meet last week, and bought a N.I.B. .46LA-S for $35.00. It is the blue model. What is the difference between the blue LA-S and the silver LA-S? I vaguely remember reading something about the silver being better, but can't remember. Is there really a difference?
Mark
There is no difference internally. OS stopped the Blue process because it gave production problems and cost more. The blue paint had a habit of discoloring after running also.
Randy Cuberly
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I've been looking for a OS 46 control line and just got an e mail from Tower advising they will have this engine by the end of the month?
confusing
Steve
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Looking back over the last 50 years. I would never run a new engine without taking off the head and backplate. Amazing what you find, in even in an OS. If you don't look you never find!
Andrew.
Hi Andrew,
a few of my engines have been test run at the factory to ensure quality and I would think that its a bit late to be doing a tear down after that!
But I can't see the harm in flushing them out with kerosene if you are worried.
Cheers.
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I was at a swap meet last week, and bought a N.I.B. .46LA-S for $35.00. It is the blue model. What is the difference between the blue LA-S and the silver LA-S? I vaguely remember reading something about the silver being better, but can't remember. Is there really a difference?
Mark
Hey Mark: The Blue one is really awful. You need to get rid of it! I will charitably take it off your hands for $25. ;D
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Hey Mark: The Blue one is really awful. You need to get rid of it! I will charitably take it off your hands for $25. ;D
Deal! I can send it out to you next week. But, I live about 40 miles from the nearest post office, and my old clunker of a truck only gets 8MPG, so shipping and handling is going to come to about $55. I take PayPal. ;D
Mark
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I was at a swap meet last week, and bought a N.I.B. .46LA-S for $35.00. It is the blue model. What is the difference between the blue LA-S and the silver LA-S? I vaguely remember reading something about the silver being better, but can't remember. Is there really a difference?
I gather from various threads here that the original version LA 25 was not so hot -- Brett Buck had tested it and found it lacking. It was blue, and the silver LA 25 is fine -- but so are a lot of blue LA 25's.
I have two blue LA 46's, and they're both fine engines.
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I just checked Tower Website. O.S. 46LA-S Control Line ABN w/Muffler is shown as discontinued on the Tower web site. The R/C version shows availability in April. I then went to OS factory web site and it still lists the O.S. 46LA-S Control Line- no mention it is discontinued or unavailable. Maybe Kaz can get them direct from the factory?
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I gather from various threads here that the original version LA 25 was not so hot -- Brett Buck had tested it and found it lacking. It was blue, and the silver LA 25 is fine -- but so are a lot of blue LA 25's.
I have two blue LA 46's, and they're both fine engines.
I am not sure if "blue" and "silver" are sufficient to find the good one VS the weak ones. All those that people have gotten from Tower in the last few (2-3 years) seem to be "good". Unfortunately, everyone claims they are all the same and the part number is the same, so the only way I know to distinguish is the test I provide the other day - put on an APC 9-4, 10%, and it should be about 13,300 in a 4-stroke and peak out around 14,100-14,200. Of course you have to have already bought the engine by then, so if it's the old style, you are semi out-of-luck. The older engines run reliably but are nowhere near the performance of the new 25LA, the 25FP, or the 20FP. Save it for a Ringmaster.
Brett
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I am not sure if "blue" and "silver" are sufficient to find the good one VS the weak ones.
I'm almost certain that it's not. I just didn't want any urban legends to take hold regarding the LA 46. Maybe I should though -- then I could pick some up cheap.
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I just checked Tower Website. O.S. 46LA-S Control Line ABN w/Muffler is shown as discontinued on the Tower web site. The R/C version shows availability in April. I then went to OS factory web site and it still lists the O.S. 46LA-S Control Line- no mention it is discontinued or unavailable. Maybe Kaz can get them direct from the factory?
If you read the fine print, OS is a subsidiary of the same corporation that owns Tower, along with Supertigre engines, Revell/Monogram plastic models, Estes/Cox, Carl Goldberg, Top Flite, Great Planes, etc. If Tower can't get them, no one else can either. The websites are just outdated advertising. The SuperTigre website is still up and functioning, appearing business as usual, when they have been unavailable for going on about three years now?
Interesting that if you browse the parts for the LA engines, they're nearly all out of stock, on backorder, or pending, yet all the other OS engines and parts are in stock. It's fairly clear that Hobbico is cutting the fat.