OS 46LA-S

[Scott Richlen]

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.   

[Mark Mc]

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.   

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.   

Mark

[Tim Wescott]

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.

[Lyle Spiegel]

 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?

[Brett Buck]

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

[Tim Wescott]

  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.

[Andrew Hathaway]

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.