80" Playboy Senior power train?

[cumulus 1]

I have just bought a Ben Buckle Vintage "Playboy Senior", 80" wing span kit,I have planned to power with some electric motor,I have been told,Multiplex BL-480 6G is a good and cheap option,I wish I could get in touch with somebody who own this kit,and could give me a hand on this,thank you,Carlos

[vintage1]

Why not start a thread on this model? It sounds interesting.

I wouldn't go brushless for a cheap solution. Sounds in the range of a buggy motor and ten cells to me...

[tim hooper]

I've split this off as a new thread.

tim :)

[vintage1]

Thanks Tim.

I am very interested in big cheap slow planes. Suitable for relaxation and load carrying.

[Allan Wright]

Magnetic Mayhem direct drive on an 8x4 folder or geared 3:1 on a 12x6 folder (both with 8 cells) would be a great 'cheap' setup for a Sr. Playboy. Plenty of OOMPH there and at a nice cheap price.

[Rog-E]

Carlos,

I have the same kit as you, and have just finished the build with only the covering and control rods to finish (probably pull/pull).
I have an Astro 05 brushless planetary with a 14 x 7 folder.
Have yet to finalize battery, maybe 7 or 8 GP3300's or some decent amperage LiPo's - all depends on the final balance point.
I'd been concerned that the short nose would need a heavier battery right up front but now that I have it basically built, I don't think that balancing will be too much of a problem, the wing is quite well forward. I'll leave the battery tray placement till last thing though.
The old style instructions are a bit of a pain - persevere as it is worth the effort!

Roger

[Rog-E]

Just quickly put it together for its first pose.
Hoping to finish it "soon".

Roger :)

[clipclop]

My BB Playboy is over 20yo and still flying , its powered with an OS40 4s . Once up it doesnt need power it has an uncanny nack of finding lift - makes the glider boys jelouse
Stewart

[Rog-E]

G'day Stewart,

I'm just putting the final touches to the airframe and am wondering whether to do something about the rudder throw, like increase it!
My rudder has limited movement when up elevator is applied, maybe 30 degrees then it touches the elevator. No problem with neutral or down elevator but "up" limits my throw.
I could round off the bottom back of the rudder a bit, or even redo the elevator and make the inner sections of the two halves a bit shorter. Of course, I'd prefer to leave it as per the plans however . . . . :confused:
So Stewart, with your 20 year's experience on the plane, what do you say?
And what is the flying weight of your Playboy?

Regards,

Roger

[clipclop]

Roger,
My Playboy only has the 30deg rudder travel, I have'nt found it to be lacking .
I cant remember the weoght off hand , its a bit on the heavy side .
When glideing it dont trim for min speed use a couple clicks of down trim from min glide speed . The extra speed will give a much flatter glide and min sink rate .
Its a delight to fly in the air but doesnt like any cross wind whilst the wheels are touching mother earth . TO only direct into the wind .
The Payboy isnt the best sunday flyer , by that I mean its not build for acro or tight manouvers , but sniffing thermals is what it does best .
Just do lazy circles till one of the wings dip then turn to the wing that rose , but be prepaired to apply lots down and rudder to spiral out of the lift , work the rudder to make the Playboy drift to one side in the spiral to get away from the lift .
The wings seem strong enough , but the pylon allways worried me R/C puts a lot of twisting action onto the pylon .
But I love my Playboy
Stewat

[Rog-E]

Thanks Stewart, I look forward to lots of lazy thermalling.
During construction, I sheeted the bottom centre of the wing as well as the top, then put 3/4 oz glass cloth over it all - very strong and light.
With the pylon, I sandwiched some thin carbon fibre veil into it then added 3/4 oz glass on the outside - again, super strong with very little weight. This pylon should not twist!
It rained here today so I got to put a few more of the finishing touches to the framework, like build up and glass the nose cheeks, bend that thick undercarriage wire and add the wire tailskid protection.
Just have the battery box to add, then the control rods then . . . . the covering starts!
Without covering or wheels, the weight currently stands at 3 lbs 6 oz (1528 gms), and that's with 7 large GP 3300 cells - I think that this will be a floater too.
I look forward to posting pics of the completed model.
Carlos gets to start his kit next month when it arrives from England so we can all get to follow his progress, right Carlos?
Thanks again for the 30 deg confirmation and the helpful flying hints.

Roger :)

[clipclop]

Roger,
Befor you cover !!!
get 3 lengths of 3/32 spruce and put them inside the rear fuselarge at diagonals .
ie : right side frame run the spruce from the top stringer at the rear of the centre covered part to the lower stringer under the tail mount , do the same for the left . glue it to each of the spacers ,then put the other 1 on the lower fuselarge either way diagonaly from centre section to tail .
This will stop the tail twisting when useing the rudder , it does twist without the mod - adds lots strength without too much weight penalty .
Stewart

[clipclop]

pici of my playboy , thats my 40" simplex in front covering the nose of the playboy
Stewart

[Rog-E]

Thanks for the tip and the pic, Stewart.
I'd noticed the tendency for the tail to twist and figured (hoped) that the covering would stiffen the fuselage and stop the twisting.
Off to my hangar right now to add those anti-twist stringers!

Roger

[N1EDM]

I've been monitoring this thread, Thanks. I also have a Playboy SR (barely started). I'd like to build the pylon model, but my plans (Jim O'Reilly) make it look as if the pylon is only mounted to the top longeron. That doesn't seem very strong to me for an R/C Assist plane. I'm planning to use a TT 42GP for power.

How have you attached your pylons? And, thanks for the tip on the spruce longeron to prevent the tail twist....

Bob

[Rog-E]

Bob,
with my BB kit, the pylon slots onto the fuselage's balsa cross braces and protrudes a bit down into the fuselage; I too figured that it wasn't strong enough!
From inside of the fuselage, along the length of the pylon bottom that hangs down, I added some 3/8" triangular balsa stock, glued to the sides of the pylon and to the fuselage cross braces.
When the front fuselage balsa sheeting is later added, it gives even more support to the pylon. I further added 3/4 oz glass cloth to the sheeting, and up onto the pylon. It really is rock hard now!

Roger

[clipclop]

Bob,
The way the pylon is built into /onto the top of the centre section doesnt look to strong , but mine has been looped and held togeter - note I dont recomend looping the Playboy .
I have also had to do rather drastic spirals to get out of thermals , its still in one peice after 20 yrs , only damage has been from the wind gusts flipping it on the ground (in the pits!!).
If you build it to the plans it works .
Stewart

[Rog-E]

Hi again Bob,

Stewart's 20 years of stress testing shows the strength of the design!
Many others have been where we are presently going with our Playboy Seniors which proves the value of having this forum! Thank you E-Zone.

Onwards and upwards.

Roger

[clipclop]

The Key to a strong stick frame is good fitting joints with no gaps , take your time with each peice and make them fit neat . I also recomend white glue or elmers wood glue . It takes longer as you have to let it dry but the end result is better .
Stewart

[N1EDM]

Thanks for the information, guys. I appreciate it. I've always liked the pylon model but had always shied away from it for strength reasons.

I'll take both of your advice to heart. Good ideas for me.

Thanks again,

Bob

[PLANE FREAK]

Has anyone built the Playboy Senior 80" or 72" from the CAD file available on the internet ?

I am wondering how accurate the plans are before I get them printed.

Cheers

[clipclop]

Got an addy for the plans , Ill have a look
Stewart

[PLANE FREAK]

Hey Stewart (clipclop) heres the link. Its halfway down the page.

This site has several oldtime designs.

http://plans.rcmodell.hu/oldtime.html

Thanks

[clipclop]

PF ,
The plans are Ok if you want a playboy just for casual flying , the plans follow the outlines ok but .
The plans use a different spar layout in the wings , and doesnt give the outside stringer details or any detail on the pylon construction or mounting .
I dont think that a plane built from those plans would qualify for competition .
my personal oppinion would be to find a better set of plans .
I cant offer mine as they were lost in a move 10-12 years ago .
Stewart

[PLANE FREAK]

Stewart (clipclop),

Okay thanks for taking a look. Thats the problem with "free" plans. They are not always correct but the price was right !

Sorry to hear you lost your plans in a move. I have lost 2 boxes of expensive out of print ??? books in a move and I really miss them.

Where would you recommened getting better plans ?

Cheers

[N1EDM]

Can any one comment on the accuracy of those Ben Buckler plans at benbucklevintage.fsbusiness.co.uk/ ??? I think there's an 80" Playboy SR up there...

I hope I'm not being too foreward here, butting into the conversation...

Bob

[clipclop]

Bob,
I think the BenBuckler plans are as acurate as you can get . They are fully detailed .
Stewart

[PLANE FREAK]

:) Its a discussion so everyone is welcome to share opinions and ideas.

So there is no such thing as "Butting In" :)

[evan_s]

What's the quality of the Ben Buckle kit? Laser cut? good plans?

[Gerald]

All the Ben Buckle kits I've seen are machine cut, nice quality parts. But the plans are basic reproductions of the old originals with a few recent mods thrown in, and a few sheets of instructions of marginal value. No sweat if you are an experienced or smart builder though.

[franciscan]

I built a Leisure Playboy some years ago and fitted a Mega 16-25-6 with 3 series lipo batts of 2200 size. The first configuration was with a pylon. I had big trouble in getting the cg in the right place, as the nose is short and the motor was not very heavy. I did not want to add a lot of nose weight so I built the cabin version which is not so nice to look at but has a reasonable nose length and getting the correct cg was not a problem. It flew very well but if I remember correctly, I moved the cg position a little forward and reduced the angle of attack of the wing slightly and this produced better results for me. I lost this m/c eventually when the controller smoked on me and I had an inflight fire. I am now left with a wing and am tempted to build a pylon version with an OS 40 4 stroke. This engine would certainly enable me to get the correct cg location much easier. I did like the flying potential of this m/c.

[franciscan]

Sorry guys, I did not look at the date of the last post. I picked up this thread when looking for a three view of the playboy.

[N1EDM]

Hello Franciscan,

Late or not, you answered a question that I had in Post #20 (page 2) about weight and CG. I hadn't noticed the longer nose moment on the Cabin model.

I saw an OT done up in a beautiful silk and dope finish at the WRAM show a couple years back and it looked beautiful....

Bob

[UPFIFTIES]

Hello guys,
I just now found this blog and it is exactly what I need.
I recently got re-bitten with the “old timer” bug. I am about to finish my Super Sniffer with the help of a good friend and have already started with the R/C assist equipment; no real idea on what electric motor to select yet (any ideas?).
This friend has also given me two other old timers, which will also be electrified and R/C assist equipment installed.
The real reason for participating in this blog is to gain insight into the build of the Playboy Senior I just bought on e-bay.
Much more later.
Regards,
Juan José

[williame3590]

Welcome to the sight, you will enjoy it :)

Bill

[river-studio]

Hi guys, I'm also interested in this thread as I have a 67" and 80" Playboy (both cabin versions) on the list of stuff to build. I have a 80" Playboy Cabin that has been flying for 12 years but is quite tatty and really needs retiring so the new models will be very welcome when they are built.
Dave.

[UPFIFTIES]

Welcome to the sight, you will enjoy it :)

Bill
Thank you Bill; I will need your help when I start with the project.
I started building models when I was 10 or 11; stopped 30 years ago and got back into it about 6 years ago; I am now 66 with limited time but lots of enthusiasm.
Juan José (jjrs)