I was invited out to fly a Goldberg Shoestring Stunter recently. Up until now I've only flown 1/2A planes and so I was excited to have a chance to fly a bigger model. Unfortunately the owner wrecked it before I got the chance to hold the handle, but he gave the airframe to me to take home and repair. The rear fuse is busted in half and a wingtip needs rebuilding. Not a problem. But he had covered it with some really heavy fabric about 30 years ago; heavy enough to cause him to use an OS 40 on it. It seemed to fly well until he dropped the handle.

When I rebuild it, unless I can think of a way to re-attach the fuse, I'll probably cut the wing out of it and re-make the rest. I will try to lighten it and will probably use Ultracote for the wing and paint on the rest. I don't know what the airframe should weigh. I'd be curious to know that if someone can tell me. Assuming I get it back to its original intended kit weight, or close, what engine would be best for me to use? The original kit said .19 to .35 engines, but that was then and this is now, with modern more powerful engines. Brodak recommends a .25 with their kit. I'm not going to use a Brodak engine though.

I want to start looking for an engine soon, so what's the popular opinion on what size power plant I should fly on this old bird? I've never flown a 4-2-4 break before, so I want to get one that runs well that way.

Also, since I only use pressure bladders on my 1/2A planes, I'll need to know what sort of tank configuration I will need to get the break right. I know my bladders won't work for that.

Thanks for any help,
Rusty

It should weigh 26 to 28 ounces with the engine, and a modern 25 should be fine, as well as many of the better 20s / 21s. I flew my own first one with a three-bolt Fox 25, and the two seemed made for one another. I flew it a few time with a 3 bolt Fox 19, but when the original 25 was damaged, George helped me make a 25 out of that 19.

The nose was "too short" when I flew another one on an OS Max S 35 and I never did get a tank that both fit correctly and allowed the engine to run the way I wanted it to run (classic 4-2-4). I have another Goldberg Racer Design Stunter and another OS Max S, and have once again not been able to match a tank to the engine, and in this case, with the low wing and relatively high thrust line (Cosmic Wind), there's no shortage of tank space.

Thanks, Kiwi.
Here's a "Buy it now" on eBay for $24.95.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOX-25-CL-AI...item460c3e5329
Anything I should know to look out for on these used Foxes? Are spare parts easily available?

EDIT: I was just offered a new Mccoy red head for the same price on another forum. That sounds even better to me.

I like the McCoy redhead 35s. They are similar in performance to the Fox stunt 35. I sold my McCoy 35s and kept my Fox 35s. Two reasons: parts for the Foxes are readily available, and, with proper care, a Fox 35 will give good service for thousands of flights, as mine have. I do change the NVA for a Super Tigre NVA on my Foxes.

There have been some four-bolt Fox 25s that were nice enough old engines, but lacked the power or the 4-2-4 operating capability. I never wanted one of those.

On the other hand, I had several McCoy RH 35s back in the 1960s, and if you break them in slowly, then treat them to the right very-oily fuel, and don't run them fast, they may have a small edge in power over a Fox 35 Stunt. However, the quality control for any of them before the Black Head series was nonexistent, and one of every three was likely not to run well at all because of poor parts fits.

Others here think they recall the 29s and 35s for $5.95 back then (the RH 19's regular price). Personally, I never saw them for less than $7.95, except in one of AHC's sales events. Several times, I bought three at the same time, took them all apart, and hand-fitted parts together that "felt right" to get one that had very good parts fits and would end up being quite good. Then there would be a second that was only average, and a set of junk parts that weren't worth putting together.

A lot of people would do the same thing I did, but with Fox 35s, to improve the odds of getting a really good one. Gene Hempel had a set of micrometers to measure the parts when he "blue printed" one for the FoxBerg races up in Dallas, when he lived there.


Kiwi

I have one on the bench now. I just mounted a os fp 25 converted from rc. I have done quite a bit of research on other sites and the consenses says ether os la's or fp's in the 20-25 size to replace the older 35 foxes and mccoys. There are many others but you start getting into more money.