Originally Posted by Airhead600cc

CCSJ,
Nice idea! Practical and I like the wheels! Good job and something I'll look into. Wow, you guys are hard on the wallet.
1. more motors for the T-28
2. More battery connectors
3. voltage checker for 1s cells..

You forgot to add in Chiropractic care for stiff neck......




RD

Your wheels look great N49! I like them. Mine still fit in the box though. Got four new batteries for my Champ from HK the other day, just stock size. Have not tried them yet but one of my original two was getting pretty weak. Eventually I will upgrade the motor and step up to the bigger batteries but for now I fly mine stock except for the wheels

Thanks, bro.

Box? You mean that thing my Champ came in that's collecting a layer of dust out in the garage?... Yeah, I use it to store the manual that I've never read

Yeah, I was thinking of doing the large battery mod, until I talked to an acquaintance who had a Champ who told me he'd just take a pocket full of stock sized ones with him which is what I've been doing. I can get 10 minutes out of each one without hitting LVC and I fly 3 or 4 back to back... the motor gets a 20 to 30 second rest while swapping batteries, I figure that's a good idea so I'll probably just keep going this way. And good 150mah lipos are abundant and relatively cheap here locally... if I need one I can have one in 10 mins if my LHS is still open

EDIT
Your picture is the first one I've seen where the color turned out the same as mine does in photos!

The box makes a good hanger, I use all my UM boxes for storage and transport. For most of us it keeps it safe from our clumsy hands . I get 10 minute out of each battery too. I think the bigger ones might offer more punch for the slightly bigger P51 motors. Stock is fine and even does well in the wind for me.

I like sitting mine here in front of me on top of my studio monitor (speaker) in my home studio... where I get ideas to "do stuff" to it when I look at it... ha ha (maybe too much stuff )

I never thought of the P-51 motor needing more punch... I have an unopened one here as a backup... didn't realize it's bigger.

Originally Posted by Doug Sipprell

You forgot to add in Chiropractic care for stiff neck......

RD

No Kidding! I've been doing some altitude flying and have perfected the slight rudder/up elevator move so that I can rest my neck and still find the plane when I look up. Been thinking that one of those lounger chairs might be nice so I can fly without putting an L in my neck

Originally Posted by North_of_49

Thanks, bro.

Box? You mean that thing my Champ came in that's collecting a layer of dust out in the garage?... Yeah, I use it to store the manual that I've never read

Yeah, I was thinking of doing the large battery mod, until I talked to an acquaintance who had a Champ who told me he'd just take a pocket full of stock sized ones with him which is what I've been doing. I can get 10 minutes out of each one without hitting LVC and I fly 3 or 4 back to back... the motor gets a 20 to 30 second rest while swapping batteries, I figure that's a good idea so I'll probably just keep going this way. And good 150mah lipos are abundant and relatively cheap here locally... if I need one I can have one in 10 mins if my LHS is still open

North, Ditto on the boxes. I bought them to fly outside here. The Champ is pretty sturdy and If you needed to take it anywhere it'd be no problem. My boxes are stacked in the attic with the pile of radios and chargers. Wish they'd sell just the planes - nothing else in the box. I have mine displayed on the wife's collection of cake stands - they fit perfectly!
You did a great job of those wheels with the lug nuts and the addition to the struts. Are they functional support or do the wire ends just stop at the inside of the hub.?
I think I agree that a pocketful of 10minute batteries is fine. The LHS had a deal on 350s for a helicopter for $5 each but after hearing about motor fatigue I'll just sit on them for now.
I know it's off-topic but several of you have other planes and I was wondering if there was a serious drop-in upgrade for the T-28 similar to the performance boost the J-3 motor is for the Ember? Doug says they go through motors and thought I'd be ready with it. Beside, it's been almost a week without buying anything

@Airhead600cc

Hey, man... thanks... I'm diggin' the look myself

Yeah I don't really use my boxes since I mainly fly in the field just outside my backyard. I did take it down to a local park last week and take it to the LHS all the time but I usually just throw in on the passenger seat of my SUV or on the floor in front of it... or in the back (seats are folded down right now).

I'll be posting some better pics in my blog with close-ups of how I attached the gear struts. It's a bit deceiving in the picture I posted because it looks like it's the same setup as the real Champ which uses those as the actual axle and the oleo (suspension) struts are attached to the top of them near their ends just outside the wheel hub... the Hobbyzone Champ uses what would actually be the oleo strut on the real plane as the main gear. My mod is the opposite of the real plane... there's actually no modification at all to my existing landing gear and hub (wheel)... I just attached my new strut ends to the existing gear by bending a tiny hook in the ends to hook them around the existing "gear struts" just outside the wheel and then gave them a bit of further crimp with my needle nose pliers to try and close the loop tight a bit... works perfect. I sat and thought about it for a while and this was the simplest and most robust (crash proof) method I could think of for attaching that end of my struts... the belly attachment point works the same as the stock gear and slides into the belly slot along with the stock gear's strut. The whole combination installs and removes easily as one unit.

As far as functionality, I did it for scale looks, but I was pleased to discover that I no longer have the gear partially sliding out of the belly during less than stellar "landings"... I was constantly having to pinch and push it back tight into the belly before.... I've now put about 8 to 12 packs through my Champ with this new mod and haven't once had to re-seat the gear in the belly. But that's just bonus

I used (I think, have to double-check) .025" piano wire and bent it into shape with needle-nose pliers... covered in two different diameters of heat shrink to build up to the diameter I wanted, the new strut only ads about half a gram in weight. I had to leave an opening at the belly cavity for battery insertion so I shaped my one-piece strut in a way that leaves the opening while creating the proper angle if you were to draw an imaginary line along the strut all the way to the proper attachment point on the belly of the plane (which, of course, is impossible because there is no belly on that part of the HZ Champ, there's a cavity )

Originally Posted by whirlcap

The box makes a good hanger, I use all my UM boxes for storage and transport. For most of us it keeps it safe from our clumsy hands . I get 10 minute out of each battery too. I think the bigger ones might offer more punch for the slightly bigger P51 motors. Stock is fine and even does well in the wind for me.

I thought the P51 is the same size as the stock champ motor... just more powerful


I'm running the upgraded motor and bigger battery and get probably 20-30 min with moderate motor run... I've even had it glide (gaining altitude, trimmed a couple notches down) no power for 15 min right before a storm. Had to fully trim elevator down to get out of the inflow/updraft of the storm... All I got to do now is get a camera so I can get some amazing shots...

I posted this over in the other Champ thread...

scale brace wires

here it is on my blog
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1683386

Originally Posted by whirlcap

The box makes a good hanger, I use all my UM boxes for storage and transport. For most of us it keeps it safe from our clumsy hands . I get 10 minute out of each battery too. I think the bigger ones might offer more punch for the slightly bigger P51 motors. Stock is fine and even does well in the wind for me.

I read on one of these threads someone turned their box inside out and relabeled it, "Danger!! Poisonous Snakes!!" Just to keep out the curious. I stack up to 5 boxes, run a strap around them, and fits in the back seat of my Camry, planes in one hand, trx case in the other.

Bob

Yes we do that to the Box, I did it and eventually, retiurned it back Lol. Reasons Last a lot longer. due to the shell, I guess.

Originally Posted by beckerson1

I thought the P51 is the same size as the stock champ motor... just more powerful


I'm running the upgraded motor and bigger battery and get probably 20-30 min with moderate motor run... I've even had it glide (gaining altitude, trimmed a couple notches down) no power for 15 min right before a storm. Had to fully trim elevator down to get out of the inflow/updraft of the storm... All I got to do now is get a camera so I can get some amazing shots...

Hmm, getting quoted on this a bit and I fully admitt, I know little of the motor swap myself. Heard the P-51 motor is more powerful and slips right in more or less? Could be I read it wrong, might be a different UM motor. The more I think about it, the more I think my Champ will stay stock.

Originally Posted by whirlcap

Hmm, getting quoted on this a bit and I fully admitt, I know little of the motor swap myself. Heard the P-51 motor is more powerful and slips right in more or less? Could be I read it wrong, might be a different UM motor. The more I think about it, the more I think my Champ will stay stock.

True. 51 motor is direct replacement but has more power.

Solo pro has same power, is cheaper, but you have to change the spur gear. Some say it lasts longer than the HH motors. Perhaps

There are two other motor alternatives that are direct bolt ins (with only plug swaps):

The Nine Eagles P-47/Spitfire motor

And the new Gemini 8.5mm motor from the $65 RTF planes. This motor has a plastic pinion and actually hauls these 45g pigs around pretty good.

Just need to finds where parts for the Gemini Planes are sold.