Not enough car, not enough skill!
Having to run in the modified class was a real eye opener. I'd like to say I took the RC world by storm but that didn't happen. The Yokomo Dog fighter kicked my ass! My driving skills were developing but racing against guys who were sponsored by RC car manufacturers was hard. Those team drivers were already top tier. My Hot Shot had every upgrade available and I won many local events but the team drivers had access to parts and accessories not available to the general public. I soon became disillusioned with the cut-throat attitude by those drivers! They were sponsored and paid to win and I just wanted to compete on a level playing field! I decided to go back to planes and just raced my Hot Shot in local events when I needed an ego boost.
I had moved once again, to the Sacramento area, and found a local field that had instructors available to help the novice flier. Because of some vision issues I had almost stopped flying but a friend had expressed an interest in learning how to fly. I acquired a RTF (ready to fly) 60" trainer with a OS .40 LA and already had an Airtronics Module 7 channel Radio. I added a Futaba PA-1 which would bring the plane back to level when you let go of the sticks on the transmitter. This was a major help to a novice flier. My friend got the instruction he needed and we were going to the field often. He soon was flying better than I ever did.
There were several hobby shops in the Sacramento area. They all carried RC planes, cars, boats and radios. Building supplies and accessories were also available but the selection at some of the shops was rather limited. One shop stood out from the rest. It carried a huge selection of everything. All the latest planes, cars, boats, radio equipment and accessories were on display. They had an extensive line of micro screws, nuts and bolts and many other accessories for the scale builder. This shop was always busy.
They also had used equipment, planes and some boats on consignment! These were all built from kits but many were ready to go. Engines were installed along with the radios. Others were just a completed airframe or hull waiting for equipment. Some were old and in need of repairs. Many of the planes were Scale WWI and WWII fighters. Some were large 1/4 scale size and some were smaller. From the layer of dust on them some had been for sale for a long time.
I had been looking for a new project to build and decided that a P-40 Warhawk, which I have always liked the look of, would be that project. It just screams "WARBIRD". That huge cowl lets you easily mount the engine inverted. Lots of paint schemes are available but the shark teeth are almost mandatory. The rotating retracts also add to the overall mystique of this WWII fighter. I was ready to build a high quality scale plane and went back to the aforementioned hobby shop with a pocket full of money to see what they had available.
I looked over the kits available but they had no P-40's in stock. Nothing else stood out so I went to the where they kept the stuff on consignment. You went through a door into a large old warehouse and it was here that all the used equipment and consignment items were on display. I saw several nice WWI fighters and some warships and then I saw a J-3 Cub. It was a Sig 1/4 scale kit with a Saito 130 twin engine and a Futaba radio. This is a plane with a 108" wingspan. The was some cosmetic damage to the covering in the nose area but the rest of the plane looked to be in really nice shape. I asked about it and was told it has been in a nose over but that the structural repairs to the nose had been made and the owner wanted to sell it to finance a new project. Looking more closely I saw it had large 1/4 scale Futaba servos and a McDaniel On Board twin Glow driver. I asked "how much" and was told "$600". That was not a bad price (the engine alone cost about that!) but more than I wanted to spend. I offered $350 and the counter guy said since it was a consignment he would need to check with the owner. He asked me to wait while he went in back to make a call. After about 10 minutes he came back and said that $350 was too low. I turned to leave and he said "how about $550?". I stopped and offered $400. He once again said he needed to discuss it and left. I think he just was going in back to see if I would up my offer. He came back and said he really wanted $550. I thanked him for his time and again turned to leave. As I reached the door he called out to me and said "$450?". I figured that was a deal and pulled out the cash I had brought and paid him. I then took possession of a very large, very yellow J-3 Cub. It was too large to put in my car so I had to call a buddy with a truck to come and transport it to my house!
Going Scale crazy on my Cub,,,
Having to run in the modified class was a real eye opener. I'd like to say I took the RC world by storm but that didn't happen. The Yokomo Dog fighter kicked my ass! My driving skills were developing but racing against guys who were sponsored by RC car manufacturers was hard. Those team drivers were already top tier. My Hot Shot had every upgrade available and I won many local events but the team drivers had access to parts and accessories not available to the general public. I soon became disillusioned with the cut-throat attitude by those drivers! They were sponsored and paid to win and I just wanted to compete on a level playing field! I decided to go back to planes and just raced my Hot Shot in local events when I needed an ego boost.
I had moved once again, to the Sacramento area, and found a local field that had instructors available to help the novice flier. Because of some vision issues I had almost stopped flying but a friend had expressed an interest in learning how to fly. I acquired a RTF (ready to fly) 60" trainer with a OS .40 LA and already had an Airtronics Module 7 channel Radio. I added a Futaba PA-1 which would bring the plane back to level when you let go of the sticks on the transmitter. This was a major help to a novice flier. My friend got the instruction he needed and we were going to the field often. He soon was flying better than I ever did.
There were several hobby shops in the Sacramento area. They all carried RC planes, cars, boats and radios. Building supplies and accessories were also available but the selection at some of the shops was rather limited. One shop stood out from the rest. It carried a huge selection of everything. All the latest planes, cars, boats, radio equipment and accessories were on display. They had an extensive line of micro screws, nuts and bolts and many other accessories for the scale builder. This shop was always busy.
They also had used equipment, planes and some boats on consignment! These were all built from kits but many were ready to go. Engines were installed along with the radios. Others were just a completed airframe or hull waiting for equipment. Some were old and in need of repairs. Many of the planes were Scale WWI and WWII fighters. Some were large 1/4 scale size and some were smaller. From the layer of dust on them some had been for sale for a long time.
I had been looking for a new project to build and decided that a P-40 Warhawk, which I have always liked the look of, would be that project. It just screams "WARBIRD". That huge cowl lets you easily mount the engine inverted. Lots of paint schemes are available but the shark teeth are almost mandatory. The rotating retracts also add to the overall mystique of this WWII fighter. I was ready to build a high quality scale plane and went back to the aforementioned hobby shop with a pocket full of money to see what they had available.
I looked over the kits available but they had no P-40's in stock. Nothing else stood out so I went to the where they kept the stuff on consignment. You went through a door into a large old warehouse and it was here that all the used equipment and consignment items were on display. I saw several nice WWI fighters and some warships and then I saw a J-3 Cub. It was a Sig 1/4 scale kit with a Saito 130 twin engine and a Futaba radio. This is a plane with a 108" wingspan. The was some cosmetic damage to the covering in the nose area but the rest of the plane looked to be in really nice shape. I asked about it and was told it has been in a nose over but that the structural repairs to the nose had been made and the owner wanted to sell it to finance a new project. Looking more closely I saw it had large 1/4 scale Futaba servos and a McDaniel On Board twin Glow driver. I asked "how much" and was told "$600". That was not a bad price (the engine alone cost about that!) but more than I wanted to spend. I offered $350 and the counter guy said since it was a consignment he would need to check with the owner. He asked me to wait while he went in back to make a call. After about 10 minutes he came back and said that $350 was too low. I turned to leave and he said "how about $550?". I stopped and offered $400. He once again said he needed to discuss it and left. I think he just was going in back to see if I would up my offer. He came back and said he really wanted $550. I thanked him for his time and again turned to leave. As I reached the door he called out to me and said "$450?". I figured that was a deal and pulled out the cash I had brought and paid him. I then took possession of a very large, very yellow J-3 Cub. It was too large to put in my car so I had to call a buddy with a truck to come and transport it to my house!
Going Scale crazy on my Cub,,,
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