50cc plane on a tight budget...

[harrys]

Hi all,

I am planning to scratch built a Yak 54, i designed it quite long time back never thought to build it, but now i am, my budget is really tight, engine will be DL 50, i need some more info from you guys what will be best servos for this plane, the receiver, battery...... all the things needed to complete this airplane, a detail price list would be really great, remember my budget is tight.. so suggest me accordingly.. please

Thanks for all your suggestion in advance..

[zx32tt]

No disrespect, but 50cc plane and tight budget is a bit of an oxymoron. Unless you are willing to work for 3rd world wages or have a whole lot of time, I wouldn't scratch build a Yak. Its all about time and materials. Your 2nd big expense is servo's. Minimun Hitec 5645's, with a 5955 on the rudder. Metal gear servo's are a must. No karbonite or plastic gear servo's on any flight surfaces. Think of servos as a long term investment. There should be a lot of 5955's out there as people rush to get the latest 7955's.
zx32tt

[SleepyC]

Honestly, the cost of Balsa and monokote/ultracote would be MORE than the cost of some of the cheaper ARF's out there.
Not to say "Don't scratch build" because thats a great learning experience.

Good luck, and check out some of the cheaper ARF's. If you have the skills to scratch build, you can get a cheap ARF and open it up, clean up the work, and strengthen the joints, and be good to go!


I mean look at this:

http://www.nitroplanes.com/new50nimogis1.html

$299.00!
If you are going to scratch build, you couldn't get a cowl, wheelpants and monokote for $299!!!

Either way good luck, and even if it takes you a little longer, get good radio gear, its worth it.

[harrys]

Hi Sleepy C

I have always been a scratch builder.. rarely i got kits to built, i enjoy it gives me a peace of mind & its truly light weight compared to any other ARF. So i am not considering the effort to built the plane i need the total cost of the servos, receiver, batteries........... for the plane.

[HuckinChikn]

i say: AWESOME! go for it dude! building from scratch is one on the most
rewarding things that you can do in this hobby.
I want to see a build thread once you get started

[JoeAirPort]

I'd personally say Wildhare for an ARF and DL50 or Area 51 engine ($400 shipped). Right there you can save around $300-400. But I wouldn't skimp on electronics. It's not worth the crash....which is the most expensive thing we do in this hobby. Those Nitro hobbies will require a lot of fixing. My buddy got one and said it wasn't worth the savings with all the fixes it needed. That's like karf (kit/arf).

[harrys]

Hi HuckinChikn,

Sure i will start a new thread for my scratch built YAK-54.. this plane is for precession Aerobatics & 3D both, just gathering some more info before i get started .

Thanks..
Harry

[DadsToysBG]

Look at the JR sport 126 mg servos. At 6v 142oz for about $35 ea. Dennis

[3D Meatshield]

Servos, batteries, regs, switches, rx, extensions... from 750 to a grand all told. I'm in the poorhouse too, trying to get my own 50cc yak together, and thats my biggest holdup. Don't go cheap- in-flight failure is not what you want to risk after such an investment of time and cash. A little more spent now will be great insurance over a total loss later because of substandard equipment.

Besides, if you are scratch building, you'll have plenty of time to scrimp and save. Troybuilt models has great prices on good servos, along with everything else you'd need to complete your plane. http://troybuiltmodels.com/ Check them out.

[exciter900rr]

When I set up my 50cc'er, I chose not to skimp on the electronics at all. I mean, I didnt run 5955's on everything, but gave myself a bit of power reserve on the servos, and redundancy on the batts and switches.
5955 on rudder, and 5985mg's on each other surface- 2 ea. elevator/aileron. DS821 on throttle. 3 mpi switches w/charge jacks, 2 2300Mah A123's for power, and an 1100Mah A123 on ign. A $15 reg (low current) for the ign. from BCMA Engines, AR7000 2.4 RX, and all the extensions necessary. Let's noth forget the astro A123 charger... Charge @ up to 10A. Bitchin batts too!
Since everything was bought new, and shipped, I spent close to $900 smackers... just less than what I paid for the engine/plane combo from Wildhare. BUT, I have peace of mind that everything was good enough, or better than required, and that I had the best chance of success due to not using used or the "bare minimum" electronics...

The way I look at it, if a component fails, it will cause a catastrophe that will eventually ruin other components as a result, I would have been better off spending the money up front, and not running a damaged airframe in the end. They have a saying... "Cry once" referring to "cry once" at the initial price, rather than crying over and over when things fail and take other things with them....
I bought a $450.00 full circle crankshaft for my VW race motor once knowing that the $300 one from a discount company might let go. Reasoning? If it did "let go", it would take roughly $2k in machining, rods, pistons, cam, pushrods, hell- maybe even the heads too... Not worth the risk to me- And, if it let go, I'd have to buy it again!

Sorry- just realized that I ranted. guess I should have been makin' flying stuff, rather than surfin the net with my buddy cap'n morgan..... Good luck with the scratch build! I'll keep my eyes peeled for it! KM