Avios/Hobby King 1600mm C-130 Hercules

[xviper]

Overall, I am pretty impressed with the scale and detail to this model. I have been hoping for an airplane like the C-130 for a long time and this is it!

I used the Polycrylic Spray Can and was impressed at the gloss factor out of this and how light it is on the plane itself, despite multiple coats.
However, I am not impressed with the flaps and the minimal amount of throw that it takes and despite sanding and all on both the flap and wing pocket they flush back against, there is still too much resistance for them to work efficiently on their own without a little assistance and the servos buzzing, Not sure what to do at this point as i have sanded off a lot of the paint on part of the flap and the pocket to reduce strain.

Any ideas as to how i can address the strain on the flap servos without major surgery?

Can you tell where the resistance on the flaps exist? You've sanded everything, it seems, so is the resistance in the hinges? When you move the flaps by hand without the rods attached, can you feel where they may be "sticking"? Could it be that the rod is pushing/pulling at a bad angle to get the best leverage?
Did you try to move the rod at the servo end to a lower hole for more mechanical advantage? Did you play with the flap deployment %, travel adjust and rod length to get the servo further away from its end point?
I know it's a beautiful model but with all the little weird things about it, the flying experience may not be as great as it should and a beautiful model that has little problems that may prevent it from flying well is useless to me. It's too expensive to just hang it up and gawk at it. With some showing up with terribly crooked decals, it makes for a bad static model. Props breaking and lack of parts is also a big negative. It worries me that this could be their C-47 Jungle Jumper all over again.

[Alpha]

I like the shine, Ken! That's impressive stuff!

I haven't seen that model up close yet but if you're having binding issues with the flaps, I would first try to assess where the binding is originating. I'd also throw in that buzzing isn't always necessarily a bad thing --digital servos can be prone to it as they hunt for center. A "chattering" servo, one that is audibly struggling instead of harmless buzzing, is a different story. Relieving the strain on the servo by disconnecting it from the flap is a good first step to diagnose the servo itself.

If you're content that the servo itself is fine, then you'll need to diagnose the wider assembly. They're using an unconventional geometry so it may be difficult to visualize expect by perhaps loosening the flap horn's joint and the other moving parts of the linkage, then observing while slowing cycling the servo to detect which parts are moving first and/or out of alignment with the other parts. You then might be able to work out if the issue is due to insufficient mechanical advantage on the servo side (try a longer arm?) or on the pivot itself (would need to reposition its axis), or somewhere else between it.

Again, I don't have this model so I'm basing it off of your photos and talking aloud based on theoretical causes that I would explore if it were in front of me.

[ken.swa@outlook.com]

Overall, I am pretty impressed with the scale and detail to this model. I have been hoping for an airplane like the C-130 for a long time and this is it!

I used the Polycrylic Spray Can and was impressed at the gloss factor out of this and how light it is on the plane itself, despite multiple coats.
However, I am not impressed with the flaps and the minimal amount of throw that it takes and despite sanding and all on both the flap and wing pocket they flush back against, there is still too much resistance for them to work efficiently on their own without a little assistance and the servos buzzing, Not sure what to do at this point as i have sanded off a lot of the paint on part of the flap and the pocket to reduce strain.

Any ideas as to how i can address the strain on the flap servos without major surgery?

[Jhnybgd]

On the outboard flaps try moving the control rod to the second or third hole from the outer most on the servo horn to get more mechanical grunt. I did this and the servos are fine.

Jim

I may just try that WV,Thanks

[wvrailfan]

Also the flap servos are weak junk,am going to replace them.

On the outboard flaps try moving the control rod to the second or third hole from the outer most on the servo horn to get more mechanical grunt. I did this and the servos are fine.

Jim

[Jhnybgd]

Jhnybgd, nice looking job! :)

Is that a water base clear coat and how did you spray it on?

Thanks!

Thanks,It really makes the plane look great.
It does not say water based on the can.
I have used the water based in the past but the gloss does not have the shine this does.

I just clean the plane good with soap and water,do a careful wipedown with alcohol and put 3-4 light coats on with about 10 minutes in between.

[Jhnybgd]

Your mods sound nice and the Spar coating really stands out! I'm a big fan of the Fat Albert BA scheme. Have fun on your maiden!

Hopefully you can post a video of your cargo door mod with the T-45 actuator.

I will see if I can post a vid tomorrow.

[xviper]

Those look like the same weights in the tail of the Dynam B-26 Maurader. Some owners found one or both of them loose as well. I guess they're needed for balance. Judging by how twitchy the plane is in videos so far, I'd say it's CG makes it tail heavy. If and when I get mine, I think I'll ditch those weights and even go with a bigger battery.

[NoDirt!]

There are two tail weights mounted in the bottom rear of the fuselage just behind the cargo door. They're mounted with double sided tape. I had one loose upon arrival. I just stuck it back in place. everyone may want to give them a push so they stay stuck.

[Pilot.Vrf201]

Jhnybgd, nice looking job! :)

Is that a water base clear coat and how did you spray it on?

Thanks!

[Alpha]

Your mods sound nice and the Spar coating really stands out! I'm a big fan of the Fat Albert BA scheme. Have fun on your maiden!

Hopefully you can post a video of your cargo door mod with the T-45 actuator.

[Jhnybgd]

Well just finished setting mine up.
I clearcoated it which made it pop,absolutely beautiful aircraft....

Not without problems though,
the cargo door inorder to get it closed the servo buzzes all the time wich resulted in the servo burning out while working on plane.
I replaced it with the slat actuator from the FW T45,it is 100%more scale and works flawlessly.
There is a noce side benefit I put the cargo door on a 3 position switch so now the middle position switches the light on and off.

Also the flap servos are weak junk,am going to replace them.

I set the Folwer flaps to the same switch as the regular flaps.
.
I also had to take apart all the ball links and polish them to get them to move freely enough for the controls to recenter properly.

[NoDirt!]

Well here's my Fat Albert, post unboxing 2 cents:

The packaging was great. Everything survived. The fit and finish are really good. The paint is very nice.

So far everything appears to work- servos, gear, lights, motors, hinges. I haven't checked the motor or shaft screws yet and haven't connected any control rods.

My initial finds:

The side hatch doesn't sit flush which throws the Blue Angels decal alignment way off. Hope I can fix it I think it my be the lower right magnet.

As mentioned, the cargo light stays on when the door closes. But, I found when using a servo tester the light goes out. If I adjust the travel in the radio to full it goes out but the servo buzzes. Maybe it "sees" the pulse rate? Going to attempt adjusting the control rod.

The balance tabs on the rudder and right elevator rub, I need to trim them a bit. I hope HK does offer touch up paint.

The rudder is just a bit too close to the stab. I think a little sanding will do.

I had one of the weights that are in the back behind the cargo door loose and rattling around in the fuselage. I just stuck it back in place.

It looks like just a few fiddly things to do so, at this point, I'd say it's pretty good. I do need to shoot it with some clear before handling it much more.


Testing and setup continues...

[xviper]

Hello all see bleow my problem that I had with my flaps.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zkeuHUQiWpo

Here's my answer to you in the other forum:

This is where I'm in full agreement with Evan D. The main flap servo arms are barely moving in the full deployment of the flaps. There is very poor resolution and very little mechanical advantage.
When the servo tries to zero the flaps, it doesn't have enough power/torque to "seat" them back into their normal level position. There may also be some impedance to them fully seating. The foam or paint may be making the front edge portion of the flap too thick. Disconnect the rod and move the flap by hand and see where the flap may be touching something on the wing and not being able to completely seat. You may need to sand it down or even slice a thin strip off to make it fit easily.

[wvrailfan]

Hello all see bleow my problem that I had with my flaps.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zkeuHUQiWpo

Move the control rod to the second or third hold on the servo control horn, then re adjust. This provides more mechanical umph and less throw.

[Monki69]

Hello all see bleow my problem that I had with my flaps.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zkeuHUQiWpo

[handyman220]

Congrats!! Let us know what you think of the build quality, fit and finish, etc if you don't mind!

I finally had time to open and inspect my BA C-130. I was impressed by the finish on the foam. I didn't see any gatoring at all, matter of fact most of the plane I couldn't see the foam cells. Where I did see some it was in spots you wouldn't see just looking at the plane. The packaging was some of the best I've seen, no parts were damaged in transit. I can't comment on the fit or build yet as it is going back in the box until Christmas. My overall impression is the plane looks as good as the better (Fliteline/FMS/Freewing) foam airplane manufacturers! :)

[xviper]

whos going to do the 6 or 7 prop blade conversion

If they still made the A400 airbus military transport model, those props would look real nice on this Herc. Can't remember the make. I think it may have been an LX model.

[NoDirt!]

I stopped by FedEx on the way home and picked up a big ol' box. Wil be unboxing tonight!

[Monki69]

Does anyone know colour code of grey ? I need to paint some parts

br