Avios/Hobby King 1600mm C-130 Hercules

[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.

[Pilot.Vrf201]

Jhnybgd, nice looking job! :)

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

Thanks!

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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]

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

[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?

[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.

[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.

[xviper]

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.

Not having a model should NOT prevent an experienced RC modeler from making comment and trying to help.

[Jhnybgd]

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?

I would bet the Ball links are your problem,loosen slightly the bolts holding the ball link to the arm and see if it frees up.

Everyone of my ball links I took apart and polished so they would rotate as they are supposed to.

[Woodcock]

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?

I agree the shine looks really good. Not scale, but I like it.

Woody

Hey Alpha! Listen man, I'm just curious has anyone at MRC expressed any regret they didn't make one of these before HK did? I'm mean it's undeniable the amount of hype this has brought to HK.

[Alpha]

Hey Alpha! Listen man, I'm just curious has anyone at MRC expressed any regret they didn't make one of these before HK did? I'm mean it's undeniable the amount of hype this has brought to HK.

Hey Woodcock, it's a fair question and I remember answering it on one of the recent RCAfterhours podcasts, but I'll answer it again here: Our team has absolutely zero regret about parking our 2m C-130 project after we heard about HK's upcoming 1.6m C-130 project. To me, I believe the more successful models there are in our hobby, the better. Regardless of who produces a model, as long as the model is good, safe, and well supported, then we as RC Hobbyists all benefit from a wider choice of reliable products. As a Hobbyist, there's no downside to product diversity. And as a Developer, knowingly releasing a similar sized model at the same time as another developer wouldn't have helped either of us, and it's just not a cool thing to do if it can be avoided in time. Models are expensive undertakings, and we all start a clock to recoup the nigh six figure investments once a model is announced --unfortunately this hobby is too small for a head-to-head battle to benefit both developers, and one usually doesn't win, either. Instead, usually both developers lose because the market splits too thinly, which deprives the developers of resources/interest to release future products, which in turn deprives the Hobbyist. In other words, all bad for all involved.

I think mindfulness is a more sustainable approach. Sometimes respectfully letting the other driver have the right of way at an intersection prevents crashes. At the moment, it doesn't matter whose car is bigger or who got to the intersection first. What matters is that crashes are less effective and best avoided.

As for "hype", I'm always sensitive to hype in all forms because it can often get out of hand, but I always lead with hope. Hope that success can be found by all who fairly seek it. At Motion RC, we prefer to be respectful, not regretful. Personally, I don't consider Hobbyking competition; in fact I consider some of them friends.

My point is: Life is short. Just fly and teach someone else how to do so as well. The rest will sort itself out.

[xviper]

As for "hype", I'm always sensitive to hype in all forms because it can often get out of hand, but I always lead with hope.

Agreed! I believe by now, that "hype" for the C-130 has dwindled somewhat and people are starting to wake up and realize that even the most beautiful smelling rose can have thorns. Also, the shine of that "hope" is beginning to get a bit dull now.
If MotionRC ever decides to bring out a Flightline C-130 in the same standards as their B-24, I will sell one of my kids to buy it, although the youngest at 39 might have a thing or two to say about it. ;)

[Jhnybgd]

I agree the shine looks really good. Not scale, but I like it.

Woody

Hey Alpha! Listen man, I'm just curious has anyone at MRC expressed any regret they didn't make one of these before HK did? I'm mean it's undeniable the amount of hype this has brought to HK.

The shine is scale for Fatty Albert:Cool:

[crxmanpat]

I want FlightLine to do a C-130, but in 2000mm like the B-24. Only reason I decided not to get this is it's too small for my tastes.

[wvrailfan]

I would have liked the Avios Herc to be larger, but it is a very good plane in its own right. If a larger version were to come along, in the 1800 - 2200mm range, I would likely jump on it.

But I am quite happy with the Avios plane. It flies nice, looks as good as any foam plane on the market, and in spite of anecdotal evidence to the contrary, seems to be a well thought out and engineered model.

While HK's roll out could have and should have been better, I don't see enthusiasm for the plane waning that much. There are still a lot of folks looking forward to the model's January release.

This all, in my opinion, bodes well for a larger model in the future. It demonstrates a definite interest in this type of RC model, and I'm sure manufacturers are watching.

For me one of the biggest takeaways of the C-130 and other good planes HK, and other manufacturers are bringing to market these days is that Motion RC has single handedly forced their competition
to "up their game," a lot. Who benefits from this? We all do!

[NoDirt!]

For me one of the biggest takeaways of the C-130 and other good planes HK, and other manufacturers are bringing to market these days is that Motion RC has single handedly forced their competition
to "up their game," a lot. Who benefits from this? We all do!

I agree, and believe it's a good thing. We all are benefiting, and I think will continue to benefit from it.

Thanks Motion for raising the bar!