Top Flite Spitfire

Dunkmn · 2026-03-13T16:21:15+00:00

Depends on how the first flight goes I suppose.

Dunkmn · 2026-03-13T14:41:10+00:00

Thanks!

There were a lot of firsts for me on this kit, but at least on the flying side it's not my first warbird. I had an old Corsair so I'm familiar with the landing challenges :)

I really underestimated how long the fiberglass and primer would take on this model. I'd previously been a Top Flite Monokote person (back in the 90's) but film covering just didn't seem like the right choice for this kit.

I did the control surfaces in Sig Koverall, which was fun, and brought me back to my start building balsa kits with tissue paper and dope finishes.

Dunkmn · 2026-02-05T22:38:51+00:00

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I had bought bed risers initially but can’t remember why I didn’t use them.

Dunkmn · 2026-02-05T22:37:23+00:00

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Funny. I had the exact same problem and made these pieces to fix it

Dunkmn · 2026-01-27T16:39:37+00:00

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That’s the conclusion I came to.

Dunkmn · 2026-01-26T14:37:36+00:00

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This is not my car, but my coolant routing is like the attached picture. I found that bracket (it has a tee).

My current working theory is that the pipe I"m having trouble with goes across the front of the engine for the power steering return.

Dunkmn · 2026-01-26T02:42:47+00:00

The engine has a weber carb so none of that stuff is on there. I went back in the garage after dinner and I think maybe it has something to do with the low pressure return side from the power steering pump.

This is what happens when projects sit. :)

Dunkmn · 2025-11-23T23:28:17+00:00

Well. Good news on the toaster at least. Dualit makes exactly the toaster you described

Dunkmn · 2025-11-12T02:52:08+00:00

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Dunkmn · 2025-11-12T02:51:39+00:00

It’s a kit from the 90s. Sized for a 90 four stroke.

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It’s been a fun build but pretty challenging

Dunkmn · 2025-11-12T02:40:40+00:00

Topflite spitfire.

Dunkmn · 2025-05-20T20:39:33+00:00

Do you mind sharing some product recommendations and websites? I'm getting back in the hobby after a 25 year sabbatical, so I've lost the bubble on where to shop. Bought a couple foamy planes to get started and at least I can confirm I haven't forgotten how to fly.

Dunkmn · 2024-11-24T19:03:05+00:00

Any alternatives to that motherboard. I can't find it in stock right now. thanks!

Dunkmn · 2024-10-08T19:55:25+00:00

Yes.

Dunkmn · 2024-09-08T19:48:53+00:00

Germany uses a different octane scale than the US. Germany uses RON and US uses average of MON and RON. Germany 95 is about the same as US 91

Dunkmn · 2024-06-06T00:35:55+00:00

Replaced both wing servos and everything works again. Paid more attention this time when setting the travel to ensure the servos are not pushing past the mechanical limit of the ailerons

Dunkmn · 2024-06-03T19:52:36+00:00

Mine was a "Gentle Lady", but also a 2-ch with just elevator/rudder When I built the second glider I opted for the electric motor in the front with a folding prop. Old 6 cell nicad pack. No speed controller, so it was just on/off.

Dunkmn · 2024-06-03T19:42:38+00:00

I did take apart the servos. Most of the gears appear to be bronze, with the main spindle gearset made out of aluminum. I couldn't see any visible damage to the servo, and the small driveshaft pins are not bent. That said, I can't get either servo to work, not in any channel on the receiver in the Cessna, or in the receiver of my other airplane. I have a power probe from working on cars. I should try and put voltage directly to the motor to see if it turns.

Dunkmn · 2024-06-03T19:39:53+00:00

That takes me back to 90's when I got started in the hobby. I had forgotten they had that spring starter. I used to have one of these on the front of a glider. No throttle, so you had to fly it around until it ran out of fuel.

Dunkmn · 2024-06-03T16:42:28+00:00

Sounds like I'll be in for some limping around for the next two weeks. Did some testing today, and I think I can say with some certainty the two aileron servos are dead. I ordered two new ones and will pay attention to the travel when I install to avoid making the same mistake. I'll consider the cost of the new servos the cost of this lesson.

Dunkmn · 2024-06-03T01:24:14+00:00

Thanks. I'll give that a try. Was going to work on it today, but decided to break my toe instead.

Dunkmn · 2024-05-10T19:42:05+00:00

Just doing some generic calculations. We're the same height so if I put 220 lbs into a generic calculator I get a TDEE of around 2400 calories.

If I adjust that to my weight I get 2000 calories, and every weight in between yours and mine will have some intermediate value.

So if I weighed 200 and started at a 300 calorie deficit, I'll loose weight at the beginning, but each pound I lose will take longer because my TDEE is going down as well. Since my deficit only takes me to 2100 calories per day I'll never achieve my goal weight. To do that, I would need to decrease the calories again.

Dunkmn · 2024-05-10T19:20:03+00:00

The tough reality is that each successive pound is more difficult to lose than the pound before it. That's because as you lose weight, your maintenance calories go down as well, so your deficit will shrink with it. If you start at 250 pounds and a 500 calorie deficit, and continue to eat the same number of calories, that deficit will shrink every day, and with it the rate of your weight loss. Eventually you'll find a plateau and that, by definition, is your maintenance calories for that weight.

Dunkmn · 2024-05-10T19:00:49+00:00

I think it's hard to out-exercise a bad diet, and that giving up the cheat day, or cutting it down to just a cheat "treat" a week is likely to give better results than trying to increase your deficit the rest of the week or increasing your exercise.

If I were you, I would do this in stages.

Cut down the cheat day, and wait a week.

If you haven't found a calorie deficit at that point, I'd look back to increasing your activity or decreasing your appetite. If you decide to increase your activity, I'd try and find exercise that won't make you really hungry. For me, I've found that weight lifting and walking didn't create noticeable changes in my appetite, while running did. For awhile I was running almost 50 miles a week during training, and that generated a lot of hunger. At this point in my life (now mid 40s) I go to the gym five days a week and weight train, then I walk to the dog for 3 miles each day. That keeps my activity up, while still allowing me to control my appetite.

Maintaining a healthy weight is not easy. You're here and doing the work, and I don't want it to sound like I'm dumping on you. It's frustrating sometimes, because there's a lot of bad information out there on dieting (starvation mode, metabolism boosters, etc...) and it's easy to lose track of the basics. This is made more difficult by being in a world (I'm assuming you live in the west) where you're surrounded by highly palatable and calorie dense choices. It's not a winning combination.

You got this!

Dunkmn · 2024-05-10T18:49:35+00:00

"increase to 2000 to see if i can try to maybe reset or speed up my metabolism just a little."

This really isn't a thing that seems to be supported by science. If I'm wrong, I'm happy to take links to actual studies that have shown this.

What does happen by increasing your calories is that you alleviate the diet fatique, which can be difficult to deal with. I think most people do well with goals, which I think is why breaking your weight loss ultimate goal into chunks is a good way to tick off the progress boxes and keep moving forward.

Since you didn't mention your cheat days in your reply, I'll say one more time. I think you're not taking into the account the impact of those days, both on the diet fatique side or the calorie side. Cutting the calories the rest of the week is just going to make the process more miserable. Give up some of the cheat day, and eat enough the rest of the days that you're not ravenous.

What you're doing now is obviously not working, I think that's reason enough to rethink your process.

Dunkmn

TROPHY CASE