A Tomboy at it again

Anything with a propeller
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PaulJ
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Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 19:01
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by PaulJ »

I too am a Poppet fan...... I've had 4 so far, all have been freeflight and all flew straight off the building board. Unfortunately they fly too well and have regularly made a bid for freedom so a fifth is planned but with radio. :P However the Poppet is a good deal smaller than the Tomboy so keep it light......
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Phil_G
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Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by Phil_G »

I have both a Tomboy Senior (48") and a Poppet, both rudder-only:

Img_3209.jpg

They both fly great, both very stable & responsive, the Poppet is easier to transport, but flying-wise they're very similar and both ideal S/C models. Of the two I think the Poppet has the edge on cuteness.
I would suggest that neither needs an elevator, rudder & quick-blip throttle is a lovely relaxing way to fly.
Tongue-in-cheek, I'd say that any comp that necessitates an elevator on a Tomboy needs its rules corrected! Only joshing, dont take any notice of me :D
Power- the Tomboy 48 has a Blue-Wonder 1400kv on a 8x3.8 slowfly and a 3S 1000mAH which gives about 90w max, the Poppet has an 1810 with a 5x3 on a 2S 500mAH which is about 40w max. Both have plenty of power and cruise nicely at half throttle. I took the Poppet to the last Old Warden 'Mayfly' and had a great time with Paul J & Mark D, it was a brilliant day.
Cheers
Phil
Stew
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Joined: 02 Mar 2018, 10:21
Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by Stew »

I agree with Phil re the Tomboy elevators. I only built one with elevators, and I just didn't use them, however the later Tomboy 3's comps needed you to be down on the ground at a pre-determined time, hence a dive at the last second.
Saying that though, I've seen plenty of people at Old Warden desperately trying to bring a rudder only model down out of a thermal!
Me, I'm a rudder only guy, whatever the outcome.
I'll try and write a little bit on the Tomboy/Poppet relative merits and my experiences with them, as I've built a good few examples of each, and extensively researched the subject lol. Best man to speak to is Andy Brough of SAM 35. He's a self-acknowledged Tomboy nut, and I believe he also has in his possession Vic Smeed's original.
Mick Reeves models do their own version of the Tomboy kit with some clever little building updates for Β£30 plus post, and I've used the Belair kit too, as well as the traditional and much cheaper 'Aeromodeller plan and pile o' balsa method.
There are a few errors in the Aermodeller Tomboy plan.
GarydNB
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Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by GarydNB »

There are a few errors in the Aermodeller Tomboy plan.

😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨
Stew
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Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by Stew »

Perhaps that's blasphemy! lol. :twisted:
They were famous for getting it wrong back in the day. Have a word with John Barker about the Hepcat mistakes!
The Tomboy has a few bits where it shows ply when it should be balsa, and the wings are different lengths, apart from that, tis fine.
I know it's not an AM plan but the Keil Kraft Senator plan is wrong too. (blasphemy again). Strike a line through the plan view from nose to tail and it's wider one side than the other. It's a banana. I've tried it with plans from reputable sources and with an original plan too. Still the same.
I had it out with some of the leading free-flight bods, and once they'd got past howling blasphemy and threatening to stone me, they checked and confirmed my findings.
Makes not one jot of difference to how well it flies though.
These are old, old models, and the plans were drawn up by very old fashioned methods. Same generation using the same tools that made sure no two Spitfires were alike (gaaaaaaaaah blasphemy again!).

Stew.
GarydNB
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Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by GarydNB »

Perhaps you were not aware that John Barker passed away last week...another giant name in aeromodelling circles has left us. RIP.
Stew
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Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by Stew »

Ah that's a shame. Lovely guy, and he was very helpful to me during several builds of British lightweights.
Yup, another of the old school gone.

RIP Hepcat.
Colonel Blink
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Joined: 21 Mar 2018, 12:43
Location: Ilkley, UK

Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by Colonel Blink »

Stew wrote: ↑11 Feb 2019, 12:56There are a few errors in the Aermodeller Tomboy plan.
I'm sure that they are there for the same reason that Meccano used to put errors in their instructions on purpose.... 'because boys would enjoy the challenge of working out how it should be done"

Yeah, right - I bet it just taught boys how to swear!!!
:lol: :lol:
Stew
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Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by Stew »

Ah, good old British kits and plans. Make a real man of you sir! Evokes the spirit of cross country runs in shorts and singlets, misty mornings with a sword in every pond, tapioca pudding, rubbing linseed oil into the school cormorant, and the derring do of Rorkes drift.
Who would want one of these modern engines either, when you can have hours of finger swelling fun with one of the Isle of Man's finest, before hurling your balsa creation at the horizon, with the time honoured Aeromodellers battle cry of 'Fuuugggggiiiiitttttt' resounding across the blasted heath.

Stew.
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Sunbird
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Joined: 22 Feb 2018, 08:24

Re: A Tomboy at it again

Post by Sunbird »

Yes I also spotted the different wing length error. Thought it was my printer misbehaving to start with but adjusted it accordingly to include an extra rib bay on each side.

Last week my Tomboy got sucked into a good thermal and the only way of exiting was to spiral the plane. In so doing the right wing panel folded rather elegantly outboard of the spar joiner and was kept in place by the plastic covering. The plane descended like a spinning seed and landed unscathed about 400 Metre downwind from the field. The wing was easily repaired and flew again the same day.

As a large scale glider flyer I welcome the thermals but with these light single channel planes its another story.
I'm now thinking a stronger wing is required with perhaps a spruce main spar and perhaps a rear spar as well.

A servo operated dethermaliser might also be a possibility using 3 presses and a hold for activation.

Regards
Ian
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