After many years of wanting to attend, I'm finally bound for the Toledo Show sponsored by the Toledo Weak Signals club! I'll be leaving Wednesday, April 1st, so my countdown offically begins. If you're planning to attend this show, look for the big ugly fellow lurking around the PhlatBoyZ booth and wearing a T-Shirt emblazed with TheCrashCast logos. LOL

Toledo Show

In this installment, Dorsal and I discuss some gap-filling techniques for when parts just don't quite line up as planned on that balsa model you're working on.

Also, the plan is (subject to bandwidth available) to broadcast next week's show live via UStream from my support site. Furthermore, you'll be able to ask me or the PhlatBoyz all about our Toledo experience via the chat interface that I've linked to the site! I'll also be recording our session "old school" so that the audio can be uploaded as next week's podcast. Join us and hear all about how the PhlatPrinter was received by the masses, as well as other interesting things we will have observed!

AllThingsCrash.com

Some great Steals Of The Week offered up by Hobby People. Hurry! Sales end March 31st!

UltraFly Furios 3D Bipe
Wingsail Slow-Flyer
Double Time EPP 3D Bipe

Remember to tune in LIVE next Saturday, April 4th, at about 8pm-ish EDST!

I wanted to share a quick little video I shot this morning with you guys on the subject of Z Bends for your control surface linkages. I won't use Z Bend pliers, as the ones I tried years ago yield a very narrow area for your servo or control horn and they do not give you true 90 degree bends like you need for bind-free movement of the surface. I learned this technique from an old modeling friend and have found it to be priceless! Look for more vids down the line covering how I make pushrod assemblies, including a total Carbon Fiber Pushrod assembly...

In order to promote my little show when I'm out and about, I decided to get some T-Shirts printed up.

Rather than doing the conventional silkscreen thing, I figured I would try out the inkjet process that Printfection offers. I received two shirts in today and I must say, I am quite pleased with the quality that they offer - so pleased, in fact, that I decided to open up a little store so that any of you listeners out there can order them and sport them at YOUR favorite RC events!

If you're interested, click on the link below and check them out. I'll be wearing the White and Sport Gray versions of these shirts in Toledo...

Official CrashCast Apparel

After my call for some 60-sized kit suggestions last week, I've received quite a few suggestions for kits that I should consider for my Thunder Tiger Pro .61 engine. Thanks for these great responses!

Bridi Airplanes
Uproar 60
Goldberg Super Chipmunk
Ultra Sport 60
Super Sportster 60
Sig Four Star 60

I snagged up a new compressor from Harbor Freight that works great! Here's the link:

My Compressor

Also, Dorsal brings up the great tool he's been using to remove the edges from FFF (tool conceived by RCGroup's 66tbird) and the interesting use of that little piece of scrap that's left over! Here's a link to the tool:

66tbird's Cool Tool

Until next week...

What? A little history lesson in this episode?!? Well, you get a little of everything with this show! :)

I'm on a quest to find the perfect sport-plane for a Thunder Tiger Pro .61 engine that I have, so I'm looking to you guys to suggest that perfect all-around, Sunday flier. Remember, I don't dig ARFS and I don't want to get into warbirds. I am looking for something that will serve as a Fun Fly plane, handle some winds, be floaty as well, and hold up to some stick-bangin'! Right now, the Perfection is the top consideration. Email me your suggestions!

Perfection Kit
Hobby Lobby's Star Program
Write a Review and Maybe Win A Plane!

Additionally, I talk about the Lanier Stinger 10 kit that I will start building soon. I have been unable to find anything about Lanier RC on the interwebs - it appears that they have gone out of business! If you know anything about this, drop me a line. I'd like to know what happened. I have enjoyed many of the Lanier planes over the years and it's a shame if they're gone forever!

Well, Spring has sprung! With that (in my neck of the woods) it means that the winds are probably gonna be fierce until about the end of June. What's an electric modeler like me supposed to do? Switch back to Nitro, that's what!

I pulled out a couple of Nitro-powered winners from my hangar and, after about a three year absence from this aspect of the sport, I found it was just like riding that ol' bike. Winds aren't so abusive to the heavier Nitro planes, so it looks like I'm no longer gonna be an electric-exclusive pilot, after all!

In this ninth installment, I'll talk about some "must-haves" in the flightbox for all you Nitro nuts out there!

My Steals Of The Week:

Nice Switch-Mode NEC ESC
Great Back-Up LiPo Charger

In this 8th installment, we get all the dope on the new MKII PhlatPrinter CNC straight from the PhlatBoyZ, Mark and Trish. Expect to see this bad boy tearing up some foam at breakneck speeds at the Toledo show! Also, the PhlatBoyz will be launching a little contest to make things interesting over at the PhlatForum - you'll want to participate in this for your chance to win a nice prize!

I'd love to hear your comments on the audio in this episode - both the PhlatBoyz and me are trying out some new microphones. I think theirs sounds great, but I now need to investigate building a small "dampened environment" booth to achieve the best audio on my end! I'm clipping a bit due to having the gain set a bit too high, but I'll try to get the levels a little better on the next show - WOW this thing's sensitive!

Toledo Show
The PhlatForum
Free DXF Files!