Top Flite Score

Any recommendations pro or con as yet on this new ARF from Top Flite? I'm considering it for a Saito 56.

All I can say is that another local guy is planning that same combo.

I've heard a couple of folks suggest that the "counterfeit" $Kote be stripped and your favorite covering system substituted. I'm certain I'll never again use an ARF with the fake Monokote; it sags badly when it gets hot, and color-matching repairs can be troublesome.

Is it worth $120 + postage for a plane you have to re-cover? I dunno . . .

I put a product review in the "Product Review" section.

Hmmmm... You'd think Top Flite would have access to REAL Moneykote..

Has anybody satisfied themselves that the SCORE is NOT covered with genuine Monokote? We were pretty impressed with the covering job on the SCORE that ol' Curmudgeon got. I pretty much can't tell one film from the others. Probably lack of recent R/C history. About 42 years since then.

I'm planning a SCORE for my favorite (only) DS .60bb, and one for a ST G.51, but am thinking that maybe an ARF isn't going to be solid enough for a high vibration donk like the ST .60. Does a Saito .56 vibrate as much as a ST .60? I'm planning on ripping the film off the fugalug (sic) and fiberglassing the nose, putting in a crutch, then painting. Steve

Hey Steve, in putting mine together, I found the film came off easily enough but left the color/adhesive behing in large quantities. I discovered this during the wing installation process as I had to remove the film in the center area.

Seems like a lot of work for something that is supposed to be ready to fly.

That's why they call them "Almost" Ready to fly lol
I'm going to use mine as a "guest" model for any fliers who happen to come up to the "Great White North" and wish to fly.
That includes you Randy!

Walter Hicks had a Score out at the Knights Joust this weekend, and convinced me to get one also. I snuck it into the workshop when the Mrs. wasn't looking. As with all ARF's there are several drawbacks. The 3" bellcrank will have to go. And Walters weighed 68 oz with a Jett 60 (I think). In the 100 deg heat the solid surfaces bubbled up, but mine, still in the box inside the house is still OK.
I'll use a ST 60 so some glass cloth up in the nose area may be required. Walter put in ball links and the controls seemed smooth. He put a 4" bellcrank in. Last I saw it, he was running it on the ground. No flight report yet.

Walter jacked us up big time. All of us were standing around waiting for a demo flight on the Score. But, Walter just wouldn't cough it up. At one point, I was ready to say, "let me at the handle so we can see how the he#$ this thing flies"!!

I have 8 flights on my Score and can report it flies very well. ST51 power, APC 12.25x3.75, weight about 60 oz, Randy Smith tube muffler, balances exactly right with no ballast. Going with 1 oz tip weight for now. The engineering on this model is very impressive: wing trailing edge tapers in thickness towards tips; stab, elevators, flaps are built-up, sheeted, and likewise taper towards tips. Airfoil appears to be a Fancher thick-at-the-front section, virtually identical to my Imitation. OUTER 6" of wing is also sheeted. Fuse is molded balsa sheet over laser-cut ply formers. A GAZILLION lightening holes in the ply doublers that extend well past the TE. I tossed the original joke control system and used a 3" (I would now use 4" based on sensitivity in flight tests) Brodak bellcrank, CF pushrods, all ball joint linkage, DuBro nylon barrel hinges. I also modified the fuse rear to make the stab-elevator assy fully removable, which the kit does not do. Large removable panels on each side of elevator horn allow easy access to bolt-in stab. Sullivan leadouts, fished into the wing from the panel end with no problem. The gaudy trim (blue/yellow) peels right off and the residue comes off with lacquer thinner. The first squares I attempted were as good as any I have flown, ever. I guess I should have posted this as a product review, but what the heck. I highly recommend this model. If my digital camera will cooperate I will post photos of the mods.

Thank y'all for input on the 'Score' question...interesting how the trailing edges are tapered towards the tips. Don't think I've seen this design feature used before, and if the taper ratio is the same as the flap width ratio, then the tops/bottoms of each flap will not have surface twist. Kit ribs are pre-cut, so you work with what you get, but if making your own rib blanks, it's easy to incorporate a thicker root vs tip TE. Any ratio would do, but if using 2:1 with the root TE say 5/8, and tip 5/16, flaps could be 2-3/4 root and 1-3/8 tip. Added benefit is a stiffer flap section when built up Warren truss style, and more root thickness to deal with the horn.
I've ordered the kit, so it'll be interesting to see what it looks like...wonder if the outboard wing is shorter.

LAST EDITED ON Jun-06-06 AT 01:03 PM (CST)
 
Did not read John's review yet but in shuffling through box contents, it looks easy to get it together except:
2-56 pushrod end and clevis' are likely fast failure. Go to your favorite control system.
The two piece RC type motor mount looks like a bi*ch and a half to get correct allignment and engine fore/aft placemtn for spinner clearance. With no drill press, I'll give it a try, then throw them away and go to a one piece RC mount I suppose.
The cheesy plastic tank does not look like it has enough capacity and it is a weird shape. I'll try to fit a hard 5.5 oz tank.
Now I'll read John's product report.
I am dam*ed and should go to h*ll anyway for buying a chinkenese ARF anyway-what was I thinking?
Jim

The Score is not a .40 -46 airplane . I have yet to fly mine as Milton so aptly stated in a previous post. I did not want to make the maiden flight in heavy winds . I will weigh it again using a digital scale as 68 )z seems a bit heavy even with a RO Jett .61 Se

I spoke to one gentlman that said his did not fly well but he had

1 oz of tip weight and the ST .51 with 11x 5 prop. Two very wtrong suggestions .

#1 USE 2 oz of tip wt to start out with and then reduce if necewsary.

#2 Go to a 12" prop 5 p or so as this is nto a small plane.

$3 I will attempt to fly Score this weekend and will post the results.

LAST EDITED ON Jun-08-06 AT 04:52 AM (CST)
 
Mine flies well with a st51 and 12-5 prop. I used 1 ounce of lead shot with epoxy to glue it in , probably 1.2 oz total. That was plenty of tip weight for mine. I started out also with about a .6 oz blob of clay on the tip, and it all came off. It probably still has a tad too much weight in the tip, but not enough for me to take the effort to dig it out.

Hi, Mike, thanks for the info on the Score. Which tank did you finally use for more capacity? Also, did the stock motor mounts work OK for you?

My test flights came up with this. 1oz tip weight. Changed to tongue muffler instead of the stock ST. 12-5 Zinger Pro, ST .51, muffler pressure. Very good flying plane. The stock MM worked fine.

>Hi, Mike, thanks for the info on the Score. Which tank did
>you finally use for more capacity? Also, did the stock
>motor mounts work OK for you?

The stock motor mounts work fine for me. The tank is still a work in progress. I am using a hays 6oz tank, and filling it with the required 5 oz of fuel. I have the tank laying on its side with the molded in vents outbord, so it acts as the uniflow vent. There is plenty of room inside the tank compartment side to side. I am thinking about making a tank mounting that allows me to move the tank from side to side as well as up and down. When I went flying last time the tank was too far outboard, and that required that I set the motor a bit rich on the ground.

I flew the maiden flights today. The plane flies very well.
It tracks nicely and turns flat. No trim problems 2oz of tip wt seems right on the wings were level rights from the get go.
63x.018 eyelet to eyelet. Bolly 13x4.25 on the RO Jett .61 SE.
Seemed to do well. I will play with props. 61 OZ is nice after so many years flying the heavy Laser 200. Very impressive for $120.00
I love the take a part feature. Makes it very easy clean and transport. I am a slow builder one plane every two or so years so this will make a great practice plane and I would not hesitate to compete with it either.

I poked a million holes in the covering and shrunk it down well and it held up fine in the day. I removed the colors on the bottom
and cleaned it up with laquer thinner. I think the white shrinks well
but the colors are a problem..

Anyone else have flight reports?

Hi Walter:

Have a look at my June 5 and June 8 posts on this thread. I am not running such a potent motor as your RoJett (ST51) but the ST has plenty of ponies. Need to experiment with props and tip weight, though 1oz TW seems good at the moment. The outer panel was low until I got the airspeed up to the magic 5.1 sec lap on 65' .018s. My next experiment will be to move the leadouts forward slightly to assess the effect on line tension. Pulls very hard in level flight and good overhead, but I want to see what the model likes best. We should compare notes as we are both in California (Alameda/Oakland for me). Will you be at the Clovis contest?

For anyone who is interested, the inboard panel AND flap are 3/4" longer than the outboard.

Regards, Mike Scholtes

Mike S

I just weighed my Score with a Digital scale that is correct .

61OZ RTF with RO Jett Se . NOT 68 oz . I will start out with

a Bolly 13x4.25 2 blade prop and go from there. I will post more

when I fly it this weekend.

As noted above I get a 5.1 sec lap with APC 12.25x3.75 on the ST51, but I intend to experiment with props. Anybody got actual experience with 12x5 on a ST51 in a 60-65 oz model? I am using the odd triangular cross-section 5-oz stock tank on ram air pressure; no leaks or problems. Using .25" dense foam under (ie above) the tank so it is a little closer to NVA centerline. Gives 6.5 mins, plenty to fly the pattern. Mileage will presumably improve with more time on the engine.

Opened the bay on bottom of wing behind LG mount to strengthen the mount. Gear is set into some kind of mahogany-ish wood, not very hard material. Discovered the D-box shear webbing between the spars is ply, as are the center section ribs, all laser-cut. The more I see the more impressed I am by the engineering. Somebody who knows what he is doing put a lot of thought into this model. My digital camera is in a better mood now so I will (try to) post photos of my mods and general construction for you who are curious but wary. Oh yeah... for the record, I have been BOMing my own for 50 years but still respect a good product and a good value. A godsend for us not-yet-retired guys with jobs and families.

>As noted above I get a 5.1 sec lap with APC 12.25x3.75 on
>the ST51, but I intend to experiment with props. Anybody got
>actual experience with 12x5 on a ST51 in a 60-65 oz model?
(snip)

Hi Mike,

Back in the early '90s I flew a SV-11 with a ST G51. It weighed 64 oz., and I used a Govt. surplus 12-5 Rev Up with Phillips entry added. It was an outstanding combination. Pitch on a Prather gauge was around 4-3/4. Very nice higher end (for the time) 4-2 run using 5% and 10% nitro fuel. The engine was set up by Tom Lay, and he recommended all castor fuel. The engine did run more consistently on the all castor.