Show Off Your Field Box

Hmmm, coroplast. Good add. You went all fancy with nice hardware. I'm thinking a cost-reduction process using just tie-wraps? Or, hot-melt glue, even.

PeterJGregory wrote:Hmmm, coroplast. Good add. You went all fancy with nice hardware. I'm thinking a cost-reduction process using just tie-wraps? Or, hot-melt glue, even.

Ty-wraps.... Never thought of that one. I like the all plastic idea. I am actually glad I had not yet cut all my nice hardware flush. Updates to follow.... Thanks for the idea.

PeterJGregory wrote:Hmmm, coroplast. Good add. You went all fancy with nice hardware. I'm thinking a cost-reduction process using just tie-wraps? Or, hot-melt glue, even.

Ya happy now? I un-fancied it. Now held together with zip ties, and the fuel bottle area is now hot-melt glued in place with supports. It actually looks better, and I think may actually be stronger, as the bolts were small with no backings making them easier to pull through. The zip ties, on the other hand, are in one hole and out the other in essence holding more of the sides together with less chance of ripping. Thanks again for the tip.

NEW222 wrote: Now held together with zip ties, and the fuel bottle area is now hot-melt glued in place with supports. It actually looks better, and I think may actually be stronger, as the bolts were small with no backings making them easier to pull through. The zip ties, on the other hand, are in one hole and out the other in essence holding more of the sides together with less chance of ripping. Thanks again for the tip.

That's terrific! When it gets dirty you can just empty it.. squirt some all-purpose cleaner in there and spray it off with a garden hose! Can't do that with a wooden box..

Is it possible to double-up the center-section with the flutes running vertically? That would prevent it from bending/creasing if heavier on one side or if something happens to accidentally fall or lay against it in storage. Just zip-tie the doubler in the same way.

The panel with the horizontal flutes could possibly be utilized for holding props. The right-size wood-screw might fit through the prop-hub and press into the flute-channels. There's enough room on both sides of the box for a lot of props if placed horizontally.

Dang, you guys are killing me here. This box and its design keep growing....

Here's another thread about field boxes I was just reading while on a search, Roddie did you ever get that TOPPER completed ? Any way here is a shot of my kit built FB from back in the 70s  https://www.coxengineforum.com/t5771p25-field-box-plans?highlight=FIELD+BOX The pull out small box is my go to when running or going to the short field behind the house . getback

NEW222 wrote:Dang, you guys are killing me here. This box and its design keep growing....

'The Nature of The Beast'

I think that the large field boxes with the smaller pull-out "tote" are pretty cool.  You just need to remember if taking the small one to the field; that you don't leave anything behind in the big box that you might need. Maybe set-up the small tote with your small-airplane support stuff. Spare handle/lines, glow-plugs, props, small screw-driver, rag, wrenches and a pint/quart of fuel. Most C/L flyers that I've met, have very modest flight totes. It's usually the RC flyers that have the gadgetry. Their flight boxes can be bodacious! I've seen some that are so big/heavy.. that they need wheels!

Check out this google-images link.. I've found so many cool photos of models and ideas this way. It's always interesting what can come up in a search.

RC flight box on wheels search

Roddie Speaks the Truth.

This was my Uncle Wayne's 'Field Box' when he first got us going in control line flying back in the day !! It had a few more reels of line and a couple more tools packed in it, but that was about it!

I have three
RC
Flight testing
Combat competition (no longer active)

Each has a distinctly different mix of essential items and I spend a lot of time trying NOT to TOTE un-needed crap

Before a flying session take the time to determine what you need to accomplish and pack accordingly

I keep the repair supplies in a box in the car/truck optimistically hoping to not need them...but on site still the same

IN every case the obvious is:
Fuel
Glow Igniter
Handel
Lines
Spare prop
Spare Glow plug
Tool (s).... engine , prop nut, handle adjustment

best bet is every time out flying and you need something but don't have it...MAKE a note

and as you load up to go home take a look at everything you did not use....may be only to change from tote to in the car box

I have seen everything from 300lbs of wheel barrel including full weather station to just essentials in bib over all pockets

I think i posted this a couple years ago, but here it is, still proud of it (even though it hasn't seen the flying field in a couple years) it's the only box i've ever used. Its started life as a 8th grade wood shop project(c. 72) for my Cox plastic RTF's, made from rock maple.
In the early eighties i added a drawer for my R/C stuff, using a old broken prop from my Banshee/Fox .35 for the drawer handle. In the mid 90's i added a removable power supply on the right for Q500 racing and a larger drawer on bottom, as well as some small caster wheels and that's where it's at today...i noticed that i added a EX sticker sometime in the last couple years...

All utility, built it myself. Can you tell? Lol.

Stilll getting by with ignitors and have avoided a full panel. Got tired of using an old tool box to carry my gear

I'm enjoying the feedback on this thread. As I previously mentioned; most C/L people I've met, carry a minimal amount of support gear. There's the obvious reasons.. but they also seem to be more "purists".. especially when it comes to their engines. I don't see many electric-starters. They hand-prop almost exclusively. I suppose it's because there are still many vintage engines in use.

Last year I attended a N.E.S.T (CLPA) fun-fly in Wrentham, MA. Most flyers had small flight-totes.. but many were equipped with power-panels. I like having the glow-driver in the panel. I haven't needed a Ni-starter (yet..) because of my using mostly Cox engines with stock glow-heads. I have a wired push-on spring-clip that I use when bench-running engines having standard glow-plugs. I've only flown 1/2A.. so a bulb and small fuel-bottle is all I've needed to fuel-up with. These guys are flying bigger airplanes with 5+oz. tanks. Some guys used electric fuel pumps.. and I saw several "plunger-type" that screw on to a gallon jug. I'm going to need a fuel-pump sooner or later.  

Roddie

I have an electric pump only used to deliberately cycle fuel from one container through a filter into a new metal gallon paint container for storage

WalMart this time of year has the BBQ section full of gadgets and the 2oz meat injector hypodermic sets with needle for .88c so I buy 10 at a time

I have spent way more than I want to admit over the years on these things from Tractor supply, my Vet, and MBS/others and find the .88c item is just as good. And at the price usable for using with glues like fillet materiel... break off the weird injector needle and put a nice bead of glue /epoxy where needed then no heart break putting in the trash can

RC guys with 16oz and larger fuel tanks like the pumps but for me using 6 oz max and usually closer to 3oz the hypodermic plunger is just right...cheap and easy to deliberately short tank by filling and sucking out a specific amount

None of my fuel mix up to 40% N seem to deteriorate the rubber plunger...but at this low cost if it did I would just chuck it and open a new package

I like this. All the designs, and reasons behind them. Maybe with this thread, we could create the 'Ultimate 1/2a Field Box'.

NEW222,

I sent you a pm. They don't usually go through for me. just let me know if you got it.

Bob

PM received. Thanks

@roddie - I have to ask. In your second picture, what is that between the persons right side and to the left of the orange spray bottle? It appears to be some sort of multi-wing in the pictures and from my view. Thanks.

NEW222 wrote:@roddie - I have to ask. In your second picture, what is that between the persons right side and to the left of the orange spray bottle? It appears to be some sort of multi-wing in the pictures and from my view. Thanks.

Yea.. I knew that model (it has crash-damage in that photo..) might draw some curiosity.

Here's a close-up.



Check out this one (same modeler) even more radical.

Wow, is that ever neat. Thanks for sharing.

NEW222 wrote:

PeterJGregory wrote:Hmmm, coroplast. Good add. You went all fancy with nice hardware. I'm thinking a cost-reduction process using just tie-wraps? Or, hot-melt glue, even.

Ya happy now?

I love it. You really jumped on that one!

Ok. So this has been a project going on the past couple of weeks. I found plans online in which I used here as a guideline for mine. So I wanted a small 1/2a fieldbox so I built the red coroplast one. It was not going to be sturdy enough for what I wanted next. So I had a piece of 3/4" plywood and picked up a 4 foot section of 1 x 4. With that, I built the following in which was bigger than the one I had plans for. It was unexpected till I measured it after completion. I added a battery area as I was going to make a 1/2a starter. I was going to build another 2 D cell battery holder for the glow head clip. Then while at my local hobby shop picking up a glowhead for me bigger engine, I found this little power panel. Last one and was marked for $9. Well, it had my name all over it. I had saved up a bit of extra cash so it came home with me, and fit in the field box like it was designed for it. Nice and simple. It has a 12v starter plug, glow plug terminals, as well as battery meter and light to tell you if the plug is good or not. Lastly it has 3 power settings for heat, L, M, H. The box was painted with acrylic interior latex followed by 2 coats of Minwax Polyurethane oil based in which the light color got a tad yellow after drying, but that was something I was willing to sacrifice for fuel proofing. Anyways, no longer going to keep you waiting. Here it is.

I have also a couple of small things I would like to do/add to it yet. Mainly a fuel bottle holder fro my 1 pint fuel bottle, and possibly a lid for the larger side.