Halfa Works Skyline FX049

Sweet !! Looks special , tell use more !

Don't reveal what magic lies in that cylinder or these things might start getting hard to find.

The purple one ran beautifully for several years of fun flying before the piston/cylinder finally got tired.  It honestly was the best reedie .049 I've ever flown.  The blue one is still new and unused but will be flown eventually.

I'll let you explain the whole Halfa Works /Hypercolor/Tim Wiltse story this time 'round since you started it.  

You're correct, Roddie. I only wish i had purchased some more of those little jewels when they were available. It took about a year to get the 2nd one if I remember correctly. I also bought one of his Mangusta DR 049s with the rear rotary intake but it didn't run nearly as well as the more affordable hotrod reedie. My Mangusta DR was flown quite a bit but ended up snapping the crank in 2015. The sharapnel damaged the cylinder/piston. I recently rebuilt it with a modded Killer Bee crank and a Cox Int. version of the TD piston/cylindet. Hasn't been tested since.

roddie wrote:
Hey Bob, how did you happen to find this engine? Have you taken possession of it yet?

Roddie, I actually saved the seller's(e-bay) photo from a few years ago. If I recall, I paid about $35 for the lot.I still can't believe nobody noticed it, as I was the only bidder. I was familiar with Wiltse's work from a couple of cases I had bought previously.
Bob

Cribbs74 wrote:What’s going on inside the cylinder Bob?

  Not much, Ron. The top photo is the Wiltse cylinder, and the bottom one is stock.
First time using my new endoscope/cam https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MR8EONS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bob
https://i.servimg.com/u/f62/17/00/68/15/win_2011.jpg

https://i.servimg.com/u/f62/17/00/68/15/win_2013.jpg

Show him the pistons side by side.

Tee Bee wrote:Show him the pistons side by side.

Ha, ya beat me to it.
Stock-left .4050"/Wiltse-right .3880. Just enough to allow for sub port induction.
Bob

Don't cut yourself on the skirt.

I apologize for hikacking your thread. I was just excited to see someone else's Skyline FX on here.

Tee Bee wrote:Don't cut yourself on the skirt.

I apologize for hikacking your thread.  I was just excited to see someone else's Skyline FX on here.  

Not a problem, glad for the input.
Yeah, that skirt is SHARP!

Bob

Very sweet engines!! Both the Skyline and the Mangusta. I am sorry to hear that the Crank on the Mangusta broke. I have had horrible luck with my drum rotor Cox engines. The only one that is any good is the original Cox RR1. The non-Cox RR2 and the Speed Bees are all pretty looking trash.

Wow, that was a steal! I think I paid $60 or so for mine direct from Tim. It seemed like a lot at the time in '07-'08 when stock Surestarts could be purchased on closeout for $7 on Cox's website. The proof was in the pudding, though. It brought so much better performance to the table than a stocker and was easy on the eyes as well. The current "TD" piston/cylinder sets on the market achieve SPI by enlarging the exhaust ports and utilize stock Surestart pistons, but Tim's method made the rotating assembly lighter. Mine ran smooth as butter most of the time and loved the 5x3 rubber ducky props.

Tee Bee wrote:Wow, that was a steal!  I think I paid $60 or so for mine direct from Tim.  It seemed like a lot at the time in '07-'08 when stock Surestarts could be purchased on closeout for $7 on Cox's website.  The proof was in the pudding, though.  It brought so much better performance to the table than a stocker and was easy on the eyes as well.  The current "TD" piston/cylinder sets on the market achieve SPI by enlarging the exhaust ports and utilize stock Surestart pistons, but Tim's method made the rotating assembly lighter.  Mine ran smooth as butter most of the time and loved the 5x3 rubber ducky props.

Yep, I did the math 3 or 4 different ways, and couldn't pass. Glad I didn't have to pay my max bid.
Bob

I think I got one of the very last engines that Tim Wilse ever sold over EBAY.
I corresponded with him after the BIN and he gave me some different choices like a red case, a brass modified drive plate just like Troy's and Bob's, and a modified brass needle valve with a 75% bend for light weight and easy adjustments.
I didn't get the cosmetic stuff like the trick milled case, the machined cylinder, or the bullet prop nut.
I did get the lightened piston and crankshaft and the bowl mouth back plate...
I haven't run it yet in that the lightened Estes Sure Start crankshaft scares me a bit in that QC was low already and cutting a non hardened piece can't make it stronger.
I spoke to Tim over the phone and he was in a tough spot physically and personally and I guess he went to the dark side of Moon owing a lot of folks money.
Sad but great work making a $6.99 closeout piece into something nice.

Steve...............

Interesting story, Steve. Indeed, a sad ending to his skills and passion. I wouldn't worry too much about the crank. Mine held up well to lots of hard runs. The broken one I experienced was on the rear rotary valve version. I'd be happy to send you several new Surestarts in trade for it.

Hey, I voted for that mill. Sweet!
Bob

Not me . I voted for Mauricio.

Tee Bee wrote:Interesting story, Steve.  Indeed, a sad ending to his skills and passion.  I wouldn't worry too much about the crank.  Mine held up well to lots of hard runs.  The broken one I experienced was on the rear rotary valve version.  I'd be happy to send you several new Surestarts  in trade for it.

That's a generous offer Troy but I think I'll keep it as a curiosity fun piece since I have about a dozen and a half NIP Sure Starts already.
I don't recall exactly, but it seems I paid Tim about $30 or $35 for it on the BIN. At the time, I looked at it as a precision machined piece that was beyond anything I could do.
Of course, I didn't get all the pretty banjo work either.
BTW, I was glad that you and yours seemed to have survived the hurricane OK.
I've watched your vids and build threads here, RCG and RCU from afar and really enjoyed them !!
I think I will fire up the Halfaworks engine if you have not had any troubles with the light parts.
I'm thinking it might be a screamer !!
Steve......

Thanks, Steve. That storm was no joke! I feel blessed to have dodged the flooding.

I hope your engine runs as solid as mine did. I expect it will since Tim spent some time getting the fit/clearances just right. He recommended an APC 4.2x4 prop for mine. The first one I got came in a fancy metal display box with one of those props and a nice little machined aluminum APC adapter. Seems I had to reset the piston clearance after every few runs on that prop! It wound up pretty tight, around 21-22k I think. I switched to the Cox 5x3 to slow her down a bit so it would last longer. The Skydrill w/Skyline 049 flew somewhat regularly for 5 yrs or so before it finally got tired. The plane has a little wear and tear, bad servos, and some fuel soaking issues now. I intend to resurrect it and get it back in the air someday. It was a great platform for that engine.

Found this from a google search 2003, but could
nt get the second post link to open for a read http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/1-2-1-8-airplanes-70/1374292-cox-plastic-product-engines-any-hop-ups.html Looked like the man did some really interesting mods. and very clean work .

RCU changes something in the software a few years alter and then non of the links work anymore...

From the text in the link one can quite easily find it again though; http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/1-2-1-8-airplanes-70/740011-cox-reed-valve-performance.html

Several years back I found Select Hobbies and there was a note of a cool RC plane in production but not available yet... The Scalpel
About the same time TeeBee was showing off a Scalpel on one of these forums...might have been here, but I think was on RC groups
He had the Mangusta engine up front and notes on who made them

At the time the web site was still active and I put several items in my cart... then nothing....I tried every which way to contact the creator and started seeing the notes on how some folks had paid and never got the items
Then a note on a forum by TeeBee explained the personal tragedies

About that time I also started seeing Valentine BINs on E-bay and got several all rear drum . Contacted Ron Valentine to try to buy some internals spares...never could get him to just sell me the gutz. I guess he thought I was going to make counterfeit engines and I do get that....too many people try to sell pseudo Venoms etc

I have since sold off my Valentine engines

I ended up with two pre production Scalple kits and instructions from Skaliwag The kit is based on ACE foam wing cores. I never built the Scalples and never will

last time round I voted for the Mangusta

Did someone mention the Scalpel? Mine flew for several years with the rear rotary Mangusta DR. I never really was able to get it to run as well as a TD, but it was interesting to play with. It often had a strange surging sound. I had it running at it's best at the 2015 SMALL fly-in. Unfortunately, it broke the crankshaft flange at that event. I never was able to contact Tim Wiltse about it. Was hoping he might still have a crankshaft in his stash. After that, I converted the Scalpel's firewall to accept a Dickeybird-modded TD .049 with throttle sleeve. The Scalpel lives on and still flies fairly regularly. I think skaliwag of Select Hobbies has run out of the Ace foam wings and now offers a built-up wood version. If I was to build one now, I'd prefer the wood option. This hobby sure has been fun!