Another Gilbert "SkyFlash"

rsv1cox wrote:

rsv1cox on Aug 29, 2022 wrote:This one might actually see air time.  Not much to lose here.

Arrived today UPS, delayed a day for a reason known only to UPS. [...] I brought it out in the sunshine and looked through the stacks while propping it and noticed a blob going up and down.  Wow, a connecting rod with no piston attached.  A first for me.

Wow, you indeed did get a box of chocolates this time, Bob. A parts engine.

GallopingGhostler wrote:

rsv1cox wrote:

rsv1cox on Aug 29, 2022 wrote:This one might actually see air time.  Not much to lose here.

Arrived today UPS, delayed a day for a reason known only to UPS. [...] I brought it out in the sunshine and looked through the stacks while propping it and noticed a blob going up and down.  Wow, a connecting rod with no piston attached.  A first for me.

Wow, you indeed did get a box of chocolates this time, Bob. A parts engine.

Probably George, I don't have a spare pistion. But I do have a spare direct replacement that will have to do.

I finally took it apart today.









Super SPI

Helped me get the head off.......

 "No windshields.  Got to find a way to make those."

Clear water bottle, blocks of wood and twenty minutes with your power tools, and a hair drier...you get your mojo on and pop out two in a few minutes.

944_Jim wrote:

 "No windshields.  Got to find a way to make those."

Clear water bottle, blocks of wood and twenty minutes with your power tools, and a hair drier...you get your mojo on and pop out two in a few minutes.

Twenty minutes?    I have two left hands and a 85 YO brain.

No,,,, I have tried it.  I can't pull plastic over a buck and operate a hair drier at the same time.  I have watched the video of the fellow doing it and the plastic that he used just conforms to the mold with no effort.  One day I will get my son to help.

Won an auction for this Gilbert last night.  Got up at 1 am to see it end.  






Completes the three plane set that they offered - Sky Hawk. Sky Flash, and Sky Streak.

Cheap for a NIB powered model airplane.  17 watchers.  Combined bomb drop and leadout mechanism.  Comes from out in Kim's country.  

Blows my - No more plastic airplanes resolution sky high........But, these are different, somewhat strange, rare, and a side line to their model railroad/erector set enterprizes.

I did not see Rod's post, I did not see Rod's post, I did not see Rod's post, I did not see Rods' post......................

The pursuit is half the fun.  The search continues.

I did not know of the Beechcraft Musketter (new for 1963).  I did find the 1963 catalog though.  ebay $14.99 to $49.99.  I chose the $14.99 one.



One must have appeared on ebay in the past as it shows in it's history.  I'll put my son on it.  

rsv1cox wrote:Won an auction for this Gilbert last night.  Got up at 1 am to see it end.  



Completes the three plane set that they offered - Sky Hawk. Sky Flash, and Sky Streak.

Cheap for a NIB powered model airplane.  17 watchers.  Combined bomb drop and leadout mechanism.  Comes from out in Kim's country.  

Blows my - No more plastic airplanes resolution sky high........But, these are different, somewhat strange, rare, and a side line to their model railroad/erector set enterprises.

In a way, I can understand why the Gilberts didn't appeal to the masses. This plane, although nice, lacks scale features. Back then kids were still familiar with WW2 movies and TV series. This particular Gilbert appears to be cartoonish without see-through canopy, front end of a Goodyear pylon racer, back end of a jet. It lacks genuine realism.

Of course Bob, you bring back to us a bit of ancient history that even I was unaware of. Only 2 years later, Birthday 1965 (or Christmas 1964), I received a Cox .049 Silver Bee powered Supermarine Spitfire, perhaps the finest RTF C/L plane produced by Cox. Compared with the cheaper look of the Gilbert, it was realism at its best.

The Cox scale models had a refined look about them, lacking in the Gilberts. Although they were less sturdy and could not survive crashes as well, it had eye candy appeal to persons like me.

Congrats on your buy, you amaze me with the obscure history you bring back to us.

Oldenginerod wrote:One more to go Bob.  Oh no, what have I done???

Rod, that is a new one that I was unaware of, seems to be a really nice scale model. Probably why sales never took off, is kids were into scale war planes back then; it also lacks see-through cabin windows that the Coxes had. My simple Cox L-4 Grasshopper with clear windows, scale color and markings had more appeal. No kid like painted aircraft windows, IMO.

rsv1cox wrote:I finally took it apart today.









Super SPI

Helped me get the head off.......

Continuation of a sad tale.

My replacement engine did not have the starter, thought I could live with it, but the starter fills the void in the front of the fuselage so I went looking for a parts engine from which I could rob a piston.  

Found one, but it wasn't giving up that piston easily.  I just could not remove the back plate, heat and the Cox mild steel tool just bent.  I need tempered steel.  Thought of a cheap (Harbor Freight) set of spade bits that wobbled so bad that I refused to use them.  Selected a one inch size ground off the point and made a handle for it:



Chucked it up in a vice, snug not tight  lots of heat and forcing against the tool tried to remove the backplate.  Pushed the case right off the vice.  Tightened, and got some movement, pushed the case right off the vice again.  Tighter, but this time it would not budge at all.  Too tight compressing the case out of round.  Removed it and screwed it down to a board and tried again.  Rocked it CW/CCW, heat, Remoil.  Got it.  Tool plus adjustable wrench on the blade to gain mechanical advantage.  

Success.  Cylinder time.  Nothing to grab onto, ports are buried and I can't find my leather strap or hose cut-off.  Heat, rag buffer, pliers.  Hate that!  Got it off, but not easy.  Tool marks, jewelers files, wet/dry paper, Brownells.  

Won an auction for this Gilbert last night.  Got up at 1 am to see it end.  

Nice score sir, must have been too early for the snipers
Sorry, "quote" function didn't work like I expected

pman1111 wrote:
Sorry, "quote" function didn't work like I expected

Quote is easy.  Click the "quote" button top right and the quoted wording is inserted in brackets.  You can edit how much if the quote you use by changing what's inside the brackets.

You can add your own comments either before the first bracket or after the last bracket. Hit "Preview" to see how it looks before you click "Send".

Not a bad thing not getting the quote function. Saves repeating all those photos. When I use the quote I delete all the photos. No sense in reinventing the wheel.

I will sometimes hit the QUOTE function, and copy a photo BB Code link from the quoted text, hit the back button to return to the thread, (or if in another thread use a separate browser tab), then reply or reply with quote and paste it again, to make a point. This way, it saves CEF storage space by reusing the same photo.

Also, if a photo has too much detail, I sometimes copy it to my hard disk, then use a photo editor (in my case, free GIMP) to crop out all the unimportant detail and resize if needed, then upload and post. This helps the reader to more clearly see the essential facts of the item in the photo.

When I use the QUOTE function, I usually edit out all text and photos not necessary to my reply. This saves the reader from seeing all the unnecessary clutter (i.e., getting down to the "brass tacks") when reading my post.

Nice job on the engine Bob… If I ever get one hopelessly locked I’m sending it to you!!!

I have that same little meter in one of your photos…. Harbor Freight special… Works great…Also an old Radio Shack analog meter… I still like them for some things…

I cleaned the engine up that came with it (no piston) and put it back together.  On right.



But I swapped the cylinder and piston back into the orignal case that came with the starter.  I wanted to keep piston/cylinder together.  "Bad" engine is usable if I could find a piston, but I had to drill out the tapped 3/48" mounting holes to accommodate the hold down screws to get the back plate off.  Confusing......

The body was pretty good but the cowl was split requiring some surgery.  Red tube Testors is wonderful stuff even when under stress.

Before:



After:





I enjoy working on these Gilberts.  A little clunky, but built to fly (the airfoil wing is everything.)  George may be right, not scale so not so much eye appeal.  But innovative and strongly built.  My favorite plastic airplane.




Yes, those Harbor Freight freebies.  I think I have three, my son several more.  Free with purchase.



Sperry is my walk-around, Centech when I'm serious.

rdw777 wrote:I have that same little meter in one of your photos…. Harbor Freight special… Works great…Also an old Radio Shack analog meter… I still like them for some things…

Robert, for many years, I had that very same Radio Shack (RS) meter. Then not long ago, something happened to it may be 15 years ago, it disappeared. When I bought it, they had it on sale, I was glad to get it because it was a decent meter.

I found a down side to Harbor Freight (HF) cheap meters AND electronics. They do not have any fuse or other internal protection. I used the wrong voltage scale on their digital meter, I fried something inside. It no longer would record the correct voltages, and you had no way of knowing, I verified it with another meter. At least with the Radio Shack analog meter, it came with a schematic, so I could replace a burnt out resistor in its circuit. I could tell I burnt something with the RS, it had the burnt electronics stench.

Their cheap trickle charger doesn't have any fuse or internal circuit protection. I accidentally connected it up backwards, blew something in its internal circuit without smoke or smell, stopped topping off batteries, but did not let me know it no longer works, a waste of money.

More expensive meters and chargers come with protection, either with fuse, circuit breaker, or internal by design.

Overall, I have found that if I spend a little more money, then HF tools are decent. I bought their heat gun very cheap, for less than $12 may be 4 or 5 years ago. Now, the satin finish over the plastic has gone south, is sticky to the touch. They would have been better to have simply left it off in the plain black plastic. Had the same thing happen to a cheap utility knife that came in a nice nylon case with a pliers multitool at Lowes Home Improvement Center. It too has the same sticky feeling.

I bought HF's cheap $7 plastic 12V air compressor, kept it in my pickup. 3 years later, the rubber hose rotted completely making it totally useless. The poor sap (in this case, me   ) who has one stored in his trunk will find it failing him, if he needs it. OTOH, I bought their more expensive metal Pittsburgh $30 one (now $40) 10 years ago. Recently I topped off the tires on the SUV where it is stored. It still runs like new.

10 years ago, I bought HF's cheap impact drill. It overheated easily, finally gave it away to a friend. Yet, I have their top of the line one, still works fine.

Yet, I bought inexpensive Craftsman single speed electric drill back in the 1970's. Still had it and gave it to a friend who needed one 20 years later. Still have their inexpensive single speed jig saw purchased same time, works like a champ 45 years later.

I'm an occasional user, not a heavy user of power tools, but I expect them to be ready when I need them, so, I have learned my lesson.