Roger Harris revisited

rsv1cox Fri Nov 22, 2024 3:38 pm

Stuck inside with my chocolate chips and coffee on a cold, windy, and miserable day I found myself digging into old model kits and discovered the left-overs from Rogers laser cut Ringmaster Bipe kits.

Reason why it was in the Sterling F4U kit.

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t8499-the-bipe-has-arrived-thanks-roger?highlight=roger+harris

Eric, Fred, Rod and a few others built them.

TD ABUSER Sat Nov 23, 2024 2:30 am

rsv1cox wrote:Stuck inside with my chocolate chips and coffee on a cold, windy, and miserable day I found myself digging into old model kits and discovered the left-overs from Rogers laser cut Ringmaster Bipe kits.

Reason why it was in the Sterling F4U kit.

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t8499-the-bipe-has-arrived-thanks-roger?highlight=roger+harris

Eric, Fred, Rod and a few others built them.

What a great looking plane..!
Looks about the right size to me..

It was miserable here too...wet, cold and I had to spend all day troubleshooting a modern POS Japanese car's engine control system ...[while in full view of my model airplane work bench that's full of model plane work that also needs to be done].

So at least YOU got to play with toy planes a little bit while I had to suffer........ Mad

rsv1cox Sat Nov 23, 2024 7:35 am

Ah, TD-A.............POS is in the eye of the beholder. Smile

All four of my vehicles are of Japanese manufacturer, two Hondas, a Nissan, and a Mazda. I have affection for each but in different ways. The RX-7 is a work in progress, the 350Z a six speed rocket, the CR-V very utilitarian, the Accord is just dependable and comfortable. The last "American" car I had was a truck, a 2003 GMC Sonoma which I also loved. The most troublesome but very rewarding, a 2000 Porsche Boxster.

We all had fun with those RH Bipes customizing them in different ways. I guess Fred flew and crashed his. Mine recalled one of my first C/L models, Walt's Scientific hollow log Little Bipe a C/L fly-away never to be seen again.

TD ABUSER Sat Nov 23, 2024 2:13 pm

rsv1cox wrote:Ah, TD-A.............POS is in the eye of the beholder.

All four of my vehicles are of Japanese manufacturer, two Hondas, a Nissan, and a Mazda. I have affection for each but in different ways. The RX-7 is a work in progress, the 350Z a six speed rocket, the CR-V very utilitarian, the Accord is just dependable and comfortable. The last "American" car I had was a truck, a 2003 GMC Sonoma which I also loved. The most troublesome but very rewarding, a 2000 Porsche Boxster.

We all had fun with those RH Bipes customizing them in different ways. I guess Fred flew and crashed his. Mine recalled one of my first C/L models, Walt's Scientific hollow log Little Bipe a C/L fly-away never to be seen again.

I found so many instances on the Nissan where they were built to be "disposable" cars with every intention to make then as difficult [and expensive] to repair as they could. None of my local transmission shops will touch the automatic that's in her 2011 Versa that my GF blew the engine at 160,000. I will say that her Versa is the least oil soaked car I've ever seen with this many miles on it. Very few gaskets.most of the mating surfaces are machined aluminum with a caulk like sealant.

[I kind of like some Nissans...here is one that I rescued from a Farmer's field about 9 years ago and I drive it quite a lot.... Cool

By the time I got into the model plane hobby those "hollow log" models were just a legend that I heard others talk about but never saw myself. Finally years later I got to hold one in my hands and could not believe how strong and light it was.

getback Sun Nov 24, 2024 12:30 pm

I guess that thing is a Rocket with that 302 cooking up some power ! ! Eyebrows

Funny its been almost 10 yrs. What?

and my model still didn't get finished ! !Not much to finish bellcrank/upper wing lead outs installed with engine tank? Popcorn

And the Scout I wanted sososo bad still in the box

some day in another time /life or something maybee get better with my sit U ation confused

rsv1cox Sun Nov 24, 2024 3:44 pm

240/260Z TD??

I had a 1993 Nissan Altima, I loved that car but traded it for a new top of the line Volvo 960 Stationwagon. Leather - everything. After two years in Florida it started falling apart, A/C went out, repaired under warrenty, then the suspension bushings, then little things. Finally the motor mounts gave out. Enough!!! Traded it for a Porsche Boxter, same probems. I finally bought another new Altima. After years of trouble free driving I gave it to my daughter, more years and she gave it to my grand daughter.

Based on that I talked my son into buying a new Atima. He doesn't buy new prefering to buy used, other people problems. He doesn't like it despite near 40MPG average and 150K+ of trouble free driving. He even hit a deer with it and made it home antifreeze dripping. He still has it, their every day driver and still doesn't like it. But, they have four Ford Mustangs and a Honda Ridgeline. But guess what gets the most use................

My 350Z is the best driving, fastest, most trouble free car I have owned since my 1964 Buick Riveria. And everything works great.......except the drivers side power seat. I have a new switch for it but haven't installed it yet. How often do you change a seats setting.............

TD ABUSER Sun Nov 24, 2024 10:34 pm

rsv1cox wrote:240/260Z TD??

I had a 1993 Nissan Altima, I loved that car but traded it for a new top of the line Volvo 960 Stationwagon. Leather - everything. After two years in Florida it started falling apart, A/C went out, repaired under warrenty, then the suspension bushings, then little things. Finally the motor mounts gave out. Enough!!! Traded it for a Porsche Boxter, same probems. I finally bought another new Altima. After years of trouble free driving I gave it to my daughter, more years and she gave it to my grand daughter.

Based on that I talked my son into buying a new Atima. He doesn't buy new prefering to buy used, other people problems. He doesn't like it despite near 40MPG average and 150K+ of trouble free driving. He even hit a deer with it and made it home antifreeze dripping. He still has it, their every day driver and still doesn't like it. But, they have four Ford Mustangs and a Honda Ridgeline. But guess what gets the most use................

My 350Z is the best driving, fastest, most trouble free car I have owned since my 1964 Buick Riveria. And everything works great.......except the drivers side power seat. I have a new switch for it but haven't installed it yet. How often do you change a seats setting.............

I really like the looks of that 350...!
I've lurked at the new [modern] generation Z Car forums to see what people think about them...but I have never had a ride in one. There are some early Z Car enthusiasts who have figured out how to swap in late model Z Car mechanicals into the early ones.

Mine is a 1978 280 that I drove past twice a day for what seemed like 20 years. The owner was one of those dreamers who...just collected old wrecks but never did anything with them.
Everything from the rocker panels on down was sunk into the mud and worthless...but I was lucky enough to find replacement panels. The frame was so far gone that I built a new one from bumper to bumper with mainly 2 x 3 rectangular tubing. I WAS able to transfer the original front crossmember / steering rack mount over to the new frame.
The front bumper is modeled after a 240..but it's made by some guy who stamps them out of sheet aluminum.....the finished product weighs 26 pounds including brackets Cool

The 240 front bumper is what makes most people guess that the car is a 240.....

Oldenginerod Sun Nov 24, 2024 11:18 pm

rsv1cox wrote:
Eric, Fred, Rod and a few others built them.

Ahh, well.......... Every good intention Rolling Eyes

I bought two kits and Roger supplied two-piece wings to minimise packaging length for the trip to AUS. I have assembled the wings on one model. The other one suffered from some rodent damage, meaning I might need to reproduce some parts, but hey, I can't get one kit assembled so why would I be thinking about the second one?
I have a completed Brodak Trainer sitting there ready to fly, like if has been for 5 years or so. Also a scratch built "The Cadet" waiting for an engine and control hardware. No excuses, I just can't get off my backside and get motivated once I walk in the door after work.
Hopefully, retirement's a'comin.

GallopingGhostler Mon Nov 25, 2024 2:04 am

Bob, that's a nicely done half-A Ringmaster Bipe. Was it a Sterling Beginner's kit?

Speaking of cars, found this on a British website:

From https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/vauxhall/vxr8/18629/vauxhall-vxr8-maloo

Seems this side of the pond, there really isn't anything to get excited about in available pickups these days.

rsv1cox Mon Nov 25, 2024 7:45 am

I couldn't quite make that a 280 TD, your nicely done mods threw me off. You about rebuilt the whole car.

Bob, that's a nicely done half-A Ringmaster Bipe. Was it a Sterling Beginner's kit?

It's a Roger Harris creation George. I found the plans and some left-over parts hidden in the Sterling F4U kit. I found the F4U at a consignment shop along with a camel, both came like this.

Roger's kit came like this.

I finished the F4U but haven't touched the camel.

TD ABUSER Mon Nov 25, 2024 4:07 pm

Man that's a great looking Corsair..!

I almost forgot how hobby shops used to sell models on consignment.

Just arrive at an agreeable price then wait.

I feel "Gypped" to have reached old age and not have the good old hobby shops around as a resource and a great "pass time"..

rsv1cox Mon Nov 25, 2024 7:34 pm

TD ABUSER wrote:Man that's a great looking Corsair..!

I almost forgot how hobby shops used to sell models on consignment.

Just arrive at an agreeable price then wait.

I feel "Gypped" to have reached old age and not have the good old hobby shops around as a resource and a great "pass time"..

We still have one local "Hobby Hutt" holding on.

On-line internet shopping has doomed most of the Mom & Pops. Big boom for USPS, FEDEx and UPS though. Not the same as the old Hobby Shop experience. And, you have to be careful. Individuals have become shills for Chinese products. The two chain saw motors that I thought originated in New Jersey was just someone acting inbetween me and China. What I thought would take three days to get to me took almost two weeks.

I ordered a caliper with them to replace my malfunctioning Lyman caliper which cost five times as much. The new one is made of carbon fiber and is much lighter but it didn't come with a case. That's Ok it fits the Lyman case. Motors are the same as the one I got in four days through Temu.

Funny story:

I just threw out most of my scrap balsa, I should say - really scrap balsa. I save everything almost down to dust.

I was looking for this snap ring that went zing last week while disassembling a chainsaw.

I thought I heard it go into one of those long balsa boxes, but I forgot about it. Now that I have the motors I'm going to need it so I went looking. I turned both boxes upside down onto the floor looking for it. No luck. After I got the mess cleaned up I looked on a shelf next to my workbench and there it was. To late, to smart.

It took courage for me to toss all that beautiful balsa, had to have a reason to do so...... Smile

TD ABUSER Tue Nov 26, 2024 10:44 pm

Dude I can't believe you threw out all of that tiny balsa scrap..!
You could have used it to build 100s of these........https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/insect-power Cool

GallopingGhostler Tue Nov 26, 2024 10:51 pm

I made one of those fly powered airplanes in high school, had an article in a model airplane magazine, don't remember which. Flew great until it hit a wall, killing the fly.

Had a Class A fatality for the first time in my model aviation experience. Sad

TD ABUSER Wed Nov 27, 2024 12:51 am

GallopingGhostler wrote:I made one of those fly powered airplanes in high school, had an article in a model airplane magazine, don't remember which. Flew great until it hit a wall, killing the fly.

Had a Class A fatality for the first time in my model aviation experience.

Well hopefully the fly was given a proper burial with full honors lol!

If you were thinking straight you would have provided a little crash helmet for the fly and even some time in a flight simulator before turning him loose...?

getback Wed Nov 27, 2024 6:44 am

I ain't never Turkey

rsv1cox Wed Nov 27, 2024 7:29 am

TD ABUSER wrote:Dude I can't believe you threw out all of that tiny balsa scrap..!
You could have used it to build 100s of these........https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/insect-power

Dude? Dude???????????

I'm about as far away from a Dude as you can get. I'm a beat-up, crumpled, dried up pototo chip of an old man trying to keep his head above water and the weeds.

Yesterday: Me all "Duded" up. Dude: Primarily a male person who dressed in an extremely fashionable manner (a dandy) or a conspicuous citified person.

TD ABUSER Wed Nov 27, 2024 7:42 am

What IS that thing...?

It looks like something out of a Dr Seuss book..... Shocked

getback Wed Nov 27, 2024 7:50 am

Looks like a tree choking Vine !

rsv1cox Wed Nov 27, 2024 7:56 am

getback wrote:Looks like a tree choking Vine !

Killing our trees, this one a Black Cherry. I pull them down with the tractor, burn them up on the burn pile.

roddie Wed Nov 27, 2024 8:34 am

... yes.. you've been "Vining" for many years... tongue

GallopingGhostler Wed Nov 27, 2024 10:39 am

TD ABUSER wrote:Well hopefully the fly was given a proper burial with full honors

How about a burial at sea? (Flicked into a toilet.) Reading

rsv1cox Wed Nov 27, 2024 10:46 am

roddie wrote:... yes.. you've been "Vining" for many years...

Mark and I have been chuckling about that for the past few days. Pictures of us Vineings etc.

Interesting history about Sur (last) names. Originating in the 11th century often reflecting occupation....."Carpenter", "Smith", "Johnson" (Johns son) etc.. Perhaps we come from Vintners.

Gave it "what's for" today.............

Coincendentially my DIL wants to plant grapes there. They are wine drinkers..........

MauricioB Wed Nov 27, 2024 9:30 pm

Roberto! What a beautiful job, tell your daughter-in-law to widen the length and width and build a good runway for model airplanes there!! She should buy the wine and that's it haha Flying

rsv1cox Thu Nov 28, 2024 7:01 pm

MauricioB wrote:Roberto! What a beautiful job, tell your daughter-in-law to widen the length and width and build a good runway for model airplanes there!! She should buy the wine and that's it haha

Thanks Mauricio. A vinyard is in their plans for this property once I "leave the building" Smile

, but maybe in the field where I would like to fly C/L planes again someday. I have flown a Cox PT-19 there several years ago, and a couple of home-builts. Mark has flown his little bind-and-fly trainer there so there is room, only it's grass and I first have to build a runway out of cardboard boxes or hand launch.

Cold, rain, and probably snow here for the next 90 days so I'm not looking forward to it.

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Roger Harris revisited

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