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In article <1993Jan22.230034.1@wombat.newcastle.edu.au> asrgf@wombat.newcastle.edu.au writes:

> After a gap of about twenty years I would like to get involved in
> control line >open combat again. My questions are these:

Hello there! I don't know much about Australian Open Combat, but 
what I've heard leads me to believe its similar to AMA "Fast" 
Combat in the United States, except that .40 motors are allowed.
I don't know if the rules are more FAI like (or pre-'78 SMAE 
like) or whether, like AMA Combat, the "kill" wins the match.

> *Engines 

Hmmm well, I've seen pictures of someone who flew a Cartier Gotcha
500 with an OS Max .40 FSR. So I imagine any one of the numerous 
Schnuerle .40s would work well. 

Here in the States most people fly using the Fox .36 Mark VI Combat
Special. There aren't many .36 sized motors out there, but a few 
people fly with Nelson's new .36, and a variety of other custom-
built motors like the Hoffelt .36. You will have a much wider choice.
Used R/C motors must abound - the R/C NVAs can be salvaged to be 
used as remote needles.

Then theres me. I fly using cheap Taiwan-made .28s on somewhat 
smaller airplanes. What I lose in speed I make up in turning abi-
lity. You might try something similar. If you do want to try this 
let me know - the plans for my Caudimordax design have been pub-
lished and are available through Model Aviation ie. AMA.

The better deals out there are the Taiwanese .40s - they're cheap and
they can be made to run very fast, if my experience with the smaller
.28s is any indication. They aren't all built the same though. The
best .28s I've found are the Leo (from Indy R/C). The Brat was about
as fast but tended to blow rods. The Royal .28 was pretty slow. I
retime the cranks on all my motors but do not touch the sleeve for the
most part.

You will have a choice between heavy and light .40s - you will no-
tice that some weigh around 9-10 ounces (eg. Fox, OS .40 FP) and 
others 11-13 oz. Both can be made to run very fast with a little 
extra work. 

> What are the current "hot" motors and where do I get them.

If you really want to go fast, money no object, Nelson makes a 
Quickee 500 motor. (Actually I hate to think of what this motor 
might do to a regular Combat airframe!). 

Fuel? Most people in the States like lots of nitro. I usually use 
25%, some go as high as 40-50%. The Nelsons supposedly put out lots
of power using 10-15% nitro, however. I assume you will be using a
lot less nitro, which is good - the motors are bigger. 

Props? The APC 8.5x6 (or whatever it is) seems to be the "hot" one 
right now - people used to use wood props almost exclusively in Fast 
since things like Master Airscrews come apart at Fast Combat RPMs. 
The Australian Taipan props are quite good, though. Can't get them 
cheap anymore though... 

Lines? We get it in bulk. Bob Bearden sells it in 1000 foot spools,
I have been selling some wire also (I have one 5000 foot spool left).

Tanks? We use amber latex surgical tubing as is often used for hi-
starts.

Some addresses: 

Dox Generix Kits (kits - very good value)
See MACA newsletter address below
(812)665-3723

Lou Scavone (kits, parts)
41312 Memphis Drive, 
Sterling Heights, MI 48313
(313)739-3058

Bear Enterprises (kits, wire, supplies of all sorts)
RR#2, Box 70,
Beecher, IL 60401
(408)946-6130

The Core House/Phil Cartier (kits)
760 Waltonville Rd.,
Hummelstown, PA 17036
(717)566-3810

Bob Oge (engine rework)
34W. 883 S. James
St. Charles, IL 60174
(312)888-2289

(Bob can rechrome that worn out piston/liner set from your Hanno
Special just as easily as he'll do it on a Combat motor).

Nelson Engines
121 Pebble Creek Lane,
Zelienople, PA 16063
(412)538-5282

> *Models
> What are the current "hot" medels and whwere do I get plans etc?

In the states the current "hot" model has to be Steve Hill's Arrow-
plane. I'll try to find an address - he sells the plans. It uses a 
long carbon arrowshaft for a boom. All the current designs use a 
styrofoam wing of about 500 square inches, with about 48 inch span. 
A couple people fly using Russian style flying wings. Kits are avai-
lable from a variety of sources - some of the nicest are Lou Scavone's

> *News
> Are there newsletters that cover the topic, and how do I subscribe?

Several places for news. Model Aviation ran a Combat column (Charlie
Johnson just "retired" so they are looking for another columnist).
Phil Cartier and Rich "von" Lopez tag-team a very good informative 
column in Flying Models magazine. There are two combat-specific 
newsletters out there that you might want to subscribe to:

MACA Newsletter
PO Box 111
Jasonville, IN 47438
USA

(Dues: $15 a year, don't know how much for overseas).

New England Combat News
(I'll post address later)

You might also want to write for this:

"The List"
c/o John Thompson
1145 Birch Ave
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
USA

(A bunch of mailing lists: fliers, hobby shops, C/L product 
suppliers, a listing of the national C/L press. Mostly in 
the Northwestern United States - for the benefit of contest 
organizers in said region).

I guess the best advice is actually to go to a couple meets 
and see what everyone else is flying. Thats how I got my start
(won my first match ever against Bob Bearden - and I was flying
a .15! I guess one gets lucky..)
-- 
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Iskandar Taib                          | The only thing worse than Peach ala
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