AT A GLANCE Type:
Construction: Wing span: Wing area: Airfoil: Length: Weight:
Wing loading: Engine: Prop:
R/C sport
balsa and ply 64 inches 847 sq. in.
semi-symmetrical 57 inches
7–8.25 pounds 19–22 oz./sq.ft.
O.S. .61 FX two-stroke Master Airscrew 12–7
Radio: Futaba T6EX 2.4 GHz 6-channel Servos:
Manufacturer: Futaba S3004 (5)
Sig Mfg. Co., Inc. 401-7 South Front Street, Montezuma, IA 50171-0520 641-623-5154
www.sigmfg.com
The components of the 4-Star 64 EG include options for either electric or glow power. Note the electric motor mount and cowl in the lower right corner (above). The paint on the fiberglass parts exactly matches the “Ferrari Red” Oracover. The model comes with all decals in place and quality hardware throughout. In one of the very few small glitches in the kit, the aileron servo holes in the wing (below left) had to be enlarged slightly to accommodate the Futaba standard servos the author chose to use. The fuselage servo holes for the rudder, elevator, and throttle fit perfectly. The use of pins (below right) to help center the hinges before applying thin CA worked very well. Once the hinges are centered, the pins are removed and the parts slid together to eliminate any excessive gaps.
Even as the original 4-Star kits continue to be manufactured, Sig has refined the original 4-Star 40 and 4-Star 60 models into the 4-Star 54 EG ARF and 4-Star 64 EG ARF to reflect the actual wingspan and power choices, as noted previously.
The reasons for these modifications origi- nate with current 4-Star owners who com- monly clip the wing tips of the respective planes by a rib bay on each side to improve roll rate and maneuverability. Likewise, the control surfaces have been enlarged (rudder, elevator and ailerons) for better control at lower speeds. Aesthetically, the rather bul- bous canopy has been replaced with a sleek- er version, and the turtle deck is now sheet- ed for greater strength and a smoother appearance.
Additional improvements and modifica- tions include a large magnetic hatch in front of the canopy for easy access to either a set of Li-Po flight batteries or a fuel tank, the use of the Oracover covering material (Hangar 9 UltraCote in the U.S.) in either Cub Yellow or Ferrari Red, and a fiberglass cowl to slick up the front end for electric flyers. I will be men- tioning other positive changes as we move through the assembly phase of the model.
FLYING MODELS
Assembling the 4-Star 64 EG The doubled box arrived from Sig with no damage whatsoever and all components present. All parts were nicely bagged and protected from the jostling of shipping with either cardboard partitions or by being taped to each other or the sides of the color- ful interior box. As I unwrapped each part, I was struck with the attention to detail and the quality of each component, whether it be the very light wing structure, the beautiful- ly finished fiberglass parts, or even the land- ing gear which had been painted a metallic silver. The completely painted pilot and painted and trimmed canopy earned “plus” points, even though the pilot looked like he would have been more comfortable in a Cor- sair or Hellcat as the photos will show. As is the case with all Sig kits, the plane had a complete and fully detailed photo- illustrated, step-by-step assembly manual. The assembly steps were sequential and started with assisting the modeler in mak- ing a choice of either electric or glow power (the “EG” of the name), including specific recommendation for the electric flyer of mo- tors, ESCs, batteries, chargers, and pro- pellers. Since electric flying is new to many
modelers, I thought this was a most useful part of the manual.
More general recommendations were made for the glow flyer, and since that was the choice I had made, I did scan them to make sure I didn’t miss anything as I pre- pared to assemble the plane. As a minor quirk on my part, I am really opposed to the pejoration of language on the part of most on-line blogs and reviews that refer to “building” an ARF, so you will find variants of the word “assemble” as you read on. After going over the covering to remove what few minor wrinkles were there, actual assembly begins with installing the aileron servos in each wing panel. The modeler is left with the choice of either epoxying the wing halves together with a stout aluminum joiner tube in the middle or leaving them separate for easier transport. I opted for the latter, and could install the aileron servos in each wing panel without having to wrestle the entire length of the wing.
I chose my trusty Futaba T6EX FASST radio system with its R617FS receiver and standard Futaba 3004 servos. I was sur- prised when the servos did not fit the pre-cut aileron servo openings in the wings. I found
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