Tower .46 BB ABC--a powerful bargain!

Model Airplane News, Nov 1999 by Chianelli, Chris

Everything is so expensive these days; that's why I love it when I can bring you guys a product that really represents good, overall value. That's the case with the Tower Hobbies* .46. A few of my flying buddies, including the venerable Vic Olivett, have been running these engines every weekend, and they are all very happy with them-so I thought I should pass the good news on to you. us The general consensus of these guys concerning the lower .46 is that it is a user-friendly engine that performs very well in many respects, including power. The figures in the rpm chart bear this out. Starting is also excellent. Right out of the box, the engine started on the second flip. Throughout testing, the engine continued to start on the first or second flip every time. Its low idle is reliable, and throttle transitions from low idle to high throttle were quick and smooth. Response is excellent; no hesitation at all. But wait! Here's the best part! The engine costs only $75 to $80, with muffler!

The .46 joins the Tower .40, but it has more high-end features than its smaller stablemate. These features include twin, ballbearing-supported crankshaft; true chrome ABC piston/sleeve technology; twin-needle carburetor (as opposed to air bleed for the Tower .40); remote main needle-valve location for safety and Schnuerle porting.

One of the things I like best about this engine is that it's assembled using Allen socket-head screws. Budget engines often use cheaper Phillipshead screws to hold them together, and this is far less desirable, in my opinion. Oh, yes; the .46 also comes with a two-year warranty. The one criticism that I have is that the Allen wrenches that came with the engine are very low quality. They stripped out quickly, and I recommend that you toss them. Use your own, high-quality wrenches instead.

Though we have run these engines for only a few weeks, as of this writing, the .46 should prove to do well in the longevity department too, because it has chrome plating on the cylinder liner instead of nickel, which has gained popularity with some engine manufacturers. Having run this inexpensive powerhouse, I hope Tower now plans to bring us more engines in larger sizes with the same features, performance and awesome pricing as the Tower .46 BB ABC. I'm sure no one will argue when I say that we all love a powerful bargain!

*Addresses are listed alphabetically in the Index of Manufacturers on page 142.