Sig Four Star 60 ARF: A perfect blend of looks and performance

Model Airplane News, Jul 2003 by Gagliardi, Frank

With its great flight performance and distinctive looks, the Sig Four-Star 60 should be on every sport modeler's wish list! This almost-ready-to-fly (ARF) version of the classic Sig kit features expert, built-up construction, Oracover film covering in your choice of red or yellow and a complete hardware package that includes a large-capacity fuel tank, aluminum-alloy landing gear, wheels and tailwheel assembly and a Sig spinner. I was pleased to see that Sig includes standard 4-40 rods and links for the control surfaces-no guessing tool sizes! The parts are extremely well packaged, and I was pleasantly surprised by the wrinkle-free covering.

WING AND FUSELAGE

The wing panels fit together beautifully; I wish the ones I build would fit like this! Installing the aileron servos is basic; just make sure that you secure the aileron extension before you install it in the wing. I installed the one-piece hinges as the manual suggested and ended up with a close-fitting joint between the wing and aileron. Tip: the plastic bags that the wings come in make pretty good covers after the wing construction has been completed.

The landing gear comes assembled, and I recommend that you take the time to loosen the wheel collars and axle nuts, apply Loctite no. 242 and then retighten everything.

When you install the fuel tank, be sure that the tank's rubber stopper is on the left side of the fuselage. Hint: to prevent the fuel line from becoming lodged at the front of the tank during a less-than-perfect landing, insert a small piece of brass or aluminum tube in the fuel pick-up line in the tank. I always hold my aircraft nose-high and shake it to listen for a freely moving "clunk" before I fuel up.

A slick set of engine mounts-perfect for 2- and 4-stroke engines-is included. Sig recommends that you install the engine mount with nuts and bolts instead of sheet-metal screws; take this advice.

TAIL FEATHERS

The instructions indicate that you will see a strip of uncovered balsa at the top rear of the fuselage. This is the fin spacer block, which you'll need to remove. But mine was covered and glued in! I carefully cut the covering with a no. 11 hobby-knife blade (so I wouldn't damage the small fillet blocks) to take care of that.

Make sure that the elevator joiner wire lies flat on your bench before you join the elevator halves, or you'll have your hands full when you try to flight-trim this bird! All of the tailpieces lined up perfectly, and I glued them into place with 5-minute epoxy.

RADIO AND FINAL TOUCHES

Everything is very straightforward in this part of the build. Sig provides four slick little silicone washers for the canopy's screw holes. These will prevent the screws from backing out and j enlarging the holes, so you won't have to watch the canopy go bye-bye! Hint: glue small pieces of yellow Nyrod into each screw hole in the fuselage to act as inserts for the canopy screws. After I had connected everything electrical, I bolted the wing into place with the provided 1/4-20 nylon bolts and turned on the radio to confirm that all of the surfaces moved in the proper directions. Sig's included aileron position guide (APG) allows you to simply hold the APG against the fuselage side next to the aileron and adjust as necessary for a precise setting. It's far easier and more precise than the familiar "eyeball" method of adjustment.

The Four-Star 60 balanced right on the money, and no additional ballast was required. All that was left to do was to add the decals, charge the batteries an head to the field!

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Four-Star 60 was a straightforward build; it's great to have parts that fit together so precisely! Intermediate and advanced sport pilots will appreciate its blend of maneuverability and stability. Sig notes that the Four-Star 60 is one airplane you will always want to take to the field, and that's definitely true. It's fun to fly, and that's the name of the game, isn't it?