turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I'm not really much of a warbird fan other than for the P-39 and just a little for the P-47. I just scored a H.O.B. P-39 (and P-47) kit and am having a heck of a time finding any build info on the P-39. Starting to wonder if maybe it flew poorly so people just trashed it. I hope not. Looking through the kit and because it's so hard to find I'm thinking I may do like I did with a Goldberg Eaglet 50 and use the kit for templates to cut and build a complete new kit from lighter wood. I'll also make a mold of the canopy/turtledeck so I can pull a new one. That way the original stays unmolested. When built it will be electric powered and I'd like to entertain electric retracts if there is room for the nose gear leg without cutting into the wing.

If you've built and flown a H.O.B. P-39 please feel free to post any tips you may have on the bird. Pictures of your bird would be nice too.

Joe

airraptor

My Feedback: (66)

you will not have room in the wing for electric retractsas they are all around 1" thick for the 1/2-15 size ones. You can get some small air ones that would work.

Yes make copys of the plans and parts as I am sure many would want one. there wasnt a bunch of the P39's made at all. If I remember correctly only around 500-580.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

The electric retracts that I have are only 20mm thick and looking at the root rib on the plans they would squeeze in the wing but would be VERY tight. Even tighter out a few more ribs where they would need to be so that's a no go. I've had a few different small air retracts and they were either crazy weak or leaked like a sieve. They're not an option for me. Sounds like fixed gear may be the only way. Bummer.

Joe

danilo-2

My Feedback: (1)

Fit these:
http://www.robart.com/products/12a-micro-main-gear
That's what was widely used when these were current production kits

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I have a pair of the Robart 1/2a mains. They require the same vertical space as the servoless that I have. If I can make the servoless fit then that's the way I'll go. No linkage hassles and I'd still need the Robart nose gear that costs more than all three servoless units together. It'll be a while before I start a build and find out what gear will and won't work for me. I still have to make templates for and cut out all of the kit parts and then try to make a usable pull of the canopy/turtledeck. This could take a while.......

Joe

guitarsbanjo

A few years ago (well, I guess it's been 20 years now, around '92/'92) there was a guy at my club in Biloxi Mississippi who had the only one of these I've ever seen. I think his name was Colonel Stephen Kiefer (SP?). He had an .051, with an aftermarket carbureter on it, and Tricycle retracts complete with a steerable nose wheel. He had built it in the late '70's I think. I believe he said he was stationed in Italy at the time and had a paved runway he could fly from. In Mississippi, on our grass field, it had to be hand launched. He'd bring it out on perfect days, fly it once, and then put it up. I can't say as I blame him. And you should definitely scan and copy the plans. I for one would love to at least see them, if not get my hands on a copy. I wonder if you did a search on here, Colonel Kiefer might be on RCU, he was computer savy back then as I recall. But I'm guessing he's in his '70s.

I have the original magazine article and plans for the P-51 before this series was kitted. On the plans built version, the top turtledeck is carved from blocks of balsa and hollowed out. I have the P-51 and Messerschmidt built from the HOB kits, and I'm not real fond of the plastic top, I'm thinking of re-engineering them and building new ones because I think they look good, if not exactly scale.

I doubt that many of these have been built since the introduction of the internet/RCU, thus the lack of builds for it.



Austin

skaliwag

My Feedback: (1)

I once saw one fly also, About the same time..
Olive drab and OS.10. Very nice.
Was it on the back of another plan in the kits?

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

I got into 704 RC Combat just as it was dieing out. P-39s were rare but I know I saw one that was more epoxy than it was wood. Most of the older planes were this way, the flyers were good at picking up the pieces and joining them back together again. I might be wrong, but the P-39's wing might be the most tapered and prone to stalling of the warbird series.

guitarsbanjo

I had the impression they all used the "same" wing. I know My Messerschmidt and the P51 do. And the P-47 I saw had the same wing with the eliptical part of the TE cut into the aileron stock as I recall, with rounded wingtips. I think the Chipmunk had the same wing also.

I think I remember also, speaking of 704 combat, that by then the P39 was already out of production but that someone said that you could still get the plastic top piece for the P39 from HOB and convert one of the other kits. I think I remember that from one of the combat websites at the time, that must have been around '95 or '96.

Austin

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

I just pulled the P-39 and P-47 kits down. The two planes share the same wing span and wing area. (36" and 216sq in) Not very scientific but the wings look virtually the same too based on the box pictures. (The P-47 box is sealed and for some anal reason I want to keep it that way for now). Aside from the cowl area and the canopy/turtle deck the rest of the two planes look to be a shared design. I had a Chipmunk kit but sold it so can't compare that one. It's not a big deal to me. I'm just happy to have something that looks fairly close to a P-39........

Joe

skaliwag

My Feedback: (1)

They all have the same basic wing parts.. Curious what is on the flip side of the P-39?

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Not sure what you're asking.

Joe

skaliwag

My Feedback: (1)

Back when, the plans that came with the HOB kits had a Sister on the flip side.
P-51 came with Me 109. P-47 came with Fw 190.
Wondering what was on the back of the P-39?

SIG has a WW11 line of canopies one of which may fit your needs.

There is always the 'Make a plug and heat inside a plastic soda bottle.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Just looked and alas the back side of the P-39 plan sheet is blank. I'm going to try to go over to FedEx office and run off a couple of copies this weekend. I wonder what they charge to scan the file to a USB thumb drive? On the subject of copies who seems to have good prices out there now? Not the obscure places but you know, FedEx, Staples, Office, Depot etc. I hadn't had any plans copied for several years now. Then last weekend I had a plan copied at FedEx. 36x48 and it was $9.00. The P-39 is 24x36. Shouldn't be too outrageous. If I can get the file scanned and saved to drive for a decent price I'll post it up here or maybe offer it in e-mail. This thing has been long out of production. I can't see myself getting in trouble for sharing the plan. I won't be selling it.

I'll be making a plug of the canopy and exhaust stacks for sure. I'm still a rank noob at pulling parts but have gotten a few to come out usable. I'll practice using scrap plastic until I get it right then use the good sheets I have hidden away to make a "keeper". Heck, if enough people are really interested in building this kit maybe I can ship off a plug to someone that is good at pulling copies and will offer them up to members for a decent price. That would be cool.

Joe

skaliwag

My Feedback: (1)

Call around first for copies ... Prices vary.

WINANS

Maybe the Bonanza & the P-39 are plan-mates. At least that's what springs to mind.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Please don't tell me that! A few years back I had and sold a sealed Bonanza kit. If the P-39 was on the "flip" side of the plans I'll shoot myself if I find out I had the plans all that time. I've been looking for a P-39 WAY too long!!!

Joe

Jim Branaum

My Feedback: (3)

Hmmm... In the early 1990's I bought a mixed case of .19 sized AT-6 and P-51 kits and don't recall a single plan other than what was on the face. Wrong series?

skaliwag

My Feedback: (1)

The .19 size is different..The thread is talking about the 1/2A kits

Andrew

Hip Pocket Aeronautics has about 9 different plans listed, from R/C to Rubber to C/L, plus 3 views and aircraft history.

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

Why not check with HOB to see if they have the canopy? I was a combat guy as well, and my 1st successful small warbird model was the P51. It flew great with a Magnum .15. At the time, it was one of the stronger of the .15 engines available. Unless you stepped up to a Conquest. I snapped it on a bad hand launch, and never repaired it. Although, it did launch very nicely, but needed a little headwind.
I figured out quickly that I wanted to go with a bigger plane and flew the Steve Hergett TA 152. The Hergett designs incorporated the HOB top deck canopy from the FW 190. So I was buying those parts from them a few times. They may still have them in stock if you contact them.

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Yep. I've downloaded most of them since I found H.P.A. a year or so ago. The problem with building from any P-39 plan is the canopy. I could try whittling a plug but I can assure you it would end up looking nothing like it canopy.

Joe

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

Now that I have my grimy mitts on a complete kit I'll just make a plug of the original and pull (or have someone pull the copies).

Joe

turbojoe

My Feedback: (8)

OK guys. I went to FedEx Office this morning and had some copies made. Also got the file saved as .pdf to my thumb drive. I sent the file to forum admin at Hip Pocket Aeronautics. Hopefully it's been out of production long enough that I won't get in any trouble. I'm not asking for payment so I hope all will be OK.

Joe

Andrew

That turned out to be a very decent quality PDF from a scan of plans. Thanks for posting.