Half-A-Hec

Howdy All,


I received my Guillow's 27-3/4" W.S. P51-D yesterday. I haven't built a Guillow's kit since I was was 12 years old. Ah the memories The kit can be built as a static display model, rubber power, U-Control, or simple RC. My plan is to make it 4 channel. I think the conversion should be straight forward enough. Here is my plan.

* Fully sheet wings with 1/32" Balsa,
* Sheet the fuselage from the firewall back to the canopy with 1/32" Balsa.
* Make rudder and elevator from 3/32" balsa sheet.
* Cover with ultracote.
* Battery Pack is 50 Ma
* Receiver Hitec 555
* Engine Norvel .061 RC
* Servos Cirrus CS 10 BB

Right now I am debating on the aileron length. The plans show the scale aileron outline. My question is this. Should I use scale aileron configuration or full length ailerons? I have always put full length ailerons on my kits. My Herr Cherokee has em and my Littlest Stick Has em. If it gets to squirly then I tune down the throws with my computer radio and set up the dual rates for fun.

I will start on the P51 as soon as I complete my Low wing version of a Littlest Stick. I call it a low stick. I will post pix of the low stick soon.

Hec

rcuser004

My Feedback: (287)

Use scale ailerons. Full length is too large on a Mustang. I did this once on a Guillows P-39. Even though I reinforced the fuse, the covering crushed it when it
shrunk.

A suggested remedy to reinforce the fuse and prevent crushing is to place a bulkhead at the trailing edge of the wing saddle to completely close off the aft end of the fuse (you will need to use nyrod "tube within a tube" type elevator and rudder pushrods). Insert a nozzle from a foam spray insulation can and fill up the entire aft end of the fuse. This provides tremendous strength (especially compressive strength) at almost no added weight.

Good Luck,

colmo-RCU

Wow, great idea on the foam, Baron, though I didnt have any problems with the frame and I used econokote. I recommend scale ailerons too, I use them on my Zero and the are more than enough, with approx 30 degrees deflection up. I don´t think you need to sheet the wing except for looks. I do recommend to replace the vynil wing joiner and firewall with plywood, That material won´t stand the forces of r/c

Good luck

Half-A-Hec

Thanks for the tips. I had heard of people using the spray foam before with a lot of success. I think scale ailerons it is. Thanks again.

Hec

SERCEFLYER

Hec,

Do not use the stock vinyl firewall-- that will shatter with even a small impact-- I found that one out already on the Guillow Cessna 172 Skyhawk. And, keep it light-- 12 oz should probably be the goal.

Ask Colmo for further details-- he knows what he's doing.

George

Half-A-Hec

Thanks for the info. The vinyl parts will be replaced by plywood. I agree with ya, Colmo is Da-Man when it comes to Guillow's Conversions. I hope my Mustang comes out as nice as his Zero. Hey Colmo did you increase the dihedral as called for in the plans for RC?


Hec

colmo-RCU

On the contrary, I reduced the dihedral to the scale 7 deg ( I think). With the tapper and the low wing you don´t need extra dihedral, I would recommend that you research the original and copy it. It does a lot for scale looks.

Colmo

jboy381-RCU

what knida foam are you talking about???is it tuff foam???i guess you use the low expansion stuff...

thats a great idea...
john

rcuser004

My Feedback: (287)

Insulation foam in a can. It expands a tremendous amount. I first started using this to repair balsa sheeted wings on larger planes. To be more specific, I have an old Top Flight Bearcat. The balsa sheeting is extremely thin in some areas and it isn't hard to stick a finger through it if grabbed at the wrong place. I filled up the
the bays between the ribs with the foam..great repair and very easy to do. The
added weight is insignificant but the end result is similar to a solid structure.

I know of a few 1/12th scale combat guys who routinely fill up the aft end of the fuse with this stuff.

Half-A-Hec

Thanks Colmo!

I will set up the planes dihedral per scale specs. I guess I would need more dihedral if I was relying only on a rudder to steer it. Thanks again.


Hec

colmo-RCU

Thats right, it´s why they ask for a different (more) dihedral if you are doing free flight or rubber than if you do u-control

Colmo

Half-A-Hec

Howdy all,

I am almost done with the fuselage of my Guillows 27-3/4" WS P51. It is amazing how hard Guillows balsa wood is! My first item that needs to be resolved is the engine location. The kit supplies a formed plastic cowl. my norvel .061 with mount is about a 1/4 to long to fit within the cowl. I guess I can do away with the engine mount and mount the engine on two hardwood beams epoxied to a plywood fuselage. I think the engine will fit if it do this. Hey what is the difference between the new norvel .061 and the old ones? I just bought a new one today at an auction. It is different than my old one in that the cylinder is a different shape. Any preferences between the two?


Hec

colmo-RCU

Sure there is a difference, I think the old ones have the tendency to overheat (mine definitely does), so they had to give it more cooling area. To the cowling problem, that is what I did, but be sure to work the beams into holes in the firewall to give them some more strength than just the glue. I would add some down thrust, mine needed it.
Colmo

Half-A-Hec

Thanks Colmo,


I worked on my P51 this weekend for a couple of hours and added the fuselage stringers. I used 3/32" stringers from the canopy forward. It is truly amazing what a strong structure this fuselage has become! I had my doubts at first but now my fuselage is very strong! You have mentioned that you replaced all plastic parts with balsa, do ya have any tips on creating cowls etc..out of balsa? My P51 has a plastic engine cowl, radiator scoop. Your thoughts are appreciated. What type of wheels did you use? I will keep ya posted.

Hec

colmo-RCU

My wheels are Sullivans, the lightest I found, equal in diameter, though a bit too thick for the scale. The center hole is too large so I inserted a piece of pushrod tube to fit the LG wire properly. I use a LG wire thicker than the one in the kit. It needs it.
Remember to fill the spaces in the fuselage from the trailing edge forward, like the plans say for u control. For the cowling, mine is round so it`s a lot easier than yours. Anyway it can be done: as a general idea, any flat surface or any simple curve (not compound) can be done with 3/32 balsa. The rest is done with balsa blocks that you carve the shape out of.. Start with the outside, carving and sanding until you have the shape, then carve the inside to lighten it up (don`t be affraid) until it is all approx 3/32 thick. The inside is very difficult to sand, so don`t worry too much for the apearance. If you are using a moto tool, place a finger on the outside of the place you are carving. It`s the only way to know how thick it is. And if you go too far, the pain will make you stop (hehe). After it is all shaped and final sanded, I used silk to cover it and Luster kote paint in flat black. The silk or fiberglass are very important for the strength, the balsa alone won`t do.
After it is painted on the outside, paint the inside thoroughly with epoxy thinned with alcohol to fuelprofe it. Be generous on this as the irregular inside surface needs a lot to cover it.

Yes , the structure is pretty hard, wait until you cover it and you`ll see how much stronger it gets.

Keep writing,
Colmo

Half-A-Hec

Well I have the fuselage almost completed and will post pix soon. I brought the fuselage in to work so I could weigh it on the postal scale. It came in at 1 oz. I did not use the 1/16" balsa stringers supplied in the kit. I felt that they were to hard and brittle. So I used 3/32"x 1/16" stringers instead. The end result is a very strong fuselage. I feel that it is even stronger than the fuse on my Herr Cherokee which has similar construction! A few years ago I purchased a SIG balsa display from a hobby shop that went out of business. It is complete with balsa wood of all sizes and shapes to include aluminum airfoil tubing and landing gear rod . I paid 50 bucks for the whole thing! I finaly found a good use for that 3/32" x 1/16" stock. Still have a lot left too. I emailed Lone Ranger who has done the P51 conversion and asked him some questions. He said that his plane was very fast and to watch the control throws. He said that it is a good flying plane. He also powered his with a Norvel .061. He also sez if he were to do it again he would use a Norvel .049. HMMMM

Hec

LoneRanger

My Feedback: (1)

.049 would be the way to go with this litle hot rod!

but you'll have fun with the build up! makes ya wish you had smaller fingers! LOL


pics man we all want pics!

L.R.

colmo-RCU

Haha, smaller fingers and at least 3 hands. But I think that aplies to all sizes. Sure, the 061 is too big but if you all ready have it, I recommend to fly it rich to slow it a bit and use a prop big in diameter and with little pitch, say a 7/3. ( I think I already said that

PICS PICS!!!!!

colmo

Half-A-Hec

Howdy All,

Last night was a long one working on the Guillows P51. Initially I tried to utilize the plastic cowling but could not. The Norvel .061 mounted with a dave brown engine mount would not fit within the cowl. Thought about making my own engine mount using hardwood beams like Colmo did on his Zero but that wouldn't work either. The problem was that the engine is to long for the cowl. So I made a cowl out of 1/4" balsa sheet. What a job! It came out perfect! The cowl is about 3/32" thick and 3/8" longer than the plastic one supplied. To compensate the extra 3/8" of cowl length, I simply moved the forward former back 3/8". Now the original dimensions are maintained. Whew, that was a lot of sanding and dremel work but it came out. I have figured out the fuel tank location and battery pack location. I am debating on what size batt pack to use. I have a couple of 50 ma packs that I use with the LS but aren't sure if they can handle the job of providing power for 5 mins or so of flying. All that is left with the fuselage construction is the sheeting from the canopy forward. My wing will be held on with rubber bands as called for in the plans for the RC set up.
Next is the wing. I don't think the wing will be as much as a challenge as the fuse. I have the aileron linkage figured out. I do have a set of GWS micro retracts. HMMMM. The retracts are designed for park fliers but could work here. I don't know how they would hold up to grass landings though. I promise I will get some pictures posted.

Hec

colmo-RCU

Yes please, We all want to see the cowling. Remenmber to cover it in silk or it won´t stand a tip over. Plank over the wing also, as stated on the plans for u control.

Colmo

akayar

Hi,

I have succesfully flown my P51 Mustang 27.5 inch wingspan Gulliws to RC conversion on Sunday. It went like a dream. To be honest I was frightened after I have read the information on this thread saying that the Guillows models are heavy and dont fly good. It took about 2 months but worth every munite after flying the model. Here are some pictures.

Half-A-Hec

Looks great! Man you went ahead and doug up my old thread. My guillows mustang is in the same shape it was in on the last post. I have the fuse built but thats it. I was planning on using a norvel .049 rc but when I complete it I will go electric.

Good job

Hec

hogflyer

akayar -

Your Mustang looks great. Glad to hear it flew good.

Hec -

Hurry and finish the Mustang and bring it along with the glider. We can tow the glider up with the Mustang.....

Hogflyer