RE: Hangar 9 B-25 ARF: Building and Modifications
A few facts about this ARF: the full scale has a wingspan of 67 ft, 7 in, or 811". Adversized span ofthe H9 B-25 is 80.7", making it for all practical purposes: 1/10 scale.
I have determined thru measurements taken from a 1/48 scale plastic kit, and calculations that the correct scale wheel size should be about 4 3/8" dia for the mains, 3" dia for the nose. As the included mains are about 3 1/4" dia, I decided that I wanted to install larger (yet lighter) main wheels on mine.
I intend to install 4" mains on mine, and a 3" nose wheel on mine.
Doing so with the retracts that are especially made for this kit may cause problems, so I decided to purchase a set of Robart retracts and seperate RoboStruts so that I could cut the struts to correct length.
SO, I placed 2 seperate orders with Tower Hobbies (so that I could use $25 off coupon twice), ordering the "550RS 90 Degree Main Gear RoboStrut Ready" mains (which APPEARED to be the same ones that come with the B-25 retract kit), and a "560RS 105 Deg Nose Fire/Belly Mount RoboStrut Ready", as well as the RoboStruts
Main retracts arrived today, along with 1 RoboStrut.
Maybe there's something to be said for buying the retract kit made for this plane.
First off: those RoboStruts sure are a tight fit (even with paint sanded off) in the RoboStrut ready retracts. I'll have to cut them to proper length then force them in somehow.
Second: I ordered the wrong mains. The correct ones would be the 530 series mains, which are also known as reverse (so called because the cylinder is on the opposite side as the retracted strut). In other words: the cylinders are at the front part of the retracts, NOT the rear. The ones I have can be made to fit using 1 of 2 methods:
1) slight modification to the retract bays, involving removing some plywood. A spruce brace can be added later.
2) reversing the truinions on the retracts, alsth this may be more work than 1)
Either way, my advice is get the correct ones: the 530 series. They cost about $7 more a set, but will save building time.
Ordered 3 H9 1/10 scale WW II US pilot busts from Horizon today: MAN are THEY EXPENSIVE! $9.50 EACH. Thats just shy of $30 for 3!
Williams Brothers busts are about 1/3 the cost, but they do not make 1/10 scale.