rcuser004

My Feedback: (287)

Those of you with experience with all three Corsairs, which ARF do you recommend buying, for value, quality/scale looks and flying performance; CMP, ESM or Hanger 9?

91zulu

My Feedback: (2)

hmm

kahloq

Depends on YOUR lvl of flying skill.
The Hangar 9 60 size is decent looking and easy to fly, but no flaps. It has mechanical retracts included, but you need a servo. This was the first Corsair I flew once I was in to r/c
The CMP 120 size is ok looking, but the wings are bigger size wise then it should be for the fuse. It does have flaps, but the plane is not really supported well by retract manufacturers. I have the plane and bought Sierra Giant gear for it, but it still takes a bit of doing to get them to fit. It does NOT come with retracts, so you have to buy separately
The ESM is the most scale looking, flies very well, but, its not for someone new to warbirds. Its heavy(well...heavier then the other two). ESM planes look really good, but, it takes a bit more work to finish them then a standard hangar9 arf. ESm has decent retracts for all their planes, but you do need to usually add teflon tape to the air cylinder threads to make them seal properly. Or get Sierra giant gear
If your a good pilot, id go with the ESM. If you just want a knock around everyday flier go with the H9, but, the 74" ESM isnt much more then the H9.
The ESM will require a 150 size 4 stroke while the the H9 will need a 100 size 4stroke for decent performance. Either will fly with a slightly smaller then listed motor, but too well.

skillet92

I have had both the H9 and ESM and still have the ESM. The ESM is more scale and flys that way. The H9 i would say is like a sport flyer because the wing loading is light. The H9 that I had came in at 10 pounds for a 64 inch wing where the ESM came in at almost 19 for a 74 inch wing span! The Esm has flaps and that makes a big differance on landing. Both like to nose over!

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

as stated hanger 9 sport plane easy to fly and most likely the lowest cost to get in the air (also its all Balsa

CMP , a differant comment then just the scale equilitylower end glass , fuse has major flex , you need to reinforce it you want to eliminate the flex and add durability

ESM better quality glass , more scale , less flex in fuse thicker fiberglass , great paint and covering , non scale tail , flaps are nice but flap connections are not scale but can be made more scale . Cowl flaps need to be opened to add some depth .
ESM and the Hanger nine have been very sucessful in eletric formats , have not see the CMP in eletric .
As stated , wing loading seems to be the heaviest in the ESM , so you need the most experience in that flying that plane

mobyal

I'd like to add something that no one has said yet. Well, Kaloq sort of alluded to it. I don't know what your level of experience is, either building or flying. BUT if you don't have several KITS under your belt, for building experience, as well as ARFs, for assembling experience, you're not gonna have much fun with the ESM Corsair. Or any of their other products. (I have not put together their Corsair, but I have done their FW190 and am about halfway through their Val. But I have compared notes with people who have done the ESM Corsairs, and our assembly experiences are common.) While the ESM warbirds all look good, they do come out heavy. And, to get to my point, it takes somebody w/ experience to get them together correctly and make them work. Put bluntly, the instructions are crap. They're laughable. Both as to tasks to be performed and the sequence to perform them in. And a good bit of the engineering is left up to you, the assembler. Such as aligning, drilling and gluing the wing dowells and mounting bolt holes to mount the wing, engineering the tail surface linkages, flaps and ailerons. Mounting and operating the retracts. You have to know what supplied hardware's gonna work and what you have to throw away. And what to follow and what to ignore in the instructions. That's not to say you won't be successful. But you're going to have, as Kaloq said, a bunch of work you won't have to do on the other two, and that extra work's not much fun. At least not for me, it isn't.
Just my .02 cents worth.
Al

gearz

Top flight? They make a few and their kit is really nice as well. I see you have not listed it...

rcuser004

My Feedback: (287)

Guys. Thanks for your input. I forgot to state my experience. I have been building and flying for over 30 years and fly predominately warbirds. I currently have three Hanger 9 planes: both the .60 and 1.50 size Marie Mustangs and the AT-6. I very much enjoy flying the Hanger 9 planes and the quality is generally very good. However, I have watched two club members have structural wing failures with their Corsairs and one of them pulled the firewall out on his second Corsair while flying, even after reinforcing it with carbon fiber. I was trying to determine which of the three planes would require LESS "improvements" during the initial build. I was actually leaning towards the CMP as their price is hard to beat. I was planning on shortening the wing tips 2-3 inches on each side and lengthening the gear legs/
wheel well openings. It seemed the CMP would be less work than the hanger 9.

As regards engines I would use, the Hanger 9 and CMP would use either my Saito 1.25 or Super Tigre .90. I have a Super Tigre 3000 to use in the ESM if I were to buy that one.

Does the ESM Corsair need beefing up or is it good to go right out of the box.

Thanks,
Mike

predman

My Feedback: (7)

I have had all three corsairs ESM H9 and still have my cmp. The esm is good on some points but some of the hardware will need to be replaced. THe hangar9 is the easiest build and flies great. The firewall will need attention as mine ripped out in flight as well as someone elses. The CMP is a great buy for the money looks and flies awesome. I have a Turnigy 26cc gas engine in mine and it came to 14lbs RTF. Retracts were a pain as i used my esm ones and had to custom fit them into their place. As far as nose overs none of the three ive had any problem, if you learn how to land the right way there wont be a problem. Many people do all kinds of things mechanically to their gear to help prevent this instead of learning how to land the right way.

rcuser004

My Feedback: (287)

Have any of you actually shortened the CMP wing by cutting off the tips and reshaping them? What structure is in the outboard wing panels in the CMP? Is there wood reinforcement or spars or just sheeted foam?

Although it is obvious the CMP wingspan is about 6" too long in relation the the fuselage length, is the chord close to scale or is it oversized as well?

Thanks for all the helpful comments.

Regards,

kahloq

Even if you clip the CMP's wings, they are still not the correct angle for the gull wing. The outer panels are too "flat" ie horizontal aspect in relation to the fuse.
Once you shorten the wings, the wingloading is of course going to go up and it will be no better weight to wing size as the ESM..in fact it may be worse.
Most ESM planes are a little heavier, but they are built stronger. The firewall will NEVER pull out of the ESM. It cant because the fuse is fiberglass and the big wood firewall is glued on from the inside.

As far as nosing over with corsairs. I havent had that problem myself. Ive had the H9..easy to fly and land...I still have a Kyosho 58.5" that weighs just as much as a 65" H9 @ 10.4 pounds and never nsoed it over....as well as an H&M 59" that also has never nosed over. I fly on pavement though.
The key here to keep the ESM or CMP from nosing over is using the right retracts that place the wheel forward some when the gear is deployed.
When I got gear for the CMP plane, I talked to Darrel at Sierra Giant and he suggested the rotating retracts that deply down at a 100 degree angle instead of just 90. This cants the oleo strut forward imilar to the nose gear of a B-25.
Myself, if I had the choice, Id trade my CMP for an ESM. My CMP, as mentioned, is still not built. In fact...I might be willing to sell it.

rcuser004

My Feedback: (287)

Thanks for the information. This is what I was after, honest opinions from those who have had first had experience with the planes. Thanks for the CMP and ESM info. It appears ESM will win since I don't want to do a complete retrofit on a brand new ARF.

Regards,

Warbird Joe

Black Horse also has a very nice Corsair. A guy at the field has one and it looks great.

Joe

kahloq

I forgot about that one...but....my gawd its expensive at $599. It does have retracts already installed, BUT, no idea what kind except that they are air. At 70" wingspan, its smaller then both the ESM and the CMP.
It looks fine though. If you take the price of an ESM one at $299, then add retracts(ESM would be $139 or Sierra Giant at $239), you still lower price wise then the BH, but with a bigger plane(74.5"). However, much of the work is done for you already on the BH. I believe the wing dowls to fuse are in place, the flaps may be setup already, etc. Be a good choice nonetheless.

May seem stupid to some, but for $599, Id get the 50cc size ESM corsair and then add retracts...of course that'd be another $300 and some ppl dont have a runway big enough for an 86" plane to take off and land at.

predman

My Feedback: (7)

Also one thing i might add , the ESM corsair elevator did not line up on either side and i had to add filler and gobs of epoxy. And the flap set-up was a pain w servo binding. The plane is the most scale looking but much harder to build then the other 2.

mobyal

And the horizontal stabs didn't line up, either horizontally or longitudinally, on both my KMP FW 190 or my ESM Val. (see my post above.) Lots of extra aggravation and work there....
But they do come out looking nice.

rcuser004

My Feedback: (287)

It looks great.

Mike

kmtranmd

My Feedback: (71)

I heard a rumor that Top Flite is about to produce the GS Corsair ARF. If that is true, TF product should win hands down. I'm very happy with the TF GS P51 and P47, superior ARF than anything from Hangar 9 or CMP (based on owing the H9 corsair and P40, and CMP spit, corsair, hellcat, zero). I cannot comment on ESM products since I don't own one.

kahloq

I do own some TF planes. Very nice, but I wouldnt say they'd win hands down against the BH corsair at all. Its a different animal, the TF planes vs the ESM as TF is balsa and the ESM is fiberglass fuse. The CMP is pretty much the bottom of the barrel looks wise, but still somewhat decent.

Roary m

My Feedback: (67)

I walked into a Hobby People store last week to loiter; the clerk asked me if I wanted to look at the B H 70" Corsair and I said sure. He made a one day price at 399$. They said these things are always going on sale and I am impressed with this thing, although I have never flown a Corsair. The gear are mounted as well as just about everything else. Mine will run with a YS 120 with a three blade. It would pay to get their mailer to keep ahead of these sales. This isn't the first time I walked in on the fly and they wanted to push merchandise on sale.

kahloq

At that price, i would have snapped it up too

Roary m

My Feedback: (67)

The only disappointment so far are the wheels; they look like Dubro knock off sport style, not scale like.

RC Flier

My Feedback: (9)

I own a ESM Corsair 74.5" and using a Zenoah 26cc gasser. ESM retreacts too. Yes a certain amount of extra work. Wing panels are made in a different place than the center section and I striped the wing, repaired the fit of the panels and refinished the wing....1 piece. ESM retracts work well in set up. The aggravating flaps are not fun. I used internal linkage and the expernal hinges. Not sure I should have done that......robarts look like a good (next time) option. It's not the best ARF, but I am pleased with it.

91zulu

My Feedback: (2)

Just some reference pics guys, pass it on ...

http://www.dogfighter.com/Messerschm...ures_wwii.html

mike early

The top flite Corsair ARF will probably be very nice,