cjorlando

I have done some searching on this particular model and did not find what I was looking for. I picked up a good deal on this ARF. It's the .60 size Nitromodels P-51D Marie version. All in all looks to be pretty well built. I have a Saito .91 to power it up but would like some advice.

I would like to see about adding flaps to this plane, but to date have not flown or installed on a model so looking for some input. Is it a good idea? How difficult is the process given that this is an ARF?

I have built or refurbished several models so time patience and some skills I have but looking for tips from the gurus of flight out there to avoid any potential pitfalls you may have encountered.

Any other input would be helpful as well. I have seen some mention of reinforcing the firewall and swapping out the retracts and hardware for better quality.

Thanks

Chris

bigtim

My Feedback: (13)

since its the Hangar-9 knock off here is a helpfull thread on adding flaps to the Hangar-9 Mustang, there quite close in construction the H-9 is a better quality offering but this should give you some ideas http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_34...s%2Carf/tm.htm

I have the H-9 stang and it really doesn't need flaps at all, but when the covering gets a little more beat up I will probably do the flap conversion before I recover it so it has a more authentic look to it.

cjorlando

Thanks for the info. I have heard they are similar. The instructions for the Nitromodel are as mystic as others have mentioned so I downloaded the hanger9 ones. Much better. Saw a video of the nitromodels mustang and looked liked it handled very nice except that it looked like it would come in pretty hot for landings. Hoping that the flaps would help me lessen the repair time . I will check out that link and let you know how it goes.

Daddy O

FallDownGoBoom

My Feedback: (1)

One of the guys at our field has this airplane, powered with a .61 2S, and it's a good sport style flyer. It's a fighter, so it goes (relatively!) fast and makes noise. Loops, rolls, hammerheads, wingovers, all pretty smooth. From what I can tell, it doesn't have a great tendency towards tip stalls, and is pretty easy to land. You can't glide it in like a trainer, but it sets up nicely and decends smoothly.

I think your Saito will be a good match. It certainly doesn't need flaps, but they would look neat. Bob said assembly was pretty easy, other than the plastic wheel well inserts being difficult to fit into the wing.

Where you do need to pay some attention to the plane is the retracts. The included plastic ones are pretty weak, and the wire struts are pretty long (around 5") vs. their diameter (~5/32"), so they bend easily on landing. All of which lead to some pretty wobbly landing gear, especially on a rough field. Strut length will probably be of some concern, as you're going to swing a larger diameter prop with the Saito.

We were looking at how to solve the problem, and initially thought about using some of the Robart heavy duty mechanicals. What we found was that the space between the retract rails was too narrow for the Robarts, and that widening the gap might weaken the rails so much that they wouldn't hold up on landing. Fixing this wouldn't be a huge problem, provided you're willing to perform major surgery on the wing. (Minor surgery is working on somebody else's airplane, major surgery is cutting into yours ). My friend solved the problem the old fashioned way: he expoxied the retracts in the down postition and ended up with fixed gear.

One possible solution: look at the all aluminum mechanical retracts offered at 3dxhobbies.com. They're more expensive (~$70) than the Robarts, but they might fit between the rails without having to hack up the wing. I think they also use a 3/16" strut, so they won't be as prone to bend.

Good luck with yours, it's a nice looking Mustang.

Fred