The goods on a Top Flite Spit??  
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The goods on a Top Flite Spit?? - 5/14/2002 9:34:13 AM   
rpz-RCU



Posts: 33
Joined: 5/13/2002
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Status: offline 		Hy guys,

am looking at acquiring a Top Flite Spitfire Mk IX as my first warbird. Always wanted a Spit!! I was wondering if anyone would have experience with ths model and let me know your thoughts...
- Would a .61 Thunder Tiger GP pull this airplane into the air and fly it scale (not interested in all the acrobatic manuvers)?
- Can this a/c be flown easily off of grass?
- Do the flaps slow it down any?
- How does it fly?

Thanks a bunch!


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Spits - 5/14/2002 8:00:52 PM   
JGrc



Posts: 690
Joined: 2/24/2002
From: Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
Status: offline 		TF Spit not recommended, not scale and not a good flyer. Does not come with a full cowl either. If you really have to have a Spit try B.Taylor's available from Bob Holman http://www.bhplans.com/
or M.Reeves 1/6 Spit http://www.mrmodels.fsnet.co.uk/
Nothing flyes like a Spitfire,
JG
http://www.jg.rcplanet.com/

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The goods on a Top Flite Spit?? - 5/14/2002 8:30:42 PM   
k_sonn



Posts: 1134
Joined: 2/15/2002
From: Bellevue, WA, USA
Status: offline 		If you are looking to for a good first warbird that flies well and handles well on the ground, I would suggest a top flite P-47. It has a large wing and is virtually impossible to tip stall. The landing gear are wide which translates to great ground handling. Mine does not have the tendency to nose over like most warbirds. After you have gained experience with warbirds, then build a nice scale Spitfire. Right now, gaining the warbird experience should be your number one priority.

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       Post #: 3

P-47, huh? - 5/14/2002 9:33:09 PM   
rpz-RCU



Posts: 33
Joined: 5/13/2002
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Status: offline 		Hi guys - thanks for the info. I was also looking at the P-47 vs. the Spit for this time around. Same questions for the P-47 as I had for the Spitfire - engine, flight characteristics, grass, flaps?

Thanks!!


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       Post #: 4

The goods on a Top Flite Spit?? - 5/14/2002 11:52:30 PM   
k_sonn



Posts: 1134
Joined: 2/15/2002
From: Bellevue, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Randy:

I built a TF 60 P-47 recently. I scaled it out with retracts, flaps, panel line, rivets, the works. It weighed 12 pounds when completed, two pounds for the advertised weight. One and half pounds of that is lead attached to the fire wall to balance it on the CG. I installed an OS 120 surpass III (has a fuel pump). That engine pulls the plane around about 80 mph at half throttle. I fly off of grass with no problems. The field is 300 feet long and I have not used any flaps for take off. It is ready to go airborne in about 3/4 of the length of the run way. I have landed it with and without flaps and it comes in nice and smooth both ways. It is a bit of a floater on landing. I have tried to tip stall it to no avail. In a low speed stall, it just drops the nose and keeps flying. Unlike my first warbird, which was a kyosho corsair, this airplane flies like it is on rails. I have no experience with the Thunder Tiger engine you have so I can not say if it would be a good match. Maybe someone else can help here. Chad? Ray? Vince?

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The goods on a Top Flite Spit?? - 5/15/2002 2:49:11 AM   
LDaba



Posts: 178
Joined: 2/8/2002
From: Queens, NY, USA
Status: offline 		R: I have flown the TF Gold Edition P47 (.60 sized). It is an honest flying plane with no bad habits. The example I flew had a Super Tigre .75 with the in cowl muffler set up. Power was adequate at 3/4 throttle. At full throttle the vertical was impressive,but not unlimited, but then again neither was the full scale one. Control at low speed was positive. It retained aileron & rudder authority with the gear down, right up to the stall.
( a real + on final) The example I flew did not have flaps, so I can't comment on that.
The plane I flew was covered in monokote just as depicted on the box top. It had retracts, pilot bust and cocpit detail. It looked pretty good.
Ground handling was positive. We fly off a concrete runway, so I don't know how it handles grass. My guess is that it would not be a problem.
The P 47 has one real good quality, it looks tough! It looks good sitting on the flight line or flat out in a straffing run. (of course you then pull up into a victory roll! )
I think this would be a very good choice for an intro warbird.
Good luck and Happy landings, Tony

< Message edited by LDaba -- May 14 2002 9:54PM >

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Keep 'em Flying
Anthony Puleo, AMA11973

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       Post #: 6

Building the P-47 - 5/15/2002 6:48:42 AM   
Auger Din



Posts: 60
Joined: 2/5/2002
From: SE Michigan
Status: offline 		Ok,

Nice to hear how it flies.....But how does it go together?

Can a fairly inexperienced builder with only a few kits behind him put one together without having a boatload of difficulties?

I'm a warbird lover...though am far too inexperienced to fly them yet. But I like to build, and wouldn't mind putting together a small stable of warbirds for the time that I'm able to take the sticks of one.

Thanks,

-Auger

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The goods on a Top Flite Spit?? - 5/15/2002 7:19:00 AM   
LDaba



Posts: 178
Joined: 2/8/2002
From: Queens, NY, USA
Status: offline 		Auger: I did not build the P 47, it was a fellow club member's plane. I have assisted with a friends effort on a TF Gold Edition P 40. There was nothing I saw that would present a major problem for a novice builder. The kit had good instructions with enough pics to get the point across.
The only problem might be the retracts. If you have not installed retracts yet, you might need an experienced builder to assist in installing and adjusting them for proper operation.
There is a way around that. Construct a small wing section and install the retracts. You can adjust the geometry until you get them to work. When you have it right, you are ready to proceed with the warbird wing. It's all part of the learning curve.

Happy landings Tony

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Keep 'em Flying
Anthony Puleo, AMA11973

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The goods on a Top Flite Spit?? - 5/15/2002 8:21:57 PM   
k_sonn



Posts: 1134
Joined: 2/15/2002
From: Bellevue, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Auger:

The Top Flite P-47 goes together relatively easy. The instructions are pretty clear. The only thing I remember having tp stop and take a few moments to figure out what they were asking me to do was in cutting the sheeting for the horizontal stabilizer. The instruction book had a small picture of the way they wanted you to cut and fit the sheeting together. If you build the razorback version, make sure you follow the tips on how to get the wood to bend around in a concave and convex manner. That was it. Everything else was pretty straight forward. Beings you have built a couple of kits, you should do ok building the P-47.

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       Post #: 9

Ok....I guess I'll look into it then. - 5/16/2002 1:31:50 AM   
Auger Din



Posts: 60
Joined: 2/5/2002
From: SE Michigan
Status: offline 		Thanks for the response guys.

I may just look into building one then. It'd be nice to have a jug in my hanger.

-Auger

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If you woke up breathing, congratulations. You have another chance.

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       Post #: 10

fw190 - 5/16/2002 1:45:46 PM   
fw190



Posts: 793
Joined: 1/1/2002
From: Burbank, CA,
Status: offline 		I think the Top-Flite gold edition kits are great source of information and learning while your building your first warbird. Personally I think they have the best doc's in the business of a built up kits. Any of there planes are pretty good flyers... they were design to fly well before looks and if you have enough stik time on the low wing tail dragger, it will be pretty easy to get into flying one of their warbird.

I suggest not going into building from plans as your first warbird... it could be pretty tough. They lack step buy step instructions and requires lots of thoughts on putting parts together.

fw190

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       Post #: 11

Cowl?? - 5/16/2002 7:09:22 PM   
Modelman



Posts: 387
Joined: 12/14/2001
From: Fisher, IL, USA
Status: offline 		JGrc...

I have to ask.... I thought all TF kits came with cowls, etc. What do you mean by the Spit not coming with a "Full Cowl"?

What bad habits did you experience to consider it a bad flyer?

Thanks for the info...

Craig

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       Post #: 12

Re: Cowl?? - 5/17/2002 2:17:19 AM   
JGrc



Posts: 690
Joined: 2/24/2002
From: Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Craig,
The Spitfire cowl reaches well past the leading edge of the wing but the TP cowl is about half that lengh leaving a joint line hard to conceal.
ALso the TF Spit tip stalls more than other Spitfires. VIc is right about building from plans, it's hard for the new builder. But Reeve's kit offers a full kit with molded fuse. http://www.mrmodels.fsnet.co.uk/p4spit.htm
JG

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The goods on a Top Flite Spit?? - 5/17/2002 8:25:19 PM   
bgi



Posts: 907
Joined: 2/19/2002
From: Duluth, GA, USA
Status: offline 		I'm working on a TF Airacobra as my first warbird. I selected it because:

1) Not likely to see another one at the field - didn't want a "me, too" plane.

2) Trike gear is easy on the ground.

3) TF and reviewers say that it is very stable with no bad flying habbits.

I expect it to be some time before I'm ready to install an engine in this bird since I'm also building 3 other kits at the same time and this one is low priority.

Any engine suggestions? I have an old K&B .61 with perry pump which really screams, but I was thinking about a RCV .90 that would disappear in the cowl (concerns about torque on take-off) or a standard 4-stroke for better sound.

From what I've read here, the P47 sounds really stable.

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The goods on a Top Flite Spit?? - 5/17/2002 8:54:22 PM   
k_sonn



Posts: 1134
Joined: 2/15/2002
From: Bellevue, WA, USA
Status: offline 		The RCV 90 may be too big for that plane. The RCV 60 would be a better match. The RCV engines have a 2:1 gear reduction on them so they swing large props. The smallest recommended prop for the RCV 60 is a 14 X 14. I work part time at the local hobby shop and we just got 2 of the RCV 60s in. They look like they are really nice engines. I will have to check to see what size prop is needed for the RCV 90. A friend of mine will be building the Top Flite Spitfire and will be putting the RCV 60 in it. Hope this helps.

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