stewtheman

Has anyone else purchased this new Tower Hobbies Rx-R P-51?

[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?Q=1&I=LXAELS&P=4]Tower Hobbies P-51[/link]

I just got mine today and my first thoughts are that I really like it! The quality seems to be great and I think it's a pretty ideal size. I have owned 2 GWS P-51's, both of which I liked very much, but I think this one has the potential to be much better. The fact that it has 2 aileron servos already makes it much better than the GWS and the extra 6" wingspan should make it a great deal more stable. Assembly was a snap and involved no gluing. I think it's also got some decent power. The stock 9x4.5 prop pulled 23 amps with my 3 cell 2200mAh Turnigy LiPo. I really like how the hatch and the belly scoop are magnetic and attach very securely. I've had magnetic canopies fly off before but I don't see this one going anywhere. Hopefully I'll get it in the air soon so I can report on how it flies.

stewtheman

Well, I made it out to the field today and gave it a go. The wind was blowing at about 10MPH so it wasn't ideal conditions, but she flew pretty well. I hand launched it (as I elected to leave the landing gear off) and the only adjustments I needed to make were several clicks of down elevator trim. I'm thinking I may prefer the CG to be moved up a little as I seem to enjoy my models a little nose-heavy. Anyhow, she had plenty of power and easily did loops at 3/4 throttle. I didn't do too much experimenting because I was so cold, but the one thing I wasn't happy with was the lack of aileron authority. Rolls were very slow. Is there a correlation between the CG being too far back and a loss of aileron authority?

stewtheman

I thought there'd be a little more interest in this plane. It really seems convenient and priced right. Does everyone already have one or several P-51's?

guapoman2000

Steweman,

Plenty of Power? You mean thrust but, how about airspeed?

The correlation here for aileron authority is airspeed. Ailerons work with airspeed, if you don't have enough airspeed (Assuming you have the right amount of travel) then, the model will not roll or turn with the snappy manner that you are perhaps expecting from this model.

Try a slightly higher pitch propeller but, I am afraid in the hand launching of this model because the higher pitched propellers need some time to unload. Try to have someone else hand launch it in that case (someone with experience and not to allow a Girl Scout Cookie toss!).

Good luck!
Carlos[8D]

stewtheman

Good point about the airspeed. I don't know what the kV of the motor is, but the prop is only a 9x4.5. That didn't seem like enough pitch for my taste so I ordered it along with a 9x6 prop. Maybe I'll give that a shot next. Of course, I never took it above 3/4 throttle either. The faster it went the more it wanted to balloon up, so I kept throttling back the entire flight. I think I'll move the battery forward a little and see how it rolls at full throttle.

mad web tv scientist

stewtheman, its fun to keep up with your adventures with the TH P-51. You can't go wrong by shifting the CG a little further forward. This will also help a little with the ballooning effect with increasing speed. Ballooning with speed increase is typical with many fighter models as well as with many full scale WWII fighters. I usually trim for slow cruising speed and simply compensate with down stick control during high speed flight.

Except for less critical control that will make higher speeds more comfortable thus allowing better rolling performance; a more forward CG should have little effect on rolls. With my Mustangs a little down elevator applied when the plane is inverted seems to help keep the rolling track a little straighter especially with multiple rolls. You might want to increase aileron deflection angles if the ship still isn't up to your desired level of performance.

If you are running at 23 amps a lot you might want to be sure to have a 30 amp ESC. At the moment I am flying an F4F with a 30 amp ESC and a prop with a higher load than the stock prop that pulls around 23 amps at full throttle. I have a spare 30 amp ESC available that I may use on my Mustang if the stock 18 amp ESC begins to look a little marginal. At the moment my special prop loads the P-51 at around 18 amps which seems to be about right for any flying I will want to do.

Yes, you are right about an embarrassing number of us who enjoy multiple Mustangs for very good reasons, of course. It really is a great airplane and so far it looks like you have a very nice version yourself.

So, FLY HIGH, FIGHT, AND WIN!

madwebtvscientist (I hope RCU will get its animated smileys working again.) ____________________________________________ Modeling Promoting Bog: http://www.rcuniverse.com/community/...g&memid=266748 Modeling's rendezvous with destiny will surely be unstoppable when something greater than the narcissistic pleasure of a selfish esoteric chosen few is adopted in modeling.

stewtheman

I have noticed the ballooning effect on my other models (I am not embarrassed to admit that I have five different P-51's currently in my hangar) but this one seemed to balloon quite a bit more. I hope to get out tomorrow and see if moving the battery forward will fix that. You've got me wondering what the stock ESC on this thing can handle. I took it out tonight only to find that it has nothing but generic shrink wrap covering it. Obviously my 9x6 prop will draw more current so I'm not sure I want to try it until I get some information on what the ESC is rated to handle.

stewtheman

Today I flew it again with the battery moved forward about 1/2" and it flew much better. It tracked pretty straight at full throttle and rolls were quicker at that speed. I aslo contacted customer support and they informed me that the ESC is rated at 30 amps so I may try the 9x6 prop the next time out.

mad web tv scientist


stewtheman, your 30 amp ESC should provide more than an adequate margin of safety. Continuing to check your current at maximum throttle when trying a new larger load prop is a good idea. My just received precision "Watt's Up" (compared to my modified automobile ammeter) forced me to use less voltage with my 18 amp ESC equipped P-51. This has forced me to accept less flying performance capability with my virtually stock machine than I had thought earlier would be the case with a special prop that I still think will work well at high altitude. I will include a 30 amp ESC in my accompanying spare parts next time high altitude test flying is attempted. Its good to see that things are working out for you.

I try to set an example of moderation in fighter procurement and I seem to be able to rationalize with myself convincingly enough so far to feel reasonably comfortable with my growing air force. I did recently manage to successfully ward off an overpowering desire to buy a back-up three (3) ounces lighter P-51 duplicate of my light pristine condition Mustang that though it flies very well it is mainly used to beautify the living room in my house. My three ounces heavier War Weary 51 is my main mission flyer.

My fighters are used as science/history enrichment teaching aids and its hard to have too many good teaching aids, you see. I promise that I am trying really hard to not be an irrational airplane addict while at the same time enjoying them thoroughly. Its a hard balancing act.

So, until next time, FLY HIGH, FIGHT, AND WIN!

madwebtvscientist (I hope RCU will get its animated smileys working again.) ____________________________________________ Modeling Promoting Bog: http://www.rcuniverse.com/community/...g&memid=266748 Modeling's rendezvous with destiny will surely be unstoppable when something greater than the narcissistic pleasure of a selfish esoteric chosen few is adopted in modeling.

patriot439

Hi everyone,
I also purchased the tower p-51 mustang. I haven't flown it yet due to enormous amounts of snow. Could anyone give me a good heads up on how it fly's and any quirks that you have noticed with it.

mad web tv scientist

Patriot, this site's originator seems to have everything in hand if you have any specific questions.

Since posting on this thread I found that my PZ P-51s had too little anti-torque prop offset so I added one (1) degree extra right thrust to my "uncrashed pristine condition" Mustang and two (2) degrees extra side thrust to my higher powered, heavier "War Weary Mustang." Most of my good flying fighters have five (5) degrees anti-torque right prop offset. You might want to check your prop offset angle to be sure it is in the 3-5 degree range.

I assume you have had enough training to handle your new 51. So, . . .

'Aim High . . . Fly-Fight-Win'

madwebtvscientist [sm=lol.gif] [sm=cry_smile.gif]____________________________________________ Modeling Promoting Bog: http://www.rcuniverse.com/community/...g&memid=266748 Modeling's rendezvous with destiny will surely be unstoppable when something greater than the narcissistic pleasure of a selfish esoteric chosen few is adopted in modeling.

guapoman2000

Received an e-mail from Tower Hobby announcing that there is a $5.00 discount on this model thereby, a new price at Tower Hobby is shown at $114.98

Here is the announcement at Tower:
http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/towa2000_e.html

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Hey guys,
First let me state, I'm not here to argue. Just showing some options for those who have tight budgets.

USA warehouse
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=14875

USA Warehouse
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=14502

I paid $139 for this 60" wing span Spitfire, they had a 1 cent shipping sale last week

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=14513

mad web tv scientist

Wheelnut, thanks for your continuing interest in fun fighters. My problem is that I can't get my web system (msntv 2) to bring up your urls. Could you tell me what I am missing. I am working on getting an updated system. Below is what pops up on all three urls. I am blaming the problem on hackers who still just don't get it! Their cause is lost!


The page cannot be found
The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.


Please try the following:

Make sure that the Web site address displayed in the address bar of your browser is spelled and formatted correctly.
If you reached this page by clicking a link, contact the Web site administrator to alert them that the link is incorrectly formatted.
Click the Back button to try another link.
HTTP Error 404 - File or directory not found.
ASPPlayground.NET SQL Forum Software



Technical Information (for support personnel)

Go to Microsoft Product Support Services and perform a title search for the words HTTP and 404.
Open IIS Help, which is accessible in IIS Manager (inetmgr), and search for topics titled Web Site Setup, Common Administrative Tasks, and About Custom Error Messages.


madwebtvscientist [sm=lol.gif] [sm=cry_smile.gif]____________________________________________ Modeling Promoting Bog: http://www.rcuniverse.com/community/...g&memid=266748 Modeling's rendezvous with destiny will surely be unstoppable when something greater than the narcissistic pleasure of a selfish esoteric chosen few is adopted in modeling.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

mwtvs,

not sure what could be wrong. The easy way is to go www.hobbycity.com then click on the USA warehouse link on the bottom right, then scroll through the pages and look at the Corsair's and P-51s. $89 PNP or if you like to call it RR.
There is a 55" spit that I picked up for $139 with 1 cent shipping.

mad web tv scientist


Wheelnut, thank you for your posts. I simply must have one or more of those big beautiful Spitfires! Sorry about my last post. Today everything works. Reminds me of some of the "web adventures I've enjoyed" (?) in the past, many of which are documented on the big PZ Spitfire thread.

You wouldn't believe what just happened during my first attempt to post today. The entire message except for my fake e-mail signature (I have to add it every time) disappeared when I tried to paste my post in response to your posts. I need to remember to keep checking my six. It's just that I have gotten away with so much "fun stuff" lately that I obviously became too complacent. Until recently I've used some tricky "maneuvers" to maximize the possibility of success when attempting to post "forbidden knowledge" about suppressed scientific reality that I am trying to relate to modeling pleasures.

By pushing ourselves to accomplish better flying skills with that ever so present addictive "whiff of danger" it is possible for us to sense some of the fear fighter pilots can experience.

Facing, understanding, and acting upon the truth can be a fearful experience. For example, a well documented book entitled, "The Energy Non Crisis" was loaned to a otherwise honest and seemingly brave friend. The book was thrown back at me after only three chapters had been read with the statement: "You scare me." During one of the last Control-line airplane contests I attended, an otherwise "brave" competitor said, "You scare me."

America's first fighter plane Ace, Eddie Rickenbacker, said: "courage is when you do what you are afraid to do." Model fighter planes can work very well as the ultimate in science/history enrichment teaching aids in more ways than one! However, it can take courage to do so. We have enemies.

Just for fun you might enjoy the nickname a MODEL AVIATION columnist gave me back when I was trying to make Control-line modeling culturally relevant if you dare.

I love the inspirational impact of the Air Force's new motto: 'Aim High . . . Fly-Fight-Win'

madwebtvscientist [sm=lol.gif] [sm=cry_smile.gif] ____________________________________________ Modeling Promoting Bog: http://www.rcuniverse.com/community/...g&memid=266748 Modeling's rendezvous with destiny will surely be unstoppable when something greater than the narcissistic pleasure of a selfish esoteric chosen few is adopted in modeling.

Saburo Sakai

Okay, dudes. I got an extra Spektrum 6chreceiver so what bird would you jump on:this Tower Hobby 51 or one of Dr. Wheelnuts RXRbirds? You know I'm a PZ addict and always lookin' for another PZ crack fix, but if this TH bird's or a Dr. Wheelnut Craft's appreciably better, maybe I should like, starta jones for another brand, too? Hmmmmm.....

mad web tv scientist

Hey Sakai, great to see you posting again. Did you receive my last e-mails? I am working on the F4U thread at the moment. I just did some prop and battery testing with my Corsair that I will posting there when I get everything rounded up. I could use a little help if you are available for flight leader duty.

As stew has shown us, you can't have two many Mustangs around. It has all the mystique necessary to justify owning and flying as many different models of that high strung thoroughbred as you can stuff into your house, garage, etc.

You must 'Aim High . . . Fly-Fight-Win'

madwebtvscientist [sm=lol.gif] [sm=cry_smile.gif]____________________________________________ Modeling Promoting Bog: http://www.rcuniverse.com/community/...g&memid=266748 Modeling's rendezvous with destiny will surely be unstoppable when something greater than the narcissistic pleasure of a selfish esoteric chosen few is adopted in modeling.

SigMan

My Feedback: (21)

if this thread is open,. sign me up.