htjoel

Hey All,

I own all three Warbirds from Parkzone (2 Mustangs, FW-190, Spitfire) and would like to hear from other PZ fans about their experiences with these planes: i.e. Fit and finish, electronics issues, flight characteristics, mods, etc.

My own personal 2 cents worth:

P-51 Mustang: My very first low-wing electric Warbird after graduating from PZ Cub and Super Decathlon, it took a while for me to get the hang of flying it (that's why I have 2 ), still flies fairly well, wish that stupid battery door was designed better. Heaviest of the 3 warbirds and the trickiest to get in the air. Loops ok, rolls fairly well, inverted flight very tricky to maintain.

FW-190: Great follow up to the Mustang, seems a little lighter, somewhat twitchy if you don't bother to get the CG right (to propweight or not to propweight, that is the question). Climb rate a little better than the 'Stang, roll rate not as fast, but inverted flight easy to maintain with proper trim and just a touch of down elevator.

Spitfire: Only 2 flights but so far so good-like the new 'no-seam' skin, that ZX-10 Tx seems to be fairly identical to the old style TX, like the fact that Li-Po upgrade is done electronically rather than with jumpers. Climb out was great for an RTF with a brushed motor, it's the lightest of the 3 birds, and has a HUGE wing area. Seems to float a lot better than both the Mustang and Focke-Wulf.

Any and all comments, experiences, 'I wish', 'I don't like', PLEASE POST!

I wish: That Parkzone would engineer retracts for these beautiful birds, I would be more than willing to pay an extra $50-75 for an RTF with retracts.

Cheers,
Joel

packyj

Save the money and build a plane with retracts you'll be far happier in the long run.

htjoel

Hello packyj,

The reason I buy RTF is I don't really have the building skills []. I have built quite a few free-flight stick and tissue models, some R/C boats, and a couple of R/C cars-just don't quite have the confidence (or attention span ) to build an R/C plane.

BTW, all my warbirds are still bone-stock.

Cheers,
Joel

Nickerz

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the comparison of these models! My two friends and I each have one and our maiden flight will be this Saturday. Wish us luck!

Is the lipo pack worth it? We're gonna start off using the supplied stock battery but want to get longer run times and better performance.

Nick

packyj

It does appear that parkzone has made considerable improvements to the models as they progressed for those that like to fly them. The one thing I think they could do to garner even more support is rerelease the originals with the improved features. Many people have the desire to fly their p51 but don't like to deal with the drawbacks of their first attempt at a warbird.

rogue7

I have the FW190 and the Spitfire. I really enjoy flying both of them, but the FW is probably my favorite between the two. The Spitfire is a great climber -- and describing it as more of a "floater" is right on the money. The Spitfire is definitely more "forgiving" in general, and a little more graceful in the air. I think I like the FW a little better because it seems to handle the wind a little better (due to it's weight, and where that weight is distributed on the frame) -- and it moves faster coming out of dives. Like most people with these kinds of planes -- the low-level fly-bys at high speed are a favorite manuever. Take both birds up to 300 or 400 feet, then bring them straight down for a fly-by and the FW zips by a little faster. Sometimes if I really push the Spitfire like that, I'll hear a little flutter as it rockets past. I have two FW190s, one stock and one Lipo. I'm not sure if I'll put a lipo in the Spit yet, until I figure out why I'm hearing a little vibration/flapping sound whenever I put some speed on it. Maybe I'm just more comfortable with the FW190 at this point. Like I said -- they're both great flyers, but I can fly the FW190 just about everyday as long as the wind doesn't get too out of control. The FW seems to be the only Foamy that I own, that doesn't mind 15 mph winds and an occasional gust. Just a real hammer head when it comes to wind. Just my opinion.

Leo L

Before the FW came out, I spoke to a fella in the Horizon Hobby R&D department and asked him why the Mustang doesn't come with landing gear, either fixed or retract, since many flyers enjoy ground take-offs and controlled landings. He said that when they were first testing the plane, they tried to make it with landing gear, but found that the addition of landing gear weakened the wings so that during "hard" landings, they would break at an unacceptable rate. He said that they thought about mounting the wheels to the fuselage, but quickly gave that up since it would ruin the appearance of the plane.

Since there are quite a few low wing planes with wing mounted wheels, I would think that Horizon Hobby could re-design the Mustang / FW / Spitfire to come with retracts. Kyosho makes a mustang with retracts, so I would think PZ could do so too.

RAM-THIS

Thanks for the comparison of planes. I purchased the 190 and will fly it for the first time sat. This will be my first time flying a plane so wish me luck.

packyj

Good luck RAM... altitude is your friend

That's funny leo... considering that if they had went ahead with the landing gear on the 51 it wouldn't have the battery hatch issues that it does... or at least they wouldn't be nearly as apparent

ozrcboy

RAM-THIS - It would take more than luck. Do yourself a favour - put the FW on the shelf, go back to the hobby shop and buy a hobbyzone supercub (or maybe swap if you are cash restricted).

shadows2013

ram this ......... bring a bag.

Mr. Mugen

I just bought a spit fire and have yet to maiden it. I have 3 P-51's and have to say they are not begginer planes. They are tough to get the hang of for first timers. They want to torque roll if the throttle is not just right upon launching. They fall out of the sky like a rocks when you let off the throttle. I have made one of them BL but have yett to test it. I am stoked about maidening the spitfire. From what I hear it is the best flying of them all. I will keep you posted on the maiden. Kevin

Bigtone

This is a PZ Stang with retracts, the guy who did the mod goes by the name Glacier Girl. (As in the P-47 that was recovered from a glacier)





[img][/img]

flyingace451

Yep, you can always count on Brad (Glacier ) to mod the crap out of stuff. He's an excellent guy, and will do anything for you to help anyone out. Keep in mind, he mods the heck out of Parkzone stuff. He has a Stryker that has a top speed of 146 mph, and a brushless J3 Cub with its own camo style paint job.

With retracts you will break more on hard landings, but to some it is worth it. I'm thinking about outfitting a Stryker with some retracts because the thick slab of foam that they call the wing on that thing seems perfect to carve out holes into.

htjoel

Hey Guys,

Yeah! That's exactly what I wanted to see! More Pix! More Pix! More Pix! Glacier Girl, can I ask you to post other mods you have done to PZ Warbirds?

I know that there are quite a few PZ owners out there, let's hear about your experiences and what mods you have tried!

Cheers,
Joel

z1bam

Yeah if you start with the fw-190 then you will probably need to pick up a few parts, Its exactly what I did. though 1 elevator, 1 fuselage later though and its not that bad at all to fly, though landing in tall grasses may help with parts initially its a real killer now for nose-overs every time I land.

htjoel

All right guys,

Went out yesterday here in the high desert with 2 of my 3 PZ warbirds, just to have a fresh look at characteristics re FW-190 and the new Spitfire. Had brand-new batts for both (min 3 charge cycles) and flew them one after the other, 2 flights each.

Wind: slightly windy, gusts up to 15 mph
Temp: 74 F
Alititude: approx 2000 ft above sea level

Observations: The FW-190, being 3 oz. heavier than the Spifire, handled the wind a bit better. Hand launch was fairly easy with freshly charged batteries on both, but the nod definitely goes to the Spifire for better climb-out rates. While nowhere near 'unlimited vertical' the Spit seems very eager to get up in the sky. Just a touch of up elevator and it enters into a nice climb. The FW-190 takes a bit more attention and straight and level flight before you begin climb-out.

Rolls are a bit tighter and faster with the Focke-Wulf, maybe due to the huge wing area of the Spit? Loops with the Spit seem a little easier to maintain a straight line with, will have to check trims to be sure it's the plane and not my thumbs . The Spit is definitely the easiest to maintain a glide with, went almost 2 minutes in and out of thermals (with motor off) with very little altitude loss.

My Mustang is just waiting for a new wing (ripped out push-wire guides on a hard landing) and I'll try and get all 3 of them to the field for a true one-to-one-to-one comparison.

Any other thoughts and comments welcome!

Cheers,
Joel

spiteful2

I have a parkzone mustang and i must say i didi enjoy flying it......until the crashes.LOL
I have modded it with a top battery door and tray, and hot glued the cowl. to be honest , the hot glue is very forgiving upon impact.
Presently I fly my typhoon 3d and i love the resiliency of this bird. she has flew through soccer nets and hit the ground.....still she keeps on flying....in any weather. i had her up in 15 to 20 mph winds and she was a blast. I am in the works if putting together my scorpio spitfire and was wondering. do you guys think that the pz spitfire and this kit would fly similar. they weigh the same and share the same big wing......just a question.

traxxboy

I have a spitfire and it flys right out of my dads hand. No bad tip stall chartristics either. I love it.

htjoel

Hey All,

Just got back from a lunchtime flight here in the high desert. Winds per weather.com 12 mph ene with gusts to 25+mph. Against my own better judgment I threw the Spitfire into the air and after a few scary downdrafts she climbed out beautifully. Did get pushed around a bit but overall wind penetration very good. The wind was not very steady, it swirled around quite a bit for the first half of the flight. You do have to keep an eye on this bird when flying downwind as she picks up speed quickly with a tailwind. Flying back into the pattern not too tough but definitely much easier at WOT. Only 7 flights and the Spit is doing well! Fast becoming my favorite take-anywhere bird!

Cheers,
Joel

Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

Well the thing with PZ is it's a big company and the wheels turn slowly. As told to me by Drible of PZ. But they do turn. Heck look at the Stryker it's morphed what 3 or 4 times now, each one better with the additions we were doing to them ourselves. And you're seeing it in each new release of the warbird series. Give it some time and PZ will get around to it. Just like any business, if you don't supply what the customer wants, the customer goes to who does have it. If you think about it, EFlite, which is just a sister company to PZ is giving you what you want. The Jug is a ***** cat to fly compaired to the Mustang, the new Lightning is going to be a winner, heck look at all the forums going on it and it isn't even out there yet.
Dollar for dollar the Jug is a better bird then the Stang, in construction, ease of flying, repairability, and it does have landing gear.

Then again, if you are as addicted to this hobby as me, why wait. If it ain't got it, add it yourself. Heck I love buying plain Jane ARF's, it lets me decide what it's going to be. All it is a foundation to build upon. And hey, I went into these mods blind as a first timer too, and heck if I can do it, so can you.
You just have to make your mind up that you can do it, and take the time to think it out and do it right.

So as for the PZ birds, I like em all, good points and bad ones.
Mod away on them, make them what you want them to be, until PZ gets around to it.

p.s. word of warning. Don't be like me, too many ideas and too many planes sure gets expensive. [X(]

Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

Something else, use the PZ birds as stepping stones, so to speak. Especially if you are going to continue with this addiction/ hobby. We for the most part started out with something a little more tamer, and as our experience grew we moved on. Warbirds became the next step.
Harder to fly, better looks, more $$$. The next step, at least for me was the decision to step into big warbirds. I had built the confidence, skills, and desire to have really nice birds.
Take a look at my gallery sometime, and you'll see what I mean. Oh sure I still have the foamies, and love them, but I also have some really big balsa jobs now. You all have pride in what you fly, and when you make the leap to big stuff your pride in what you build leaps too.
You will take what you've learned on these so called cheap foamies, and use it to build and fly mega dollar beauties. Now then for heaven's sake, if the only place you have to fly is the local baseball diamond, forget all the above. Trying to stay inbounds with something like a 90" P38 will tend to be a little difficult. Stay with what works for you in that case, but mod it into what you want it to be, rather then wait for the company to do it for you.
Seeing something you built or modded take to the air is a feeling that cannot be beat. You know you did it, and soon other's will too. Don't get stuck into a rut of only flying what someone else builds or sells, make it your bird.

ozrcboy

Just backing up what Brad said - get in there and give it a go. Start with small things. My two big accomplishments to date have been adapting two of my birds to mount engines that they weren't designed for - not a big deal but coming from a history where anything practical I touch tends to turn to mud these are significant victories for me.

I know it is often about the easiest way to mod your bird for the result you want, but sometimes it is also about taking the road less travelled, not necessarily following a formula that has been laid out to guarantee success.

When I saw the pace that my GWS Zero could achieve after my hours spent fitting a special little firewall to mount my $15 outruner I felt an enormous sense of satisfaction. There is nothing special or super about how the mount was put together except that I had to devise and design it myself, cut it out from scrap bits of plywood, mount it all up etc. There was nothing special about it except that I did it rather than just bolting together some bits that someone else had designed and prepared for me.

Cheers,
Oz.

johnpcunningham

P-51 & Spitfire

I've got both and flown both so far with no crashes yet, so here is my 2 cents.

P-51 PROs
1) Flys better than the Spifire
2) In my opinion, P-51 looks the best

P51 CONs
1) Engineering of this plane shows that it was ParkZone's first pass. The F190 is better and the Spitfire is the best of all.
2) Battery hatch on bottom with a lip sticking out? C'mon!!! Catches weeds everytine and breaks off.
3) Wings are not solidly filled. Need to insert fiberglas rods through the hole where the servo goes to give some support. Simply use two rods and sleeve it in intul it hist the end of the wing. Then glue it in with epoxy or "great Stuff" foam filler from home depot or Lowe's.
No need to take wing apart

Spitfire PROs
1) For a foamie, it is engineeried better thatn the P-51. Wing is more solid.
2) Battery hatch is on the top with a magnetic catch and screw.
3) Loops the easiest, turns sharp when you know how to use the wings properly
4) Servos are much much faster thatn the P-51

Spitfire Con's
1) Seems to lose altitude much easier when doing banking turns

If I had to chose between the two as a newer pilot, I would probably go with the Spitfire. If you have some experiennce and do not crash (that often) then the Mustang gets a slight nudge in my book.

JC

AETCBoom4

[quote]ORIGINAL: johnpcunningham


3) Wings are not solidly filled. Need to insert fiberglas rods through the hole where the servo goes to give some support. Simply use two rods and sleeve it in intul it hist the end of the wing. Then glue it in with epoxy or "great Stuff" foam filler from home depot or Lowe's.
No need to take wing apart

Where do you get fiberlass rods? What kind and where specifically? Will this hold up to a strong BL setup?