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Metal-Morphing a Yellow P-38

Old 11-26-2004, 09:25 AM
  #126  
kram-RCU
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Elvis:

Amen to all that.

TwinMan puts gyros on his P-38's.

I don't, under the basic premise that it's just one more thing to go wrong.

I just focus my efforts on trying to make sure both engines are completely reliable.

Also, call me crazy, but I never cycle the gear or use the flaps on any P-38 maiden. Just bring it in with power!


mt
Old 11-26-2004, 10:17 AM
  #127  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

You guys are great, I have had offers of all kind to help get the 38 in the air and do it as safe as possible. Fred from RI , I got you E-mail and When its time I will E-mail you, still have to finish it though.

I have read Twin mans post on Twins, I think we are going with the gyros, the reason is that it will give us just a little more time to react to a problem, but I think my first course of action will be ENGINE RELIABILITY. I think we all agree that if I can keep both engines running, I will have eliminated about 75% of what makes 38s crash. Another good piece of info from Twin-man was take-off speed, I have the 38 on flite sim and if I kill an engine on takeoff and have a good ground roll, I can get it in the air and some care get it back on the ground, but it I try it at a low ground speed, it goes into a flat spin SO FAST its not funny.

Again I appreciate all the info on getting it the air safe,

Thanks
Ron
Old 11-26-2004, 01:25 PM
  #128  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Engine-out on the Real Flite sim is unfortunately a lot easier than real life, although it does give you a basic feel (mental preparation) for the kind of control inputs needed. The only way I found to make it more "real" was to re-build the plane in the custom box so the wing-loading was 30% greater.

If you lose an engine on roll-out, don't leave the ground. I don't care what you hit at the end of the runway, it won't be as bad as a one-engine takeoff!

mt
Old 11-27-2004, 06:28 AM
  #129  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Hi Ron,
Thanks for the reply. What ever you decide , let me know , I would like to be there. Looking forward to your maiden flight.
Thanks,
Fred Menna Check6
Old 11-27-2004, 08:44 AM
  #130  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

I'd drive to Conneticut to see the maiden flight also. What a fabulous airframe!
Heck, it's only 150 miles.

JESTER
Old 11-29-2004, 09:39 PM
  #131  
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Default RE: Metal-Morphing a Yellow P-38

Hi Metal:

I've watched since you metalized Dong's P-38. You've accomplished the ultimate metal finish. If only eveyone who purchased Flite-Metal would prep their airframes as well as you have done for your process. Beautiful work man! To think back when we were looking for the best alloy with characteristics permitting controllable stretch.

It will be interesting to see what Kent has to say about the "acquired" aluminum finish for competition purposes. It is neat stuff man...neat stuff!
Old 11-29-2004, 11:32 PM
  #132  
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Default RE: Metal-Morphing a Yellow P-38

I once heard a fellow R/Cer state:" I don't like Silver as it shows every thing!" It's obvious to achieve a respectable metal finish the prep is maybe 1/2 the work or play depending on how you think of building.. The competition question is interesting.
Old 11-30-2004, 06:08 PM
  #133  
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Default RE: Metal-Morphing a Yellow P-38

Ramc-- Preparation in definitely one of the main steps in our plating process, the plating will mirror the subsurface, thats good when you want details like panel lines but bad if there are imperfections in the surface. But I must admit in the long run there is nothing that looks as good as real aluminum.


Thanks Ed. I agree, 'neat stuff' was my reaction to the process when we plated our first surface. It's definitely an innovative process that adds to the evolution of this industry and the options we have available to achieve aluminum replication while eliminating the flexibility issues. I think its still at its infancy stage but we are always looking for ways to improve our process. Hope someday that this will be an option we can add to our aircraft straight from the aircraft manufacturers Thats what I'll be working on next
Old 12-01-2004, 08:32 AM
  #134  
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Default RE: Metal-Morphing a Yellow P-38

Don't recall a price point discussion...
Old 12-01-2004, 04:58 PM
  #135  
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Default RE: Metal-Morphing a Yellow P-38

With or with out labor?
Old 12-01-2004, 05:09 PM
  #136  
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Default RE: Metal-Morphing a Yellow P-38

Labor being your prep of the entire surface or what?
Old 12-01-2004, 05:55 PM
  #137  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

A quick question for the P-38 experts. Are the panels behind the turbos on top of the fuselage a heat protective metal other than aluminum, some of the detail pictures show this to be a metal like titanium but I dont thick they used titanium in the 40s. One of the other metals we plate looks like titanium but if the panels are just discolored by the heat I can just use some steel wool and metal dye to get that appearance.

Thanks
Old 12-03-2004, 06:07 PM
  #138  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

I just applied the stars, here are pictures of that. I also figured the pilot area need some work so I got a stater kit and did some work

Enjoy
Ron
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Old 12-03-2004, 06:11 PM
  #139  
Metalmorphous
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Here is the cockcpit
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Old 12-03-2004, 07:53 PM
  #140  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Ummm Metalmorphous, Don't you need a pilot figure in there?

Other than that, it's the best 38 I've ever seen. Quite impressive!
Old 12-03-2004, 09:58 PM
  #141  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

John I think your right, but I want to plate it in aluminum first
Old 12-04-2004, 11:21 AM
  #142  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

In my phone conversations with alot of modelers the most asked question has been durability, I had to attend a meeting this week for a customer that is going to use our product and I did a demonstration for him, I took two plastic PVC pipes that are plated and started to smack them together hard and many times, to the customer dismay there wasnt a mark on them. Because our metal is of an industrial grade (just like aircraft grade aluminum) its has all the strength of that metal just in a micro form.
Hope this helps clarify this subject.

Ron
Old 12-04-2004, 12:58 PM
  #143  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

js3:

None of my warbirds have pilots.

I think the best scale pilot is none at all....a "Missing Pilot" in honor of all the incredibly brave young men who flew and died for a cause they cherished.

After all, anything else is just a doll!


mt
Old 12-05-2004, 08:28 AM
  #144  
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MT- On a more serious note, we are not going to be placing a pilot in the seat of the 38. My father and 4 of his brothers were in WWII and I have GREAT respect for them and ALL that protect our country. Not only have I been working on replicating a WWII plane but I'm getting a list together of every pilot that had stick time in the P-38 and I'm going to dedicate this plane to them. The names will be displayed with the plane, even at the Iron works and plating shows we attend. I have had my pilots licenses since 1976 and had the opportunity to fly in both a B-24 and B-17 and let me tell you, it was not picnic for those men. It was loud, cold you choked on the exhaust that blew in the gunners doors then add the fact that someone was trying there best to SHOOT YOU DOWN. I have had some very sweaty palms on some landings I have made and on numerous occasions I have had shaky legs but I still cant imagine what it must of been like for them, so on Veterans day I spend alot of time making calls to the Vets I know and thanking them personally, its the least I can do just like this plane. I have had a slue of young people admire the plane and I hope that just a few of them will do some reading on it and learn what I have learned about the plane and the people behind it.

Ron
Old 12-05-2004, 11:30 AM
  #145  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Hi Ron,
First I have never flown a twin,but it seems to me time to react to an 'engine out,'is of essence which brings me to my point perhaps having no other aircraft in the air and having a keen ear "trained,"for an engine out would give you that second or two to make corrections to counter the possibility of an engine out.
Old 12-05-2004, 01:57 PM
  #146  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Metal:


Sounds like a great tribute you've got planned.

I recently finished a book called Flyboys, by James Bradley, which was really good for more global/historical reasons than I expected. It's hard to conceive the fact that these were twenty year-old kids flying 2,000-4,000 hp machines over poorly charted waters at a time when most of the folks back home were still plowing their gardens with mules.

Most of those kids are now into their 80's and can be a little hard to find.

One of my idiosyncrasies with P-38's has been to have a "real hero" sign the wing, although as Max told me:"I'm not a real hero. The real heroes didn't come back." They seem to really get a charge out for the obvious reverence serious warbird modelers have for them, and I'm just superstitious enough to think it's powerful mojo to help fly a risky model.

I am NOT suggesting you deface your gleamin' machine in a similar manner!


mt
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Old 12-05-2004, 02:14 PM
  #147  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

ramcf:


Very astute observations for a "non-twin" pilot.

I always feel much more comfortable flying my 38's when no-one else is in the air, for the reasons you mention. Usually the flight of a 38 is a big enough deal at the field that everybody stops to watch it anyway. Lately, though, my buddies have become somewhat callused to my P-38 shenanigans, and tend to keep flying while I'm out there. The way they lovingly put it is: "We know you're gonna be standing on your head tuning the engines for two hours, so there's no point in stopping everything we're doing!"

I'm sure when Metal puts his 38 up for the first time, there won't be many people breathing, much less flying.

Which reminds me of a key point for the maiden of a 38: I think my "brethren" have saved a couple of my 38's on maiden by forcibly reminding me to breathe about 20 seconds after takeoff.


mt
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Old 12-07-2004, 01:18 PM
  #148  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Kram thats one of the greatest ways a modeler could ecknowledge that Veteran pilot, very humbling. Thanks for sharing your photos and experience with your 38

ram- I read that in Twin-mans report and I thats the only way I will get it airborne the fist time. Thanks
Ron
Old 12-08-2004, 02:08 AM
  #149  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

Great job indeed! I seriously thought the black and white picture was real. I will show it to my step dad whos step dad was also a P-51 and a P-38 pilot.
Old 12-08-2004, 08:55 PM
  #150  
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Default RE: I am not worthy!

GPITTS- Thats probable the most gratifying complement yet, thank you. GPITTS if the P-38 pilot in your family would not mind I will add his name to our list. Just E-mail me or you can call the Tel # posted.

Ron

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