Larry S

My Feedback: (6)

I bought the Spitfire 120 advertised by Nito Models for $149.00. In their ad it shows a plane similar to the CMP Spitfire 120 but has different markings and the paint is a little different but for that price I decided to try one. On the box all it says is Spitfire 90. I had bought CMP planes before and found them to be excellent for the price. It was packed very good. So I took the wing out and did some modifications I wanted to do then it was time to mount the wing to the fuse which was still unwrapped and in the box. What a suprise, on the nose of the fuse it had a CMP marking and the decals in the kit where of the higher priced CMP Spitfire advertised. So what I got was the CMP 70" plane for $ 149.00. All that was different was the box it came in.
Now my questions, has anyone who has this plane and flies it knows if the CG is correct in the instructions? I know from experience that the CMP 50 Corsair is way off. Next question, is a Saito 120 enough engine for this plane? Thanks guys,
Larry

starcop

Hi Larry, If you look in my gallery, I too bought this Spitfire. I installed an O.S .91 Two Stroke and yes the CG is correct. I have the old manual at home so maybe tonight after work I could take a look just to double check. Yes the Saito 120 should be just fine. The O.S .91 I had in mine would make the plane go verticle; like a bat out of hell. They are wonderful to fly, I had to sell mine but am going to replace it soon. The only thing to watch for is keeping your speed up when landing; it tends to drop right wing if your not careful. Another thing is the landing gear. You should up-grade or beef-up the stock gear if you plan on useing it. Good luck and have fun. You can look in my gallery and I have a picture of mine in flight and on the runway. starcop

Larry S

My Feedback: (6)

Starcop,
Thanks for the comeback. I made a mistake but no big one, I'm powering my Spit with an OS 120, not a Saito. I have the OS on hand but I believe the Saito is a better engine but I'm not going to spend extra money on this plane.
As for the landing gear I completely redid mine. I'm using Robart air retracts and have them mounted so that when the gear is down, the axle is just ahead of the leading edge of the wing but I'm using the existing wheel well openings when retracted. If I didn't do this the plane would nose over on our grass field. I should have it completed within a week, have to do some painting where I installed the retracts. I had Lowes mix me some paint to match the plane so hopefully it will do the job. And thank you for the CG location.
Larry

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

One of the few cmp planes with the correct cg. I run the saito 120 in mine, and in the zero too. Its a good balance of power, but its definately not overpowered. Does good nice scale speed with a little extra margin for error. Just my opinion, a 150 would be the perfect match. This is my second one, pretty decent flying plane. What starcop says about the landing stall is right on the money. I also did as Larry did on the retracts. Gutted, rebuilt, but I put in spring air. I just recently repainted it with rustoleum spray camo colors. I discovered the hard way that their OD is really more like forest green. Oh well, its a beater plane anyway. Got a yellow spit to do maybe next year.
Edwin

starcop

Alright, I'm buying another one! Dang, I miss that plane; the Spitfire is one of my favorite airplanes. I thought about Hangar 9, but I really enjoyed the CMP Spitfire and I know it fly's great when everythings set-up correctly. Well, I'll post pic's too when mine arrives. Time to replace it. So the O.S 120 works good, I had a .91 O.S and had "Plenty" of power, I can only imagine what a 120 would do. I had a 150 Saito but I think it's just a bit much for my style. Take care, have fun. starcop

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

starcop,
I just noticed you're in nampa. I crashed my first spitfire there the day before the scale masters qualifier about 3 years ago. I flew thru the sun and just lost sight of it. Robert Terhune was my spotter and asked what the hell I was doing. I replied, I dont know, cant see it. His reply, You are about 50' vertical going down. I lost the spitfire, but won a H9 P-40 in a drawing. Came out about neutral. Still have that P-40. Nice field.
Edwin

Larry S

My Feedback: (6)

Thanks for the replies, sure helps to get as much knowledge as possible before attempting to fly this plane. Mine is coming along pretty good. Right now I'm reinforcing the mounting areas on the cowl and deciding on how and where to cut for cooling. After that I have some touch up painting to do, then decals and then I'll put on a couple of light coats of Nelson's flat clear on complete plane. I"ll shoot some pics when finished.
Larry

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

Larry,
I couldnt get epoxy to stick to the glass fuse, its polyesther reson glass. I used goop from the hardware store. I even glued my air tank to the fuse with goop. Still good after several years.
Edwin

starcop

Hi Edwin, Yes, there are 2 nice clubs to fly at, that I know of. Bummer on losing a Spitfire, but winning the Hangar 9 P-40 is great. That's another plane I sold recently. I'm in the process of replacing Airplanes right now. I had over 12 at one time. I look at it this way; you can always replace them, it's nice to build a second bird and fix things you do or did wrong the first time. Also it lets another person enjoy the sport at a more reasonable price to buy a plane. I'll be in this for life, I've had R/C from the age of 5 till present. Have a good one, have fun fly safe. starcop

Current Build. Great Planes P51-D Mustang.

Larry S

My Feedback: (6)

Edwin,
So far I haven't had any problems with epoxy sticking to the glass fuse but I will keep your suggestion in mind. I take it since the fuse is polyesther rosin that the cowl would be of the same material. That is where I did most of my reinforcing. Around the nose of the cowl I added a 1/16 ply ring and used 3 oz cloth around all my cut outs and where the cowl has any cut outs for mounting holes, fuel filler holes, etc. I also had did that on my CMP Corsair cowl and the epoxy stuck great. It may seem like a "overkill" to some but I never had a problem with a cowl cracking and also on every warbird it seems to need weight on the nose so the extra weight of the buildup helps. I did all the cutting I needed for cooling, next I need to see and hope the paint I had mixed up will blend in.
Larry

tom_sandiego

Hello all,

I just got this airplane from my fly buddy, he has electric setup before now I converted it back to nitro with OS 120 4 troke, Robart pring air retract but the tail still heavy, can anyone tell me where is the CG for this bird.
Thanks, Tom

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

I have this plane , and when it was released CMP was suggesting 120ties , then every CMP after that -P40 ect were suggested with 150 to 180 ties .
So perhaps the 120 is good , but probably a min power when you add retracts and any type of detail

tom_sandiego

LDM,

For the CG how far back from the leading edge?

Thanks, Tom

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

I started with 25% of max cord(near the fuse) and ended up at about 27% , i never use CMP suggested CG

tom_sandiego

Thanks LDM i'll do that.

VeeAte

I have read a few threads stating powerplants for this plane. But havent seen mention of the ASP .91 FS. I dont know how these compare to other manufacturers.


I am not ARF bashing this plane. Will be basically as it came out of the box. I have the .91 ASP 4 stroke, but will purchase another larger engine if the .91 is not enough.

Thanks

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

Be very carefull with the supplied hardware. I threw all of it in the trash. On the first spitfire I had many screw heads twist off, the CA hinges may or may not work. I used GP ca hinges on the first one and plastic pinned hinges on the second, much better. In my opinion, CMP arfs make good starting points. I just didnt trust any of their hardware or instructions. Before I forget, drill the wing mounting holes closer in by about 3/4" or you may drill through the wing fillet on the fuse. I did that on the first one following their instructions. Look here at the Nitro Models web site and scroll down a ways and you'll see they did it on their demo plane too. You can just see the patch on the wing fillet.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...wflag=1#review

FYI - Just my opinion but I dont think a .91 4-stroke will fly the plane very well. Wouldnt be any fun. Mine balanced with no led using a saito 1.20 and was just enough power with only a little reserve. CMP planes build a little on the heavy side.
Edwin

VeeAte

Ok thanks for the info Edwin.

Would a 26cc gasser be too big? Price difference between a 1.20 and the 26cc is not much at all. Or would there be other issues running that sized engine?

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

Dont know. If you use the equipment to balance instead of led you ought to be allright. I'm not familiar enough to know if it will fit in the cowl. Its fairly roomy in there. Give it a shot. At best, it'll be a fair sport scale and decent everyday flyer.
Edwin

tom_sandiego

EDWIN, what size prop did you had on your? I had 15X7 on my OS 120 and i have to use full throttle all the time to fly. did I used under size prop?

Tom

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

I use a 16x8 MA classic on mine. That gets you about 8000 to 8200 rpm. I dont prop for max rpm. The fly wheel effect of that prop helps the idle, just my opinion. You might want a more pitch on a 15" prop. I have also used APC 16x8 with good results. Dont understand why you need full throttle all the time. How much does your plane weigh? I have found that my saito 120 with 16x8 MA classic prop pulls a 14lb plane ok, wouldnt want to go much over that. I think my cmp spitfire was around 12lb or a little under. It wasnt over powered by any means. Just enough for a little extra in case of trouble. Flew pretty scale. Just my opinion but I think a 1.50 would be perfect for the cmp 120 warbirds. I just recently sold mine at a swap meet to finance other projects. Got a yellow spitfire in the build que.
Edwin

tom_sandiego

Edwin, Yes I think 150 or 180 is better, I 'll go with 16X8 to see how it fly. I didn't weight my yet will do when i get off from work today
Thanks for your infors.

Tom

Louis9624

I have a CMP Spitfire 120.  The very first flight showed how far off the center of gravity can be in the instructions.  I had an expert take off and the first thing he said was the center of gravity needs to come forward by quite a bit.  He gave the control to me and I quickly understood what he was talking about.  The slightest elevator and the plane would go way up, or in a bank would turn far more than asked to.