Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

There is a liquidator here in the Phoenix area that has a .60 size ARF that they have been advertising on Craigslist. The price is a bit ridiculous but I'm not sure how firm it is. Also not sure if they would be willing to ship or not but I guess you could ask.

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cbd/5476890195.html

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

Bean did you see the Mint Yellow Aircraft finished P40 that had Sierra Gear installed for a steal of $550 ?
I was listening to a guy try to get the seller down $50 lol and I did not need another plane but was going to buy it if the guy haggling walked away. I was helping the seller in this case becasue the retracts alone were over $500 and the plane was 100% built.
I swear he said "Frank Tiano" built it but not 100% cortain.
I also hit the same Top Flight P40 GE Kit built and glassed for $425 and I asked the same question" did you add washout to the wing" , when he said no I passed.
Last P40 bargain of the day was the Skyshark used P40 $195 , good condition !
I passed on one more gem now regretting a 1/6 scale Royal Corsair kit aprox 65% built with Robart 615 installed, aluminum cowl all for $90 !!!
I just have two many projects but you can never have two many planes

raptureboy

No, and we probably saw the same kit built. I only spent $30 including entrance fee.

raptureboy

Thanks Chad. I think at this point I will put off the rebuild since I have so many other projects and see what happens with Hobbico finding a new supplier.

Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

If I come across any parts for this bird you will be the first to know raptureboy.

raptureboy

Thanks Chad, you are a true representation of all that is good about this hobby. What do you think about just building the nose out like the kit to fit one of the chin cowls? I was looking at the manual for the kit built and think it could work. I have a buddy with an unstarted kit that I am going to look into and see what may be involved.

RBean

I saw those planes at Lebanon but wanted to see what else might turn up. The Yellow P-40 was already sold and by the time I got back to the Skyshark after one trip through the place it was sold. That is good. It saved me money. Don't have room for more planes anyway.

raptureboy

LOL I hear that. Since I don't have a place to fly right now I figure I have time to fix up all the junk hanging around my basement.

Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

Thanks for the kind words raptureboy, they are much appreciated. I recently bought and sold one of the TF .60 size P-40 ARFs and my two biggest issues with the airplane were the cowl and tail wheel. I MUCH prefer the cowl on the kit built version. I considered modding the front end to use one of the aftermarket fiberglass cowls made for the kit as it just looks so much better than the "slip on" cowl supplied with the ARF. However, I got a good deal on a very well built kit version so I ended up selling the ARF. I had one built from the kit a few years back and while it was a bit of a bear in the ground handling department I thought it flew just fine. In fact after all the bad press on the airplane I was pleasantly surprised at how well behaved it turned out to be. I've not flown the ARF so can't compare the two but if my current kit built airplane flies like the last one I will be quite satisfied. At any rate, the point being if I were going to dress up one of the ARFs the cowl mod would definitely be on my "to do" list. That and moving the tail wheel forward to the scale location. (And probably making it retractable!) Oh yeah, and the flaps on both the ARF and the kit are pretty much crap. One of the few changes I made to my ARF before selling it was to throw away the flaps and make new ones from G10. The G10 flaps are very strong and will not warp which is always problematic when dealing with split flaps. I will be putting a set of them on my new kit built airplane as well.

raptureboy

Nice flaps Chad, it must be cool to have a laser cutter. I agree that the flaps are a bit crappy. I heated mine with a heat gun to take some of the warp out of them. I've heard the kit built had an issue with not enough washout. Did you add more in when you built it? If you ever decide to offer those flaps as a mod for sale I would be interested. I am going to give the cowl mod a go, since I can't get a replacement.

Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

I purchased my TF P-40 already built raptureboy. It had been passed around a bit and I have no idea who the builder was but it was pretty much box stock in every respect so I doubt that there was additional wash out added. It was built relatively light which I am sure makes a big difference. I never put it on a scale but I would say it was not more than 10 pounds RTF. My current kit built one is getting substantially more detail and will probably be at least a pound or more heavier so I suppose I will see first hand just how much difference it makes!

Shoot me an email regarding the flaps, be happy to cut a set for you assuming you are not in a huge rush.

[email protected]

pkf3

My Feedback: (16)

Is it possible to mount an engine on this ARF other than upside down without having to hack up the cowl? Like at an angle, or side ways?

predman

My Feedback: (7)

I mounted my Dle 20 at about a 7:00 angle. It all fits inside.

pkf3

My Feedback: (16)

@predman....good to know. Did you have to drill new mounting hole to mount the DLE?

predman

My Feedback: (7)

Yes, I first mounted my engine on the hangar 9 metal beam mount, angled slightly then marked the holes. I like the h9 mount because you can slide the engine forward or backward to where you need it then tighten down.

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

It's possible on just about any airplane.

FireBee

My Feedback: (34)

RBwan, for nomenclature on P-40. Contact Callie at Callie graphics. I recall $15 for the entire set. She does a great job and very fast turn around.

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

I opened the box and started mine today. The first job was installing a Valley View 20cc engine with a J-Tec wraparound muffler. The engine fits perfectly on the stock mounting holes with no need to cant the engine. I was unhappy to see how poorly the cowl fits. When I line the cowl up with the fuselage the spinner is way out of position. If I move the cowl so that it fits the spinner it leaves a large gap at the fuselage. I don't recall reading about this in this thread...did anyone else have to deal with this?

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

Charlie,

Do you have the engine far enough back?

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

5 7/8 as specified

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

Charlie,

Are you going to get one of the big Top Flite P-40's? It's the best value of all the large ones and it flies a lot better than the Skyshark.

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

Well, never say never. I'm still waiting for a good deal on one. Maybe Tower will have a big sale this year.

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

I raised the engine center line 1/8" and the cowl fits better.

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

Completed the assembly of the plane. The total weight is 11 lbs and the CG is 3.25" back with the gear extended as shown in the manual. The VVRC 20 engine is a good fit in the cowl....I made baffles and a heat shield to get all the incoming air through the cylinder fins and out the back without over heating the carb. EFlight retracts work well so far.

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

radfordc,

I ended up shimming the rear retract mounts about an 3/32nds inch to stop nose-overs.