For this review, I'll be taking a look at the Great Planes
P-40 Warhawk, an AMA Event 750 Combat Class 1610 legal
airplane.
The
P-40 is built up balsa covered in Monokote. It offers an
array of choices many different modelers are sure to
enjoy. You may choose to install landing gear or fly without,
fly electric or glow and I believe it has the ability to fit the needs of
many modelers from the sport flyer to the hard core Combat
flyer.
Specifications
Kit
Name: Great Planes P-40 Warhawk GP/EP ARF Retail: $139.99 Street: $99.99 Wingspan: 39" Wing Area: 242 sq. in. Flying Weight as tested: 38-46oz e Motor:
O.S. .25 FX Servos:
4 Futaba S3115 micro servos
Items
needed to complete the project:
Square
Hobby
Knife
Ruler
Screwdrivers
Drill bits
Thin CA
Receiver battery
9x6 Propeller
6-minute
epoxy
Foam rubber padding
Fuel tubing
Field
equipment
Assembly
Packaging
CA hinges
Notice Wax paper to keep the glue off the wing
The
P-40 arrived without a scratch and is expertly covered in
Monokote. After going over it with a covering iron I started
the build, which is pretty much straight forward.
First was the hinging of the ailerons. They use standard CA
hinges and I used a pin in the middle to make sure they stayed
centered. The Aileron Torque rod is also glued at the same
time so I made sure to do a test fit before gluing.
I also used wax paper on the inside of the rod so the Epoxy would
not get on the wing.
Futaba
S3115 micro precision servos were used on all of the surfaces
and they fit perfectly.
Servos used
Joiner
complete
I
joined the wing but first I had to glue the joiner together,
this was done with 5 minute Epoxy and then sanded for a perfect
fit in the wings. The fit of my wings together was perfect so
I used 30 minute Epoxy to glue the wing joiner in and the wing
halves together.
After
they were dry I installed the Aileron servo. Towers site
mentions that 2 are used for the Ailerons and a Y harness is
needed, but my kit was setup for a single servo and no Y harness
needed.
The
Torque rods were the perfect length and after cutting 2 arms
from the servo arm worked smoothly for plenty of throw. The
ply plate was glued to the wing so the wing bolts would not
pull thru the balsa with CA and the wing was then complete
and I moved on to the tail surfaces next.
Wings glued together
Aileron servo in place
Torque rods installed
Stabs glued in place
Surfaces hinged
The
horizontal stab was lined up with the main wing attached to
make sure it was level, and my kit needed some
light sanding to make it line up perfectly. The covering was
then removed with a hot soldering iron so the wood under it
would not be scored or damaged. I then glued in the stab with
Epoxy.
The
vertical stab was then lined up square with the horizontal
and also glued in place with Epoxy.
The
Elevator used a joiner wire so only one servo was needed.
I test fit the wire and made sure the Elevator fit the stab
and wasn't too wide or short. I then used 5 minute Epoxy to
glue in the joiner wire while the Elevator was on a flat surface
with a heavy weight on it. That ensures the Elevator would
be straight and no trim problems would show up later.
The
surfaces were then attached with CA hinges just like the Ailerons.
Horns mounted
Servos mounted
Landing gear mount
The
Elevator and Rudder control horns were then installed.
However,
the pushrods had to be put in the fuse and in the proper hole
on the horn before mounting the horns to the surface. I wouldn't have been able to get the Z bend in the
horn otherwise.
The
servos were mounted in the fuse and fit the cutouts for them
perfectly. The included quick links were used so adjusting
the servos was easy.
The
P-40 kit includes a optional landing gear if you are going
to be flying from a paved runway, I was so I chose to install
it. The main gear is mounted to the hard points in the wing
with the nylon straps as shown, then the wheels are installed
with wheel collars.
There
is no tail wheel, only a ply skid that they have you glue in
a tiny metal washer, as you can see from the picture that
only lasted for 2 landings before it started to wear away.
Tail skid worn away
Fuel tank in place
O.S. 25FX engine used and stock muffler
The
fuel tank was assembled and the instructions mention a 2 line
or a 3 line tank could be used.
Since
there was no easy access to the carburetor I decided to use
a 3 line tank with a fuel dot. Great Planes even included
the fuel plug for the filler line in the hardware pack. The
tank fits tightly in place and I had to make sure the outlet
lines were not too long as they would hit the back of the
engine and a fuel line could not be installed.
I
used the OS .25 FX engine with the stock muffler in the
P-40, this is a great running engine and had way more than
enough power for the P-40.
The
instructions say to mount the engine on the plastic mount
by tapping the mounting holes, but I did not trust this so
I also put a locknut on the bolt as well. The firewall has
already been fuel-proofed and there are tiny pieces of tape
over the mounting holes to keep the Epoxy out, nice touch!
I
had to install the throttle pushrod before bolting the engine
down or I would have had to remove the Arm from the Carburetor
to get the Z bend in place.
The
cowl needed a few cutouts for all the engine parts, first
was for the muffler. I made a cardboard template over the
exhaust output and then installed the cowl. I knew exactly
where to cut with the template so a nice hole could be made
without making the cowl look bad, and I was trying to minimize
cutting the great looking teeth! They are painted on and looks
like under a coat of clear coat so they will not wear off.
The
muffler bolts on from the opposite side so 2 tiny holes were
cut for the muffler bolts. I used a 4-40 rod that I cut the
end off at a angle for a long drill bit so the holes lined
up perfectly. Then the standard holes for the pressure line,
needle valve, glow plug and one for the fuel line on
the bottom were cut.
The
included canopy was glued in place with canopy glue but I
did add a small painted pilot I had in my parts box, what
good is a Warbird without a pilot?
Bolting the engine down
Throttle pushrod in place
Template for the muffler
cut out
Drilled holes to other side with sharpened 4-40 rod
Needle valve and
muffler bolt holes
Glow plug and fuel
filler line holes
The
receiver and battery pack were mounted with the included tray
per the manual. I used a 1100mah small NIMH pack I had which
fit perfectly. The included Decals were then applied and with
the wing bolted in place the P-40 was complete!
Flight
Time
I
checked the balance per the manual of 1 1/2" back from
the leading edge and my P-40 was nose heavy. I added 1 1/2"oz
of lead to the tail underneath the stab and it balanced perfect.
The control throws were setup per the manual but I found I
could not get enough Aileron throw with the wing in place,
my torque rods were hitting the wood where the wing mount
blind nuts were. I used my Dremel to sand away some of the
wood in the middle and then they cleared.
The
control throws are as follows:
Aileron
Low Rate - 1/8" up & down
Aileron High Rate - 3/16" up & down
Elevator low rate 1/4" up and down
Elevator high rate 1/2" up and down
Rudder low rate 1/2" left and right
Rudder high rate 3/4" left and right
I
also added around 60% Expo on my Futaba 14MZ for the
Elevator and 40% on the Ailerons.
I
fired up the O.S.25 and ran a tank thru it before flying, it
ran perfect just like all my OS engines. I used a 9x6 APC
prop and it fit the included spinner with no cutting.
I
set the P-40 on the runway and hit the throttle. The P-40
tracked pretty straight, there is no steerable tail wheel of
course so it can take a few seconds for any rudder inputs to
have effect, plus you need to be moving.
After
takeoff the P-40 needed more Expo on the Ailerons as they
were way too touchy. After the first flight I moved the Expo
up to 65% on them and they felt fine after that. I recommend
following the rates in the manual exactly as they seem
perfect for the model.
The
.25 pulled the P-40 around like a missile, I flew it as a
sport flyer but you could also fly it as a pylon racer. I
suppose you could do Combat with it like its intended
purpose but who wants to take a chance of destroying such a
pretty plane!
Aileron
rolls were a blur on high rates, loops could be made fairly
tight but if you tried to pull too tight on high rate it
will snap out.
The
CG felt perfect and the P-40 slowed down nicely for landing,
but can bounce a bit on the runway, or my landings need work
:)
The Great Planes P-40 is a great .25 size model for Combat,
Sport flying, or even pylon racing and at $99 you can't beat
it! The ARF goes together very easily and is expertly covered
in Monokote which looks great! The nicely painted cowl is
also a great addition instead of stickers you may see on other
models. Whether electric or Glow you will have a great flying
Combat plane that is fast and agile for any type of flying.
Manufacture
Information
Great Planes Model Manufacturing
PO Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826
The comments, observations and conclusions made in this review are solely with respect to the particular item the editor reviewed and may not apply generally to similar products by the manufacturer. We cannot be responsible for any manufacturer defects in workmanship or other deficiencies in products like the one featured in the review.
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