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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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