My 90" P-38 on her first sortie. I'm proud of what she has become from a $200 ARF, with a little work.
First two landings were made with the right engine dead[
], and she still lives. How many twins survive ONE engine out, much less TWO! A very good flying bird. I can wait awhile for the third. I just stopped shaking a couple weeks ago.
Modifications to the Nitro Planes ARF include:
-wing sectioned into three sections (OEM-two sections, stupid for the P-38) with plug-in outboards and CF wing tubes. Center stays with booms and pod.
-bottoms of the booms and crew pod rounded to a more scale like shape
-scale retracts added
-scale gear doors added with a spring open - cable close system that requires no extra air cylinders, valves, or electric (fool proof and very simple)
-guns reconfigured and cannon added to the nose per scale ship
-cockpit detail added and not yet done (will include a full pilot figure with all scale flight gear)
-supercharger inlets made from Estees rocket nose cones (mounts from carved balsa)
-frames made for wing hatches and detail on superchargers hand painted
-pull out trays for battery and air support for the gear, built behind the removable nose cone
-cowls modified to match the new boom shape
-totally new paint and much surface detail and weathering
-added missing canopy framing
-added scale size tires and made the angle of attack when on the new retracts scale
She now sports two Saito 100s, Robart gear, 12 servos, and is controlled with a JR 9303 on 72 mhz. Weight is about 19lbs. Flys like she is 12lbs.