I'm considering purchasing a GSP Hellcat. The big hold up is that I want to put in retracts. The airplane is advertised to come out around 10 - 10 1/2 lbs. I read somewhere that putting in a set of Robarts 615s' takes alot of modifications; lots more than the GSP Corsair. Being around 10 lbs I don't think the Hobbico 90 degrees rotating retracts will work. Any input on this airplane would be gladly appreciated.

I have the 68inch GSP P-51. I use Robart Mechanicals since the strut is a tad thicker than Hobbico. They work fine.

www.funtigo.com/cyclichardover

I received my Hellcat in the mail and it is Awesome!! BUT retracts, I am not too sure that the Robart 615's I have are going to fit without a bit of re-engineering. I have made preliminary measurements and now am making templates before I cut the covering. The covering is fabric and paint. The paint seems a little soft as I managed to scratch the Blue pretty easily. The construction and glass work are better than the GSP P-51D. I finished one of those last month. It is powered by a YS 1.20 and the Hellcat will get his brother. I have the FW 190 and Corsair sitting in my basement waiting in boxes. They too will get YS 1.20 engines except the Corsair. It will get a YS 1.20AC.
The Hellcat is going to be definitely lighter due the build up wing versus the sheeted foam wing of the Mustang.
I have seen other construction articles here with pictures. I will charge up my digital camera and post pictures here.
The Hellcat is a well built ARF and I am anxious to get it together.
It has the same 10 page instruction sheet that most ARFs have with not a lot of detail. Just pictures and Arrows. This plane deserves retracts and I will figure out how to get them in and operating.

I picked up a set of CJM retracts at Perry for my kit. I normally only use Like's and Robarts but in this case the struts on the CJM's are heavier and should handle the load well. The only problem with the Robarts is the teeth skip in the rotation mech. on a tough landing. I don't like the CJM's but I'll get them a try on this bird.

snyder_man