Time to build the wings !! I have acquired a Wing Jig by GP and would highly recommend it to any one without access to a perfectly flat building surface or who builds aircraft in their kitchen like I do. Very easy to use and the wing built true and straight without any fuss. Ok onto the pics... In one of the pictures you can see my failed attempt at building a wheel well.[>:]

Top wing sheeting was done using white carpenter's glue and masking tape to hold the sheeting in place while the glue dried. I soaked the wood in water before hand so it would conform to the wing curvature better. Pretty straight forward, the jig kept everything in alignment.

ARRRRRRGH I hate installing retracts[:@] I just spent the last 2 days sanding, carving glueing un-glueing and resanding the retracts, mounting blocks and associated hardware. This is about the time I start loosing interest in a project and add it to my pile of unfinished projects. I'm using Robart 608 HDs and the most frustrating part is securing the pushrod to the retract unit. The pusrod end is 2/56 threaded and screws into the acutating rod on the retract. Problem is the pushrod has to have numerous bends to clear the landing gear and these bends make it almost imposibble to screw the rod into the retracts. I don't konw how I'm going to be able to remove the retracts once the wing is sheeted. Does anyone know a better way to do this ? PLEASE HELP....

A little trick I always do is to mount the retract unit to the rails BEFORE gluing the rails in place. Then you glue the two of them in while the retract unit is still attached. Now you can remove the retract, and when you go to install it, it lines up perfectly.

I finally got the retracts figured out, and the wing panels epoxied, everything lined up really nice. Here's how I did my wheel wells. 1/32 balsa soaked in water and then wrapped around a bottle while the glue dries.

Just checking wing and fuselage alignment...

Looking great!

The wing center section is glassed and the rear airscoop is complete. Next I have to decide weather or not I want to install landing gear doors. Interesting thing happened when I was installing the wing bolts, I tightened one of them too much and the head snapped off !!. I had to drill the remaining bolt out of the wing and retap the hole. Note to self, DO NOT over torque nylon bolts !!

That is the mine.

http://cach.cl/foroSMF/index.php?topic=71.0

Finally ready for covering, I opted for doors on the lading gear I know that you can hardly seem them once it's in the air but they look a lot cooler on the ground.

Looks great! Once I finish my Super Skybolt, the GP Mustang will probably be my next project.

Looks real nice, I like that color scheme. I wish your article had been in English where I could have read the details, I pretty much just looked at the pictures. What engine did you power it with and how does it fly.
Later,
Brad

Scooty, I am about to install retracts and was hoping that you could explain the actuator linkage?, you mentioned having it solved it..what did you do?

BTW These GP kit have nice wood and the parts just fall out.....(just in case T.F. production team is reading this).... keep up the great work and I will be following along, Mikel-T

Buzz: I reread your reply about the retract rails..not sure I get it. Say again S-L-O-W-L-Y

I just changed my approach. Previously I had a hole drilled in the rib through which the accutator rod would stick out of, as in this pic. So I would install the pushrod, then slide the gear into the mounts pushing the accutator through the hole and then attempt to screw the pushrod into the accutator. After destroying several pushrods and bending them completely out of shape I basically changed my arrangement so that I could screw the pushrod in before sliding in the retract.

I got rid of the "hole in the rib" idea and enlarged the area with my dremel sanding drum so now I can just drop the retract in with the pushrod already attached to it. Hope this helps good luck with your build !

OOOHHH, THAT PUSHROD!!!.....Sure that's exactly the way I would have told you to do it------

Dah!, Nice job and the pic's clears it up, ALSO I was glad you showed the new shape of the LG door cut-outs. I think that will look superb when all is said and done.

*I might have set my retract a little higher and closer to LE than you . Not scale I know but since I fly off grass I wanted to keep the LG as positive as I could. Bad/Good Idea? Thanks again Mikel-t.

As the window-washer was overheard by those he passed on his way down the 30-story building " So Far, So Good!"

So......how did she end up scooty!
Dont leave a brother hanging here....I'm thinking about buy one...its all up to you!
Anyone out there!...lets keep this thread going!

Cheers guys

Yeah, we want to know! You motivated me to build one also. I have built and have been flying it already since your last post!

Sorry about leaving you guys hanging. I got laid off and the p51 was put away while I focused my energies on searching for employment. Well I'm employed once again and have finished the fuselage. The wings await covering. Top-flite aluminum monokote is on back order everywhere. My sources at Hobbico tell me there isn't a single scrap of aluminum monokote in the warehouse anywhere. As soon as it's in I'll finish the wings. Here are some pics.

I like your Stang Oceans' what kind of RC buggy is that in the corner, Revo ? btw you're living room looks a lot like mine, RC crap everywhere

This is one of the best rc planes I've ever built, flown. So stable, does all the sportsman aeros beautifully. Built mine 10 years ago, had a magnum 90four stroke, perfect motor, even tho the plane was heavy cuz of the large motor it still flew great, no bad habits. In fact I still have it, must recover it, new motor and retract, and we are away. Must do this.

My favorite move, was doing a straffing run, pulling up into a massive victory roll. My father used to love it to, he'd say I'm only coming to the feild if your flying ya merlin.

Maveric

Yeah Scooty, it's a Revo. Thanks, for sharing your project with us. Sorry about the work trouble. I hope things are going well.

Nice to have ya back Scooty!
"first time kit builder"...."what ever"!!!!! you gota be kidding me...I've been building for a few years and mine dont look half that good!
Good to here ya back working again..."show me the Money"
So the fuzz is covered in TF Monokote, looks great, and you managed to paint over it ok (Green/ Yellow) As I've never tried that...?
keep the post comin!

Ants

Great job Scooty. You will love how it flys.. I love mine..

J

The green on the top is Lusterkote Olive drab. I just went over the monokote with 400 grit and then painted over several coats. The yellow is actually Ultracoat I had left over after some patchwork on my Hanger 9 Twist. The yellow on the cowl is lusterkote cub yellow, seems to be a perfect match for the yellow Ultracoat...