well after glassing and repainting and remounting the landing gear mine finally got to go in the air. She flew rocksolid with hardly andy trim needed and talk about landings wow Mains most of the runway then settle down to the tail wheel and then taxi back for another shorty only one of the photos is of my girl the others are of what l am attempting to copy

Super, sounds like she looks as good as she flies.

Wow found this on page 9. Does this mean that everyone here has finished and flown theirs? Mine was put on hiatus as I started working full time late last year.

However, I was wondering if anyone had made theirs electric. I know GP has a 65cc equivalent out runner motor that would work for it. But it seems that any 80mm electric motor should work.

Thought on making this bird electric?

Hi everyone, I finished my GS Top Flite P-51 kit a few monthes ago. I have read alot of posts and seen alot of different advice. I have attached some pictures of my completed project. It is glassed and painted using Model master paint. Getting the aluminum finish has been a challenge to say the least. I have looked at all the options out there. Paint, flight metal, alcad, etc. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. After much trial and error I settled on Model master Chrome Silver paint that has been steel wooled. Hope you like the result. Also used the Spychalla Cowl and Tony Howard Exhaust. This combination is the most scale that I have seen, for this plane. The nose on the stock kit and arf is too small. With the cowl upgrade, the spinner size is increased to 5 1/2 inches from 5 inches. Just a note. Every kit out there has scale issues. Top Flite, Ziroli, etc. I see flaws in all of them. The functional exhaust from Keeleo is not scale, not even close. So that being said, I wanted a nice sport scale Mustang that looks way better than the run of the mill Top Flite Arf or kit. I was able to get the results I wanted, with some modifications. Cowl, exhaust, larger spinner, wing fillets, dorsal fin, and oil cooler doors just to name a few. All graphics were hand painted from my own stencils. I used frisket film and tape. I also opted for an engine that was concealed as much as possible. The Revolution 50 definately fits the bill. It is rear carb, rear exhaust, has plenty of power and with ducting will run cool. I have run the engine in 95 degree weather with high humidity no problems. Speed is about 100 mph. Not the fastest. Wasn't building a Reno racer. But flys very scale and will pull scale like loops and rolls nicely. So hope you like it.

Karl

Here are a few more pictures. Some construction shots. These include oil cooler doors, gear doors, and some of the paint work. Note buffed vertical fin. Rivets are put on with a comb. Yes, comb, the thing you run through your hair. Had to buy about 10 different ones to get the spacing I wanted. Squeeze a bead of elmers interior wood glue. Dip the comb in the glue, and apply to the area needing rivets. Misc rivets are done one at a time using a little oil bottle, filled with elmers. Works better than a syringe I think.

Karl

Very nice!!! I like the oil cooler doors. My GS also has the Revoluton50 and we clocked it at 95 mph. That is fast enough for my thumbs. Thisengine cannot really be seen from most angles. I had a very hard landing and am do a make over. I believe I'll try the rivet idea.

What is the total weight of yours?

Karl;

You stated that you run the Revo 50 and have no heating problems because of proper ducting; I am currently building the TF GS RTC Version P-51 and have a Revo 50 to use as well, but have been concerned about the over heating issue; what do you mean and could you eloborate on proper ducting, I sure would appreciate some info in this regard, some photos would hurt either; I have the Shroud and Fan unit to use with my Revo 50.

Thanks, Doug.

Hi again,
The plane weighs in at about 23.5 lbs. If I were to build another one, I know that I could get the weight down to right around 22 lbs. The wood in the kit is a bit on the heavy side. I actually talked to Great Planes, the distributor, and they sent me all new sheeting material.

As far as the ducting is concerned. The general rule of thumb is that the exit hole need to be about 1 1/2 time the size of the inlet. But lets just say, it needs to be bigger. However, in this case with the P-51, the only real air inlet is in the chin scoop. This is not very big. Having a huge exit hole in the side of the plane does little but make the plane look hacked up to me. The exit holes in the P-51 do not need to be huge. They just need to be effective. To do this, we have to maximize the effectiveness of this air we have to direct it over the engine. The air that passes by the cylinder even by a 1/4 inch does really nothing, to cool the engine. This being said, the attached pictures show the plates on the side of the cylinder head and on the bottom of the engine. Its kind of a box mounted to the firewall. The side plates stop about half way past the cylinder because I wanted the air to also exit out of the carb intakes on the side of the cowl. I also put a hole in the firewall right behind the exhaust pipes, to allow air to pass through the fuselage. This air exits through the oil coolers and tail wheel area. Now, I would never do this on a glow engined plane due to the oily mess, but gas engines don't make a mess. After about 12 flights there is no issue with any mess inside the fuselage. Now, I can hear it already. What about all the heat inside your fuselage. This is not an issue. What is worse? The plane sitting on the flight line on a day when the temp is in the 90's, cooking in the sun. Or have some engine heat being blown through it when the plane is doing 100mph. It's not an issue. I used a temp gun pointing though the oil coolers into the fuselage to verify before and after a flight. Inside the fuselage was way cooler after the flight. All I can say is that the engine was ran at full throttle for about a minute, on a day when the temp was about 93 degrees and high humidity. The engine temp was at 276 degrees. It runs cooler, when the plane is in the air. Attached are some picture. Hope this helps.

Doug, just also wanted to add. The Shroud and fan do not work. I have heard of vibration issues and fan blades breaking. Also, Where does the fan get the air? It's up against the spinner backplate???? I highly recommend using the ducting method.

Please note: The paint issue on the bottom of the plane was caused by me not emptying the fuel tank and raw full venting out of the overflow while the plane was upside down. Oops. Its being fixed.

Karl

dlange5, I will actually be modifying my riveting technique. Here is a picture of my next project. The glue drops can be removed after the primer is on to give a more flush look. Here is a comparison. My Top Flite P-51 and my next project a enlarged Dave Platt Messerschmitt BF 109. It belongs to a friend of mine.

Karl; thanks for the reply, the Fan gets air from a 'lip' or 'vent/scoop' built into the front of the shroud that directs airflow from the Cowl Chin opening into the shroud area; I have also heard of vibration issues cracking the fan blades, does your Revo vibrate as bad as what others have described; I'm glad to hear about someone is not having a overheating issue with their Revo and I thought about venting through the fuse as well; something to consider; tell me something, does your oil cooler vents stay open all the time?

At this point I have been reluctant to use the Revo in my P-51 and use it in a P-40, which has that other small air scoop on the top of the cowl, and Cowl flaps for Air Exits and run a DA-60(soon to be released) in the P-51; however, your venting through the fuse success has me reconsidering.

fantastic job.....how did you make the panel lines?
Thanks

Doug,
The Revolution engine is a great engine. I would not give it a second thought. Trust me on this, ducting works. It's also not hard to do. I am helping a friend of mine build the exact same plane. He has seen mine run and fly. Thats when he knew what engine to get. As you can see it fits better than any other engine out there. The only thing I forgot to mention is that the muffler will need to be trimmed on one side. Use the Spychalla cowl and Tony Howard exhaust. Its well worth the effort. I do not have any sort of vibration issue with the engine. Nothing more than anything else on the market.

The oil cooler doors can be made funtional. I had them servo operated, tied to the throttle. at 2/3 throttle they closed and below they opened. Easy to set up. But after some tinkering I decided to take the mechanics off. I did this because of poor planning on my part. The mechanizim would not have held up for a long time due to the vibration. I can redesign the linkage and it would work fine. I believe in the KISS method. (keep it simple, stupid) I do want to mention that my battery switches and retract air valve, charging jacks, are in the oil cooler area. No external switches.

Panel lines are 1/64 Chartpak drafting tape. Can be left on, like I did on the P-51 or taken off like on my future project. I will put the tape down. Spray 3 coats of primer, wet sand with 320 sand paper till the top of the tape is showing. Then pull the tape off. See the pictures of the Messerschmitt. Overall better result. But both will work. Keep in mind somtimes you will use raised and flush rivets. Use both methods. Also, raised panels are aluminum adhesive tape found at LOWES or Home Depot. Get the the plane as smooth as possible and add the panel lines, rivets and then primer. Sand, them add the aluminum panels. Here are some more pictures:

1) After last primer coat, to make sure everything is smooth.
2) Wet sanded down to bare minimum primer. Panel lines and rivets started.
3) Note, that not all rivets have panel lines.
4) Aluminum panels have been added and plane got last primer coat. This will be wet sanded, lightly to seal everything. If you were to pull the panel line tape and remove the rivets. spray 2 to 3 coat of primer to build it up alittle. If you use the Elmers interior wood glue, it is not water proof and can be washed back off with alittle elbow grease to give the rivets shown on the messerschmitt.
5) Notice the inspection panels made with the adhesive aluminum tape.
6) Fuselage painted with Model master, Chrome Silver prior to steel wool treatment.


Karl

Very, very nice work.

Frank Baity
AMA 38026

Karl; I have the Spychalla Cowl and Tony Howard Exhaust for my Stang; as far as the Muffler, Revo sold me one that was made for the TF P-51, no cutting needed; one question, or maybe two; I know you probably had to make a hole in the firewall for the Carb, besides that hole did you make other holes to vent the air flow through to the Fuse or did you make the Carb hole bigger?

I actually came up with an idea to use a product called Therma-Cowl from Oregon Scale Products http://www.oregonscaleaviation.com/R...hermaCowl.html ; its a heat thermostat operated unit to open Cowl Flaps when the temp inside a cowl reached a certain temp; my thought was to use it to open the Oil Cooler Vents on the P-51 when the temp inside the cowl reached certain temp, probably when on the taxi way etc, and possible close once in the air.

Like yourself, I was planning on making Oil Cooler Vent door to access the Switches, Charge Jacks, Air Fill, etc; you have these in your Vent area, do they impede the air flow you are trying to exit?

Doug.

Hi Everybody -

I've seen a number of posts in this thread on the engine selection. I was wondering whether anybody has installed and flow the Super Tigre 60cc Twin in this craft and if so how well it worked? I have one of these engines (brand new!) and haven't decided whether to try it out in a plane like this or whether to sell it. I've also been contemplating mounting it into a PICA 1/5 scale Spitfire.

Tom
AMA# Firebird

Doug,
The oil cooler does not need to be functional. The way it's designed, air will exit through it open and closed. Notice that when the real one is closed, there is still an opening. It is strictly for scale purposes on a model. As far as the temp sensor unit, I think it is really a neat item. But not needed on the P-51. Revert to the KISS theory. But if you want to make them functional. Use the throttle as the master and the servo for the oil cooler as the slave. This will be the easiest way. I have attached another picture to show where my firewall is opened up. This is all you need. The hole by the carb is about 1 1/2 inch diameter. The switches don't impede cooling.

Karl

Tom,
That is a lot of motor for either one of these P-51s, in my opinion. Too much. To big also. Will stick out alot. I have seen that engine pull a big 102 inch Bud Nosen P-51. Big engine on glow = expensive to run. Would not be a choice in a Top Flite or Pica for me.

Really? I'd read many posts where the guys were using the Zenoah G62, which stuck out of the cowl quit a bit, but is also a 60cc engine. I would've thought that since the ST is an inline twin that it would actually fit better. Thanks for the insight!

Well......would anybody be interested in buying a NIB Super Tigre 60cc inline Twin, then?

Sundance, how much?

Karl,
I never thought of using Model Master paint for that shinny look. Are you planning to clear coat this beauty when all your weathering is done. If so what are you gonna use ?

Great job and thanks,
paul

Paul,
It is already clear coated. You must clear coat. Model Master is not fuel proof. I used Minwax Polycrylic Semi Gloss in this case. Using Gloss is way too shiny. It is a water based polyurethane. It is not raw fuel proof. If you spill raw gasoline on it, wipe it off immediately. On my next project I will use automotive two part clear coat. However this is alot more expensive. I like using Model master because it covers very well with an airbrush. You will not use alot of heavy paint. I painted the entire 1/5 scale plane using 12, 1/2 oz bottles of Chrome Silver Enamel. That is 6 oz of paint. After the thinner evaporates, you have maybe 2 oz of paint left on the plane. Then add graphics and clear coat maybe total paint weight of 8 oz.

My two choices for paint are latex house paint and model master. Finding the right paint to do the aluminum finish was tough. I tried

1) Model master, Acrylic aluminum, Color and look, not even close to aluminum. clear coat does not stick well.
2) Model master, enamel aluminum, Color and look, not close to aluminum. too grey. However, the rudder on my "Angels Playmate" is painted with enamel aluminum. Real plane has aluminum painted cloth rudder.
3) Model master, Buffing and Non Buffing Metalizer. Color is awesome. Could not get anything to stick to it however. Very fragile. If you put any tape on it to put graphics on you will leave tape marks and the tape WILL pull the paint up.
4) Alclad paint, same result as metalizer.
5) Flite metal stick on aluminum sheets. Can't beat real aluminum. Problem that I found and did not like is that the finish is soft. You will leave marks on the plane from stuff the model touches. You can put a fingernail mark in the aluminum way too easy. (I fly my models, No hanger queens here.)
6) Model master, enamel Chrome Silver, Too shiny if not buffed but looks pretty good when buffed with steel wool. I did have adhesion issues, and tape marks, but not as bad as with metalizer.

The problem that I encountered with the metal colored paints did not happen with normal colors. I think that the problem is due to the metal powder used for the pigment.

Karl

Paul, Here are some pictures of what I mean.

1) Fuselage painted with Model master, enamel aluminum. Notice how grey it looks.
2) Fuselage painted with Model master, enamel chrome silver, prior to steel wool.
3) Fuselage painted with Model master, enamel chrome silver, with steel wool action. Notice the sheen, and variations in color.
4) Fuselage tail area, Chrome Silver on all but the rudder, rudder painted with Model master, enamel aluminum. Notice the difference in color and sheen. Much better in real life versus pictures.

dasintex, Let me know if you need anything else. Hope the pictures help.

Karl

Karl,
Thanks for all the info.
Great tutorial. Looks like finding a good clear to seal everything up is key

paul