Dick - Thanks for the reply,
Howard

WM Zero flew on the first day of spring. 10 - 15 mph quartering winds made take off and landings a little tricky, but a little more rudder and all went well.

G-38 provided plenty of power, slowed down nice using partial flaps. Full flaps literally threw out the anchor!

CJ retracts performed well on grass field.

Plane flies as well as any other warbird I have ever reviewed.

Note in photo that gear fairings were not used (flimsy and would probably be in the woods by now)

Do you know what month your report be published?

Probably mid to late summer. I have several other plane reviews that are already at HQ that are ahead of this one.

Here is my zero. I put a U.S. 41CC in it. It powers it fine and flies the plane "scale like". This plane has had over 40 flights and still looks brand new. After spending years building and flying giant scratch built warbirds, I wanted a simple Giant scale warbird that flies great. Plus I didn't sink "tons" of money in it. After looking at the post and seeing the pictures of the spring air retract system. I tink that is exactly what I am going to do to mine!

I guess I am the only one that put a ZDZ 50NG in this baby, it is a rocket...,

That would have been my engine choice if I didn't already have the BME 2.7, though I'm quite happy with the BME. By the way, what does the NG stand for? Natural gas? ha! Paul

Will a Moki 1.8 fit inside the cowl?

The Moki 1.8 w/ BCM Pitts weigh about 47 oz, so the CG should be almost right.

How about a Graupner 16x8 3-blade prop? Will it look large enough to be scale-like?

The Moki 1.8 should fit, but at 47 ounces, you'll need about 24 ounces of lead to balance.

My 73 ounce G-38 balances the Zero just perfectly.

NG (New Generation) is the new engine from ZDZ, 400 rpm more than the regular one....

Educol, I'm curious to the prop and rpm you're turning. I'm getting 7300 on a 18x12 Menz standard with the 2.7. Has moderate top end speed with fair verticle that stalls about 250 -300 ft. I tried a 19x10 and a 16x14 as they were extreme one way or the other. Paul

Roll On 60

What was the length of the the struts, and can you remember the part number?[sm=confused.gif]

Cheers

Andy E.

If that's the case, might as well go for a Saito 450, which weighs close to 100 oz. The sound & power will be awesome.

Robart retracts are numbered by series. The ones I bought are the 630s. The struut length is 9". If yours should be different, they can be shortened.

EDUCOL -RCU PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR PLANE ANY PICTURES RICH

This might be a stupid question and I could probably find the answer if I did more searching around here in RCUniverse but ... with my computer and dial-up connection being SO slow it could take forever.

Where can I order one of the GS Zeros? Airborne Models used to carry em here in the US but it seems the website no longer works. Did they change web addresses? Do I have to order it from Japan directly from the factory?

After reading all the posts, I see that choices for retracts seem to include:

1. Century Jet
2. Robart
3. Spring Air

This would be my first plane with retracts. Are all the above retracts pnuematic (sp) or mechanical? And what are the pros and cons of each? Maybe they are all about equal and its just a personal choice? I suppose weight of the complete retract system should be considered.

Thanks in advance for any responses,
Chuck

As far as I know, Airborne is still the importer. The difference in retracts is a lot of personal preference but there is difference.
Spring air comes down when air is lost, Robart and Century do not. Some people like this, I don't because the retracts are always down when transporting and this can be a problem.
Robart and Century have robo struts for their retracts, I don't know about Spring air.
All three are air but Robart has mechanical also.
Send me a pm for more info.

Flew the Zero eight times in the last two weeks. The new retracts are working perfectly with no problems. Working on slow,lowdown, full flap passes. This plane has shown no tendency to stall or snap at low speeds and that is very rare on any warbird. Can't tell if there is anywashout built in the wing. Anybody have an opinion? Check my gallery for photos. Paul

I am building one of theses and mounted the engine a G-38 this week end. I was wondering if when using a g-38 and a rubber vibration system I had to cut down the mounting block 1 ¼ “ and it is still an inch to long why is no one is talking about that or engine length on the g-38 being an inch to long ?? Also if any one is building one of these DO NOT FLY with the retracks mounted from the factory you can pick the wood they used out with your finger nail!! you will blow out you wing on landing. im geting robart 630 with a 8" strut. $300 ouch well im very thakfull for this forum and all you guys you keep me looking Clint Whitman Valley flyers van nuys CA

I have no knowledge of the G-38 but you are correct about the retracts plates and hold down blocks. They are terrible and I had to replace mine also. I used the Robarts 630 also and they work great.

Spring Air does carry struts Now!!

They look good too! Still building so.....

Dick,
What is the model number of the Century Jet Retracts you are using?
Thanks,
Tony Flores

You'll have to check with Century Jet directly. I didn't keep a record of the model number when the plane was sold.

They make a special set just for the Zero

Like I said petit, I am building one of these (my fiancé bought it for my B-day) and really going at it. Purchased and installed the century jet retracts. Had to re build the wing from the inside out to get them to fit and have the wing strong. The G-38 This was fun Cut off the motor mounting box almost off the plane (left an 1” should have!) for the G-38 spring starter and vibe mount, After mounting the retracts I don’t like the way they hit the ground so far ahead of the wing so I am addressing that problem. So in other words if you guys out there think this ARF is a great coffee table project think again. However, it is coming out nice for a $1700 giant scale plane with 60 to 80 hours of skilled labor to make it all happen. Ooo don’t forget I’m a finish carpenter that’s been building houses for thirty years and have all the tools to prove it!! Also if you really want to know what I think of the workmanship for the price of this air plane you would have to say Dumb Shi%%%###ts in CHINESE!!! (Hey, a real re views). You must have seen the way all the interior framing falls off in your hands nice touch, or if you pick up the plane, certain ways the structure breaks because they used crap plywood. Lets knot forget the peeling fiber glass where the wing mount that’s the best, I will let you know how it fly’s after I rebuild the entire structure of the aircraft so it wont break into pieces on landing……. Clint Whitman valley flyers California, Sorry if I spoke my mind at lease $600 worth

The RPM I'm getting now is 7400 with a APC 20x12