IN pearl harbor thats a D3A not a zero with fixed gear

Dave Platt has plans and parts. I will build the 78" Zero next 15 puonds using a OS108. very managable.
Yellow aircraft makes fiberglass/foam kits also.

DFalpha:
Thanks for the correction.

Miloh.

Miloh, I've tough a number of people how to fly warbirds and the three main concerns are consistent flight characteristics, easily repairable and flaps.

Your first war bird needs to be a cross between the sport planes we all have experience with and war birds. Sport planes are so easy to fly because they are so over powered and light. Well with a war bird we will not be light, but we can still over power it. Yes, I know there are people out there that taught scale speed and realism and I agree with them 100% except for new war bird fliers. New war bird fliers are used to more throttle being the answer to all problems and while you learn there are other solutions to the same problems its good to have that good old stand by, gobs of power. You say you have a lot of experience so you may already know a lot of this stuff but experience is needed in Stalls, Spin recovery, Elevator stall progression, and low speed flight. Its one thing to know how this works with a light sport plan with instantaneous response to throttle, its another to realize that the extra weight in a war bird required time to accelerate and realize the bad habits the sport plane has allowed to never come to light and thus be corrected. A war bird will find all of these if given enough time.

That leads right into repair! I recommend Top Flite models with 1.2 4cycles for power and a good set of retracts (no plastic parts), the covering should be iron on. The object here is to be able to make all your replacement parts your self but still have the option to buy them if needed. Also the 1/7 scale size is a good compromise between the better flying characteristics of the bigger models and the lower repair time of smaller models.

My favorite subject by far is flaps! A double edged sword if you understand them they are great if not you will always be afraid of them. Flaps can make the heaviest war bird fly like a trainer, of coarse tempered by the fact that it is not.

I recently purchased, built, and flew a Great Planes Stuka (you can find my write-up here on RCUniverse with a search). I'm very impressed with the plan as a first war bird it provides a very crisp stall which consists of the nose dropping (no wing panels). Its dirty flight character is very similar to most war birds. The covering need some special care and it is next county scale but it is good enough for taking out to the field once or twice a week.

Just my two cents

Good Luck

Joe

Joe has a very good point. The only thing I might add is, that if you want to build your model, how about the SkyShark Stuka?

From what I read, this is a good build.

Thanks Joe for taking the time to give a good through explanation, most of the stuff you went over I think I know but I might not know it as well as I think I do. I have flown a lot of simulators and a few very heavy planes so I have put a couple in the dirt by being caught off guard. I do have a very good understanding of flight and hope I am ready. I have gotten to the point that I always do my own maiden and have had good success so far.
The Stuka.... Does it typicaly fly straight forward? any nasty habits in the airframe it self? I do know how to avoid stalls and I was taught to land hot and always have so I'm not scared to fly one to the ground. any little thing you can think of I will gladly listen to.
I do want to build it from a kit and I don't let the possibility of needed repair worry me to much, I don't like it but I can handle it ok. I do a lot of repair work down to the LHS for club members and customers.

Tom I have been all over the skyshark stuka and the only reason I don't already have it is because I baught my WIFE a new truck a couple of weeks ago and am waiting for my wallet to grow up a little and while waiting I have told myself o go a little bigger but I might just dive in on it. Have you built it?

Thanks to all.......Still listening.

Miloh.

Miloh, No I haven't built it. There's a construction thread on another forum in which one is being built. I think it's his first kit and he is enjoying it.

The stuka is supposed to be a good flier. I hope so, I have a kit for the Ziroli version, ready to be built this summer.

Sounds to me like you are ready for warbirds. Have fun!

how about a p-47 for a first warbird. they are probably the easiest to fly of all the warbirds. have the 70" ziroli p-47. pretty easy to build and a dream to fly. going to build the 92" one next. just love those jugs

skiice53
I did look twice at the TF p-47 but only because it was the only one of the TF kits that looked like it had potential. TF were the only kits that the LHS had and I've only seen the box pictures but they look kinda....I don't know just somthing don't look right about them from the box pictures.
I like the jug and have not ruled it out completely just have not found the right kit of it.

Thanks, Miloh.

For the record, the only Japanese plane with wheel pants (fixed gear) that was involved with the Pearl Harbor attack was the Val dive bomber. The other two types where the Kate torpedo bomber/level bomber and the Zero. .

Just my two cents worth..........

Chris.

I produce kits for the Ziroli Stuka and my kits include the wire landing gear made from 1/4" music wire.

Yes, they ARE a pain in the a** to bend yourself.

It is a great flyer and a simple fuselage to build. The wings are a LITTLE more challenging with the gull wing.

Mace Gill
The Aeroplane Works
http://www.theaeroplaneworks.com
732-356-8557

Mace, The Ziroli Stuka kit that I have came from you. You might not remember, because I bought it eight years ago. I'm just getting ready to start it. The cutting quality looks good to me and I would recommend your company.

Thanks Tom,

It is comforting to know that some people still recognize that hand cutting is better than laser (provided that you know what you are doing!).

Please send me a picture of the plan when it is done (no rush). I would LOVE to see it.

Mace Gill
The Aeroplane Works

Mace, I'll send a pic when it's finished. I want this one to be show quality, so it's going to take some time. Have almost everything I need so it's just a matter of getting a few other projects finished first.

for mine I would look at a zero of some sort, it has a wide track landing gear, nice nose moment and largish wings for it's size. I have seen a few of these flying downhere and they a a pleasure to fly by all accounts.

Yellow have a nice one but it is very $$$. Someone was saying TF are going to release one??? TF kits are not exactly scale and on some they take great liberits in order to get a better flying plane - corsair large and small has enlarged tailplane surfaces. On the other hand the P40 is very close in it's outline. The P40 flies very well but you have a narrow track ladning gear and robart retracts that are a pain to say the least.

On my P40 I added a jr gyro to rudder which made take off a breeze plus also added extra grub screws to stop the strut rotating. another addition was robostruts and these really help.

cheers
Peter

Thanks Peter:
I think I have decided on a kit from Jack Devine. The FW 190 82 inch job. Will have to use retracts and am waiting for a price from (Shoidin) I think is the spelling. I have seen a building forum on this kit and it's very nice from what the builder says and flies very nice as well. It's a sheeted foam kit and builds very fast. Not as scale as I wanted but it is very nice and will be a good introductory into war birds I think.
Thanks to all for the great suggestions and info. I really wanted a Stuka but maybe for all the wrong reasons. I hope I've got it right with the one I've decided on. I'll do a building thread when I do get started on it. I just took all my plane money and used it for a dn pmt. on a new truck for the wife so in about 2 or 3 weeks I'll be back in the green

Thanks, Miloh

no problem miloh

by the way how are your tail dragging skills? I bought a flar astrohog, 72" put a OS FS 91 in the nose and loaded up the weight to increase wing loading and use that as my intro to warbirds - from there to a 1/7th scale pica spit, tf p40 etc

all the best with the butcherbird!

Peter

Peter:

I've been flying tail draggers a long time, Started with an Avistar, then an UltraStick, Then a GP extra 300 rebuilt at least 5 times it must have weighed 11 pounds and around 40oz per Sq inch on the wing when I got it. I've got a VF Extra 300 now. I think I'm ok on the air frame but I know I'm ok with the little dragging wheel on the back. The kit I'm looking at has flown at 28 pounds but mine should come out around 19 to 21 pounds depending on the amount if weight needed to balance.

Thanks Peter.

Miloh.

Miloh, Congratulations on your entry into warbirds. The Devine kit will be interesting. Your choice of retracts is great. Have fun and keep us posted.

Thanks Tom, I'm sure you have seen the building thread I saw it on. What are you thoughts? I know you said Interesting but really!! what are your thoughts? and to clearify the retracts are from (Shindin). Also the...Was it a Beaver? really looks good!!

Thanks to everyone.

Miloh.

Hi

I don't know if this was mentioned, but the Giantscale model Zero shown on the top of the form for $299.00. Its 71" and is suppose to come with retracts. I am looking into this model. Would like see one before a purchase however.

If its a bit out of scale, I'm sure one can enhance the look to impressive without much effort.

Still I have not seen one??

Steve

Miloh, I said interesting, because I haven't tried the sheeting methods Jack uses in his designs.
My concern would be all that gas right next to all that foam.

A friend had a balsa sheeted Corair. his gas tank leaked. Ate the fuselage to the point that it couldn't be repaired.

having said that, I'm sure that if you seal the tank area with epoxy, you would minimize the danger of that happening.

If I shyed you away from the Devine kit, I didn't mean to, but I feel you should understand what could happen.

Also, I don't think the Bob Holman focke Wulf kits have been mentioned. I'm building on now. It comes with a glass fuselage, foam wings and vacuformed parts. No wood. 80 inch span, G38 or llarger. Looks like it will be in the 20-22 pound range. i'm enjoying it very much and I'm told it will be a good flier.

Thanks Tom, With all my experience around foam filled boats I should be ok if anybody is. I'm still going to try it but now I will have somthing else to study on and carefuly plan for.


Miloh.