hi Robtck,thanks I will check it out now

Guys, what is the cheapest yet reliable retracts for this warbird? I just got a Modeltech P-47 due to low cost and high flyablilty of it, and still cannot get the Hellcat out of my head! It has always been my favorite WWII bird. And will the OS 120 pumped be plenty of power or just adequate? You guys have beautiful Hellcats in this thread!!! Thanks. Jon

Jon, there has been many thoughts on retracts but I would go with the Sierra Precision they have been very good for me.

Randy

Thanks Randy, but with the Sierra retracts costing more than the plane itself, that is what turned me away from getting the Hellcat at this time anyway. Sierra seems like maybe the best system, and I am asking what is there that is adequate, because one of my criteria for getting any warbird is that it has to have retracts to look good on the flybys! Jon

You really can't get away from retracts costing more then the plane in these inexpensive arfs. Unless you go mechanical they will cost as much or more the the plane. You might be able to pick up a used set of robarts 615 that you can fit but by the time you get the control set, tank and struts your up in the range of the sierra gear again.

Not to mention you will not be happy with the Robarts. That is what I started with and they failed quickly due to the weight. The new Robarts look very close to the Sierra's but are not available yet. My second choice would be the Century Jet but they are not that much cheaper and would not be my choice. I have tried every rotating retract that I know for this size plane and I will not use anything but Sierra's. A good modeler once said that a plane is only as good as the legs it stands on and I would aggree. You can pick this plane up at a very good deal so just put the money saved towards the retracts and you will be glad you did. Good luck on your choice.

Randy

Warks.... What is your AUW with the G23? I'm trying to decide on if the G20 is enough motor for this plane or if I should look at a G23 or G26. I think I'm sold on the Sierra retracts I just need to save up the extra cash right now. Christmas time is a bad time if year to try to convince my wife that I "need" to spend $270 on legs for another one of my planes Good thing my birthday is just around the corner.

Steve

I had Robart 615s in mine and got so sick of gear issues that I took them off and am just using fixed gear now. It was the best thing I ever did. I get more flight time with less problems and have let many of our club members fly the plane without any problems. Someday I will buy another one and put some nice gear in it, but for now it's been great with the fixed gear.

Steve, I am only guessing but I think around 12#. The G20 will fly it but like most stuff I fly I like speed. Plus if you look around you see G23's show up for around $150 which makes good sense to me. You just can't beat it for the price. The G23 and 26 have a nice long prop adapter so it goes through the dummy engine nice.

Randy

Thats what I have been thinking too. The 20 would fly it but for a real performer a 23 would be the ticket.

Now to find a $150 wonder hehe.

Steve

Is there a large size difference between the 23 and 26? Seems the weight is almost the same but are the dimentions that far off that a 26 would not fit under the cowl?

Steve

Oh a 26 is the same size but I was just saying that a 23 is more than enough power and you can pick up a 23 for a better price but the 26 is supposed to put out 20% more power.

Randy

Hi,
Has anyone had a problem with wrinkles? I haven’t tried to iron them out yet becuase I’m not sure if the covering is the same as Monocote.
Aerosman
[8D]

Hi,
Has anyone had a problem with wrinkles? I haven’t tried to iron them out yet becuase I’m not sure if the covering is the same as Monocote.
Aerosman

Same idea as Monokote but a heat gun would work better to me.

Randy

Be carefull though. I was working the wrinkles out on mine and on the leading edge it pulled the seam apart and now I have a small area to fix on my covering. The heat gun is the way to go the iron will be hard to work with and might scuff up the paint.

Steve is right be carefull on the edges it will pull. If your covering is the clear plastic type be very carefull it is not very good. If you have the cloth covering it is much better. The paint never stuck to the clear stuff very well. I have seen the Hellcat covered in both types.

Randy

The CMP Hellcat is covered in painted fabric, very simular to Super Coverite. An iron with the cloth boot works well to take out wrinkles. I don't worry about wrinkles in the winter here in Iowa too much though, the wood swells a bit when the humidity goes back up in the summer.

Any one have any ideas on how to stiffen the tail? I've seen one of these fly with a Saito 1.20 or 1.50, not sure which, and the horizontal stabilizers were wobbling when the plane was flying at full throttle. I thought of putting expanding foam in the tail to stiffen it and prevent this wobbling on mine. Any opinions? I'm afraid of splitting the fuse if I put too much in.

Well I'm pretty much sold on recovering my Hellcat. I have one of the clones with the plastic covering that the pain falls off of and there are many wrinkles in the covering now. I'm debating on glassing the wings or finding something like coverite fabric and then repainting the entire plane.

Any suggestions?

Steve

The elevator on mine would wobble because of the linkage. It would allow the left and right to move. I used some stiffer 4-40 wire and carbon rods and it went away. If you use stock linkage you can grab one of the surfaces with the servo engergized and move it up and down due to flex in the Y shaped control rod. The horizontal stab itself seems to be plenty strong. I bet the one you saw used the stock linkage which is none too great.

I also agree with Todd the problem is more with the linkage than anything else. I am building my 4th one now (build job) and on my first one it would do the same thing. I had used the stock setup and it just gives to much flex with that setup. After that I have done internal linkage on the next three that I have made up and have had no faults on those. The third has not flown yet still finishing it up. I am a fan of glassing you just can't beat it but fabric is not bad. The paint is the only thing I don't like about this plane it falls off and is the wrong color. The plane can be made very scale though and flies great. One of my favorite planes to fly. If I ever would crash mine I would build another one right away.

Randy

Randy I was thinking this afternoon that glassing would be the way to go. I then took a look at one of the wings and decided that it was definately the way to go. I'm also glad to have the chance to get the color a better match. It will take longer but it's dang cold up here in MN right now and I wont be out flying anytime soon anyhow.

Got any pics of your tail linkages and how you set them up?

Steve

Just throwing in my 2 cents,I agree also the rods are junk. I went with 4-40 rods and it made all the difference in the world.Unfortunately it went down on the maiden due to the C.G. being off. Anybody else have a problem with the C.G on the plans? Mine weighed about 14 lbs with a 26cc SPE gas engine,took offf with plenty of extra power,no flaps but I knew as soon as it got airborne it was tail heavy. tried to bring it back around and she snaped into the tree's.I have the 2nd one in the box yet. Until then I got a G.P elec Hellcat with a brushless motor and YE HA ! that sucker goes. I going to do all the structure mods in this build,glassing and paint is the way to go if you want that scale look.

is the G23 & G26 the horizon engines ?