Ok, I am building the gsp p-40 e version and have been led on this quest by LDM lol. I would like to make the plane look more scale but am unsure of the side effects.

On the real p-40 the elevator does not have the weird extension shown in the pics and higlighted in the second pic,,,, (please don't look at the dog hair forgot he was laying there in the basement today lolol)....

Can someone please tell me the purpose behind making an elevator like this..... I have seen this type on other planes.... what is the purpose of making it like this instead of going straight across???


thanks all.

Two functions . . .

Mass balance and aerodynamic boost tab.

Not seen on any of the on-line P-40 variants I could find, either.

The area forward of the hinge line is called a spoon. You would see the same thing on Me109’s. While most modelers think of them as a way to dampen flutter (which they do) on most WWII planes they were used to reduce stick pressure for that control. The type of counter balance you should have for your P-40 is a static balance, normally containing some lead to move the CG of thee forward to reduce flutter tendencies.

Will changing yours to the correct configuration will not affect the flyability at all but be on the lookout for flutter.

How to make it right? Short of recovering I can’t think of an easy way to do it right. That doesn’t mean I would not consider the clear packing tape thing.

Joe

whats the fin and rudder look like?same type of problem?

nope, rudder is scale, does have the tab though.

i am interested in buying the same plane but would like to see more pics and how well you do on yours.i see the stab is two pieces does it use a tube thru the fuse to align the two halves?

If those pics are the P-40 you're building, and you want it to look more scale, then all the flight surfaces (ailerons, elevator, and rudder) should be fabric covered, and as such will have the "scalloped" look showing the ribs underneath the fabric.

Hey FLD , glad you have the bug -lol , I think that GSP , simply used a proven version of the tail they have in there Spitfire . I am going to tackle this because both the gray and green on this plane are easy to match .
As far as the ribs showing thru , that would be a total rebuild and that look can somewhat be duplicated with an airbrush .
Thanks to the provided pics you have shown that the current outline will allow perfact simple cuts . In addition the reason why I want to attemp this surgery is that I feel it will reduce the actual moving flying surface of the elevator .(many warbirds are elevator sensitive -so why make it larger ) As far as flutter , my #1 reason to factor for flutter is the length of the servo arm and its relationship to the control horn length at the wing surface. (if the gap distance at hinge lines is normal) . If the gab is excessive at the hindge line then flutter can occur