Looking to purchase my first KMP warbird, I've been flying smaller warbirds(.40-.46 size) and want to take the next step up. So, the question....which of the single engine KMP warbirds would be the EASIEST to fly....I've never owned anything this large and although I will have help for the maiden, I don't need anything too finicky??? And I don't mind waiting if folks think I should wait for the Stuka or Tempest. Currently I fly a Kyosho P40 with fixed gear, a VQ Macchi 205.
Suggestions? Help??
Cheers!!
Mazer

If you can handle a small P-40, you should be fine with anything bigger. I would guess that the Spit probably flies the easiest (I'm guessing here) I have the 109 and have yet to fly it. Perhaps this weekend, its been done for a while now but something always comes up right before the weekend.

anything that is built within the factory weight specs and ballanced right isnt really all that hard to fly if you already have stick time on a warbird..... especially a small P-40.
If your take offs are straight and gradual and your landings are smooth and free of bouncing, buy a Spit.

The spitfire is absolutely beautiful, if I were going to spend the money for a KMP thats the one I would buy.

Wow! I was under the impressions that Spits were tricky.....but I'm being pleasantly surprised here! I think I'll go find that build thread on the KMP Spit I saw a month or so ago!!!
Thanks for the input so far!!!
Mazer

Hurricane - wider retracts track
And as big plane it was more stable than spit and 109

Yep, the KMP Spit is gorgeous, and it's on my list. Get it while it still available. I have the KMP dark green P-47 razorback with black/yellow checker tail, and it's also beautiful. Should be a breeze to fly and land.

I have the corsair and it flies nicely. But what everyone failed to say is how great the customer service is. Andrew is a GREAT guy to deal with.

You know, I've been reading the posts on the Spitfire, the Me109, the Hurricane....I forgot they carried a P-47 and Corsair!!! Guess I need to go back to the website! I've always wanted one of each of these planes....especially a Jug....and here I thought you guys would all basically one model that flew well.....does it matter if I fly on grass...and the field tends to be a bit on the lumpy side?

I went to their website again, I didn't see a Corsair.....did they discontinue this?

The Jug is pretty nice and scale. Here is a picture from speedersonline:



Here is a video: [link=http://www.speedersonline.com/av/kondorp47.wmv]KMP P-47[/link]

As a proud owner of the SeaFurry, i was going to pick up a hurricane, as you rarerly see those...
But a lil' birdy told me that the new Typhoon will be available come this november/ December.
And man is it cool.[8D]
If you want to see it, it'll be at the hobby Expo in Chicago on the 18 of October, 2006 !

Yep, the Typhoon is an awesome looking plane. It's definitely on my list. So many planes, so little time.

So far the order of my list of KMP's to get is looking like this:
1. Spitfire
2. Stuka?
3. Me 109
4. Hurricane or Typhoon

Definitely go with either the Spit or the Hurricane first. The Stuka is quite a bit away, and the Typhoon might not show up until early next year.

Mazer,

In answer to your original questions, the KMP P47 should be the easiest to fly. The landing gear are narrower on the Spit and Hurricane and they will be more difficult to takeoff and land. I have the Hurricane and really like it, but the gear are a little narrow, so the ground handling can be a little tricky at times. But, if you are comfortable with your 40 size P40, you should be fine with any of the KMP warbirds if you are careful.

-Ed

YUP
the corsair has been discontinued I am fortunate to have one! great flyer!

well lets see
the Hurricane,
GREAT flyer, wide track gear, some reprt it does not handle well on flap, giving a nose down pitch, but this is simply learning how to use them, and not just dropping flap,
flap, elavator, and control the descent with throttle, i have landed at walking speed with one, on grass

Spitfire
AWSOME flyer, flaps work great, but tends to tip on its nose, and be a bit porpoisy on take off, cure this by raking the gear forward a tad,(packing under rear bearer) and using dual rates on elevator, and lots of expo, we have yet to see the spit bite anyone, i suppose it could, but it is a lady, and behaves like one

ME 109
a gruntish fighter, it look malevant just sitting in the box!! another great flyer, no adverse tendencies, one problem we have is it does not have the correct angled retracts in the box, but, if you look on forum member MR JOLLYS site, he has done a simple conversion on there, after market retracts are available, from various companys, but its a 14 lb bird, make sure they are up to the job

sea fury
again, superb flyer, not designed by us, but altered in so many ways, it was a new model when we had finished with it!! but one problem it has, is it does not want to come down, it tends to drop the last bit, not a problem if you are ready for it, but dont let it catch you out, that HUGE wing makes it a floater, ad it flys superbly, this goes for the september fury as well

tyhpoon
we are almost ready to test fly this, our latest creation, this is a departure form the others, being TOTALY COMPOSITE, and detailed, painted, and decalled out of the mold, several options are available in the UK, its going to be a classic, so, if you want a model of the plane that blitzed the panzers on D-DAY this is the one

PLEASE NOTE!!!!
we do not compromise on scale, no flat plate tail, no film(except for september fury) so, in the absence of scale powerplants, you need to fit BALLAST to the nose, get everything as far forward as possible, and expect to add about 1lb of the stuff, the design is able to absorb this, one of my preferances, is to join the elavators, with a joiner, with a tiller arm brazed to it, then use a carbon pushrod , easy, solid, and half the weight of the pushrods, i also like to use a pull pull system(we call it closed loop) for the rudder, with a link down to the tailwheel, the thypoon will be guilty of this more than the others, so, i am fitting a 3W 24 to mine, with an in cowl silencer, our protoype will have a ROTO 25, others are fitting the zenoah 26, and this would be my choice, if i had one!!
whatever you choose, i hope you like having a SCALE(ish) artf warbird,
And remember, if you can fly a low winger aerobatic model, you can fly one of these, they have manners built INTO them
ALAN, YT, DESIGNERS

Thanks for all the great replies!! Alanc, thanks for the detailed descriptions!! Should I start another thread for power plants??? I don't like to cut cowels, so....I think I may start with the Hurricane(there are already a few P47's at our field, and I like the idea of a wider track gear on our bumpy field) or Spit, is the RCV 120 SP a good choice(or wate for the CD model)? Or will a 25cc gasser fit in? I'd like to eventually use multi-balded props, at first a 2 blader to start with, once comfortable with flying the model add a 3 blader(or possibly more).....I've read about mods(I don't remember what they are called exactly, read about them in a thread here somewhere) that can be added to engines to increase the torque to allow powering large multi-bladers (so far I've seen up to 4 blade props).
Cheers!!! Mazer

Here is a great thread on the KMP Hurricane that you might want to read through: [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2125053/mpage_1/key_KMP%2CHurricane/tm.htm]KMP Hurricane in details[/link]

The thread contains various power plant options.

Thanks fopr the up[date...
please keep us posted on the building & flying of the Tiffy!

Thanks~

I'll add my voice to crowd. The KMP P-47 is VERY easy to fly. Even with an AUW of over 13lb it still will slow to a stop during landing if the wind is over 10mph and you are using full flap. That is my P-47 in the picture and video posted earlier. It simply couldn't be an easier introduction to larger warbirds.

I can't wait to get started on the KMP P-47. It's a beauty. I have to finish my KMP 109 first. Hopefully both will be done by the time the Tiffy hits the stores.

Sounds like I can go with either the Hurri, Spit or P-47 and not go wrong!!!! I'm hoping with the bigger wheels these planes will handle better on our runway....it was so rough, it bounced my VQ Macchi 205 off the ground before I could get the speed up and now I need parts.....[>:].
I'm working my way through the Hurricane link Richard suggested.....a LOT of information in there.....is there one of these for the P-47?
Cheers!
mazer

cannot gurantee anything on a rough runway with any retracts, shame to rip them out on the rough stuff, there is a fair amount of leverage on the legs, be carefull

As a matter of fact, there is a build thread on the KMP P-47, but I don't think the plane ever got finished: [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2911664/mpage_1/key_KMP%2CP%2D47/tm.htm]KMP P-47[/link]

Looks like I will need to repaint the plane RAF Dark Green, which is the correct color for this P-47 instead of the factory applied lighter shade of green.