Scale Top Flite P-40 Build Thread

[rcdude07]

Your experience is why my dad taught me with Abby kit the very first thing to do is pull out everything, go through the manual, measure and label every single piece of wood. Admittedly I didn't do every piece myself on this kit.


Out of curiosity, you thought about how you are going to finish your plane? I'm a Monokote guy, got rolls last year for Christmas. Now I discover they don't make as many colors in Lustrecote as they used to. I'll have to order 4oz bottles of custom matched paint from a guy in order to paint all my plastic pieces.


Are you going with retracts or fixed gear?

 

[Miketina]

You have a nice workshop. Looks like you have plenty of room. Nice job so far. Mike

 

[Charles]

I have a set of Robart retracts that went underwater during Ike but i cleaned them up and I think they are ok I applied air pressure and the operate. I'm old school so going to paint with the basic desert tan and camo with green using air brush to feather the edges..I also pulled some of the basic photos of the tigers and may go with the actual color scheme which is a little different than Top flite uses and I can only get that weathered look with paint.

 

[rcdude07]

I have a set of Robart retracts that went underwater during Ike but i cleaned them up and I think they are ok I applied air pressure and the operate. I'm old school so going to paint with the basic desert tan and camo with green using air brush to feather the edges..I also pulled some of the basic photos of the tigers and may go with the actual color scheme which is a little different than Top flite uses and I can only get that weathered look with paint.

If I didn't fly at an R/C club named Flying Tigers of Jordan Lake, NC, I found a really unique CS during my research. I found a CS for a Japanese captured P-40. Can't help thinking about how much it would mess with people's heads. Maybe if I get a 3rd R/C P-40 I'll do the captured CS.

 

[Charles]

I worked some more today and got the Flap bay finished and will probibly put the wing together tomorrow. On page 20 so almost half way through the assembly.

 

[Charles]

I'm also going to install the arelon servo mounts before joining the wings. The Japanese did capture a few P-40s and there is a record of at least one Japanese being shot down by his own side thinking he was the enimy.

 

[Charles]

Thanks in september 2008 there was 6 feet of water where that build table is now.

 

[Charles]

Worked for a couple of hours today. I finished preping the wing halves and dry fitted thwm and made the necessary adyustments then tooken them apart and coated everything with 30 min epoxy and glued and champed them. The manue said use CA on the ribs but I used epoxy because I wanted time to adjust everything and clamp in the correct position. The reward for a good job is in the last photo.

 

[Charles]

Worked on it for a little while this afternoon. Removerd the clamps and cleaned ip all the seams and put in a couple of extra braces and installed the arelon servo hatch mounts. I am now finished with the wing framing and the next step according to the manuel is to fit the retracts and then sheet the bottom of the wing. I have a set of robart 615 retracts with robostruts. These were in my workbench during Hurricane Ike and went underwater but have applied air pressure and they seem to work ok One of the the robostruts did get salt water in the siplock it was in and is rusty so repainted it andI think it will be ok. The manuel calls for 4" wheels if going for scale. That seems awful large and would like some feedback on this.

 

[rcdude07]

4" does seem a bit large. I recall reading 3.5". I'm fairly certain I bought 3.5" low bounce DuBro wheels. I'll try to check later today.

Did you see my tip/suggestion on the servo wires BEFORE sheeting the wing?