Vq Model P-51b Mustang Rc Arf Classe 46

Piccole Ali Aeromodellismo dinamico online

AEROMODELLO RADIOCOMANDATO RADIO CONTROL MODEL

NORTH AMERICAN P-51B MUSTANG

VQ MODEL P-51B MUSTANG ARF 46 RC Apertura alare / Wing span: 1600 mm MOTORE A SCOPPIO / GAS POWER 2-Tempi / 2-Stroke: 0.61 ci 4-Tempi / 4-Stroke: 0.91 ci MOTORE ELETTRICO / ELECTRIC POWER KV 610-720 Produttore / Manufacturer:

Distribuito in Italia da:

www.vqmodel.com

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2009 Piccole Ali – Stra’ (Venezia) - Italia

www.piccoleali.it

…passione pronta al volo !

Il P-51 Mustang, uno dei più famosi, belli ed efficaci caccia della Seconda Guerra Mondiale, fu progettato su una commissione della British datata Aprile 1940. Il prototipo NA-73X fu prodotto in tempo record e fu collaudato il 26 Ottobre 1940. Le prime versioni del motore Merlin apparvero nel 1943 con il P-51B (di cui 1988 furono costruiti in Inglewood, California) e con il P-51C (di cui 1750 furono costruiti in Dallas, Texas). Entrambe le versioni avevano una fusoliera rinforzata e quattro mitragliatrici da 12.7mm montate nelle ali. Durante i test, il P-51B raggiunse la velocità di 709.7 km/h (441 mph) –esattamente 2/3 della velocità supersonica- ad una altitudine di 7600 m (25000 ft). L’impiego dei serbatoi ausiliari a goccia e la conseguente maggiore autonomia consentirono l’impiego del P-51B anche come aereo scorta dei bombardieri. Il modello Una raffinata riproduzione ARF del P-51B “Shangri-la”, l’aereo dell’asso americano di origine italiana, Cap. Don Gentile. La qualità del rivestimento è tale da trasmettere l’effetto “logorio” e le tante “fatiche” supportate da questo leggendario caccia. La finitura è opaca come quella del velivolo originale. VQ Model vi offre la possibilità di pilotare questo interessante aeromodello che rispecchia le origini del velivolo che avrebbe cambiato la storia dell’aviazione Caratteristiche generali Costruzione robusta in balsa e compensato delle migliori qualità Naca motore in fibra di vetro dipinta di fabbrica Dettagliato rivestimento in speciale pellicola polivinilica con finitura opaca Superfici di controllo installate di fabbrica Predisposizione per i carrelli retrattili (opzionali) Manuale di assemblaggio passo-passo in italiano Caratteristiche tecniche – VQ Model P-51B Mustang “Shangri-la” ARF 46 RC Apertura alare 1480 mm Lunghezza fusoliera 1180 mm Superficie alare Peso 2700 – 2940 g Motore a combustione interna 2-Tempi / .40 - .46 ci 4-Tempi / .52 - .70 ci Motorizzazione elettrica

Brushless Outrunner

80A Brushless controller

Radio

KV/RPM-V 610 o equivalente 5 canali

LiPo 4500 mAh – 5S 5 servi

Accessori inclusi Carrelli fissi e ruote Supporto servi Castello motore Radiatore (simulacro) Serbatoi ausiliari a goccia in ABS (simulacro) Pilotino dipinto a mano Ogiva Pacchetto hardware completo Non incluso Motore, servi, carrelli retrattili, colla, tubo miscela

2009 Piccole Ali – Stra’ (Venezia) - Italia

www.piccoleali.it

…passione pronta al volo !

Prodotti correlati Motore ASP FS52AR RC Electric pack EP-720

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VQ MODEL P-51B MUSTANG ARF 46 RC Aeromodello radiocomandato / Radio Control Model

2009 Piccole Ali – Stra’ (Venezia) - Italia

Product Review

VQ Models P-51 B Mustang by Les Marriner.

The VQ Models (Vinh Quang Models) P-51B Mustang is designed around the 46-2 stroke or 70-4 stroke power plant. It measures in with a 1460mm (57.48-inch) wingspan, a fuselage length of 1270mm (50 inches), with an all up weight of 2.5kgs (5.5 lbs). Construction is mainly laser-cut balsa wood and lite-ply, with a painted fibreglass cowl and a vac-formed canopy. The model is covered in a printed film that includes panel lines and decals and markings for the Swiss Air force. The build quality and accuracy of parts is excellent, which makes for a straightforward assembly. The review model was supplied with VQ brand retractable undercarriage and oleo struts, which are designed specifically to fit the P-51B wheel wells. This system works really well and results in a slop free undercarriage when the wheels are either in the down or retracted position. The model has a steerable tail wheel (located in the scale position) and this ensures good ground handling. Once in flight, the model has very precise and impressive flight characteristics. The horizontal rolls are very axial and the climb rate is quite scale like. The review model needed no ballast to achieve the recommended Centre of Gravity,

whichproved to be spot-on for producing its stable flying characteristics. All in all, the P-51B is a very practical and attractive Warbird replica, and differs markedly in appearance from the P-51D type that is so often the subject of reviews.

Wing Assembly

The wings come with the ailerons factory fitted, so the first task is to glue the wing halves together. A trial assembly using the wooden wing joiner showed the accuracy of the panels, so all that remained was a quick sand with a flat sanding block to prepare the surfaces for gluing. The instructions sheet indicates that epoxy glue should be used, however I am a great believer in using wood glue for joining wooden parts. I subsequently used yellow aliphatic glue, spread over each root rib and a liberal amount on the wooden spar. When wood glue dries, it is far lighter than epoxy and it is totally adequate for the job. I made use of several spring-clamps and masking

units. tape to hold the panels together, during the drying process. The aileron servo is installed on the wing centreline into the factory prepared cut out. Supplied push rods make the connection between the servo and the aileron torque rod arms. You don’t see this set-up very often these days, but it is a system that works well and saves the weight of having two aileron servos and leads etc. The retract gear simply screws into the factory prepared wooden bearers, as does the retract servo, which mounts onto its factory prepared bearers in the port side wing panel. The kit comes with several plywood packers to lift the retract mechanism so as to allow for the thickness of the oleo legs. I used 4mm of packers and this allowed the oleo legs to lie flat in the wheel wells without any misalignment or binding. To run the retract pushrods; I used a length of plastic tube that is supplied for the throttle pushrod outer as a guide. The plastic can be run through from the wheel well to the servo location. It is then a sim-

Easy installation of factory retract

ple matter of pushing the steel pushrod into the plastic tube and guiding the pushrod through. TAil PlAne, elevATors, ver TicAl Fin

Handy clamp And r udd er while the aliphatic The tail plane, minus the elevators, is a resin (sandable white glue) dries one-piece covered structure that is fitted Number 86 October-November 07

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PRODuCT REViEw: VQ MODELS P-51 B MuSTANG

Steerable tailwheel.

pleased to see that VQ Models leaves the engine positioning up to the modeller. Wherever possible, I will always position a 2 stroke with the engine mounted in the 45 degree down from the horizontal. This ensures that the carburettor level is positioned close to the midway position on the fuel tank. This is the optimal position as the engine does not have to suck fuel uphill when the fuel level is low. This reduces the likelyhood of the engine leaning out towards the end of a flight. The second plus comes in here with the engine weight being positioned closely to the centre-line of the fuselage, which aids the lateral balance. The third plus is that the exhaust is kept away from the wing and retracts. The manufacturer has allowed for this positioning by stepping the fire-wall to cater for the 2-stroke standard muffler. When the exhaust is fitted with a rubber extension deflector, the exhaust emissions exit the deflector outside the prop wash. This results in the model remaining virtually mess free after a days flying. The assembly guide indicates that the measurement from the prop washer to the fire-wall should be 120mm. To achieve this, I place the spinner back plate on the engine and secure it with the prop nut and washer. I then place a strip of masking tape onto the engine bearer arm, and whilst holding the mount in place with one hand, I can easily measure the required distance from rear face of the engine mount, to the rear of the spinner back plate. Marking the masking tape with the engine position results in easy to see reference points when it comes to drilling the engine mount holes.

rAdio seT-uP And conTr ol ThroWs

The P-51B can be controlled by the most basic of radio transmitters with 4 channels, or with a 5th channel if retractable undercarriage is to be fitted. I make mention of this point, as so many of the latest model kits these days require 7 or 8 channels to cope with separate ailerons servos, flaps, twin elevator control etc. I am also amazed at the number of aero modellers who don’t understand the basics of physics and gear reduction systems, which will ensure the ongoing performance of those little onboard workhorses that are commonly known as servos. How many times do you hear, “It crashed because the of radio interference or the flight battery went flat during the flight.” How many modellers think that a 6 kg servo will deliver 6 kgs of torque no matter what length the output arm on the servo is. Servos are generally rated with their pulling power measured at 1 cm from the axis of the servo. If you were to attach a pushrod to a servo arm 4 cms

The main benefit of swunging the engine around is that very lile oil blows on to the airframe.

out from the axis point, you are reducing the power of that servo by four times. The actual measurement for power loss will depend on the length, or lack of it, of the control surface horn. I have seen some horrific servo set-ups on large 3D models where servos are expected to deflect huge flying control surfaces, some 60 or 70 degrees. I have also seen pattern models that require very minimal flying surface deflections to assist the pilot with smooth and accurate inputs, who have had to reduce the travel of the servos to 30% or 40 %, to achieve the required deflections of the particular flying surface. All control servos should be operating with at least 100% travel adjustment. My policy is that if you give the servo resolution a fighting chance to centre accurately, and also give smooth and powerful servo movement. The safe and effective rule of thumb when setting up servo to control surface linkages is this, “ Always connect the pushrod ends by going in on the servo arm and out on the control surface horn to maximise the effectiveness of the available servo power or torque.” If a servo is labouring to perform a job that is being asked of it, the power drain on the flight battery pack will be huge to say the least. Another area that will drain a flight battery is control surface binding or pushrod friction. It is always advisable to manually operate the pushrods by hand before connecting them to the servo arm. If anything greater than minimal hand pressure is needed to deflect the surface to the required measurement, then the problem causing the need for the application of extra pressure needs to

PRODuCT REViEw: VQ MODELS P-51 B MuSTANG

and how little mistakes could have a marked affect on the longevity of the model. Ground handling was very controlled with the steerable tail wheel, and a good 46 to 55 2 stroke would be an excellent match to the airframe. The Mustang really does fly very nicely, and with the wheels retracted, the clean lines of the P-51B presented well in flight. Slow rolls can be performed with very little input with the elevator when inverted. All in all, it is a delight to fly.

summAry

The main benefit of swunging the engine around is that very lile oil blows on to the airframe. be fixed before the servo gets to do its intended task. I am sorry that I got a bit side tracked, but I get annoyed when I see people blaming their radio gear, when the real problem is in the way that the radio gear has been set-up, and the unreal expectations of the modeller.

As for the assembly of the model, it really all went together without any hick-ups at all. My recommended method of positioning of the engine certainly keeps the model clean from exhaust residue, and the engine runs very happily indeed. The VQ Models P-51B Mustang has very sound flying characteristics and I am happy to give the model my total endorsement. If you have any queries about the model, please feel welcome to contact me by email at [email protected] The VQ Mustang P-51 B is distributed to hobby shops by The Hobby Specialist Tel 026260 2265 www.thehobbyspecialist.com.au

I will get back to the review at hand. Control throws for the ailerons were set at 8mm up and down with 30% expo. The elevators were set for 1 0mm up and down with 20% expo and the rudder was set at 25mm left and right with 50% expo. All control push rods were connected to the outside hole on the surface control horn with standard size JR 516 servos and arms or discs used.

F iT T i ng T h e c Ano Py An d P il o T

The canopy needs to be trimmed to the cut-line on the moulding, and I find that a good pair of Weiss tin snips really does the cutting job very well. The secret here is to keep the cutting controlled and hasten slowly. Once the cutting is complete, a trial fit should result in a pleasing match with the fuselage. The canopy is fixed to the fuselage with six 2mm x 12mm self-tapper screws. I find the best way to achieve a good job here is to fix the canopy in place with masking tape, drill the six fixing positions with a 1 .5mm twist drill, then remove the canopy and enlarge the canopy holes to 2.5mm. This ensures that the self-tappers will not split the canopy plastic. Prior to finally fitting the canopy, you can glue the pilot in position using medium CA glue. The only other task here is to cut out and fit the instrument panel decal sheet in place. As an added precaution against splitting the canopy though engine vibration, I cut some short 2mm lengths of fuel tubing to act as washers under the heads of the 2.5mm self taper. This compresses to about 1mm and will act like a spring washer, whilst holding the canopy firmly in place without any risk of cracking the canopy material over time.

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The test flight was carried out in near perfect Spring weather at my local club field. Even though I had routed the antenna inside the fuselage, exiting underneath and just before the rudder, I had more than enough distance (approx 50 metres with TX antenna completely collapsed) when range testing the P-51B. A final check of the control direction (thank goodness I religiously do a final check of control directions before every take off) alerted me to the fact that the rudder had been programmed for the wrong direction. All my checking at home had been done with the model inverted in a cradle – so it just shows how easy it is to be caught out

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