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 www.piccoleali.it

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
KV/RPM-V 610 o equivalente LiPo 4500 mAh – 5S
Radio 5 canali 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

Visitate il nostro negozio online / Visi tour webstore: www.piccoleali.it

o scriveteci a / contact us at: info@piccoleali.com

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 assem-
bly.
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,
Number 86 October-November 07
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
Easy installation
of factory retract
Handy clamp
while the aliphatic
resin (sandable
white glue) dries one-piece covered structure that is fitted
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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 con-
nection 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 mecha-
nism 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-
ple matter of pushing the steel pushrod into
the plastic tube and guiding the pushrod
through.
TAil PlAne, elevATors, ver TicAl Fin
And r udd er
The tail plane, minus the elevators, is a
53
 PRODuCT REViEw: VQ MODELS P-51 B MuSTANG

Steerable tailwheel. The main benefit of swunging the engine around is that very
lile oil blows on to the airframe.
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 out from the axis point, you are reducing the power of that servo
nut and washer. by four times. The actual measurement for power loss will depend
I then place a strip of masking tape onto the engine bearer arm, on the length, or lack of it, of the control surface horn.
and whilst holding the mount in place with one hand, I can easily I have seen some horrific servo set-ups on large 3D models
measure the required distance from rear face of the engine mount, where servos are expected to deflect huge flying control surfaces,
to the rear of the spinner back plate. Marking the masking tape some 60 or 70 degrees. I have also seen pattern models that
with the engine position results in easy to see reference points require very minimal flying surface deflections to assist the pilot
when it comes to drilling the engine mount holes. with smooth and accurate inputs, who have had to reduce the
travel of the servos to 30% or 40 %, to achieve the required deflec-
tions of the particular flying surface. All control servos should be
rAdio seT-uP And conTr ol ThroWs operating with at least 100% travel adjustment. My policy is that
if you give the servo resolution a fighting chance to centre accu-
The P-51B can be controlled by the most basic of radio transmit- rately, and also give smooth and powerful servo movement.
ters with 4 channels, or with a 5th channel if retractable undercar-
riage is to be fitted. I make mention of this point, as so many of The safe and effective rule of thumb when setting up servo
the latest model kits these days require 7 or 8 channels to cope to control surface linkages is this, “ Always connect the pushrod
with separate ailerons servos, flaps, twin elevator control etc. ends by going in on the servo arm and out on the control surface
horn to maximise the effectiveness of the available servo power
I am also amazed at the number of aero modellers who don’t or torque.” If a servo is labouring to perform a job that is being
understand the basics of physics and gear reduction systems, asked of it, the power drain on the flight battery pack will be huge
which will ensure the ongoing performance of those little onboard to say the least.
workhorses that are commonly known as servos. How many
times do you hear, “It crashed because the of radio interference or Another area that will drain a flight battery is control surface
the flight battery went flat during the flight.” How many model- binding or pushrod friction. It is always advisable to manually
lers think that a 6 kg servo will deliver 6 kgs of torque no matter operate the pushrods by hand before connecting them to the servo
what length the output arm on the servo is. Servos are generally arm. If anything greater than minimal hand pressure is needed to
rated with their pulling power measured at 1 cm from the axis of deflect the surface to the required measurement, then the problem
the servo. If you were to attach a pushrod to a servo arm 4 cms 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

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 main benefit of swunging the engine around is that very The VQ Models P-51B Mustang has very sound flying charac-
lile oil blows on to the airframe. teristics and I am happy to give the model my total endorsement.
be fixed before the servo gets to do its intended task. I am sorry If you have any queries about the model, please feel welcome to
that I got a bit side tracked, but I get annoyed when I see people contact me by email at marriner@alphalink.com.au
blaming their radio gear, when the real problem is in the way that The VQ Mustang P-51 B is distributed to hobby shops by The Hobby
the radio gear has been set-up, and the unreal expectations of the Specialist Tel 026260 2265 www.thehobbyspecialist.com.au
modeller.
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 con-
trol 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 cut-
ting job very well. The secret here is to keep the cutting control-
led 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 9C CLARKE ST. LILYDALE. 3140.
holes to 2.5mm. This ensures that the self-tappers will not split the (Opp. Blue Turtle Cafe)
canopy plastic. Phone Charles Fisher on (03) 9735 3466
Prior to finally fitting the canopy, you can glue the pilot in Helping beginners is our speciality.
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 in stock, an excellent range of ARF’s.
precaution against splitting the canopy though engine vibration, I Trainer, Sport and Scale including
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
Electric and accessories
and will act like a spring washer, whilst holding the canopy firmly
in place without any risk of cracking the canopy material over
time. DUE SHORTLY New TWISTER CP
g
T e sT F li hT

The test flight was carried out in near perfect Spring weather at
3D and Blackhawk
my local club field. Even though I had routed the antenna inside in stock Vmar Grasshopper and Cub,
the fuselage, exiting underneath and just before the rudder, I had extensive range electrics
more than enough distance (approx 50 metres with TX antenna Hitec Optic 6 $299 complete. OS 46 AX $ 149
completely collapsed) when range testing the P-51B. A final Real Flite Simulators v 3.5 $299
check of the control direction (thank goodness I religiously do a Thunder Tiger Raptor Titan 50 with engine $699
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 in- Check me out with stock items and accessories too numerous to
verted in a cradle – so it just shows how easy it is to be caught out mention. Good quality package deals available, drop in and enquire.
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Number 86 October-November 07 Please mention RCM News when responding to advertisers 57