Author Topic: P-51D Profile (Read 7754 times)

Juan Valentin · « **on:** June 30, 2016, 07:09:28 PM »

I`m scrachbuilding another P-51 profile. Is going to be powered with a Randy smith OS.40 FP. It has adjustable leadouts,weight box and wing mounted L/G. I haven`t decided how I`m going to paint it,maybe a military paint scheme. wingspan is 52 inch and fuse lenght is 34.5 inch. I hope it comes out below 45 ounces when finished. here are some pics.
juan

john e. holliday · « **Reply #1 on:** July 01, 2016, 10:25:28 AM »

That looks great. My self I'm fond of the olive drab schemes, but that is me. Look at some of the schemes of the unlimited pylon racers.

Terry Caron · « **Reply #2 on:** July 01, 2016, 08:50:56 PM »

Ditto on the O.D. schemes.
Just my $.02 (which were coined in '64, so you can calculate where inflation puts the value today).

Larry Renger · « **Reply #3 on:** July 02, 2016, 06:32:41 PM »

I have much data on Bob Hoover's first Old Yeller. I fly one in scale. There are mucho photos on the later ones, but mine is rare. Contact me if you wan to look the stuff over. Actually some of it is posted in this forum under Scale. Do a search there.

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #4 on:** July 02, 2016, 08:39:55 PM »

I`m still thinking about the military paint job but Larry`s suggestion of old yeller made me do a search in this site and I looked at Larry`s model. I remembered that I still have an R/C P-51 in Rocwell International colors that I bought for my son and I like that paint scheme. It would be easy to do yellow paint and black vinyl decals. I still have work to do on the model plus sanding. Thanks for your comments guys.
Juan

Avaiojet · « **Reply #5 on:** July 03, 2016, 06:05:19 AM »

Juan,

Nice work.

I'll do a Mustang one day.

Charles

Avaiojet · « **Reply #6 on:** July 03, 2016, 09:25:25 AM »

Then there's always this.

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #7 on:** July 03, 2016, 07:58:01 PM »

Hello Charles
Thanks for the images, the P-51B image would not work for my P-51D the Other one is very nice but is a complex paint job specially the lozenges. I have seen the airplanes that you have built and they are beautiful with really nice cockpit details.
Juan

James Holford · « **Reply #8 on:** July 05, 2016, 06:02:40 PM »

Love Lozenge....

Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach · « **Reply #9 on:** July 05, 2016, 07:07:19 PM »

Hey Charles, I know you can do it so I'm going to ask.....how would you go about doing the lozenge pattern on that P-51?

Avaiojet · « **Reply #10 on:** July 05, 2016, 07:19:53 PM »

Quote from: Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach on July 05, 2016, 07:07:19 PM

Hey Charles, I know you can do it so I'm going to ask.....how would you go about doing the lozenge pattern on that P-51?

Glenn,

If you look at the pattern you will se that it repeats.

I would do the vector art for each individual shape and cut the required vinyl. Then I would apply the pieces individually. Nothing really difficult there. Trimming on some pieces as you move along may be necessary for that snug fit. Auto clear coat for the final finish.

Might take a bit of time but the results may be worth it.

I might do a Mustang one day.

Charles

Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach · « **Reply #11 on:** July 06, 2016, 10:36:41 AM »

I figured you would have a way of doing it. LOL I am not a real big fan of Mustangs, but that paint scheme makes me start thinking! Oh no, now my head hurts!

Juan....nice project. I'm really enjoying this build.

Avaiojet · « **Reply #12 on:** July 06, 2016, 01:26:27 PM »

Quote from: Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach on July 06, 2016, 10:36:41 AM

I figured you would have a way of doing it. LOL I am not a real big fan of Mustangs, but that paint scheme makes me start thinking! Oh no, now my head hurts!

Juan....nice project. I'm really enjoying this build.

Glenn,

The Mustang is a great airplane to model. Plenty of scheme choices.

I'll be watching Juan's Mustang build closely, the inspiration will help me while I dream about having a Mustang of my own.

Keep up the good work Juan!

Charles

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #13 on:** July 26, 2016, 07:45:42 PM »

Today I was able to finally glue the wing on my P-51.I was careful of the wing and elevator aligment used Robart incidence meters and measured to keep everything square. I covered the wing in SLC which saved me a lot of work. I had to be careful because you can have air bubbles when you overlap it and they are hard to see. I used scotchbrite on the covering before placing it on the wing a tip that I learned reading the controline forums. I covered the left side wing with wax paper to protect it from the epoxy I had already applied to the wing hole in the fuse.I already have the all the other parts almost ready for primer need more sanding. I still need to make a gas tank and wheel farings. I hope I can do a lightweight paint job. Engine is clean and ready to test on the bench before placing it on the plane. here are pics.
Juan

Avaiojet · « **Reply #14 on:** July 26, 2016, 07:56:26 PM »

Juan,

Nice to see you back on your Mustang.

Looking really good.

I know nothing about SLC except what I read. Can that material be painted?

If so, do you have a scheme picked out for your Mustang?

Looks like paint isn't all that far down the road.

Charles

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #15 on:** July 26, 2016, 08:38:58 PM »

Hello Charles
Yes SLC can be painted,I used on a ringmaster and was pleased with the results. I scuffed it a little bit and will be priming the whole plane. The paint scheme is still in the air I like the Rockwell international paint job but due to the location of the wing in the center of the fuse makes it impossible to place a decal in the proper position. I have a few P-51 Mustang books but don`t want a complex paint job.
Juan

Shug Emery · « **Reply #16 on:** July 26, 2016, 08:46:26 PM »

What is SLC?
Thanks.
Shug

John McFayden · « **Reply #17 on:** July 26, 2016, 08:59:07 PM »

Check out this website for SLC http://home.earthlink.net/~philcartier/webcat/catalog.html

John McFayden

Larry Renger · « **Reply #18 on:** July 27, 2016, 08:01:08 PM »

Also in paint and finish section, look at the SLC applied over polyspan thread. No filler, tough as nails and ready for final paint. SLC GOOD, SLC AND TISSUE, WOW!

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #19 on:** August 08, 2016, 05:39:24 PM »

Hello Larry
I went to the scale section and looked at your ole yeller beautiful little model. I will be painting my canopy blue too. I have done some more work in my P-51 Profile I got the landing gear done and the gas tank made and mounted. I started with priming the plane I was going to use Duplicolor white primer but after using it on the planes landing gear covers a friend told me about a better primer made by transtar automotive coatings. It sands like dope with talcum powder and it doesn`t clog the sanding paper. Initially I made the nose for another spinner which was bigger I ended up sanding the nose to fit the profile of the great planes 2" plastic spinner with aluminum backplate since is a light unit. I`m almost finish sanding and will get it ready for a blocking coat of silver. I will continue working on it as I want to have it flying soon. Got all the vinyl stickers that I`m going to use it it done. Here are some pics.

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #20 on:** August 21, 2016, 12:05:45 AM »

Today I gave my plane a coat of clear PPG polyurethane. The paint job I selected for the plane is based on a racing P-51 flown by Chuck Layford in the sixties. I chose the paint job because it was easy to do just two colors and graphics. I changed the plane registration N number on the sides of the plane to match my AMA number on the wing plus I changed the color of the eight on the tail to yellow instead of black because I liked it that way after all is a stunt plane and I`m not flying scale. The plane is on track to come below my target weight of 45 oz.Hope you like the photos.
Juan

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #21 on:** August 21, 2016, 12:17:16 AM »

Juan, do you know that if those numbers on the side of the fuselage (or fin or rudder) are at least 1" tall, you don't need to put them on the wing? It's a seldom used alternative. More guys seem to prefer putting their numbers on the left wing, instead of the right (correct) wing.

I saw that white Bardahl P-51 fly at Sand Point NAS at the NW Regionals when they were in Seattle and sponsored by the Seattle Exchange Club, back in the '60's. Mira Slovak was flying it then. He taxied by the grandstands where we were sitting, and you could smell the nitro fumes and hear the lope of the cams. He taxied out onto the runway and took off, not much muss or fuss. Something else occupied our attention...the "flying drunk" in the J-3, I think. That guy finished his show and all of a sudden, the most awesome howl as the Mustang came screaming down the runway at about 100' AGL and going probably 450 or more. We'd kinda forgot about the Mustang, and really didn't expect it to come back, much less approaching Mach 1! WOW!!! Cool looking model you've got there!

Steve

Air Ministry . · « **Reply #22 on:** August 22, 2016, 06:05:17 AM »

Was looking at the ' Bahdahl ' pictures the other day .
This;d be intresting , for a ' B ' .

not That exact one , but plenty here http://s757.photobucket.com/user/36model50/media/Airplanes/Racers/2_1967_HC_lineup-RPauleyJPG.jpg.html scroll left a dozen .

Tony Drago · « **Reply #23 on:** August 22, 2016, 08:47:48 AM »

Quote from: Matt Spencer on August 22, 2016, 06:05:17 AM

Was looking at the ' Bahdahl ' pictures the other day .
This;d be intresting , for a ' B ' .

not That exact one , but plenty here http://s757.photobucket.com/user/36model50/media/Airplanes/Racers/2_1967_HC_lineup-RPauleyJPG.jpg.html scroll left a dozen .

Cool looking A-36 Apache

Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach · « **Reply #24 on:** August 22, 2016, 11:35:32 PM »

What on earth would they use a paint scheme like that for?

Mark Scarborough · « **Reply #25 on:** August 23, 2016, 08:15:24 AM »

Quote from: Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach on August 22, 2016, 11:35:32 PM

What on earth would they use a paint scheme like that for?

I could be mistaken but I believe that this was an experiment in camouflage. Th splinter pattern was prevalent on German navel vessels for a time perhaps it was an attempt to see how effective it was on aircraft

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #26 on:** August 23, 2016, 03:14:27 PM »

I can't imagine anyway that "splinter camo" could be made to be NOT UGLY! White with Bronze? NO! UGLY!

Steve

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #27 on:** August 24, 2016, 10:08:00 AM »

I should have posted this photos as I was building but here are some pics about my plane. I took the drawing I made for my previous P-51B and modified it to a P-51D. I used a set of rib templates I had made and cut and sanded ribs to shape. I put some diagonal lines on top of the ribs to make sure they would be assembled as they were on the stack because there might be a difference in size from one side of the stack to the other it might not be much but this way I assured that I wouldn`t have any rib sticking out and I didn`t have to sand them even before planking. I used my own wing jig and made sure by measuring that I had a straight wing. The fuse was made with a piece of 1/2 balsa that weighted 6.95lb per square foot placing the heaviest side towards the nose,plywood doublers were made of sig 1/8 inch birch plywood. on the left side of the nose I used a doubler of 1/2 inch balsa. Stab and elevator are 1/4 balsa,Rudder 3/16 balsa. This is my first no dope build. I used lightweight silkspan and Z-Poxy to cover the fuse,flaps,elevator,stab and rudder. I used Transtar 4633 white primer,color coats are duplicolors and clear by PPG paints. Wings were covered with SLC scuffed with scotchbrite and primed with Transtar white primer. I did a lot of sanding until I could almost see thru the primer in some areas. To paint the Plane white I used a blocking coat of silver duplicolor. The white Paint is Taffeta white by duplicolor. I sanded primered and painted the spinner to match the white on the plane. I`m still sanding the clear haven`t been able to work on the plane lately due to having to do other jobs around the house.
Juan

john e. holliday · « **Reply #28 on:** August 24, 2016, 11:21:22 AM »

Looking good. I too put a line on the top side of the ribs after sanding them to match the template. I also number them as I separate the stack.

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #29 on:** August 25, 2017, 05:56:59 PM »

I finally finished my Bardhal Special P-51D Profile It came out at 46 ounces dry. I wont be flying it this weekend because I want to make new lines. Now I can continue to work on some other unfinished plane. Here are some pics.
Juan

john e. holliday · « **Reply #30 on:** August 26, 2017, 09:44:36 AM »

Looks great. Will watch for flight reports.

Paul Taylor · « **Reply #31 on:** August 26, 2017, 04:17:03 PM »

Looks great Juan.
I need to look you up next time I'm in San Juan. 👍🏽

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #32 on:** August 27, 2017, 07:34:07 PM »

Quote from: john e. holliday on August 26, 2017, 09:44:36 AM

Looks great. Will watch for flight reports.

Hello John
I will have it ready for this coming sunday. I hope the weather cooperates like today,it rained last night but the morning was great with just a breeze. Will post how it does.
juan

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #33 on:** August 27, 2017, 07:37:28 PM »

Quote from: ROOTBEARD on August 26, 2017, 04:17:03 PM

Looks great Juan.
I need to look you up next time I'm in San Juan. 👍🏽

Hello Paul
Let me know when you are going to be around to meet you. I hope it will include a sunday because that`s the day we fly in the mornings. I`m always happy to meet a fellow modeler.
Juan

Paul Taylor · « **Reply #34 on:** August 29, 2017, 07:02:45 PM »

Quote from: Juan Valentin on August 27, 2017, 07:37:28 PM

Hello Paul
Let me know when you are going to be around to meet you. I hope it will include a sunday because that`s the day we fly in the mornings. I`m always happy to meet a fellow modeler.
Juan

Will do Juan!

Juan Valentin · « **Reply #35 on:** September 04, 2017, 12:05:50 PM »

Quote from: john e. holliday on August 26, 2017, 09:44:36 AM

Looks great. Will watch for flight reports.

Hello John
The first flight of the day was just straight line flying. I had to adjust line length as I had to give it an adjustment to the up line to feel comfortable in level flight.The engine didn`t work well with the prop I had on the engine. Tried different props on subsequent flights trying to find one that would give me the 5 second lap time that I wanted,at one time it was giving me a 6 second flight time and the engine was working well cycling from 4 to 2. Tried B&Y brodak ,Bolly,Xoar and APC props. My buddy suggested to try shorter lines to go down to 62 feet since I was flying with 63 feet. To change the muffler since I was using a Randy Smith tube muffler with a deflector that I had glued on. He is going to re pitch a couple of 12 x 4 bolly for me for next week. by then I will have the shorter lines made and a muffler without deflector on. The plane flies straight with no hunting, very steady. I have only 30 degrres flap/elev travel but it turns tight thru the corners with no over rotation. The center of gravity is at 2.25 inches from the leading edge. Coming in for landing it glides well to a wheel landing with no ballooning. Wings were level right side up and upside down. No adjustments were made on the controls on the plane. Need to raise gastank as it would run a little richer upside down. I didn`t go thru the whole pattern just a few maneuvers because I din`t feel comfortable with the speed at which the plane was flying.Other than the things mentioned it feels very smooth in flight.
Juan

john e. holliday · « **Reply #36 on:** September 05, 2017, 09:07:49 AM »

Sounds like you have a winner.