Originally Posted by WestTexasKing

Just thinking how cool it would be if there was an experimental Griffon powered 5-blade P-38...I don't think I've seen anything of the likes.
Wonder what kind of speeds it would've gotten up to?

The closest I came to your Griffon idea ia an FMS MkIX Spitfire with a big SK 4260-500 motor and 14x8 5 blade of my own design,using the Mustang blades. It pulls 72A and delivers 1600W at the Watt-in level. Watts-out must be about 1100W.
It is totally a-historic because the MkIX's never had 5 blade Rotols and Griffons (started with the MkXIV), but I like the aggressive look.
Hope to fly the Spit one of these weekends.

I finished the upgrade of the nosewheel retract to servoless but I screwed-up the door hinges (got CA in them).
Does anyone have a source for those hinges? The closest I could find was:
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index...._detail&p=4854.
They are metal and a bit bigger and heavier.
Thanks

Originally Posted by Galand

I finished the upgrade of the nosewheel retract to servoless but I screwed-up the door hinges (got CA in them).
Does anyone have a source for those hinges? The closest I could find was:
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index...._detail&p=4854.
They are metal and a bit bigger and heavier.
Thanks

Don't you want the hinge to keep the door springed open to stay out of the way of the retract, not springed closed?

Originally Posted by eroeder

Don't you want the hinge to keep the door springed open to stay out of the way of the retract, not springed closed?

In my version the doors are springloaded to close and are pushed open by the guides mounted on the struts. Works very well if you do not leak CA into the hinges!

Originally Posted by Galand

I finished the upgrade of the nosewheel retract to servoless but I screwed-up the door hinges (got CA in them).
Does anyone have a source for those hinges? The closest I could find was:
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index...._detail&p=4854.
They are metal and a bit bigger and heavier.
Thanks

I've got a set of doors with the spring closed hinges you can have.

Originally Posted by Gohmer

I've got a set of doors with the spring closed hinges you can have.

Excellent! Any pics?

Nice looking spit, Galand!
The 5 blades sure do give it an attitude.
Maybe I'll look into something like that for my next P-38

Originally Posted by Gohmer

I've got a set of doors with the spring closed hinges you can have.

Sent PM

Originally Posted by eroeder

Excellent! Any pics?

No pics. Nothing special about them. The stock doors that came with Cal Cutie.

Originally Posted by WestTexasKing

Hehe, thanks a lot...I just went and bought one.
You're right, they really are cheap LOL
I know, they've been around forever, but I never was really interested in them until I saw yours fly.
Do you have a build thread or anything about it?

BTW, the guy flying the SS in the video is my son, I was filming.
He is a much better pilot, but I told him he was going to hit that wire.
Between new-builds and re-builds I have done more than ten of them.
There is lots of mod material around but the most important IMO is my discovery of carbon fibre fuselages. I started with the stock aluminium and then fibreglass. Both break or twist easily. The CF fuse is virtually unbreakable and believe me I do try.
If bought from HK @ $4.00 they are 1/2 to 1/3 of the US sources, even with shipping.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=9012

The other thing is: do not buy the kit motorization, avoid gearboxes. Put on a direct drive $10.00 to $ 20.00 motors with 9x6 3 bladers from GWS.
Also cut the fuse 5" longer to increase longitudinal stability. The loops look much more elegant!
My fuses are build in three modules, easily replaced 1) Disposable shock absorbing aluminium nose section to hold the motor. 2) main CF body with ESC, Rx, Batts and wing with aileron servo's. 3) Tail CF section RUD & ELEV with 2 servos.
Anyway apologies, should not hijack this thread!

Originally Posted by Galand

The closest I came to your Griffon idea ia an FMS MkIX Spitfire with a big SK 4260-500 motor and 14x8 5 blade of my own design,using the Mustang blades. It pulls 72A and delivers 1600W at the Watt-in level. Watts-out must be about 1100W.
It is totally a-historic because the MkIX's never had 5 blade Rotols and Griffons (started with the MkXIV), but I like the aggressive look.
Hope to fly the Spit one of these weekends.

Is that 5 blade available commercialy? I have a Sea Fury that want's one

Originally Posted by DaveBC

Is that 5 blade available commercialy? I have a Sea Fury that want's one

I built those for myself. 5 blade props are difficult to find. I know only two locations:
Ramoser/Varioprop (Very Expensive German Quality)

http://www.e-flightline.com/varioprop.htm

and Hobby Lobby (more reasonable but only 2 diameters, 9.5" and 11" with variable pitch)

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/scale_5_b...32894_prd1.htm

I use FMS blades of which there are now three or four variants and bolt those to a backplate with 2-56 bolts and then add the spinner and adapt the shaft hole.
I found that the 3 1/4" hub from HK http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=5306
has a solid and flat backplate, better than the Goldman hubs I used before.
Drilling the holes in the right geometric spots is the tricky bit, but not impossible. Making a four blade is easy but to get the 5 blader pentagon location I used the graphics capability of Office Excel to draw a piechart of five equal portions and printed that onto transparent stick-on film and used that on the backplate as a template. Locating the 5 blades on the circle and the width of the blade foot forced me to sacrifice 2 of the 4 attachment points for the spinner. But that spinner is fairly light and two screws are enough to secure it to the backplate.
The Seafury used a Bristol Centaurus, right? Thats a leftie. You would need counter-rotating blades. I do not know if they exist. No big deal IMO, because when it spins you can't tell anyway. What Seafury kit is this? Or is it your own built?

Originally Posted by Galand

The Seafury used a Bristol Centaurus, right? Thats a leftie. You would need counter-rotating blades. I do not know if they exist.

The Mosquito that HobbyKing sells (are they FMS?) both have counter rotation blades, they don't mount up like the FMS 4-blades but if you're looking to give the P-38 scale props it would be a simple option.



One idea I saw was a guy took two blade props and ground one of the blades off, leaving only the blade and hub. Then, he took a spinner and bolted 5 blades around it like you did. Counter-rotation blades aren't hard to find, so it would be easy enough to do.

Originally Posted by WestTexasKing

The Mosquito that HobbyKing sells (are they FMS?) both have counter rotation blades, they don't mount up like the FMS 4-blades but if you're looking to give the P-38 scale props it would be a simple option.

Tne idea I saw was a guy took two blade props and ground one of the blades off, leaving only the blade and hub. Then, he took a spinner and bolted 5 blades around it like you did. Counter-rotation blades aren't hard to find, so it would be easy enough to do.

Would not recommend that.
The Mosquito uses integral 3b props not loose blades mounted on a backplate.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=15861
Most of the GWS 3 blade props, from 5" up to 10" or so, exist in RH and LH versions and they will be great for a counter rotating P38 setup.
The problem with the bigger props for sure and, I feel, also with the smaller ones is that you do not want to take risks with the balance and the attachment method.
Cutting blades from another prop is IMO too dangerous, only good for display. This stuff breaking loose at 8000rpm can be letal. The FMS loose blades are made to be attached with screws or bolts and are well engineered.
Do you know of any such counter rotating loose blades, other than the Ramoser types?

Well, after much going bk and forth, I decided on the Jpower/BH P38. Placed my order this afternoon and hopefully should be here on Thursday or Friday. I got the ARF kit, hopefully there won't be much to fix. I'll probably fly it stock for a while then look into upgrades. Maybe some new motors and a pair of varioprops?