I wanted the sharks mouth for my P-40B three years ago, but there were no scale decals or graphics that I found that matched, so I drew out my own (as you can see in the pictures) from some different pictures found on the internet, then cut them to fit and taped them to the nose. After several tries I was finally happy with something that actually looked correct.
The drawings were in pencil and colored with felt tip markers, and looked pretty rough, so I asked Billy, a flying buddy of mine who's a graphic artist if he could clean up my sketches and tweak the shape, so I sent him scanned picture of my drawings.
I have to say , he got them dead on.......then I printed the file and cut out the mouth, re-taped it to the nose....and there you go....
I sent the file to Callie to have it printed and cut out in decal form.........Callie and Billy both did a great job helping me create the mouth to fit this P-40B.

The FMS 1450mm P-51 has had many versions, but all have been built to run on 4S......which feels underpowered to me, although scale like to many others.

A fellow FMS P-51 pilot (XVIPER) found this motor while searching the net for a replacement to the 4250-540kv ....

In the quest for more speed and power, I tested the FMS 4258-550kv (from the FMS Olympus F3A) as a possible replacement. The motor was physically larger and built to run on 5S or 6S depending on the power level the individual pilot is looking for.

The motor which is physically larger, comes with a similar hex shaped prop adapter that's fit's directly to the P-51's spinner......unfortunately it requires it's own 4258 "X" mount (sold separately), as the stock 4250 "X" mount will not mount to this motor, but the 4258 outer "X" mount holes will line up to the airframe mounting holes.....so it's ALMOST a drop in.....

Since the "X" mount is larger then the stock version , I had to remove a bit of foam from each of the 4 corners so the "X " mount can sit flush up against the airframe's plastic motor mount.

I found after installing the motor with the prop adapter that comes with the motor, that the spinner to cowl gap is larger by several millimeters.
Now I don't know why, but for some strange reason the 4258 replacement prop adapter has a thinner base, and utilizing the replacement adapter it will lessen the gap by 3mm.....so...Continue Reading

Because of the discussions about speed of the FMS 1450mm P-51...or the lack of....I decided to test the FMS version 6 (500kv motor) with the stock 4 blade against an APC 14X12 2 blade.

I know alot of people say it sure looks like it's going XX miles per hour....and there usually way off as I would have thought different also.....but I will say this....a Parkzone P-51 going an actual 70 mph looks so much faster on a low fly by then an FMS P-51 going by at the same 70 mph....as the much larger airframe makes it look so much slower.....so with that said...

I took my V6 out this morning at 7am as it was already hot but there was zero wind, so I thought it was perfect for a prop speed test using the Voltron GPS data logger which gives accurate top speed , highest altitude, flight time and duration.

I static tested, then (GPS) flight tested both stock V6 4 blade and an APC 14X12 2 blade with the stock 500 motor and a 3600 4S 25C lipo....each test consisted of flying a 2 direction full throttle pass using 2 lipos for each prop.
I recorded the average of both lipos.

The stock 4 blade static tested 58.92 amps, 5900 rpms @925 watts with a calculated pitch speed of 55
The stock 4 blade actual in-flight GPS test logged an average of 62 mph

The APC 14X12 2 blade elecrtic prop static tested 42.62 amps, 6300 rpms @ 672 watts, with a calculated pitch speed of 71.
The APC 14X12 actual in flight GPS test logged an average of 73 mph...

The 4 blade seems to unload and gain some speed over the static test. and now we know if we remove the 4 blade and replace it with a 14X12 you'll get an instant 10+ mile per hour increase along with less amp consumption.

I know I can hear the skeptics now....and I agree....the stock 4 blade looks like its going 40 mph....but it's not.

These are some of my foamie warbird repaints, needless to say I like the paint scheme of the 361st FG....hopefully I change to another Fighter Group soon...

Decals are by Callie-Graphics, as she does a great job....Continue Reading

I usually repaint my foamie warbirds to paint schemes I personally like, to just have something different at the flying field.

Since most of them are P-51's I'd just like to share the process creating a camo paint scheme of the 361st FG on a Parkflyers mini P-51 .

I remove all the original decals, I heat them with a hair dryer to loosen the glue and they come off easy without damaging the foam.

Then I paint the fuse all flat white.

At this point if im doing invasion stripes with the fuse all white, I'll mask off the entire area for the white invasion stripes and paint the fuse silver, then I'll re-mask the white stripes and fuse and paint the black invasion stripes.

For the wing I paint the invasion stripe area all white, then I'll mask the entire invasion stripe area and paint the bottom of the wing silver....then I do the black stripes last.

On the paint schemes with green camo topsides, I'll do the tops of the wings then I"ll then mask off the area on the fuse and paint it green, I leave the yellow nose for last.

I always wanted a PZ sized P-51 with full retracts and I didn't think it was ever going to happen, but I bought a replacement airframe and gave it a shot.

The main retracts are E-Flite 10-15 size, get ready to make a mess when you dremmel out the foam....LOL. The wheels on the main gear I had in the parts bin for another project years ago. I used the skinny wheels to remove the least amount of foam possible from the wing as they are canted in the wheel wells. The gear doors are thin ply that I bonded (with Goop) to the struts.

The steerable/retractable assembly is a Robart #122, and the same as my PZ P-47 tail wheel conversion. I also used the same tail wheel as the P-47...a Dubro #955 semi scale tail wheel system. Removing the foam required the expoxing a wood base to house the retract assembly (also similar to the P-47) seems to standard with these small conversions.

There's not a whole lot of room in the fuse so I kept the tail wheel retract sevo as close to the rudder and elevator as possible....again another PITA but do-able. I used a PZ digital servos for the tail wheel retract and the rudder/tail wheel steering, there just a bit larger then the standard PZ SV80, but I figured haveing a bit more grunt back there is a good thing.

The motor is a power 10, BP hobbies 50amp ESC, apc 11X9 4 blade prop (cut down to 10X9) and the pilot/cockpit is from Shapeways.

The PZ P-51 retract version came in a 36 oz's, while my belly lander version with rudder is...Continue Reading

The Parkzone P-47 has all the new equipment with optional designed in e-flite 10-15 retracts and working flaps. The only thing it's missing is a retractable and steerable tail wheel.
The Airframe seems large enough for a park flyer to handle the retractable tail wheel. I received a partical test fuselage from Jimmy1159 to see if it was possible to use a Robart #122 mini retractable tail wheel in the P-47.

The original tail wheel was removed, but the original housing was retained to cover the opening needed to install the assembly. I removed the foam needed to install the retract assembly so a balsa mounting plate could be glued in. I also removed a good amount of foam to ensure the space needed to allow the retract to fully retract into the fuse.
The tail wheel opening was large so I covered it with packing tape for aesthetics as I made the opening small enought to function properly.

In the first video I modified the test fuselage installing the Robart #122 assembly, a retract and rudder/steering servo along with control rods for a working assembly.

After the completion of the test fuse I removed the retract assembly and the retract sevo and installed it in my new P-47. I removed less foam this time and with the help of my template the tail wheel opening was much smaller. I did use several layers of packing tape in the shape of the template, then painted it silver to cover the opening for a clean look.

The tail wheel assembly, wood mounting plate...Continue Reading

In October 2010 Lupus78 developed a computer generated 3D printed cockpit from light weight plastic and scaled it to a Hyperion 25e P-51 Mustang.

Since then he has scaled his pilot and cockpit to the Parkzone P-51 and just recenty the FMS P-51. The detail is excellent and the rescale is dead on.

I purchased both the Parkzone and FMS scaled pilot/cockpits and would like to share some photo's....Continue Reading

Flying Warbird fighters are fun so why not try a twin motored B-25 from Hobby Lobby. The HL B-25 has a 53" wingspan and AUW of 60.2oz, as it's heavier then I thought it would be, but it does have full retracts with a steerable nose wheel and retractable landing gear doors.
The supplied motors will fly the B-25 in a scale manor but requires at least 75% throttle to do so....I learned bombers don't glide, so to cut the throttle
(like with foam fighters) and glide in to land is not an option with this bird...as the learning curve continues....

There are several HL B-25 threads and all are very informative. The consensus that the original twin 20A ESC's with linear BEC's are questionable to handle 10 servos, so I personally opted to use BP 30A ESC's and incorporate a Castle Creations 10A Switching BEC. I also used a Spektrum
AR6100 receiver as nothing much larger would probably fit.


The main wings are glued to the fuselage so anyone that has space issues with transportation..think twice with a 53" wingspan

The wiring for both motors, ESC's, landing gear and control surfaces looks like Sunday's Spaghetti dinner, but with the helpful color coordinated wires it was simple....Continue Reading

I like the 40" wingspan warbirds as the tranport easily, but I tried my hand at the larger 57" wingspan FMS P-51.
The FMS version has working flaps although I cut and rehinged the flaps to the scale position. The Mustang also comes with retractable landing gear. I upgraded to a retractable/steerable tail wheel that was available on earlier versions, and I thank Topkits for his help acquiring the tail wheel assembly and also with Beltpilot and Lenop for there upgrade how-to pictures.

In the last couple of months there have been many upgrades to the FMS P-51by many talanted flyers. I repainted mine with the 361st FG markings of "Detroit Miss" with Callies decals. Im in the process of changing the stock landing gear to VQ P-51 struts as a few of the guy's have already done so, thanking Tom Hunt and Sandancer for there how to photos.

I installed DSR 46 retracts along with the VQ struts's, the DSR version 2 retracts come with an upgraded metal leg and metal internal gearing, I also incorporated the options metal sidecovers for added strength.
The DSR retracts are fully covered in Gary's (Sandancers) Blog page...Continue Reading

With my love for warbirds I thought I would give the WWI biplanes a chance. My first biplane was the ElectriFly SPAD with a covered wooden frame. It went together pretty easy using the recommended motor and prop.
It flew pretty good once trimmed but was much slower then I would like, unfortunately it didn't last too long as I stalled it about 20'...with not nearly enough speed to pull out...the good thing was all electrics were good.

I opted for the ElectriFly SE5a to re-use all my equipment, with just slightly lower wing loading it should fly the same with the added benefit of 4 ailerons. I have to say I really enjoy the SE5a over the SPAD, as it's a bit lighter and faster and for me, it maneuvers much better. I'm glad I experienced the the Biplanes but WWII warbirds are more to my liking.

Helicopters are something I never thought I would fly, but never say never. I've been flying for a year now and started with a BLade CX2 coaxial for several months. Once I had false confidence and the cost to repair was well over the original cost I went to the Balde CP. This sorry bird took a beating while my single blade hover training commenced.
It took me a while but I finally got the hover thing down with short movements is in all directions. At this point in my training I went to the open school yard...where I quickly learned speed is not your friend. After a few shool yard visits I was actually flying...wow .who would have thought.

I eventually upgraded to a Blade...Continue Reading

After flying the Alfa P-47 for several months I've really grown to appreciate the retracts and flaps.
I noticed on another blog that Orion Pax does retract and flap conversions to Art Tech and Parkzone Corsairs. When my finished Parkzone wing arrived I swapped it out with the stock wing. The Corsair all stock flew fine, especially with a MAS 10x7x3 prop. The conversion wing added a bit more weight, so I increased the power and by using an e-flite power 10, my last upgrade was using the hobby Lobby Variable pitch 11" 3 blade prop with the pitch to 5-6. OP did a great job as the gear and flaps worked as expected...and landing was super slow, unfortunately all the landings on clumpy grass took it's toll on the landing gear and one side ripped out of the wing. The Corasir was put back to all stock and sold.. as something new was about to be released.

Hobby Lobby released a 41" wingspan P-47 with rudder, retracts, steerable tail wheel, a partically completed flap conversion and a scale 11" prop. After adding the flaps servos and control equipment the AUW was 33oz's with a 2100mah lipo. This Jug flies very similar to the smaller version Afla with power equal to a stock Parkzone Corsair. It's another easy and stable flyer, the retracts work well but would benefit from a servo slowdown module. The flaps slow the Jug down to low power glide in landings...also similar to the Alfa.

When I saw the Alfa P-47 review by Pda4you, what a cool idea to have a working rudder, flaps and retracts on a small warbird, as this would be a little different for me.
I was impressed with the P-47 as looked great just as a display model. The Jug flew very scale with the recommended motor/battery and electronics. I upgraded the motor to a e-flite 370 1360kv, 1320 lipo, steerable tail wheel and a scale looking 4 blade prop.
All I can say is it flies as good as it looks, the retracts work excellent and it glides in with flaps down to low power landings.

While not really wanting another belly lander my LHS had an Alfa F4U sitiing there for the longest time, almost two years. The P-47 flew so well, we made a deal and I took the unwanted Corsair home. This thing was sitting so long the decals had cracks and were not usable. I used the same e-flite park 370 motor with an FSK 3 blade prop and did a rudder conversion. I was suprised, this was another joy to fly and hand launch was the easiest of all my belly landers....Alfa...great job on these warbirds. I eventually sold the Corsair to a friend as I needed to make room in the hanger.

After feeling comfortable with the J3 Cub I went to the 4 channel Cessna with ailerons, about that same time I bought the Parkflyers Mini Mustang, not real fast with the brushed motor but very manuverable. I went through a few of these........once again the learning curve !!
Over time the Mini Mustang was upgraded to a gearbox driven Venom brushless inrunner, the battery increased from a 450 to a 1320mah, increased aileron throw, rudder conversion, 4 blade prop and finally a pilot. This is still one of my favorites to fly.

While stuck on Mustangs, I then tried the Parkzone P-51 Ferocious Frankie. In stock trim I could not hand launch this heavy underpowered warbird to save my life. With the help of Ploesti B24 I saw the light and upgraded to a brushless inrunner retaining the stock gearbox with lipo battery. Final upgrades were rudder conversion and 4 blade prop and I still fly this on a regular basis as it's a joy to hand launch.

Changes were in the works, as we have canadian geese here in the North East they crap in every open field, and cleaning my belly landers was getting out of hand. I needed warbirds with landing gear.
My first two were a GWS BF-109 and a Venom Zero...both using Venom inrunner/gearbox combo's with 1320 lipo's. They both flew well as one was retired and the other was...well I just got tired of flying it !!...Continue Reading

20 years ago my father in-law Vinny introduced me RC aircraft, although I never really commited myself to the hobby back then. In the winter of 2007 my interests in RC flight got the best of me and I started with a 3 channel Parkzone J3 Cub. For the most part I kept it the air but landing was not as easy as I thought, and since I flew by myself the learing curve was just trial and error.

I moved on to a Skyartech Cessna 182 4 channel with tricycle landing gear, as this was much faster and ailerons was something to get use to. Once perfecting a correct landing technique this was a joy to fly. Unfortunately in ended up in a tree, and was there almost a year !!!

While constantly learning (from these forums ) I did manage my first upgrade to flaps on my second (blue) Cessna, as they worked well and proved to be a viable addition.