The Build

Since there's plenty of info on the general build I will highlight areas I encountered of note. It's packaged extremely well. I found no "shipping rash" (dings, dents on the foam) which was a nice way to get things started. I followed Alpha's Comprehensive Build Video which was a blessing to have. Not that I couldn't have figured it out on my own using the instruction manual but it's awfully nice to follow along with someone who was integral in the Research and Development of this P-38 Lightning and who quite literally knows the ends and outs of this bird better than anyone else not working for FlightLineRC.

I've heard some have issues with missing screws or wrong screw sizes but I did not encounter this issue. I was able to use every single screw that came in the bag, in the places they were meant for as far as I can tell. The quality of engineering, parts fit and excellent size are self-evident. Everything went together right the first time for me, which I can't always say that.

By far the most "Pay Attention Or Else" portion of the build is the wiring, which is no surprise, especially on a twin. The channels deeply carved into the main wing section is a major bonus which makes the "herding of the noodles" manageable, versus hair-pulling. Still, it's vital you take your time. I screwed up the LED wiring which I didn't realize until I had already snapped and screwed on the booms. I had two wires that had the wrong leads on the wrong side of the boom. No excuse, just didn't pay close enough attention. I had to unscrew that boom and I was able to reverse the wires and then everything was peachy.

Once you have all the servo leads going where they should be going (pay attention to the diagram in the manual of the controller) and feed everything through it feels like a small battle has been won. Of course, you will want to bind and check that all of your controls, throttle, gear, flaps, doors and lights are working before moving on. I am happy to report everything worked for me the first time.

The rest of the build is spent getting all the pushrods/clevises put together. Pay close attention to the sizes of the pushrods. It's easy to put the wrong pushrod on the wrong control surface as some of them are less than half of an inch apart in length. If you get it wrong (ask me how I know) you will quickly realize it once you are screwing the clevises on while centering the control surface.

There is one area that I think needs to be looked at by FlightLineRC. It appears the pushrods for the inboard flaps are about a 1/4" too short. As they are now, I cannot get the inboard flaps to fully close. I tried adjusting the throws but it doesn't seem to help. Either twice as long of a clevis there, or a bit longer pushrod would make this a non-issue. Until then, removing the servo and adjusting the arm to an angle closer to the control surface is the best way to go (thanks CubCrazy).

The wing tabs when you go to lock the wings in place do not line up perfectly. At first I panicked, thinking the wing spar was hitting something unseen within the cavern of the mid wing section but I quickly discerned the tabs were not aligned with their holes perfectly. To remedy this, simply eye-ball/position each tab as close to the respective hole as possible, and wiggle it in. Worked just fine for both wings.

Another issue that is being reported and I noticed as well on mine (and probably you will too) is the servo wire tape is peeling away from the surface. You can use your thumb or fingers to press it back down smooth but after some time it starts to peel again. A very small issue that can easily be dealt with using your own tape or tiny dabs of glue to keep the edges from peeling back up.

Finishing up the build is the cosmetic stuff like adding the guns, antenna, counter-balances, etc. Do yourself a favor and take a sample part with both colors (OD and off-white if it's Allied Green, I used one of the elevator ends) to the local hardware store and get them to paint match so you are ready to deal with the inevitable hangar rash, dings, dents and scratches that any warbird deals with when used regularly. It cost me like $4 bucks per small can. The match is about 98.9% accurate which is close enough to the human eye.

Another tip is to get a screen mesh repair kit (either black nylon or wire, I have both) at the local hardware store and you can easily create a very cool scale effect by adding it to the cowl intakes (and radiator scoops if you feel froggy!). It's easy to do and really bumps up the scale factor.

I have the Robart diamond tread upgrade wheels I plan on swapping out after the maiden. I have heard people are having problems removing the hex nut from the wheel collars. Some are stripped or become stripped when you try to loosen them. Some I hear have had to drill them out completely which requires new collars and hex nuts. I bit of a bummer but I don't fault FlightLineRC for making sure the hex nuts are secure on the collars...I don't think they realized how many of us were planning on swapping out the wheels.

All-in-all, the build went quicker than I expected and that was even with me really taking my time. The build ran approximately 2.5 hours from taking the parts of the box individually to taxi test including calibrating the ESCs.

As some of you read, I had an issue with the CG. At the recommended, I came in very tail heavy with my two Admiral 4S 3000's. I was confused because I had not heard anyone mention the need for any weight at all with the recommended Li-Po's. Then it was pointed out to me that there was a range that Alpha mentioned in the comprehensive build video which I somehow missed. So you have as far back as 75mm if needed or wanted. This serves as a good reminder to make sure you watch every moment of the video because you never know what crucial information you might miss.

As for livery, I haven't added decals yet as I am still contemplating whether I am going to choose one of the chosen 4 decal sets included, or if I am going to go "Callie Custom" and do, say, Tangerine or Thoughts of Midnite. I'm still debating.


The Maiden

Location: Local Junior High School - Soccer Field
Time: 11:00AM PST
Conditions: Calm, mostly sunny, slight crosswind from the South
CG: 70MM
Throws: A few MM above recommended
Batteries: 2x Admiral 4S 3000 35C
Radio: Spektrum DX18
Receiver: Spektrum AR7000
Camera: Mobius Wide Lens (mounted on H stab)
Total Flight Time: 3 minutes, 35 seconds
Hot Babes Watching: Zero. Sigh. Maybe someday.


It was time for the maiden. I was delighted to see that she fit with wings on easily in my Ford Flex. Okay, truth be told that was my number one deciding factor in buying that vehicle in the first place - How much room does it have for my planes? You know what I'm talking about.

I was hoping to maiden in the school parking lot which has a long paved runway, or the track which has a nice rubberized floor. Unfortunately there was baseball practice going on so I didn't want to be too close to that for a maiden so I elected the soccer field which has plenty of room (650 feet from corner to corner) but it is very bumpy, full of divets. Still, I felt it was good enough conditions.

I put 8 ounces of weight in the nose which counteracted the weight from my Mobius Wide Lens camera that I mounted on the H stab. This put my CG around the 70MM mark. I opted to maiden with tanks on but as you will see in the video, the decision to take them off was made for me by the bumpy runway conditions.

Once I removed the tanks, the takeoff roll began and she was airborne with ease within 50 feet or so. I quickly retracted the gear which then made her a bit tail-heavy, but nothing major at all. I needed a few clicks of right and down trim for straight and level flight. I mainly cruised the circuit around half power, just taking in her majestic lines and presence. I didn't want to push her too much with the baseball practice behind me, and a full parking lot with people milling around to the right of me.

I kept the entire flight on low rates. My rates are a few MM's higher than the recommended. I performed one roll and she was nice and responsive. She flies absolutely wonderfully. Full power is brisk and pleasing. Personally I don't feel the need to push beyond scale speed but it's nice to know we have that option with the optional power system. I just can't get myself to put 2 blades on a P-38 for a few extra MPH. I think I might break out in hives if I saw 2 blades on this beauty.

I kept the flight short (just over 3-and-a-half minutes) because I didn't want to push my luck, and I don't like maidening aircraft when people are in the vicinity. It was time to deploy the gear. A gentle noticeable shift of a slight dip to the nose. I forgot to mix some down elevator in with my flaps so she ballooned quite a bit once flaps deployed. I had to really manage the down stick which relaxed as a dropped power on base and final.

The flaps REALLY slow her down very, very nicely. The flaps make landings ridiculously easy. Even without flaps this bird will not challenge you for landings given the nice wing area, dihedral and tri-gear.

The landing was a non-event...Let her coast a bit in ground effect, eased into the back pressure for the flare and easy peasy. She bounced just slightly due to the bumpy ground (couldn't have been the pilot??) but nothing unexpected given the ground surface.

I am so proud to be a small part in the team that helped bring this bird into fruition. I have flown nearly every foam P-38 ever made and none of them compare to this one in overall size, quality, scale fidelity and just plain good ol' fashion WOW factor. I still marvel at the $350 PNP price point. For what we get for that price? Incredible. What a glorious time to be actively engaged in this hobby of ours. Now get out there and fly this marvelous beauty!

Maiden of the FlightLineRC P-38L Lightning (4 min 31 sec)

Nice review. Excellent maiden!

Thank you!

+1 -thanks for doing the review!

No problem!