!Introduction


| spec2
| @916296
|> <b>Wingspan:</b> |< 39.5"
|> <b>Wing Area:</b> |< 285 sq. in.
|> <b>Weight:</b> |< 29 oz.
|> <b>Length:</b> |< 34"
|> <b>Wing Loading:</b> |< 14.65 oz/sq. ft.
|> <b>Servos:</b> |< 2 Five-wire servos, supplied
|> <b>Transmitter:</b> |< ParkZone 3 Channel 27mHz, supplied
|> <b>Receiver:</b> |< Supplied
|> <b>Battery:</b> |< 9-cell 10.8V 1000mAh Ni-MH, supplied
|> <b>Motor:</b> |< 480 w/ gearbox (3:1), supplied
|> <b>ESC:</b> |< Supplied
|> <b>Manufacturer:</b> |< <a href=http://www.parkzone.com>ParkZone</a>
|> <b>Available From: </b> |< <a href=http://www.horizonhobby.com>Horizon Hobby</a>

Nearly all modelers and airplane lovers know of the famous P-51D that dominated the skies during WWII. The ParkZone P-51D offers a fast track option to getting those warbird kicks- with factory installed electronics and hardware. Box to flight time less than 45 minutes? We’ll see.

@916297: It looks good just looking at the box top!

!Kit Contents

@916298:One complete outfit! Yes even a spare prop is supplied. Charge her up and get to the field!
@916299:The included accessory package was very complete.

The ParkZone P-51D Mustang package arrived in a single box with no damaged or missing parts. Each component of the kit had its own slot in the packing, thereby preventing any sliding around during delivery. The only items the modeler was required to supply were a Philips head screwdriver and a 12V automobile power outlet.

First impressions are everything in the business world, and this cliché is often carried over to the modeling world. The parts looked amazing, with fine detail and vibrant coloring. There was no guessing as to what model it was immediately after ripping open the box! The plane came with all the decals and painting already applied. Even the Invasion Stripes and .50 caliber cannons!

@916300:Realistic looking, eh?

@916301: Nice color contrast between the top and bottom of the wing.
@916302: Just one good looking bird.

!Assembly

Using my own screwdriver, the wing was easily installed, after connecting the aileron connector to the receiver. The charger required a typical cigarette lighter connector found in most automobiles today. The only real steps required to assemble the airframe were attaching the wing and the horizontal stabilizer.

@916303: 16 page manual covered a lot of ground - everything from assembly to part list.

The 15-page manual lacked photo illustrations, but the black and white drawings did the job fine. The manual included various tips throughout the assembly and flight check process so even a novice modeler should not have any questions.

!!Wing

The aileron servo extension was easily plugged into the lead coming from the fuselage. This connection was designed to fit only one way, so there was no guesswork. Then the wing was simply slid into place under the air scoop and 2 Philips screws were tightened to hold it into place. A single servo controlled both ailerons.

@916304: The aileron servo was pre-installed.
@916305: Don't forget to secure the pushrod with the rubber retainer.

!!Fuselage and Tail

The package even included the tape required to hold the stabilizer once it was slid into place. The pushrod and control horn came preinstalled. The clevis had to be secured into the elevator control horn as shown in the photo above. Taking a peek down inside the fuselage, my feelings that this was not just any other foamy were confirmed. The construction was unlike many other popular electric foam models that are made of more-or-less solid foam. As shown in the following photo, the plane’s basic construction was a hollow airframe with a foam shell.

@916306: Durable outer covering resisted many attempts at damage.
@916307: The receiver and speed controller were mounted just above the front of the wing.

!!Radio

After we followed the instruction to place the 8 “AA” batteries into the transmitter, the flight pack was put on charge for the anticipated drive to the flying field (only 26 miles away!) so we could fly once assembly was complete. The instructions told the modeler how to operate the charger and set the charge rate to 1.4 amps. It was a peak charger, so there weren’t any headaches worrying about overcharging the pack.

@916308:The contents even included 8 new “AA” batteries for the 3-channel transmitter, as well as a ParkZone DC charger for the 1000 mAh Ni-MH flight pack.
@916309:Supplied battery and charger was adequate for the Sunday Flyer.

The battery hatch opening kept the supplied 1000 mAh battery. Also note the charger required a cigarrett lighter-type connector.

Our flight pack was quickly charged as we drove to the field. It took only a little over 20 minutes for it to peak that first time. Charge times after that have ranged from 20 to 40 minutes depending on how low the pack was drained. The included 1000 mAh Ni-MH battery slid snugly into a cavity in the bottom of the nose. A plastic hatch then snapped into the compartment to secure the battery.

@916310:Now if I could keep from breaking the tab on the hatch!
@916311: The receiver and speed controller revealed!

The manual did not call for a center of gravity (CG) check, so we moved on and tested the flight controls. The flight controls seemed centered and the high rates and low rates worked fine, so it was on to the field for the range check and maiden.

Even with taking several pictures and reading through the steps carefully, our first flight could easily have been within a half hour or so of opening the package.

@916312:Ready to go - and could easily have been made ready to fly within the 45 minutes claimed on the box. Just don't forget to charge the battery! :-)
@916313:See what I mean....she's into the air in no time!

!Flying

Since the P-51D came without a landing gear, all flight attempts require a hand launch.

@916314: Jonathan prepares for another hand launch - directly into the wind - for another successful sortie!

Facing into a 5-7 mph wind with full power and the nose attitude about 15 degrees up, the plane was launched with a firm toss. The P-51 sank at first, and the wing gently dropped down to the right. But after about 20 feet or so the plane began to climb. After one click of up elevator and a few clicks of left aileron, level flight was hands-off. Even at low rates, mushy rolls and small loops were possible. After a few passes at ¾ throttle, we went to full and switched on high rates.

The transmitter came with a special toggle switch located on the top right side of the transmitter. By pushing the switch forward (Mode A), the control throws were reduced (low rate) and by flipping the switch backward (Mode B or high rates) the control surfaces were set to a higher degree of movement. The transmitter, by the way, was on Channel 5 FM (27.195).

Stalls were soft and fairly predictable if the motor was kept running. The only time we experienced sharp stalls was when the motor was completely stopped. Without any rudder, spins (really a spiral) were not very tight but required very little altitude to recover.

The P-51D’s glide characteristics were surprisingly good. If the power was reduced to idle the nose would gently drop about 10 degrees, but continue to glide for a considerable time without too much altitude loss. Inverted flight was steady but required about 1/3 down elevator on high rates.

After a couple minutes I felt completely comfortable with the plane’s flight characteristics. Its handling and appearance in the air reminded me much of the .60 sized Hangar 9 P-51D. High-speed passes down on the deck quickly drew attention from spectators and other pilots. Many commented on the P-51D’s scale appearance and mannerisms. But while we tried to push the flight envelope, others were busy pushing the envelope of the English language and testing my world history. As one fellow pilot put “it sure has good P-51ness for a foamy.” Another spectator (non-pilot) commented that it looked like I “was gettin’ them terrorists and Germans back for what they did at Pearl Harbor.”

After about 10 minutes of a pretty much wide-open flight, the power was beginning to wane so I lined up for a landing attempt. The first landing was easy with no surprises. As the P-51D settled in to a grassy strip for a “greaser,” the air scoop under the wing caught some grass and dragged the plane down.

@916315: Looks pretty good doesn't it?
@916316:Ready for another Sortie.....after this smooth landing!

The next hand launch was much more solid with the plane trimmed out, but it still gently sank for about 15 feet before gaining altitude.

<b>Li-Po Upgrade:</b> At full throttle, the plane had limited vertical with the Ni-MH pack. The optional Li-Poly battery pack sold by ParkZone gives a boost to the plane's speed and extended flight times. It was also lighter than the Ni-MH battery! This would be a good choice for more advanced pilots who feel limited by the stock setup. We had a friend fly his P-51 with the Li-Poly battery and it seemed like ages before he decided to land – but he missed on an approach and aborted with full throttle and the plane accelerated similar to the first several minutes of his flight! Needless to say that pack came highly recommended!

@916317:Straffing run, looking for some German tanks.
@916318:Double click on this one and check out the detail - looks more like a Giant Scale plane than a small electric!

The motor spun a geared scale-like prop – if a two bladed prop can be called scale-like. This wide blade 10-8 prop was painted black with yellow tips and throughout all our tests (and a few mishaps) the original prop was still being used! A spare prop was supplied, but we haven’t had a need to use it quite yet. Just remember to kill the motor just before touchdown!.
@916319: Time to put her gently down.
@916320:Yep, she's safely down.

The scale-like colors and detail really made this plane stand apart from many other planes. The top of the wing was a flat green and the bottom was silver and that matched the fuselage. One compliment heard was that the P-51 was the most scale-like model he had ever seen! I wouldn’t go that far, but one look from the ‘boss’ of the house put this model in the ‘Keeper’ category.

!!Minor Rough Points
Some bad news…but just a little. Apparently the hot Arizona sun and the dark olive drab color on the wing didn’t agree with each other, as you can see from the photo below. Some bubbles formed after being exposed to the sunlight on a very hot summer day (can you say 110+ degrees F?). No big deal, but you might want to keep the plane under some sort of cover and out of the direct sunlight.

@916321: A couple of bubbles appeared after an afternoon basking in the bright sunlight.
@916322: The bubbles didn't seem to effect the flying ability.

The second disappointment came in the battery hatch – the first one broke the first time the tab was pushed so the battery could be installed. A second one was purchased (~$2.00) and the tab broke again. So we used a flat bladed screwdriver to open the hatch from then on. The supplied battery (9-cell 10.8V 1000 mAh Ni-MH) fit very snugly in the battery compartment, but did still need a hatch to secure it.

@916323: The tab on the hatch didn't like me!

!!Is This For a Beginner?

Would a rank beginner achieve success with this plane as their primary trainer? I would doubt it - and ParkZone recommends against it. But if the trainee has had some previous 'stick-time', a little help, and would keep the plane on the low rates, I believe they would be satisfied. The most dangerous part of the entire flight is the launch - and if the pilot doesn't overcontrol, the P-51 can climb in a very stable fashon. There weren't any self-correcting aspects to this airframe, so some previous experience and/or simulator training and working with an instructor is highly recommended. ParkZone's sister brand, <a href="http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/">HobbyZone</a>, have a great lineup of beginner models intended to come before the less forgiving, more capable models of the ParkZone models.

!! Video Gallery
<i>{Editor's Note: At this time, our author hasn't been able to get video for us. We hope to add more video soon.}</i>

<a href="http://parkzone.com/prodinfo/files/parkzone_p-51_D_Mustang_240x180_nb.wmv">ParkZone provides video of this exciting model on their site.</a><small>(low resolution for dialup users.)</small>

<a href="http://parkzone.com/prodinfo/files/parkzone_p-51_D_Mustang_320x240_bb.wmv">ParkZone provides video of this exciting model on their site.</a><small> (high resolution for broadband)</small>

!Conclusion

@916324: The pilot is even an ACE!
@916325:Wouldn't you say this is one smooth flying warbird? I sure would!

@916326: Very stable even in a light wind.
@916296: Oh, how sweet:)

In conclusion, one can only say that once you see this bird flying – you WILL WANT ONE! It flew much bigger than its 39” wingspan – so what are you waiting for? GO…Go to the Hobby Shop of your choice and get one – you will be pleased.

Now if we could talk ParkZone into offering a Messerschmitt….hummmmmm.

*Plusses
*GREAT looks
*TONS of great detail
*Feels much larger than most park fliers in flight
*Quality hollow construction
*99.9% done out of the box
*includes everything but a screwdriver! (OK, and a car 12v outlet to plug in the charger!)

*Minuses
*battery hatch keeps breaking
*NiMH pack could give a bit more umph
*launches are a little mushy
*covering bubbled in extreme heat/sun

G'day,

The review was excellent. Parkzone Li-po's were mentioned as an option in the review. Do you have any more details about that as I was not aware that a li-po upgrade was available.

Thanks

Chris

You can check out their web site:

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByC...hType=Standard

and under airplane batteries, they offer a few options for the Li-Po's type of battery. The brand name is E-flite, not Parkzone, sorry about that!

Jerry

Does PZ sell a kit with without 27m/c R/C gear battery and motor?

I'm building a GWS Zero with my geared brushless, 3S Lipo and many mods including incidence reduction, beefed up scale-like landing gear mounting, etc. Unpainted kit lacks landing gear parts and motor/geardrive, otherwise complete for $25 at LHS. It would be difficult to build a balsa kit model that looks as good, is as light, and can fly as well as these little foamies.

E-Challeneged said: "Does PZ sell a kit with without 27m/c R/C gear battery and motor? "

Not that I'm aware of....but give Horizon a call and see what they have to say.

Jerry

It's too bad that this uses the same old 4 wire proprietary servos and 27MHz equipment. When I first heard of this it was said that you'd be able to use the parts and "upgrade"...I took this to mean that PZ was going to finally start making "real" planes! Sadly, it's not so...what it turned out was you can use the P51's parts in some other PZ planes. It might be a nice plane, but I'd never consider going back to proprietary products (I still have 4 Hobbyzone and Parkzone transmitters I haven't tossed out lying around!).

I just couldn't recommend it to anyone in good conscience who wants to really get into RC...it's a dead end. On a side note, since this plane has come out, I've seen more ads on eBay from people selling "parts" from these planes...what's left of them. I think some salespeople are selling this model to newbies...with pretty disastrous results! Just my 2¢ :-)

I got one of these Mustangs for Xmas. I've only flown it once as the model could not be trimmed in roll. Inspection on the ground revealed that the ailerons had a variable neutral setting and the servo buzzed all the time apparently due to friction.
Has anyone had the same problem and if so how did you fix it?
TIA, Alan

Anybody got any ideas on c/g change when installing LI-pos instead ofNiMHs, as Li-po batteries being lighter will shift the c/g aft somewhat.

I also need to know the COG for this model , I think its very bad that the manul does not provide this info. I purchased mine second hand and will not be flying it with the stock motor etc so I need to know where the COG should be.

Center of Gravity
If you are simply replacing the airframe and you will install the same ParkZone radio system, with
identical receiver location, there is no need to worry about measuring the center of gravity (CG).
The stock center of gravity (CG) is as follows:
With the stock 9-cell Ni-MH battery pack, it is approximately 2 and 13/16 inches (71.4mm) back
from the leading edge of center of wing (where it mates with fuselage).
With the ParkZone 3S 11.1V 2100mAh Li-Po battery pack, it is approximately 3 inches (76mm)
back from the leading edge of the wing (where it mates with fuselage).
Note: The Mustang flies great anywhere in this range.

I copied this info from the P-51 replacement airframe manual, hope its what you needed.

darts06,

Thanks for the info on CG !
Have 2 new PZ Mustangs and one Spit been waiting in their box for a long time to complete. Just finished one of them and mounted a Brushless UltraFly A/30/29 wich i still had in stock. Tested with a Flightpower 1350 3S gives around 160watt input power on the original gearbox and prop.

regards,
Danny

I'm putting a 450 890kv motor with a 22 amp esc in mine. Then changing out the electronics, will post pics when I get the chance.

Just found a p51 online for £75 - brand new, I already have a PZ Spit, just wondering weather the flight characteristics are all that different or would i just be wasting money on a similar plane? Anyone flown both?

great review


ford f47

Here is me flying mine

PARKZONE P-51 (HD) (4 min 13 sec)