RE: Warbird Tuesday's in Minneapolis 2010
So where are you guys flying now that Tri Valley is gone.???? My son has a Z B-25 118" and a Z P-51 that he would like to fly where big warbirds are welcome.
Posted on: 8/5/2012 7:59 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11182359

RE: ZIROLI 120
The 1.08 are for a sport plane Ultra Sport 1000 not the bomber. G-45 in the bomber.
Posted on: 6/6/2012 10:48 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11109650

RE: ZIROLI 120
Our B-25 is the 118-120" advertized or actual. haha
Posted on: 6/5/2012 4:56 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11107865

RE: ZIROLI 120
We are getting very close to flying the B-25. My son took time out to build an Ultra Sport 1000.?? He has a couple of OS 1.08's that he wanted to try out. Additionally he wanted some practice with a big airplane. My did some more work with the gear adjusting the springs and shims. I think they will be ok but those heavy Glinnis wheels are a concern on landing. I'm sure there is a huge torque loading when they touch down on the pavement if you land very fast. I think the 5/16 axels are going to be a necessity. I have looked at stronger knee links but I moved to another shop site and we don't have machining facilities yet. I just finished the scale exhaust. It is not "exact" but it looks like 'scale' and is functional with the openings close to the scale location. No mufflers.....warbirds don't have mufflers. haha I have a few pictures that I need to dig out of my camera. They are constructed from copper tubing and TIG welded with the flanges silicone-bronzed welded to a copper flange adaptor. I'll get pictures out shortly.
Posted on: 6/5/2012 7:28 AM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11107159

RE: OD paint code
Hey everyone thanks for all the info!!! I was not aware that there was a real number that could be used. Can't wait to take this to the paint store. Actually I would like to try the house paint. Apparently this is quite fuel proof....ie gas and oil proof or resistant. Back about 15 years ago I paint our Z-P-51 by takeing a sample of Testors model pain ttothe autor paint store. This was do in Acrylic enamel with a hardener. I really don't like working with that stuff any more Anyway thanks for all the information.!!1
Posted on: 4/13/2012 6:12 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11040868

OD paint code
We would like some help finding a nice flat Olive Drab paint. We have a Welle paint store near us that mixes our paint but they are reluctant to mix up an OD color with a flattener in rattle cans. Prefer a PPG automotive color. We have searched the paint charts but there really are not a lot of good OD colors. There are a few gloss but they really don't look right. This is to paint our Ziroli 118" B-25. anybody have a paint code or know of a select color.???
Posted on: 4/12/2012 7:32 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11039709

RE: Automotive aerodynamics
I was hoping we would not stray too far so if it is ok those interested can PM me and it can go off line. thanks
Posted on: 3/17/2012 6:52 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11004763

RE: Automotive aerodynamics
A short update.. The body will be delayed a week or so...painter miscalculaied...haha The aluminum or "tin" as we call it will be back from anodizing Monday. The chassis should be back from the powdercoater Tues or Wed. I'm currently building the fuel tank and oil tank. Today my son and I tackled the rear end. It is a huge piece. we are changing ratio from 4.10 to 4.30. It was supposed to be a simple disassemble and reassemble. However the best laid plans........ turns out after tring the special tool for the pinion nut removal failed that brute force of a 3/4 in air wrench also failed so we put the model airplane technology to work. Instead of a Dermel tool we got after the nut with a cut off grinder. We cut almost a quarter of the nut off and still coud not get it to turn. finally a good amount og heat and the 3/4 air wrench got it moving. We were successful in not damaging the pinion so it survives as a spare part. I imagin a nedd pinion nut is inthe $100 range. We also were contracted this week for a big race this summer. Called "The Night of Fire" It's at Cedar Falls Ia. Great program...jets, dragsters, us the funnycars, old time prostocks and "Bennie the Bomb"( blows himself up in spactacular ways) plus huge fireworks. I'll put more infor up as it comes in. We still are looking at May 5th for the first runs. Byron Dragway near Rockford Ill. Mean time I have my streetrod out cruising in the fine spring weather. tomorrow is the Sat breakfast and cruise. Also did a little work on my other son's Z-B-25 exhaust system. We are going to try a borrowed bender for the tubing. He is also building a pair of Ultra Sport 1000's for his OS 1.08's.
Posted on: 3/16/2012 8:16 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11003458

RE: Scratch building 105
I ran across a bunch of Connie stuff on utube . Here is one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ_RSCw8v7U&feature=related
Posted on: 3/13/2012 10:45 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10999326

RE: Automotive aerodynamics
rats...I just spent an hour writing a report and reply and the server dropped me. Sorry I'll have to respond tomorrow. Here is the final rendering drawing. we like it Thanks for the interest.
Posted on: 3/9/2012 9:15 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10993720

RE: Automotive aerodynamics
Here is my streetrod. I purchased a bare frame and fiberglass body then built the entire car myself except paint. I even have an industrial sewing machine that I used for the interior. 41 Willys, 350 sbc 6071 blower, 2x 750 carbs, T-350 trans, 9"Ford rear end 3.5 gears 0-60 3.8 sec with street tires, thru the mufflers....put it in drive and step on it. Burns reg 87 gas 15-16 mpg. 18,000+ miles. driven rain or shine and sometimes in the snow. I have driven it at 5 deg F
Posted on: 2/28/2012 8:19 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10980869

RE: Automotive aerodynamics
Thanks for the compliments. We are trying to make this as flashy as the cars were back in the 70's and run with the best of them. This is a spectator oriented operation so if you see use stop by and say hi. You will get the quarter tour. The truck and trailer are a showpiece worth seeing by themselves. Ok I'll try to make it brief. We are pretty excited about this car and race team. There are 3 generations in the crew....me, my oldest son and grand son, plus a couple others. Probably unique in the Nostalgia Top Fuel ranks. As for the motor. The block, heads, crank,rods,pistons, rocker arm assemblies, as well as smaller parts are all the same as the top fuel or "big show" as we call them. Cams are different, The fuel system, superchargers,and injector hats are different. We are limited to a single magneto with points...similar to the 70's style The supercharger is called a 6-71 but is all special and flows about like a 12-71 of the 70's The blower can only be run 19.8 % overdrive. Even with this we still make 33-35 pounds of boost. We can only use 1 fuel pump 21 gal per min certified flow. This motor is 426 cu in where the "big show " guy all use 500 cu in 3/4" strokers. We are limited to 500 cu in but it is shaking out that 417-426 motors make more power. It's complicated. Lots of rpm. We have an even shorter stroke but larger bore motor in process. The class Nostalgia Top Fuel funnycar is intended to represent the 70' funnycars. However the motors are up to date and while there are tribute cares such as this there are new names on these cars done by some of the younger guys. The car my son and I built last year ran 5.90's and 240 mph on the lesser tracks in the midwest. Unfortunately the owner subscribed to the "used parts are ok" philosophy and 4 motors kicked and averge of 4 rods each out on 4 consecutive weeks. all 4 runs recorded 5.90's even with the rods hanging out at 1000 feet. The 5th week broke a rear end so it was a tough season. As a result the driver left the team and created this new team. We got good offers so we left too. Rats jumping the ship as we are told. haha As for how many run between overhaul: difficult question The motor is usually stripped to the block and crank each run. On a good day we just install the next set of rods and pistons in rotation....like pitchers in baseball. We call them "swinger" as they swing on a rack of 8. We will run 5 runs and toss the rod bolts 10 runs and toss the rods any pistons that survive 10 runs will be tossed The crank goes in the trash at 20 runs Bearings generally last a week end but are replaced as necessary. We check them every run. Clutch parts are replaced as necessary. Generally the 3 discs last 5-10 runs and floaters about the same. the titanium flywheel and pressure plate may last a season but we have a new spare complete clutch. The blower is checked each week and serviced as needed but it will get sent to the mfg for any major work. We have a new spare $9500. the trans usually only requires clutch discs about 10-15 runs otherwise is pretty bulletproof. we adjust it each run. The current rear end is "big show" and will last the season. A ring and pinion is $1350. We have a new one on order. We use a dry sump oil system with 20 qts of oil. It's changed each run and sent to the recycle tank in the truck shop. The motor uses about 13 gallons of nitro per run. 90% is pretty standard for our tune up. Tires last about 10-12 runs. We have 3 sets ready to go. It takes a while to get tires so we have to stay on top of them, ordering them ahead of time. Monday of the first day home the truck and trailer go into the truck shop for any service and refitting. Restock the coolers and refrigerator, dump the black water and fill the water tanks etc. wash and clean etc. I have an Excell program to help with logistics on this stuff. You can see why it takes 4-5 guys to operate these cars. There is a lot to do to turn one around in 45 minutes. Now if you kick the rods out it is a different story. We have a complete spare motor that we can change in about an hour if need be. Hope this answers the questions. Sorry for filling the RC pages with hotrod stuff. I'm working on the Z-B-25 scale exhaust system. You would think that with all the automotive equipment available it would be easy to make this up. haha. I lack a good bender for thinwalled tubing. I have a friend who has a metal working shop that is helping create a special bender so hopefully this will work out. I already have a system on the Z-P51 but my son wants me to re do it so I have more work. The bomber is almost ready to fly so I may just make a temporary straight pipe and get it going. I did repair a broken stainless steel pipe for one of the readers here a while back so I do do this occasionally. I have a brand new top of the line TIG welder so it's possible to do some delicate work like this.
Posted on: 2/28/2012 6:06 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10980723

RE: Automotive aerodynamics
Here is the new car art work. All black, gold stripes with red outlines, ice blue lettering with a small amout of gold leaf. Front spoiler is 2" off the ground ....min allowed rear spoiler is level with the top of the car.....rule book current spill plates base of rear window to top of spoiler.....tip plates unspecified....we will try and run them. side skirts 2" above the ground behind the front wheel to 4 " off the ground at the rear wheel....rule book minimum wheel well openings all around. Must appear stock... vent window permitted with 1'" lip rear quarter window permitted if fixed on original body style. (Cobra) no vacuum holes permitted in the rear of the car...inside or outside. Alll mounting screws are flat head stainless. body is one piece fiberglass...weighed 80# raw and now weighs 110# with all mounting hardware, interior aluminum, front and rear latches, windshield, roof hatch, paint and dual parachutes......race ready. 426 cu in all alum hemi style motor, billit block and heads...no water passages, .750 lift 296 deg roller cam, mechanical fuel injection, supercharged, 90 % nitro fuel. 35 pounds boost, weighs 2300 rolling with driver. 2800 min hp. 9500 rpm. thanks for the help
Posted on: 2/27/2012 9:41 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10979461

RE: Automotive aerodynamics
The clutch hooks up at about the 1/8 mile and there is 5-10% slip at the tires from there on. There are clear tire marks all the way down. We have an onboard computer/data logger, it cannot interact real time with the functioning of the car however by the rules. No traction control etc. Monitoring suspension would be difficult as there is no suspension. There are optical sensors to measure position but the tires grow rather dramatically so you would have to take this into consideration. We have a wireless real time down load which is one of my functions on the team. By the time the car gets back to the pits I have a full print out of what happened and a full overlay of the mechanical and fuel systems. I then enter the timeslip incrementals and plug them into the overlays. It's quite interesting. Sure wish we had this back in the old days. Reading sparkplugs and time slip was all we had. We don't even burn the plugs anymore unless something bad happens. There is an alcohol class. Surprisingly they run slightly faster and quicker. They use much more streamlined bodies, far larger superchargers, and 3 speed transmissions plus they can have the "dump truck spoilers". Their cost to run is better than double ours. $10k for just the blower and it lasts only a few runs before it needs servicing. We have much more restrictive rules. I ran the alcohol class back in the 70's when it was still fun. We ran 4.5's and 155 mph 1/8 mile times on what we call streetrod motors today. About 1350 hp. These cars would stay with the nitro cars for about 200 yards back then. Yes we had a spoiler too but smaller. Today we use about 10 gal of alcohol a year to trim the nitro. We do start the car on alcohol but it runs so cold that the alum block doesn't get warm at all. Even after a full run on nitro the block and heads get only to about 170-180 deg. We have to pre heat the oil before a run too.
Posted on: 2/27/2012 6:42 AM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10978025

RE: Automotive aerodynamics
This a nitro burning fuel drag racer. We have run 3.7 sec and 205 mph 1/8 mile without trying very hard. These motors make 2700-3000 hp and run 9500 rpm. It costs nearly $1000 a run with no broken parts. So testing is very expensive. We typically would run a pass in competition without the device then make no changes and run with them. We have run 3 runs .03 sec apart many times so a test of one can be valid. As for advertizing..we don't advertize without getting paid for it..period. So and tip plates will be bare for the tests. This type of spoiler has been thru the wringer many times. Rip one off on a pass and you will have your hands full. I know the F! and outlaws look down on these cars but it is our type of racing and we have to play within our rules. Lots of numbers have been kicked out on the real force these spoilers give. Back in the 70's when this style of Funnycars was first popular there was a windtunnel test done and it was reported that there was in excess of 1000 # down force due to the rear spoiler. the exact number was closlely guarded. As a result the limits today on this class of car. The headers produce more than this. If you drop a cylinder it affects handling and can cause the car to drift all over. I just got a rendering of car and the new paint so I'll post a picture as soon as I can. Thanks for the comments. Our B-25 is very near completion...the FC is taking too much time. haha
Posted on: 2/26/2012 8:27 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10977616

Automotive aerodynamics
While I'm into RC stuff... Ziroli 118 B-25 and a Z P-51 I'm also into racecars. Nostalgia Top Fuel Funnycars to be exact. Here is the question...we run a large flat rear spoiler roughly 65 inches wide by 12 inches high and angled back at about 45 deg. We are limited to spill plates from the base of the rear window to the top of the spoiler. In order to keep these straight in the direction of travel there is only a maximum of 40 inches between them. This means that the outer 12 1/2 inches on each side is just hanging out in the breeze....if you call 240+ mph a breeze. There is no rule regarding a spill plate on the very ends of the spoiler so do you think this would be worth while??? It is easy to fabricate this and may be slightly ugly but if it could provide more down force we certaily would try it. There are many limits on engine size and equipment equavalent to "restrictor" racing so we are always looking for and edge. we have no access to windtunnel and I doubt anyone else does either...yet. Hp is really not an issue even within the limits. We still can get loose of the top end so any extra down force is welcome. We are already stretching the rules to the limit on the other allowed aerodynamics....side skirts, front spoiler, soft mounted body (squishes down to 0 ground clearance from 200 mph +), smoothed body lines and others. The "big show" guys all run "dump truck" style spoilers with spill plates on the very ends so our thinking is that we can use something similar.
Posted on: 2/26/2012 9:07 AM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10976607

RE: Zenoah G-62 Run ?
I flew my Z- Corsair full throttle most of time except for down side of loops and landing. It flew 13 years and better than 2 inches of log book. I put a new spark plug in every 2 years just because it seemed reasonable.
Posted on: 2/10/2012 6:32 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10953471

RE: Zenoah G-62 Run ?
Mine ran 2.4 oz per minute over hundreds of flights in my Z-Corsair.
Posted on: 2/7/2012 12:07 AM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10947604

RE: ZIROLI 120
Sam, Be sure you check the part fit to the plans. We went thru 2 cut kits with just big mess of ill fitting parts. We finally bought another set of plans just to use to cut parts. As you get into the inspection I sure you will see many areas to replace the lite ply with AC ply.......what am I doing tell a pro builder how to do this?? haha We are just finishing ours. All that is left is to finish the scale exhaust system and pait the cowls. We are at 51 pounds with NMH batteries. Flash!! a spider... looks like a brown recluse has invaded our cockpit and is building a web. We can't remove the canopy now. Considering a centipede exterminator.
Posted on: 1/13/2012 2:24 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10907281

RE: MTW header-came apart
Pm sent It is possible to TIG braze. I have the stuff to do this. TIG welding this thin material takes skill that not all welders ever develope. It is very tedious and tiring to do this. I frequently weld window garnish molding in the hotrod industry for cars that have had the tops chopped. These are .015-.019 thick SS and often are thinner where they have been polished or filed and have very poor fit up. Stainless requires a backup bar with shielding gas flowing on both sides. This takes a special double regulator or 2 individual Argon tanks. If these have been brazed it will be difficult at best. Even using brazing rod and good flux it still is tricky due to the oil inside of the system. Yes you can clean it but getting it clean enough is the hard part. It may be more cost effective to try and buy a new one. Possible make an adaptor to use something that is close if a new one is not available.
Posted on: 1/9/2012 10:09 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10901182

RE: Scratch building 105
I've been following your progress since you started project. What is you projected weight and what is the wing area??
Posted on: 1/9/2012 3:01 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10900447

RE: Ziroli P-51 Sheeting Sizes
Be sure you order a few extra sheets as there are likely some that will be warped or out of size. thin or too thick. You will need acouple of strippers too and plenty of blades. I replaced the motor box lite ply with AC ply as we used a 5.8 motor. Glad I did. I made a 3 pce wing separating just outside the rib after the gear. the center section is about 48 inches. I usedd a 1/8 x 1" aluminum bar and built the guide out od AC ply. I use one of the attaching bolts thru one of the gun ports and one goes in fom the gear bay. Works great and is invisible. The break line also is the edge of one of the invasion stripes. there is a drive pin for the outboard part of the flap.
Posted on: 1/2/2012 8:44 AM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10887672

RE: ZIROLI 98
I use the copper fittings, 3/4 in. They TIG weld very nicely as the copper is high quality. I use silicone -bronze to TIG braze to the steel flange. Works great. Not cheap however. Solder doesn't work on the copper as the melting point is 495 deg at best and the EGT is greater than that. Don't ask how I know. haha
Posted on: 12/24/2011 1:50 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10874829

RE: ZIROLI 120
Sam, Thanks, I learned my lesson. I now have a portable HD and 2 8 gig sticks. I have couple huge chips for my camera too. There are over 1k picture still on my camera from everywhere this year. I have to clean house one of these days.
Posted on: 12/24/2011 1:46 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10874823

RE: Scratch building 105
I don't think you will be very successful soldering this unless you use some kind of silver solder. Sta-Brite is what I've used but even this is of limited strength. I TIG weld this stuff where ever I can. Since I have my own welder. Brazing is pretty good too however you will lose the temper of the spring steel. Really not a problem however.
Posted on: 12/24/2011 1:39 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10874816

RE: ZIROLI 120
We cut our own kit after returning 2 semi kits. The parts just did not match the plans. I think something was lost in the blow-up. We also replaced a lot of the lite ply with AC ply as you noted. I'm glad to hear the gear legs are holding up. The Glinnis wheels are really heavy and they surely take a lot of force to get up to speed when landing. We used a bolt on firewall too for the same reason...works great. We have plans for a P-61 too but we are about out of room. I have a 34 foot goose neck trailer so transportation is not a problem but at my son's house the shop is getting full. I lost a lot of my pictures of these in a computer crash but I'll get over and take some shortly. That's really fast for the P-61. Probably pretty close to dynamic scale however. If you get over to Owatonna in 2012 we may get a chance to meet.
Posted on: 12/24/2011 5:13 AM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10874143

RE: ZIROLI 98
I forgot about the vent hole behind the motor too. It needs to be at least 2 1/2 to 3 times the area of the intake so try and fudge the intake as much as possible. The greater the ratio the better. It won't hurt to put the oil cooler holes in also. Can't wait to see how this one comes out. Nothing like having the master builder do a Mustang.
Posted on: 12/24/2011 4:58 AM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10874131

RE: ZIROLI 98
We have a D model done with a precision Eagle 5.8. It's a strong motor. I got over 45 pounds thrust on the ground. Also noisy with scale exhaust. The cops came one evening when I was running it in the back yard. They said it was a cool plane but I really needed to take it out to the flying field for testing. It's a fun plane to build. another one that looks like there is all kinds of room inside. but actually not much. Especially after you install your great interior!!!! ( compliment) the spinner is huge and care is needed to get it to run true and stay that way. We have had trouble with the crankshaft on the 5.8. the prop adaptor has ripped the crank up twice and one other time the extension shaft broke off and luckly it didn't throw the whole thing off. I'm not sure if this is just a 5.8 problem or just the way PE mounted theirs. It's shaky anyway you look at it. You may need some baffles to help with cooling as the 5.8 takes up a lot of room. I've already burned up one cowl. good luck on the build.
Posted on: 12/23/2011 11:20 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10873995

RE: ZIROLI 120
We are just finishing our 118-120" Z-B-25. Lot of work but pretty easy. The build went pretty fast, it's the details that slow you down. We have a removable 3 pc wing. bombay is in the bottom of the wing. Also added a doubler over the wing opening with a carbon fiber liner. I added additional bracing just behid the wing in the fuse as the side gun blisters are cut out. More CF. We have rudder and elev servos in the rear but be carefull of weight , it's a long way back there. We also laid CF on the top and bottom spars and around the gear mounts. The gear is a bit shaky so I think we will be replacing struts after a couple flights. We softened the springs a little but the struts are pretty small and the links are not real strong for this size plane. I TIG welded some reinforcing on the links on my Z-Corsair and that solved the weak link problem. It's a tricky weld however. The axels are question mark. 1/4 inch is pretty small for this and i bent plenty of them with the Corsair. Glennis said he would drill out the wheels for 5/16 but we will hav eto tke care of the struts. Another problem waiting for a solution. We have 2x G-45's for power.. Probably a great over kill but my son likes the power. Robarts with Glinnis wheels and brakes. Full gear doors with sequencing. Double bomb drop, We have the canopy on the tail gun. I cut some vinyl fabric for a scale looking leather enclosure of the tail gun. Looks cool and has real wrinkles. There is a mile of air lines with the sequencing all color coded. The wire is very significant too. We actually ripped it all out and re-did it without connectors where ever possible. crimp and solder. Just one connector coming apart in flight can ruin your day. This one is OD on top and light gray on the bottom. I think we will have invasion stripes too. So far we have deleted the 20mm side guns as they didn't look right. Target weight is 50 pounds but 54 looks more realistic. We have lots of batteries and backup stuff. The gear doors were not real hard just hard to get small gaps. I decided to make copper tubing exhaust, it's pretty simple and does not weigh a lot. I TIG welded it so it looks cool. It's close to scale too. We were going to have operational cowl flaps but that was jus too complicated. We have the small flat wide scoop on the top of the cowls. It took a day each for me to mold them and get a scale sharp edge on them but they do look very nice. 4 servo flaps and servos on each aileron, servo on each motor, retract require 2 servos and mixing. My son did that so I really don't know how it works but it does nicely. the electric switches are under the top turret. Motor switches are on each cowl. It looks like 18-10 3 blades will work. We still have fuel tanks to install somewhere. It's tempting to weld up an aluminum tank sculptured to fit in the fuse feeding both motors. For a big plane you would think there is a lot of room but that is not the case. This is it in a nut shell. Good luck on your build.
Posted on: 12/23/2011 11:06 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10873989

RE: try to rebuild this!!
[quote]I also wished we could have heard it too. [/quote] Maybe that's the answer to the age old question "if a tree falls in the woods and there is nobody to hear it, is there any noise??" Nothing like crash as this to learn a hard lesson.
Posted on: 12/19/2011 3:19 PM by Author "bentwings" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10867053