Official FlightLine RC 1600mm P-38 Lightning Thread

[TiredIronGRB]

TiredIronGRB; can you point me to the posts where you talked about using the P-51 struts on the P-38? I remember reading about it and it seems like there might have been some challenges in getting them to fit.

With 2340 posts in this thread and the search feature not able to search in a thread I was not able to find your posts.

Any help would be much appreciated.

http://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc-airplanes/propeller-airplanes/35457-tired-iron-s-p-38-build

[Aros]

I definitely have strut envy!

I took a stab at some weathering. I used gorilla tape to peel away the paint in strategic areas. It turned out better than I expected! Now I need to buy an airbrush system and get some turbo exhaust stains going.

[T-CAT]

Great job Aros. The money you spend on a good airbrushing system will be well worth it. It's virtually like purchasing quality batteries and a charger, because you'll thank yourself for the better reliability, accuracy, and less frustration that comes with it.

[Aros]

Thanks T-CAT...Do you have a system you would recommend? I would definitely want to invest in a good system because I know once I learn how to use it, I will use it all the time and then proceed to kick myself in the butt for not investing in one years ago!

[T-CAT]

Thanks T-CAT...Do you have a system you would recommend? I would definitely want to invest in a good system because I know once I learn how to use it, I will use it all the time and then proceed to kick myself in the butt for not investing in one years ago!

I personally like the Iwata brand airbrushes. There are more companies that also make great airbrushes, but the Iwata's have been great and perform reliably and consistently. They are of great quality, and provides a great all around product for the price point.

For hobby work, especially RC, I tend to use the airbrush for smaller detail work. So, using an airbrush with a massive paint reservoir isn't necessary, nor is an airbrush with a large needle size (the larger the needle size, the more paint flow that's possible for larger jobs, but potentially sacrifices the smaller detail work that would be possible with a small airbrush needle). An airbrush that tends to provide a happy medium of being successful at a multitude of arts and crafts work is the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. It is a gravity fed (no siphon fed cup), dual action (allows great adjustability as you can control the amount of airflow and paint flow off one trigger that has two actions, pressing down for air, and pulling back for paint flow), 1/3 OZ paint cup, and about a 2" maximum spray pattern using the stock included .35mm needle. There are pluses and minuses with gravity fed versus siphon airbrushes, and either will likely work fine for your hobby needs. The important part is using it properly with the paint thinned to a proper amount to limit the chance of paint build up and blockage at the needle tip, thus getting unpredictable spray patterns, backblow where air and bubbles will be visible in the paint cup, etc. After using it properly, it also needs to be cleaned properly with the proper solutions so it doesn't corrode the chrome outer material of the airbrush, and use tools that help provide a better cleaning such as interdental brushes (like small pipe cleaners :D) and some cutips. Finally, putting it back together properly is key for future functionality on your next projects. When I take it apart I line up all the components in the order I took it apart, and then I know to put it back together it's done in the reverse order. Once a person gets used to the process, it takes very little time to do correctly, and be sure when cleaning the airbrush pieces that you don't drop the needle, needle housing, etc., as that will usually destroy the accuracy and functionality of the airbrush and you'll really be frustrated with it during your projects.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/plackers-dental-brushes-interdental-brushes/ID=prod6151597-product

Buying a proper airbrush compressor is another aspect of the system, along with your paint, cleaning supplies/solutions, etc. With an airbrush for uses in this hobby, many times a smaller compressor is needed. I like a small compressor with a tank attached/included, so I can have air on demand and the air compressor doesn't need to run all the time, only when the tank needs to fill back up with air. Make sure the compressor you chose also comes with a air pressure gauge/adjustment so you can properly adjust the pressure to the desired paint flow and type of detail work you plan to do. In addition, many of the preselected airbrush kits with the airbrush and compressor comes with a hose already, but you may also want to check if it comes with a "quick disconnect". That is always nice to have for easy disconnection of the airbrush from the air hose whether that be for cleaning, moving things around, etc. That's a very nice feature and there's no fear of potential cross threading since no screwing on or off of the air hose is needed from the airbrush.

There's a lot that goes into airbrushing, but learning to use it in various conditions and why is most important makes the process much smoother, and that's done with reading and watching video, and practicing a lot of what you learned. Things start to progress quickly after learning the basics and practicing the great learner sessions found online in videos or text (such as creating smaller to larger dots, fine to thick lines, etc.).

A great site to find and purchase various airbrushes, compressors, and airbrushing related accessories is TCPglobal. I purchase my components there since their prices are reasonable, the stock is broad, and they sell spare parts for airbrush components. Below is a link to the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS airbrush as well as the preselected kits that have this airbrush with a compressor. This is obviously not the only options, just a very good one for RC hobby work and overall dependability and functionality for the price point.

As a side note, although this airbrush doesn't hold a ton of paint like larger siphon fed airbrushes, and has a little smaller needle diameter, a person may assume it's almost impossible to paint larger projects like an entire plane. I have most definitely painted many RC planes with this airbrush. It may take longer since the max spray pattern is 2 inches, but with a bit higher air pressure and properly thinned paint, full coverage can indeed be achieved, just not as quickly as say a spray paint can, but a spray paint can can't adjust pressure and paint flow like an airbrush, so you can achieve more consistent results with airbrushing and level/blend out areas nicely that otherwise would have been impossible without an airbrush.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/Airbrushing...es/HP-CS-4207/

[Aros]

Wow! That was an impressive amount of information, thank you very much! I will definitely peruse that site and see what I can come up with. Again thank you for the wealth of information it is truly appreciated.

[T-CAT]

Any time! It's the least I can do to help out, especially with all the work you put in with this great website. So, thank you ;) :D.

[downwindleg]

Hey Aros, I assume thats just the white foam underneath the paint you pulled up. I don't know how this would work out with a prepainted plane like this but in the old scale days you would put down a base coat or two of silver or aluminum paint in the areas you wanted to expose. Then, if you have a good color match on the olive drab, you paint that right over the well dried base coat of aluminum. Not a bad idea to take pictures of the silver areas so you know exactly where they are. Then come back the next day and carefully scrape away the olive drab to expose the aluminum base coat. It makes for a pretty scale look. Brad

[FreemontFlyer2]

I am happy to read that others have not had the same experience as me. The attached picture shows the results of my 4th (or 5th) sortie. While making a banking turn it stopped responding. Must have been a receiver failure. To say the least it bummed be out a bit. The second picture shows what can be achieved with a hot glue gun. All I replaced was the props. Not as pretty as it was out of the box. I have since replaced the receiver and removed the gear sequencer (and the gear doors) just in case it was the issue.

[crxmanpat]

Sorry to see her go in, but fantastic job on the repairs. She's now battle scarred!

[xviper]

I am happy to read that others have not had the same experience as me. The attached picture shows the results of my 4th (or 5th) sortie. While making a banking turn it stopped responding. Must have been a receiver failure. To say the least it bummed be out a bit. The second picture shows what can be achieved with a hot glue gun. All I replaced was the props. Not as pretty as it was out of the box. I have since replaced the receiver and removed the gear sequencer (and the gear doors) just in case it was the issue.

I find a plane like this needs to be powered through a banked turn or at least have good airspeed before going into the turn. Low to medium power or low airspeed turns (banked turns tend to naturally lose airspeed) can result in a stall in the turn. Once it's stalled, it seems just like there is no response from any control inputs. I've learned to carry speed or use more power when doing banked turns.

[Grossman56]

Hey Fremont, that reminds me of my Spitfire, a little Gorilla Glue and a sling and she was back in the air after breaking the nose right off. I'll get to matching the paint exactly on the winter but for now, she's good.

Grossman56

[Oxotnik]

Character marks. All of my warbirds have plenty of character! :-)

[TiredIronGRB]

If you guys ever try using Foam-Tac you'll never use hot glue or Gorilla glue on foam again.

[FreemontFlyer2]

I prefer to think it was pilot error rather than hardware failure. I can do something about pilot error but not so much about hardware failure.

When it lost control I got no response. I have been in the situation where she is going too slow but she does react to some degree. You are so correct that she does not like to fly slow. I think that is what makes me so nervous when flying her. My goal is to get as much flight time with her as I can and get a new one when she can no longer fly (or maybe before :)).

This has not been my only crash. Up close she is not as pretty as she was, but is beautiful in the air.

Looking forward to getting a set of shock absorbing struts.

The P-38 is by far my all time favorite aircraft.

Also, hello to all. I am new to this forum but have already learned a lot. Should have come here a lot sooner. It would have saved me and my planes some of the hard knocks we have had.

[FreemontFlyer2]

Is this what you're referring to when you say Foam-Tac?

https://www.motionrc.com/collections/specialty-glues/products/beacon-foam-tac-glue-2oz

[Oxotnik]

Is this what you're referring to when you say Foam-Tac?

https://www.motionrc.com/collections/specialty-glues/products/beacon-foam-tac-glue-2oz

That's it. Great stuff!

[crxmanpat]

+1 on Foam Tac. I used to use Beacon 3-in-1 Advance Craft Glue (Beacon also makes Foam Tac), and while it works great on EPS, Depron, and other types of foam, it's not that good on EPO (which is what most planes are made of these days). But Foam Tac works fantastic. On my last order with Motion I ordered two bottles.

[T-CAT]

Absolutely on the FoamTac. It's fantastic stuff and good for a multitude of uses in this hobby. As a heads up, Hobby Lobby knows sells Foam Tac in store AND you can use their awesome coupons with it that can sometimes be as great as 40% off. That's virtually the cheapest you'll find it. I usually stock up with several when those coupons are available. If you have a Hobby Lobby store locally, I highly recommend heading over there, as most should have it by now. It is a recent addition, but if yours doesn't have it yet, ask them to carry it.

[crxmanpat]

Thanks for the heads up on Hobby Lobby. Every time I go into the craft stores I look for Foam Tac hoping one day they'll carry it in stores. I don't mind buying from MRC, but nice to have a local source if I need some in a hurry.