Official FlightLine RC 1600mm P-38 Lightning Thread

[SoLongSidekick]

Extra weight from a second camera and wiring would be grams, completely negligible. AOA? That's what I got the fancy full graphics OSD for! ha

[SoLongSidekick]

In fact, with the 2 Quanum bomb droppers I want to figure out what the deepest dive I can perform is without having the bombs strike the props (if that is an issue at all). Then I can program in my own artificial horizon to keep me at the right angle to attain some measure of accuracy.

I'd like to do the same with the glide slope for landing. the Microvector allows for at least three different OSD screens that can be switched between on the fly. Since this is a WWII warbird, I want to keep the OSD as simple as possible. So I'll probably set up a standard OSD for normal flying, a navigation screen with all the GPS and similar data for if I get lost or something like that, then a bombing/landing screen that is specifically set up to help those actions.

[SoLongSidekick]

I'm planning on protecting the foam with Polycrylic and then sealing the paint with Krylon Matte Clear, do you guys think I should do my imprinted rivets (done by pressing a pattern wheel into the foam slightly) before or after the costings?

[Hardway]

Before

[crxmanpat]

Agreed, do it before. Polycrylic and matte coat should be the very last steps on finishing.

[SoLongSidekick]

Thanks guys. That's what I figured but it always feels good to have other opinions.

The next problem I realized I have is placement of the GPS and vTx antenna. Common knowledge is to place them as far apart as possible and with the GPS highest. I was going to attach the GPS to the foam in the gondola and have the vTx antenna coming out of the rear/top of the gondola, but I'm realizing that might not work so well. I was going to use the TBS Triumph antenna, because it's the best all-around antenna I've found and when painted OD green would look pretty similar to a period-correct radar antenna. But now I'm thinking about going with the VAS Minion. The Minion is a really genius antenna, it's a miniaturized version of the Ion (an antenna designed for all-around performance) tuned to have as minor nulls as possible, making banking less of an issue. It was designed this way for racing quads, but banking video integrity is even more important in planes.

So using that antenna opens up new mounting possibilities. With it's tiny size, I could just drill a ~1/3" hole about 2" into the interior fuselage and stick the antenna down into it upside down, then mount the GPS to the interior foam as previously planned. Can anyone else think of a better way/combo? Is it really that important to have the GPS above the vTx antenna? Thanks guys .

**EDIT** - Per WarBirdLover's concept I was going to have a LoS cockpit canopy, then an FPV canopy that has all my FPV gear installed. I just realized the GPS isn't really necessary for LoS flight, as the main reason I have it is for OSD radar. So I could just mount the GPS up into a recessed **** that I will cut for it. That way I could get it a few more inches above the vTx antenna. Worth the effort?

[SoLongSidekick]

So I'm now realizing the best way to assure that I don't have interference is to mount the GPS on the tailplane with a long lead. My first thought was to run the wires as fake real-word antennas (from the rear of the canopy straight to the rudders), but I need to run 4 wires and bundling 2 of them together would probably make the wires look too thick and out of place. So my next thought was to just run the harness down the booms alongside the servo wires. Has anyone tried running more wires down the booms? Is there enough room?

**EDIT** - Just to clarify, the GPS needs to be mounted 3.5" away from any other antennas or current-carrying wires, so the cockpit gondola is unusable as a mounting location.

[SoLongSidekick]

Here: https://www.airspacemag.com/panorama...ing-180954047/

[SoLongSidekick]

OK so I need some help here. I found an amazing book on Amazon: ZBT Battle Field Series:The Sky Lightning--Biography Of P-38, but can only find the Chinese edition! Does anyone know a source for it in English?

[MikeT]

Here: https://www.airspacemag.com/panorama...ing-180954047/

Cool.

Thanks
Mike

[Beeg]

OK so I need some help here. I found an amazing book on Amazon: ZBT Battle Field Series:The Sky Lightning--Biography Of P-38, but can only find the Chinese edition! Does anyone know a source for it in English?

Is there something specific you like in the ZBT book you mention? My guess the Chinese ZBT series is much like the Japanese Koku Fan series and only available I their language with only select English subtext.
If you’re looking for a book(s) on the P-38 I have a fair reference library and a few books and documents on the P-38 if there is something specific you are looking for on the subject I can offer a recommendation. And most are from english authors and written in english. I have a couple in Polish and Czech if you speak/read either of those but they don’t have anything new the others don’t already address.

[Hardway]

Nice!!

[SoLongSidekick]

Is there something specific you like in the ZBT book you mention? My guess the Chinese ZBT series is much like the Japanese Koku Fan series and only available I their language with only select English subtext.
If you’re looking for a book(s) on the P-38 I have a fair reference library and a few books and documents on the P-38 if there is something specific you are looking for on the subject I can offer a recommendation. And most are from english authors and written in english. I have a couple in Polish and Czech if you speak/read either of those but they don’t have anything new the others don’t already address.

I just liked the extremely in-depth story of the P-38's development and the fact that it was absolutely loaded with pictures. And that I could access it online I guess.

[SoLongSidekick]

Absolutely putting a Runcam Split 2 in the pan/tilt gimbal. I don't know why I didn't give this serious thought before now. If I had HD footage from the cockpit, I wouldn't need a second camera in the nose. I am going to buy and modify Flite Test's Split Cube Kit so I can keep the HD camera guts and vTx cleanly in the radio compartment. Not having to rip the nose off makes this build so much less daunting for some reason. I am having a hell of a time separating the canopy from the cockpit, anyone have any tips for that?

[rifleman_btx]

Exacto blade and go around it nice and slow. That's how I did mine.

[SoLongSidekick]

Ah. Motion advised that I just slowly go along and peel it up, but there are some sections of insane glue mass that I just can't peel up without damage. Don't know why I didn't think of just cutting it haha.

You know what else I just realized would make a great location for a landing camera? The supercharger intakes. It would take quite a bit of work, but would make them look more realistic as well (a black lens looking more like an intake than gray foam).

[SoLongSidekick]

I've got a bunch more interesting historical P-38 info, but the posts are starting to bury some of the important questions I had regarding modification/construction of my model. I hadn't considered this and hate to do that to myself, let alone someone else.

So I'm going to wait until a page or so of model-related discourse takes place before I start again, and I have a hell of a first post. I contacted Air Force magazine to try to get a copy of "McGuire's Last Mission", a first-hand account of that mission including insight from one of the Japanese pilots, and an outstanding article. I couldn't find it available anywhere so I asked the magazine, and got an extremely blurry PDF back, I spent like 4 hours transcribing it, and it's a hell of a read.

Speaking of model-related questions, I have one. Regarding the 4mm(?) of up elevator needed: what other solutions have people come up with to avoid doing that? I think I remember seeing some people adding weight to the tail, but how much and where? Got any pics? I really want to avoid having the elevator modified if I can. I don't need anything else making inverted flight any harder.

[SoLongSidekick]

Exacto blade and go around it nice and slow. That's how I did mine.

Another thing I've realized after studying your FPV footage is that there's no good way to get the camera at the right height and add a gunsight. That really bums me out, I had already designed the reticle from an accurate rocket-equipped P-38L gunsight. I guess I could kind of redesign it and make the shape of the plexiglass more like that of a modern HUD, and just have the basic gunsight reticle in the middle. I don't know if that would look ok though. Thoughts?

**EDIT** - Actually I just realized a way I could do it. The console on this model seems to be based on the shape of the coaming, not of the actual console. So if I cut the console back to where it's just sticking out from the front of the windscreen I could mount a gunsight and have it "usable". The P-38's gunsight was mounted to the windscreen on actual planes, but that's not really doable since I'm cutting the front windscreen out for better visibility. So cutting back the instrument console is the only way.

[rifleman_btx]

I agree with your edited comment as the way to go

[SoLongSidekick]

Has anyone tried adding the scale forward rake to the landing gear (by adding washers under the rear screws) with the MRC upgraded struts? If I remember what I read previously in this thread, there was already an issue with getting a "perfect" amount of rake to the stock rear wheels because of door clearance, and that would obviously be exacerbated by the upgraded struts.