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Official FlightLine RC 1600mm P-38 Lightning Thread
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Hello Aros,
What's the name of that snow covered peak on the opposite horizon of the setting sun?Warbird Charlie
HSD Skyraider FlightLine OV-10 FMS 1400: P-40B, P-51, F4U, F6F, T-28, P-40E, Pitts, 1700 F4U & F7F, FOX glider Freewing A-6, T-33, P-51 Dynam ME-262, Waco TF Giant P-47; ESM F7F-3 LX PBJ-1 EFL CZ T-28, C-150, 1500 P-51 & FW-190
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yesterday i had to maiden my p-38. there was a real anoying 7-10 mph cross wind but this model handled it well. i flew with the 4s 3000mah 35c admiral batteries and had 3.86 per cell left after this flight of pretty hard flying. also keep in mind that the temp was around 53-55 deg. so im sure the cells will have even more when summer temps are around.i have a pair of gforce 4000 30c batteries that fit nicely and with them shoved all of the way back the model is just slightly nose down @ 65mm c/g so i will have to give them a try next time out. as i had read in early reports i did need to add allot of up elevator trim but aside from that just a few clicks of aileron and she flew great.i really enjoyed seeing this model in the air. really any scale p-38 looks and flys with its own style. my 40" guillows p-38 r/c conversion was alot more work than this model and it too needed allot of up elevator to trim out so that was neat to see that they both fly alot the same in that regard. Great job you guys! i really give motion rc allot of credit in my videos with their product. you really have been the best to deal with.2nd flight of my flightlinerc p-38l . bone stock with 4s 3000 35c admiral batteries. about 1/8 inch up elevator trim was required for level flight. i really ...AKA meltor
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Nice shots there Hiflyer!
OV10, that's all 14,416 feet of the majestic Mt. Rainier.
Nice flying there jagdpanther9...I envy your flying field. I quite honestly do not know what it would be like to fly without obstacles. Allied Green with envy. ;)
My YouTube RC videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@toddbreda
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Originally posted by F106DeltaDart View PostJust got my P-38 together for flight. Flies great! Certainly has an unmistakable presence in the air. I also modded the main gear to use FMS P-51 wheels. They works great and look much more scale.www.TSHobbies.com
Hobby Paint racks and acrylic display stands for collectibles.
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Originally posted by F106DeltaDart View PostJust got my P-38 together for flight. Flies great! Certainly has an unmistakable presence in the air. I also modded the main gear to use FMS P-51 wheels. They works great and look much more scale.
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I know this isn't the P-51 wheels but here's what I did to install my Robart diamond treads (which look great, btw):
1) Painted the hubs silver.
2) Drilled out hole in the hubs for the stock strut to poke through.
3) Place them on the struts, tighten collars.
The 2.25" Robart nose wheel was a lot wider than the stock wheel which gave me less room to fit a collar but I made it work.
1 collar unscrewed nicely on one of the mains. The other main I had to really get it to bite. Finally did. Nose collar was the biggest offender...Had to use pliers and rock it back and forth to get it off. Had to replace.My YouTube RC videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@toddbreda
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Originally posted by xviper2 View PostThis is what I also plan to do. I have spare P-51 tires. Was it a straight swap as Alpha said? No modding or carving? Set screws didn't strip on you? How about the front gear? Did you use one of the stock main tires?
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Hey pilots! Capt Mike and I went out and captured some pics of our production silver version last saturday. Check out the product page to take a look.
FlightLine P-38L Lightning "Pacific Silver" 1600mm (63") Wingspan - PNP - FLW3011P The legendary P-38 “Lightning” revolutionized aviation history in World War II. Designed by a skilled team of engineers led by Clarence Johnson and Hal Hibbard, the P-38 was the only American fighter that was continually produced from be
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I hate that motorcycle they make me ride. I'm here to tell you, there ain't nothing in the world I hate more than that elephant under my ass.
-Officer John Wintergreen-
ElectraGlide in Blue, 1973
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That's a mighty fine review FLTRI and it's appreciated. Here's some quick thoughts...
Gator Skin. Indeed, there is some pronounced gator skin that appears most problematic on the silver. While I can see the gator skin on my Allied Green, it doesn't appear as pronounced. Alpha can expand on this but it basically has to do with FlightLineRC perfecting their formula, shape of the mold and other factors.
Yeah the diagram is wrong. I now have a flashing green nav light while the formation lights and red nav light is solid, lol. Oh well, I kind of like it, lol.
Flaps. I was one of those that had my inboard servo arms centered. I tried reclocking the arm aft but I don't know how to unscrew the arm without gouging the surrounding foam section so I got creative and extended my clevis.
Props...Agreed...I would prefer the nut-and-bolt method myself. An added step of security that would be nice in V2.
Struts...I agree it's a bit puzzling that they didn't paint the struts and wheels silver at the factory. I can't imagine it's a cost-saving factor. Maybe they thought it would give the builders out there something extra to do?
Extras...Agreed on the extra props. Would be a very nice touch.
Elevator Neutral is 4mm up for me. This is where it wants to be.
CG info...
My YouTube RC videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@toddbreda
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Aros, thanks very much for the CG info, off to remove a bunch of dead weight. ;)
Reference the flap servo, I didn't need to remove nor re-clock the arm on the servo. I had my radio installed, and put my flaps in full up on the Tx. Then, I adjusted the end point on my DX8 menu until the servo arms were near the end of their travel, pointing to the rear, trailing edge, of the plane. I installed both inboard and out board linkages, so the flaps were up (closed) with no servo hum. Flip the switch on the Tx to mid position, and adjust the Tx so they are at 17mm, per the manual. Flaps to landing position on the Tx, and adjust that endpoint to 30mm.
I think what you (and others) are doing is trying to instal the pushrod with the servo centered. Then your are trying to get the takeoff and land positions by having the servo pull the pushrod from center, to the forward positions. You normally center servos to adjust ailerons, rudder and elevator linkages, but not flaps. You have to start out with them near the end of travel, in the up position. Centered, would be near (but not necessarily at) the mid, or takeoff position...I hate that motorcycle they make me ride. I'm here to tell you, there ain't nothing in the world I hate more than that elephant under my ass.
-Officer John Wintergreen-
ElectraGlide in Blue, 1973
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Oh yes of course, that makes perfect sense! I'll be revising my flaps with the end point adjustments...Good info, thanks!My YouTube RC videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@toddbreda
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I'm thinking about adding suspension to the struts, I think I can modify the FMS 1400MM P51 struts to work, I'm going to get two sets so I can use one on the nose gear so if it works out I will have a spare.
Stay tuned...
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Originally posted by TiredIronGRB View PostI'm thinking about adding suspension to the struts, I think I can modify the FMS 1400MM P51 struts to work, I'm going to get two sets so I can use one on the nose gear so if it works out I will have a spare.
Stay tuned...
Andy
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We're encouraged to see pilots take ownership of their P-38s over the past week. We've received photos of mods and customizations, new paint schemes, and other details to "scale out" or otherwise further personalize their P-38s. I'll remind anyone in the area to come fly with us at Apollo Field April 9 and 10. We have about ten P-38s scheduled to be there, almost all of them in a different paint scheme. It will be nice to compare what everyone has done and what they haven't done. After flying the big 3" Dubro mains I personally am going back to the more cushy 2.75" Robarts.
We have also received a small number of reports from customers citing inconsistent surface quality on their P-38s. Right off the bat, allow me to remind all our customers that any unassembled product purchased from Motion RC may be returned within 30 days for a complete refund if it doesnt meet a customers satisfaction. Whether its a newly released product like the FlightLine P-38 or Eflite Prometheus, or a product which has been in production for years like an FMS P-51 or Dynam T-28, the clock starts once you receive it. If you open the box and dont like what you see, simply contact our Customer Service Department for details on how to return the product for a store credit, replacement, or refund, your choice. In most cases we pay for the return shipping, so theres nothing to lose in contacting us.
I just spoke with our Customer Service Manager, who confirmed that as of this writing, his team has not received a single request from any customer requesting to return their P-38 citing quality issues. If any of you reading this want to take advantage of the warranty coverage as detailed on our website, please contact the Customer Service Department. THEY EXIST TO SERVE YOU, that has always been the case and nothing has changed!
Regarding the finish quality, I have briefed the factory on the QC-related issues being discussed publicly and in our own analysis of the first shipment. FLTRIs mention of a stray hair is the first Ive heard of that one, but rest assured the factory will hear on that from me tonight. Overspray is a QC issue as well. For a mass produced foam model with all these masked off areas at this price point, I cant guarantee that overspray will never ever occur, but I can promise it is high on the QC list.
Highest on that list of aesthetic QC checkpoints is the foam itself. My initial samples in August did not pass muster for cell density and smoothness. A second batch was made in November, which was better, but we still requested a third batch. The third batch was mass produced and comprised last weeks First Shipment, which in our random sampling before shipping out hundreds of models showed marked improvement over the prior two batches. That being said, it is obvious that some of you received product which is still less than you expected and less than the standards wed expect from the supplier. Not a problem, contact Customer Service as stated above for a no hassle return.
For the record, the FlightLine supplier is the same supplier that makes Freewings other products, which for the most part has produced excellent foam for years in dozens of aircraft. In the P-38s case some of this gator skin appears to be a function of mold layout, recipe, and other proprietary factors, not merely a result of rushing or lax QC. Rest assured those factors are being more closely scrutinized for future shipments, as Continual Improvement is a mantra which governs all our products, but at this point I cannot guarantee that from time to time models wont be perfect. In these unfortunate but unavoidable instances, I would highlight again our Return Policy; it exists as a safety net. Motion RC stands behind our customers first, and our products second. If the first has issue with the second, we have a process TO MAKE IT RIGHT.
I'd like to see more flight videos as the coming weeks unfold across the country. Get those birds in the air where they belong!Live Q&A every Tuesday and Friday at 9pm EST on my Twitch Livestream
Live chat with me and other RC Nuts on my Discord
Camp my Instagram @Alpha.Makes
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