Official Black Horse Spitfire 2000mm ARF Discussion Thread

[Alpha]

As is the case with all the models we sell, only a small fraction of customers actually post about it on Hobby Squawk. Typically 1% or so of customers engage on forums. In many cases, less than 1% of a model's operators post about it on Hobby Squawk. We're doing what we can to make models worth talking about... from there it's on the customer to talk about them and share.

I think part of this dynamic is the nature of the RC Hobby: People like what they like, and often prefer to build then go fly, sail, or drive. This is, after all, an outdoor flying hobby. But I remain hopeful that more people will talk about the indoor aspect of the hobby --building, detailing, fixing, etc.

More time is required to take photos and write build logs, or to browse through endless threads for questions to answer, but I'm sure we have all benefited from someone else's posts so we each have opportunities to pay that forward.


We see the hundreds of "Guests" who are browsing this forum... I hope you register and post, instead of just reading! I'm certain there are things you could teach us, too.

[Cfreuen20]

We are the early adopters :P I really want the F4U next. so I'm waiting for the restock.

I'm out of the market for a while, my fleet doesn't need to grow any more. If I crash a few, then I'll start shopping again lol

Plus as an electric flyer, I'm reluctant to go beyond 20ish pounds. I don't want to have to invest in massive motors, ESCs, or more batteries.

[sfmadmax]

I didn't watch the unveiling, but I clicked through all the pictures and one thing stood out - ELECTRIC RETRACTS

DAMMIT. so jealous.

We are the early adopters :P I really want the F4U next. so I'm waiting for the restock.

[Cfreuen20]

I'm watching the new unveiling of the Zero and P40, see all the upgrades they made over the spitfire? It's good to see all of it rolling out.

I didn't watch the unveiling, but I clicked through all the pictures and one thing stood out - ELECTRIC RETRACTS

DAMMIT. so jealous.

[sfmadmax]

It's quite possible. I think motion only sold 3 or 4 of these new versions.

I'm watching the new unveiling of the Zero and P40, see all the upgrades they made over the spitfire? It's good to see all of it rolling out.

[Cfreuen20]

Are we the only two documenting? anyone else out there? lol

It's quite possible. I think motion only sold 3 or 4 of these new versions.

[sfmadmax]

I would really appreciate that, if you don't mind.

Are we the only two documenting? anyone else out there? lol

[Cfreuen20]

I have a 18x10, that i benched the motor with. It's the smallest prop the engine manual calls for and it moves a ton of air!

So i'm thinking tonight is the night, i mount the wings and get this thing to sit on the ground, i can take some pics if interested. From there I can see what the ground clearance is like. I have another prop that is the next step up, 19x10 ? And I can mount that for comparison.

I would really appreciate that, if you don't mind.

[sfmadmax]

What's a good size propeller for this bird? My motor calls for a 21" diameter, but I'm wondering what the ground clearance would be at that size.

I have a 18x10, that i benched the motor with. It's the smallest prop the engine manual calls for and it moves a ton of air!

So i'm thinking tonight is the night, i mount the wings and get this thing to sit on the ground, i can take some pics if interested. From there I can see what the ground clearance is like. I have another prop that is the next step up, 19x10 ? And I can mount that for comparison.

[Cfreuen20]

What's a good size propeller for this bird? My motor calls for a 21" diameter, but I'm wondering what the ground clearance would be at that size.

[downwind3zero]

Looking great cfreuen20! Nice and clean motor install!! Yes I also noticed the exhaust pattern, only needs a minimal touch up behind the stacks though. To be honest I don't think anyone but us modelers would even notice.

[Cfreuen20]

I've been slowly working on the fuselage, and everything has gone together nice and clean. Things seemed to for better here, my only issue was that the tail wheel pull pull guide tubes weren't accessible from the rear and I didn't realize this until I had already connected the wires to the wheel control arms. I was able to feed a push rod thru the guides and pull the wires towards the servo bay, it worked out. I'm currently working on the motor installation, I had to create a new mount plate because the motor I chose doesn't match the included plates, and I'm going to have to shim the stand offs to get an additional 3 or 4 mm of length out of the apparatus. My motor is a tad shorter than what the stand offs were designed for. Nothing terribly difficult, I'm managing it ok.

Has anyone noticed that the printed smoke pattern running down the side doesn't match the height of the exhaust pipes?I didn't notice that in the publicity photos, and it kind of bugs me. I think I'll paint some smoke on the cowl to blend away some of the discrepancy.

[sfmadmax]

Motor mounted and installed ,

If you're using the templates , take your time. Ensure that the lines on the template line up with the lines on the firewall, DO NOT TAKE THE MANUAL IMAGES FOR GRANTED.

The manual shows a picture of the templates fitting perfectly against the firewall. It does NOT. , use the lines on the template, that are Etched in the center. The lines that look like you're looking through a rifle scope.

Match those lines with the lines against the firewall, you will see they are etched in softly.

[Cfreuen20]

ohhhhhhhhhh

No no, cut the hinges!!!! jasmiller mentioned this in his post #49 , I debated drilling too, however cutting the hinges ever so slightly worked out much better. and I was able to cut each one so that the flaps fit just right.

I think you are ok though, it's one of those Either/Or type of things. I think drilling may have been a little more frustrating, so i can relate!

Yeah it's too late, they're drilled. I filled the old holes with epoxy, so the unit should be plenty strong. It would've been nice if the manual had some kind of explanation instead of forcing us to problem solve through that. Shortening the hinge makes sense, but at the time it seemed like the problem was the angle of the hole, and that changing the length of the hinge wouldn't fix that. I guess I was wrong.

[sfmadmax]

yeah there was an issue with the aileron control rods, which was an easy fix, but I also had an issue with my flap hinges not fitting right. I had to re-drill the holes on the wing to make them fit right.

Oh well, all of it is complete and it seems to function.

ohhhhhhhhhh

No no, cut the hinges!!!! jasmiller mentioned this in his post #49 , I debated drilling too, however cutting the hinges ever so slightly worked out much better. and I was able to cut each one so that the flaps fit just right.

I think you are ok though, it's one of those Either/Or type of things. I think drilling may have been a little more frustrating, so i can relate. IMO, that's nothing really. Saying that the quality to price point is not up to snuff is moot.

Just take your time on the tail section, get everything aligned

[Cfreuen20]

I think I know what you're talking about. Let me guess... The control rods from the servos to the horns. ???

You have to cut away some of the balsa to get them to move freely without friction , you end up covering the holes with those plastic covers though.


Other than that I'm extremely happy with the fit on my control surfaces. They came out great. I probably spent 3 to 4 hours on each wing though few weeks ago while watching TV.

yeah there was an issue with the aileron control rods, which was an easy fix, but I also had an issue with my flap hinges not fitting right. I had to re-drill the holes on the wing to make them fit right.

Oh well, all of it is complete and it seems to function.

[sfmadmax]

Since my state is ground zero for this virus and we're all quarantined, I've been able to work on my spit. I completed the wings, I'm pretty disappointed in the fit of several components considering this price point, but I got them to work and I'll live. I was able to get the JP retracts installed ok, and the control surfaces appear to function. Moving on to the fuselage.

I think I know what you're talking about. Let me guess... The control rods from the servos to the horns. ???

You have to cut away some of the balsa to get them to move freely without friction , you end up covering the holes with those plastic covers though.


Other than that I'm extremely happy with the fit on my control surfaces. They came out great. I probably spent 3 to 4 hours on each wing though few weeks ago while watching TV.

With balsa , you're never going to get that exact fit in the ARFs, occasionally you get the wood that is not symmetrical, etc.. one edge sticks out more than the other.... I did have a little bit of that. But I ended up fixing it all with the hinges. I cut some of them where the fit was better on one side versus the other. And it gave me that straight smooth finish.

i always use 30 min epoxy and have about 6 or 7 clamps holding everything in place , applying pressure where it needs to be.

My flaps came out excellent on the left wing. But slightly off on the right. Meaning.... On the right wing. One side of the flap is flush , and the other side is slightly upright. It's the wood really , nothing I could of done. It's nothing to be upset about though. It sticks up just enough to bother ofyou... Only because the other wing is perfect.

I ended up using the stock retracts , just replaced all the lines and valves with robart and a few restrictors to get that scale deploy. It works great , 100psi gets me about 3 cycles , I got a little Milwaukee pump to fill her up with.

[Cfreuen20]

Is this model a mk. IX?

[Cfreuen20]

Since my state is ground zero for this virus and we're all quarantined, I've been able to work on my spit. I completed the wings, I'm pretty disappointed in the fit of several components considering this price point, but I got them to work and I'll live. I was able to get the JP retracts installed ok, and the control surfaces appear to function. Moving on to the fuselage.

[sfmadmax]

Has there been any announcement about when these are estimated to be back in stock?

I'm not sure myself , I did talk to aros a while back and he said it takes a few months to restock , because these are hand built planes and they gotta ship overseas. I am curious myself when they are going back in stock .

I just finished the gas tank and got the engine mount d on the bench for break in tomorrow. I need to finish the rear pull pull rudder. , And that's pretty much it for the plane . Just get the motor in there and focus on the electronic from there.