Official FMS 1500mm P-47D Razorback Thread

[jetfool]

Davegee,

Do you have the curtiss prop for your cuffs or will you modify the tips on the Hamilton prop.
Beautiful day but winds around 30mph. Received my callie instrument panel so spent the day working on the cockpit. Wife helping to make seat harness, now need to get a good pilot.

Rex

[davegee]

Davegee,

Do you have the curtiss prop for your cuffs or will you modify the tips on the Hamilton prop.
Beautiful day but winds around 30mph. Received my callie instrument panel so spent the day working on the cockpit. Wife helping to make seat harness, now need to get a good pilot.

Rex

Hi Rex: I don't plan on doing any more modifications to the prop other than what you saw. I know they went through several types of both Curtiss and Hamilton Standard props over the course of the war. There is one or two that are 'reasonably" close to this model's HS prop with the cuffs on it to mimic a CE prop, and that is probably close enough for me with this foamie project. The printed CE prop dome, however, is spot on and should really enhance the look of the plane. If it was for a museum piece, of course I would probably have 3D printed props for that. But I know that this is a proven propeller for this airplane even though it is designed for the V3 Corsair, and I have confidence that it will fly two of my P-47s well with it on. The third one I have had a HS prop, so I didn't have to do anything to it and have flown it already on the big prop several times.

Good you're working on the cockpit. I ended up keeping the stock bust pilot on my Corsair, painted up his jacket with the Marine camo pattern that the real pilot Bob Hanson habitually wore on his missions. He'll do for this one, but I'm always searching for better pilots, like what LB did with his magnificent full figure printed marine pilot.

The best one I ever did was for a ESM Corsair that went to a museum in the Denver area. I used one of the "Best Pilots" brand of pilots, and then had a scanned face put into the helmet from a photo of the real pilot, Major Bob Owens, who flew it in WWII. It was eerie, it looked so real!

Look forward to updates to your birdcage Corsair!

davegee

[davegee]

I have a question. I've had a total of 4 of these P-47D razorbacks through the years. One crashed a long time ago, the other three are doing great and rarin' to go this Spring. My latest one that I bought a couple of months ago. I noticed on the main gear struts the slot in the strut where the screw rides up and down with the spring inside is on the front of the strut. All the others in the past were on the back of the strut. Not a big deal, but I have some scale decals that go on the front of the strut, but I can't do that with the slot now in the way on this latest one.

My question is: is there a way to rotate the strut so that slot and screw are on the backside of the airplane, like my others are?

I'll attach a pic from FAIR, which shows replacement parts for this plane. They show two strut/gear assemblies side by side, and if you look carefully, you can see that the screw and spring face forward in this pic. Perhaps they redesigned it for whatever reason, but I would sure like to reverse the direction of that slot to the back, if possible.

Any thoughts on this are appreciated. Not a big deal, I can live with it if I have to.

Cheers

davegee

Regarding a previous question I had a few pages back about the compression springs and the screw that rides up and down in the slot of the FMS 1500mm P-47 razorback, my complaint was that one of my airplanes, and actually probably all from the factory now have the slot in the front, instead of where they used to be, in the back. Now, that's probably not a problem for almost all people, but I've always liked to add the placards that go on the front of the strut, per the real planes. With that slot in the front, I couldn't really do that. So, I posed the question if it was possible to reverse that and put it (the slot) in the back again, rotating the gear barrel 180 degrees.

I think Rex and Grossman thought that if you take the screw out and let everything come loose, you might be able to rotate the barrel of the main landing gear strut so the slot is in the back. Well I'm happy to say that replacement gear finally arrived from China after about 15 days, and I put this theory to the test.

Yes, you can do that! But, it came at a cost. The gear that was put together at the factory that I had to remove to do the change, just would not come out. They must have had an ape tighten down those set screws! I ended up just replacing both main gear, and I have a lot of spare parts and tires in my box now. But perseverance did pay off, even though it cost me the evening to get it done! Still worth it, I think, and I learned something, too.

Thanks to Rex and Grossman for their excellent feedback!

davegee

[jetfool]

Davegee,

Glad you got your gear scissors facing the right way. Gonna look so much better now. You might try putting some heat at the set-screw area, if it was loc-tited that should loosen up enough where you can remove the set-screw.
I believe Mr. King Kong Do is contracted by all the Chinese factories to tighten all landing gear before shippment. LOL
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

Davegee,

Glad you got your gear scissors facing the right way. Gonna look so much better now. You might try putting some heat at the set-screw area, if it was loc-tited that should loosen up enough where you can remove the set-screw.
I believe Mr. King Kong Do is contracted by all the Chinese factories to tighten all landing gear before shippment. LOL
Best Regards, Rex

Hi Rex: I really put the heat on these parts! I tried covering up the foam parts like the wings, but still gatored a small section of the wing aft of the gear well. Grrr....
Did repair and repaint it, and now to put all the brake lines/shrinker bars. I think also the steel they use to make these set screws are crap, and easily strip when you have to really bear down to get them out. But it's on the road to recovery now...

Davegee

[Grossman56]

I ran across the same thing when I tried to remove a prop shaft from a motor. I heated it up and everything and there was just no way that sucker was coming loose. What the heck do they put it on with??

Grossman56

[davegee]

Here is my first pic of all three airplanes with the big props, and two of them with the CE prop dome. Just arrived today in the mail. Weather permitting, I'll do full power runups on all three airplanes outside on the patio at home. Most of next week is forecast to be cold, snowy, and windy, so probably won't get out to fly next week, but we'll see.

[SanExup]

davegee The planes look great but those wing mitts look fantastic!!! Now I'm kicking myself for all of the packing foam I've ever tossed. Great idea!

[jetfool]

Nice airforce you have Davegee. Spinner and cuffs look great. Rex

[davegee]

Nice airforce you have Davegee. Spinner and cuffs look great. Rex

Thanks, Rex. I am going to try and haul all three of them to our air field this spring on a nice morning to do a photoshoot, maybe even get a couple of them in formation for a flight or two. Not sure who would fly the other one, but would be neat to see two planes in formation.

Cheers

davegee

[davegee]

davegee The planes look great but those wing mitts look fantastic!!! Now I'm kicking myself for all of the packing foam I've ever tossed. Great idea!

Hi SanExup: For the wing and tail protectors, it's really easy. Places like Walmart sell rolls of foam about 1/2" thick and about 4-5 feet long. Just trace the shape of your part you want to protect, cut two out and glue together with a glue that works with foam. Then you are all set. They have prevented a lot of damage to/from the air field bumping into things, in and out of the truck, etc.

I ended up making these prop cuffs out of .010" thick styrene. Folded it carefully in two and used model airplane glue to cement the two ends together. Then painted and slid the cuffs on the base part of the prop and used some rubbery glue to keep them in place.

I've done a couple runups to about 1/2 power indoors but the acid test will be some full power tests I need to do, and of course flying it to see if there are any adverse effects using the cuffs. I suspect they won't be a problem, but we'll see. Probably a week away from flying if the weather reports are accurate for upcoming super cold temps and some snow off and on. But if I can sneak out in-between all that stuff, I might get a flight or two in! The plane with the Ham-Stan prop has already been flown several times with the big prop on it. I have a defective tailwheel that cycles about every third or fourth time you command the gear to go up or down. Don't want to fly until that servo is replaced.

Cheers

Davegee

[SanExup]

We still don't have a Walmart. It's Target or Target. Better than when it was Kmart or Kmart. But I don't mind.

The mitts are on my list. It's impossible to move planes without dinging them

It's supposed to dump here Monday so I imagine it'll be coming your way. It's been one of the coldest winters here in many years.

Your P47s are really incredible! An inspiration! They look phenomenal static. Thanks for sharing your passion!

[davegee]

We still don't have a Walmart. It's Target or Target. Better than when it was Kmart or Kmart. But I don't mind.

The mitts are on my list. It's impossible to move planes without dinging them

It's supposed to dump here Monday so I imagine it'll be coming your way. It's been one of the coldest winters here in many years.

Your P47s are really incredible! An inspiration! They look phenomenal static. Thanks for sharing your passion!

Thanks, SanExup: With my keen interest in history, I have always fashiioned my models after a real pilot who flew that particular airplane I am making. All three of these flew with the 56th Fighter Group in WWII. Two were with the 62nd fighter squadron (LM) and one with the 61st Fighter Squadron (HV).

Check in the Target in the sewing supplies, if they have a section there. They should sell small rolls of foam about 1/2 inch thick. If you find that and some hobby glue usually the clear stuff works best for me, put it around the edges of one of your cutouts and put the other on top maybe with a book over it until it sets. Then you're there! They'll help out at least on the little dings!

Cheers

Dave

[SanExup]

Dave,

That's a great approach to modeling and selecting the subject matter!

I think for a number of people the greatest satisfaction in life comes from being engaged in something. With passionate, deliberate, conscientious laboring towards a goal. And also being able to say, eff it, looks great, good enough. The balance of not sacrificing the creation nor the creator.🤣😂 And having fun trying to fly the paint off!

I'd eventually like to do, as a tribute, a Corsair and/or a Bearcat like Leroy Brown's, I read this book Devotion a couple of years back, so much sacrifice in war and military operations, it should be remembered, the who's, the why's, the where's, the what's of these engagements. Whether in war or in peace, there have been people operating with purpose towards, hopefully a greater good. Idealism and realism has fueled the need for military might, and the response of that need. And there are a lot of unknown people who've given up a lot for the better of many. Sure its been a job for some, but it can be a job and a calling simultaneously.

I'd like to also do an F14 in tribute to Dale Snodgrass. And actually he flew so many different planes I could fill out the holes in my hanger with a few tributes to him. 😁

To tie it all back to the thread topic, I really need use your approach and dive into some research of the different schemes of the P47 that I like. Do a fun project that speaks to me. And then break out the spray cans! I wish I had your talents and skills. I'll keep trying. And it's a great excuse to own more planes.The joys of model aviation!

[davegee]

[QUOTE=SanExup;n370905]Dave,

That's a great approach to modeling and selecting the subject matter!

I think for a number of people the greatest satisfaction in life comes from being engaged in something. With passionate, deliberate, conscientious laboring towards a goal. And also being able to say, eff it, looks great, good enough. The balance of not sacrificing the creation nor the creator.🤣😂 And having fun trying to fly the paint off!

I'd eventually like to do, as a tribute, a Corsair and/or a Bearcat like Leroy Brown's, I read this book Devotion a couple of years back, so much sacrifice in war and military operations, it should be remembered, the who's, the why's, the where's, the what's of these engagements. Whether in war or in peace, there have been people operating with purpose towards, hopefully a greater good. Idealism and realism has fueled the need for military might, and the response of that need. And there are a lot of unknown people who've given up a lot for the better of many. Sure its been a job for some, but it can be a job and a calling simultaneously.

I'd like to also do an F14 in tribute to Dale Snodgrass. And actually he flew so many different planes I could fill out the holes in my hanger with a few tributes to him. 😁

To tie it all back to the thread topic, I really need use your approach and dive into some research of the different schemes of the P47 that I like. Do a fun project that speaks to me. And then break out the spray cans! I wish I had your talents and skills. I'll keep trying. And it's a great excuse to own more planes.The joys of model aviation![/QUO

Everyone in this hobby or any hobby, have their reasons or things that motivate them to do what they do. No matter the motivations, I think it's all good.

I have done some airplanes that are models of a few of our top aces from WWII, like Dave Schilling and his series of Hairless Joe airplanes, named after a colorful character in a cartoon strip L'il Abner during that time. The foamie Hairless Joe, is modeled after one of his earlier planes (note the red surround on the stars and bars dating to 1943) earlier in his combat career in Europe. He got three kills in this plane before trading up for a newer plane. A pilot flying it afterwards ran out of gas coming back from a mission, belly landed it, and the plane was a write-off, although the pilot escaped without injury,

Another plane in my foamie jug group is I Wanted Wings/Button Nose, flown by a Lt. Albert Knafelz of Horseheads, NY. He got one aerial kill and a bunch of locomotives as operations switched in the summer of 1944 to killing trains, enemy infantry, airfields, everything that would bring the Germans to surrender. Knafelz did his tour, survived it, and came home to live a long and normal life afterwards. Nobody talks about him, other than people who knew him, but he contributed as much as anyone to winning the war in Europe, I think. I like recognizing people like this, too, who deserve a place at the table of Heroes.

I think it is great if you are moved to honor some heroes like Jesse Brown from the book Devotion, or Dale Snodgrass of F-14 and aviation fame before his untimely demise a few years ago. It helps keep their memories and accomplishments alive for all of us.

Cheers

Davegee

[Grossman56]

Here is my first pic of all three airplanes with the big props, and two of them with the CE prop dome. Just arrived today in the mail. Weather permitting, I'll do full power runups on all three airplanes outside on the patio at home. Most of next week is forecast to be cold, snowy, and windy, so probably won't get out to fly next week, but we'll see.

Sorry Dave, it's my fault, the weather looked good just before the snow so I charged up some batteries Murph's Law. As soon as I discharge them the weather will turn great again.
Geez SanExup, I thought Cody was bad with only a Walmart, you must be in the real back woods of Wyoming You'll have to come up and visit me and Dave in the big city!!

Either that or we'll have to head your way, let's see what's happening this year and figure a way to meet up. I was eyeballing that get together at the Thermopolis Airport, possibly???

I smell a photo op!! Squawkers West !! If I could persuade Aros (Todd) to leave the wonderful world of Seattle and make his way to 'fly over' country that would be cool too Hint Hint!!



Grossman56

[SanExup]

Grossman56 I will definitely plan on loading the camper with planes and making a trip to Cody this summer! You guys have an actual runway! Don't come this way, I have to either fly from unimproved dirt or drive a 2 1/2 hours to my local club (in Utah) 🙃 to fly from a runway. A Cody trip would be fun!

Is that an event in Thermopolis? When is that?

[davegee]

Sorry Dave, it's my fault, the weather looked good just before the snow so I charged up some batteries Murph's Law. As soon as I discharge them the weather will turn great again.
Geez SanExup, I thought Cody was bad with only a Walmart, you must be in the real back woods of Wyoming You'll have to come up and visit me and Dave in the big city!!

Either that or we'll have to head your way, let's see what's happening this year and figure a way to meet up. I was eyeballing that get together at the Thermopolis Airport, possibly???

I smell a photo op!! Squawkers West !! If I could persuade Aros (Todd) to leave the wonderful world of Seattle and make his way to 'fly over' country that would be cool too Hint Hint!!



Grossman56

SanExup: be sure to look us up or give us a headsup if you do come out to Cody this summer. If you do, you just have to stop by our house at our O Club Bar in the basement. You, Dan, and I could have a nice brew and check out all the memorabilia we have on the walls! Maybe get a few other guys too, if they're interested. About 10 minutes' drive from the field is all.

I thought I came from a "big city" in Denver but I guess everything is relative! It might not look like winter will ever end with the forecast weather next week here, but I'm assured Spring will indeed come! Seems it comes every year about this time...

Cheers

davegee

[SanExup]

Sounds like a plan!

Yeah, we're forecast for 5 feet in the mountains by Thursday...
Here spring happens on some random day in May, then it transitions back to winter for a few days, enough to consider refueling the snowblower, then two days after that it's summer. I'm always reminded that it'll happen, it always does, you just can't get your hopes up that it'll be tomorrow or the next day.😄

[Grossman56]

Count me in, I'm back at work Tuesday through Saturday but Sundays and Mondays are still mine. Yeah, some of the fellows from our club went to this fly in at Thermop last year. Andy's turbine jet was in the Jan 2023 edition of Model Aviation. The event is called the Thermopolis Fun Fly and was held in Sept 2022. According to the article this was the second time they held the event. Couldn't ask for a better runway, a REAL runway. Speaking of runways, our is a runway in the broadest of terms as Dave can attest. To be kind, the old asphalt is lumpy and cracked.
But its flyable and certainly better than nothing.
Now, to be fair, the guys have put some work in on it and those pebbles (rocks to our airplanes) have disappeared and we actually have a building

and a cover over our tables when the wind hasn't ripped the tarps up. We should be getting new tarps this season I'd imagine.



So we're making headway!

Meanwhile, I haven't heard much about Riverton I've been out of the loop for a bit, but they're a great bunch of guys as well, possibly they'll have their Fly In at a new field this year.

Grossman56