Official FMS 1500mm P-47D Razorback Thread

[spanner76]

I'm very pleased to hear that your Razorback is flying so well! I wasn't so sure about them initially but after looking at them more and more I now really like the prop cuffs and spinner! I would like to make a set for mine too now!

I have had many further successful flights with my P-47 with the V3 prop, no issues at all. Was out on the field last weekend infact and she flew beautifully! I also maidened my FMS 1700mm P-51D Mustang with a custom built 19.6x11 prop set that I also built with the Corsair v3 props! I have photos of that in the other RC plane forum. Link below..

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1501476-FMS-North-American-P-51-D-Mustang-1700mm-%2867-inches%21%21%21%29/page869#post50698097

I did lose that original plane to a silly and careless flying error but the big prop.worked awesome! Have since purchased another of the same plane and built another new big prop and will hopefully maiden that soon.

I would also really like to do a full repaint on one of my Razorbacks, technically I have three of them, the damaged original which is currently dismantled and boxed, the one I fly with now and another brand new unbuilt in its boxi but my modelling skills aren't up to scratch and wouldn't want to start something that I couldn't finish or do well and have a crappy looking plane..

I had crazy thoughts of cutting down the fuselage of the damaged one and turning it into a bubble canopy version! Would need to find a suitably sized canopy for it. Would look amazing I reckon!
Although I do really love the Razorbacks, I have always preferred the bubble canopy look especially without the rudder fin extention!
I assume I would need some kind of modelling foam or filler to reshape the fuselage after cutting it down? Would even be happy to keep the same paint scheme on it to avoid repainting the whole plane..

What do you think of the idea of cutting down the fuselage?

Loving the hobby! RC warbirds need scale props! 😁

[davegee]

I'm very pleased to hear that your Razorback is flying so well! I wasn't so sure about them initially but after looking at them more and more I now really like the prop cuffs and spinner! I would like to make a set for mine too now!

I have had many further successful flights with my P-47 with the V3 prop, no issues at all. Was out on the field last weekend infact and she flew beautifully! I also maidened my FMS 1700mm P-51D Mustang with a custom built 19.6x11 prop set that I also built with the Corsair v3 props! I have photos of that in the other RC plane forum. Link below..

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...9#post50698097

I did lose that original plane to a silly and careless flying error but the big prop.worked awesome! Have since purchased another of the same plane and built another new big prop and will hopefully maiden that soon.

I would also really like to do a full repaint on one of my Razorbacks, technically I have three of them, the damaged original which is currently dismantled and boxed, the one I fly with now and another brand new unbuilt in its boxi but my modelling skills aren't up to scratch and wouldn't want to start something that I couldn't finish or do well and have a crappy looking plane..

I had crazy thoughts of cutting down the fuselage of the damaged one and turning it into a bubble canopy version! Would need to find a suitably sized canopy for it. Would look amazing I reckon!
Although I do really love the Razorbacks, I have always preferred the bubble canopy look especially without the rudder fin extention!
I assume I would need some kind of modelling foam or filler to reshape the fuselage after cutting it down? Would even be happy to keep the same paint scheme on it to avoid repainting the whole plane..

What do you think of the idea of cutting down the fuselage?

Loving the hobby! RC warbirds need scale props! 😁

Hi Spanner 76: That P-51D really looks great with that big prop on it! I like your work and thinking in putting the larger prop on it. Looks like it was well thought out and executed, as well as being very sturdy.

I experimented in a small way of cutting down the dorsal fin fillet on my E-Flite LOU IV P-51D to make it accurate to the very early D models before they added the fillet due to directional control problems that they found after they cut the spine down on the razorback. I had to use some putty and sanding to finish it up, but it came out fine, and flies fine without that fillet. I figured it would work out fine without it for this model airplane.

I'm with you on the D model bubbletop. It's my favorite of the jugs, although the razorback is very cool, too. Twenty years ago , I built a 1/6 scale Aerotech P-47D Hairless Joe that I flew in competitions around the USA, even brought it to England for a big airshow where the real airplane had flown from 60 years earlier from the same runway. It eventually went to a nice air museum in Kalamazoo Michigan. If they ever come out with a foamie P-47 bubbletop, I will be all over that, and probably the first one I'll do is another Hairless Joe.

I had thought of cutting down a foamie razorback P-47, haven't totally ruled out doing it. I think it would be doable for sure, would take a lot of planning and lots of putty and sanding, but it could be done. You could have someone make a scale canopy mold and produce a few scale canopies for it. I wouldn't think that would be a big deal. Let me know if you get serious about cutting down a razorback to a bubble top fuselage. That would be a neat project as long as they aren't coming out with any more bubbletops that I know of, but maybe we'll get pleasantly surprised if they do!

I'll attach a pic of my LOU IV mod and a pic of Hairless Joe on runway 22 at Boxted Air Base, England in 2004.

[spanner76]

Hey Dave, yeah the new P-51 prop is just as sturdy as the original, have no worries of it coming apart in flight. The larger diameter and deeper pitch blades have made a noticeable difference in performance so was considering replacing the stock 360kv motor for a spare 300kv I have from a previous V3 Corsair. The lower Kv rating would spin the prop a little slower and most likely match the performance of the original 17x9 prop and it might even help with longer flight times. Thoughts?

I also much prefer the Mustangs without the additional fillet. Your LouIV looks absolutely stunning! I would love to have my Mustang on those colours!

The old damaged P-47 which I did repair and fly a few times doesn't look too bad and would be perfect to experiment on with the cut down. Even though I was able to repair the damage from the prop explosion, I wanted to retire it and didn't have any plans for it other than for spare parts. It's now been in the box for months and haven't actually used any of the parts..

Love the photos!!!

[davegee]

Hey Dave, yeah the new P-51 prop is just as sturdy as the original, have no worries of it coming apart in flight. The larger diameter and deeper pitch blades have made a noticeable difference in performance so was considering replacing the stock 360kv motor for a spare 300kv I have from a previous V3 Corsair. The lower Kv rating would spin the prop a little slower and most likely match the performance of the original 17x9 prop and it might even help with longer flight times. Thoughts?

I also much prefer the Mustangs without the additional fillet. Your LouIV looks absolutely stunning! I would love to have my Mustang on those colours!

The old damaged P-47 which I did repair and fly a few times doesn't look too bad and would be perfect to experiment on with the cut down. Even though I was able to repair the damage from the prop explosion, I wanted to retire it and didn't have any plans for it other than for spare parts. It's now been in the box for months and haven't actually used any of the parts..

Love the photos!!!

I think it would make for an interesting experiment to switch out the KV 300 and the 360 motors. I really have no idea if there will be an appreciable perception for the difference, but you may see one when you try it. Let me know if you do that and what you find out.

I think the tricky part of the P-47 cut down to a bubble top will be to get a good consistent curve around the top parts of the fuselage to blend nicely to the bottom part of the fuse that wasn't altered. You might make up some templates to make sure you are getting consistent curves at that point you are checking on the fuse, and then using smaller ones for various parts of the fuse as it tapers to the tail. Definitely some "eyeballing" looking down the length of the fuselage to see if you got the consistent smooth curves correct. It would be a lot of work, but would look very cool when done.

As you no doubt know, working on warbirds is "never really completed." There is always that little bit you didn't quite like how it came out, and then you work on it to make it exactly what you wanted.

The LOU IV paint scheme is a very complicated one, and underwent many changes in a short time. It was only in action a couple of months before it and its pilot. the CO of the 361st Fighter Group Col TJJ "Jack" Christian, Jr. were lost on a dive bombing mission.

I recently became convinced after looking at photographs of this plane from WWII and modelers describing what the "cloud patterns" on the sides of the fuselage above the wings were colored. I originally painted mine green like the wings, but if you look at b&w photos, those patterns are much darker than the wings, and are most probably black. So, after two years or more of them being green, I painted them black. It was a bit of a mental adjustment getting used to the new look, but now I' am happy that I did paint them.

I took some pics in the shop after I painted them, sorta cluttered, but maybe you can get the idea. Also some pics of the real one from WWII.

[spanner76]

There are fantastic! Thanks for posting them! I reckon the FMS 1700 P-51D would look great without the fillet. Possible future mod perhaps!?

[davegee]

There are fantastic! Thanks for posting them! I reckon the FMS 1700 P-51D would look great without the fillet. Possible future mod perhaps!?

I had a 1700mm FMS P-51D years ago. I see nothing that would get in the way of carefully cutting out the dorsal fin fillet to make an early model D. It would actually look pretty cool.

I know this is the FMS P-47D section, but since we were talking about cutting down the razorback of the P-47 to make a bubble top, I'll take license to add a few more pics of LOU IV I flew this morning at our field. You can see clearly in some photos the removed dorsal fillet. Did several minor color changes like changing to black the "cloud pattern" on the fuselage sides.

Beautiful morning to fly, hadn't taken it up since last fall. Got two good flights on it, as well as firing up my Freewing T-33 which also hadn't flown for a couple of months. I feel Spring is coming, even up here!

[Elbee]

She's a beauty!

[davegee]

Did another test flight on my FMS 1500mm P-47D this morning. Winds have been a bit too much for at least a week to fly, but this morning was perfect.

I'm flying all three of my P-47s with the larger Corsair V3 on them. Results have been promising. On today's flight the only thing I noticed for future reference is that this prop produces more power than the stubby stock prop. I found that on landing, I have a good feel for where to put the throttle on short final and into the touchdown, but today I found that for that same approximate throttle position, I was flying faster than I wanted to. I still made a nice two-point, tail low landing and let it roll out to the end of the runway. Might have had a very slight tailwind, too, as it rolled out further than usual. But I will continue my tests with all three of the planes.

I have someone going to make the cuffs at the base of the propellers on a 3D printer. They will be better than the ones I put on that have cuffs made out of .010" styrene sheeting and painted to look the part.

I'll attach a pic of it after this morning's flight.

Cheers

Davegee

[PilotTony]

Does anyone have any 2 blade 5 S info for this motor?

TiA,
Tony

[davegee]

Got out this morning pretty early to fly my E Flite Beechcraft 18 and one of my three FMS P-47D razorback models. Pics of this plane have been posted before, but since it was just such a beautiful morning, I thought I'd post a couple pics taken after its flight today.

Really digging the larger, more scale FMS 1700 Corsair prop on this airplane. It is installed on all three of my jugs, two of them are set up like Curtiss Electric props with the cuffs at the base of each prop. So far, so good with adequate prop tip clearance even with this bumpy runway, but flies and looks much better than stock, IMHO.

The one I flew this morning, I Wanted Wings/Button Nose is one of my better flyers, and I think the best of the three that I own. They are all fun to fly, of course.

Weather this morning was just perfect, a slight wind out of the southeast for operations off the East/West runway and some clouds to the east that cut down on sun glare a bit when flying. A bit "sporty" driving on the dirt path to the flying field as we have gotten a ton of rain up here (very unusual), There were lots of deep, water-filled potholes to negotiate. But then, that's why we all have pickup trucks up here in Wyoming!

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

She’s beautiful. That big prop really sets her off. Landscape behind her is beautiful also. Wide open spaces. A fly-a-way could go forever out there
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

She’s beautiful. That big prop really sets her off. Landscape behind her is beautiful also. Wide open spaces. A fly-a-way could go forever out there
Best Regards, Rex

Thanks, Rex. The beautiful mountain behind the plane is Heart Mountain, named by the Indians some time ago. The top is at about 8,500 feet MSL. I have had ideas of summiting it someday, a good hike, but there are also grizzlies up there, and that has deterred my thinking, a bit.

Hope all is well in Indiana!

Cheers

davegee

[f4u ausie]

Got out this morning pretty early to fly my E Flite Beechcraft 18 and one of my three FMS P-47D razorback models. Pics of this plane have been posted before, but since it was just such a beautiful morning, I thought I'd post a couple pics taken after its flight today.

Really digging the larger, more scale FMS 1700 Corsair prop on this airplane. It is installed on all three of my jugs, two of them are set up like Curtiss Electric props with the cuffs at the base of each prop. So far, so good with adequate prop tip clearance even with this bumpy runway, but flies and looks much better than stock, IMHO.

The one I flew this morning, I Wanted Wings/Button Nose is one of my better flyers, and I think the best of the three that I own. They are all fun to fly, of course.

Weather this morning was just perfect, a slight wind out of the southeast for operations off the East/West runway and some clouds to the east that cut down on sun glare a bit when flying. A bit "sporty" driving on the dirt path to the flying field as we have gotten a ton of rain up here (very unusual), There were lots of deep, water-filled potholes to negotiate. But then, that's why we all have pickup trucks up here in Wyoming!

Cheers

Davegee

I know u have few of these p47 fms im sure u know the history behind the scheme.. it lokks awsome..

[davegee]

I know u have few of these p47 fms im sure u know the history behind the scheme.. it lokks awsome..

Yes. 56th Fighter Group, 62nd Fighter Squadron, 8th USAAF Based at Boxted England, 1944. Pilot Lt. Alfred Knafelz, who survived the war. Aircraft destroyed a few months later with a different pilot in a landing mishap, pilot survived, but aircraft did not.

Cheers

Davegee

[Grossman56]

I'm jealous Dave! Waited all weekend for some decent weather! Man, Sunday, the thunder sounded like it was going to rip the roof off!!
I guess, scale-wise, using the 1700 mm Corsair prop is the equivalent to me using the 1400 mm Corsair prop on the Bearcat, both look some much more scale than the stock props. BTW, love the cuffs. Makes the airplane really stand out !

Grossman56

[davegee]

I'm jealous Dave! Waited all weekend for some decent weather! Man, Sunday, the thunder sounded like it was going to rip the roof off!!
I guess, scale-wise, using the 1700 mm Corsair prop is the equivalent to me using the 1400 mm Corsair prop on the Bearcat, both look some much more scale than the stock props. BTW, love the cuffs. Makes the airplane really stand out !

Grossman56

Hi Dan: Thanks for your comments. I went out again this morning. Flew my Corsair and the T-Bird. Perfect weather. Only downside was the road to get to the field, which was just in terrible shape! I had to go to the carwash to get all that mud off my tires and wheelwells. But it was fun.

I think in your case with the Bearcat and mine with these jugs, the larger prop is a good mod that not only makes the airplanes look more scale, but also I think they just fly better. No issues at all with prop strikes on takeoffs and landings if you're careful.

Would you be interested in taking a look at my E Flite P-51D? It might be simpler to fix the electronics than I have made it out to be. I'd pay you for your time and parts, of course. PM me if you are interested. I know you're a busy guy, these days.

Cheers

Davegee

[davegee]

Beautiful summer morning to take my FMS P-47D out for a flight. Didn't have the time for several weeks to fly this one, one of three FMS P-47s that I own. Love flying all three of them when I can. This one, Hairless Joe, flew wonderfully on its Corsair V3 prop and scratchbuilt printed propeller cuffs and Curtiss Electric type spinner. Definitely seems to have a little more power with that big blade, and certainly Looks better in the air and on the ground. Also flew my E Flite Beech 18 which is a reliable workhorse just for fun flying.

Davegee

[Grossman56]

Yep, every time I'm hauling stuff to the garbage from the hospital in the morning, I glance up at the road running to the field and think to myself, 'Bet that Dang Dave is out there flying right about now'

Grossman56

[davegee]

Yep, every time I'm hauling stuff to the garbage from the hospital in the morning, I glance up at the road running to the field and think to myself, 'Bet that Dang Dave is out there flying right about now'

Grossman56

That would be ME!! 😁😁😁

[SanExup]

davegee Looking good! Did you have to swap out the stock esc with the Corsair prop?

[davegee]

davegee Looking good! Did you have to swap out the stock esc with the Corsair prop?

No, that wasn't necessary. I converted all three of my FMS P-47 airplanes to the V3 Corsair prop and haven't had any issues with them at all in flying them. I did add the simulated Curtiss prop cuffs at the base of each prop, and other than one of them coming off on occasion during flight, there were no negative results from these tests. The props can easily be driven with the stock motor and ESC.

Davegee