Official Black Horse 2075mm P-47D Thunderbolt Discussion Thread

[Aros]

P-47D Thunderbolt 2259mm (88.9") Wingspan from Black Horse - Balsa Wood ARF - BHM1010-001

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced from 1941 through 1945. Its primary armament was eight .50-caliber machine guns, and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack role it could carry 5-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 lb (1,100 kg). When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to 8 tons, making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war. The Thunderbolt was effective as a short-to medium-range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air combat and ground attack in both the European and Pacific theaters. The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial engine. An advanced turbosupercharger system ensured the aircraft's eventual dominance at high altitude, while also influencing its size and design.

The model is scaled to approximately 1:5 and attention was paid to a true to original appearance and best flight characteristics. The model can be operated using an electric power system or with an internal combustion engine about 50-60cc displacement.

Detailed Cockpit The P-47D Thunderbolt boasts a detailed cockpit and hand-painted pilot for added realism.

Gas or Electric Power The spacious single piece molded fiberglass cowl can easily accommodate either gas of electric power systems with minimal cowl cutting.

Large Wingspan The P-47D boasts an impressive 88.9" wingspan for commanding presence both in the air and on the ground.

Printed Weathering Factory applied multi-weathered layers accentuate the realistically printed rivets and panel lined.

Features:

• High level of prefabrication right out of the box
• Lightweight, strong, laser cut balsa and plywood construction
• Panel lines and details printed directly onto the pre-applied, high quality covering
• Airfoiled tail surfaces
• Recessed hinges on all control surfaces
• Pre-drilled hinge mounting holes
• Heavy-duty pin hinges on all control surfaces
• Large easy access fuel tank/battery/servo access hatches with sprung loaded latches
• Painted and detailed cockpit, pilot and interior included
• Fiberglass control horns with ball link connector
• Comprehensive control and fitting accessories included
• Two-piece, plug-in wings simplify transportation and assembly
• Fiberglass cowl and glass reinforced landing gear covers/pants
• Mounts for both electric and gas power options included

Includes:

• Black Horse P-47D Thunderbolt 2259mm (88.9") Wingspan - ARF
• Electric retractable landing gear and shock absorbing struts

Requires (Electric):

• 7 Channel radio - select a minimum 7 channel radio from our Radio Collection
• 7 Channel receiver - select a minimum 7 channel receiver from our Receiver Collection
• 180-185Kv Brushless Outrunner Motor - we recommend the Admiral GP60 8925-180Kv Brushless Motor
• 160 Amp brushless ESC - we recommend the ZTW Skyhawk 160A ESC High Voltage with 10A SBEC
• 7x high torque servos - we recommend 7 Hitec HS-645MG Ultra Torque Ball Bearing Metal Gear Standard Servos
• 2x 6 Cell 22.2V 5000 - 6000 mAh LiPo batteries in series - we recommend the Admiral Pro 6000mAh 6S 22.2V 50C LiPo Battery with EC5 Connector Multi-Pack (2 Batteries)
• EC5 2-to-1 series adapter - BenchCraft EC5 2 to 1 Series Adapter with 10 Gauge Silicone Wire
• Electric propeller - we recommend the APC 22x12 Thin Electric Propeller
• 6 Cell compatible battery charger - select a minimum 6 cell (6S) charger from our Charger Collection

Requires (Gas):

• Engine: 50-60cc 2-4 stroke - we recommend the Admiral 60cc Two-Stroke Engine or the NGH GF60 60cc Four-Stroke Engine
• Gas Propeller: Match to your chosen engine

Customer Note
Black Horse ARF models are constructed out of balsa wood and plywood. These are not foam models. The assembly of balsa wood ARF aircraft requires basic model building skills including the installation of servos, ESC, and motor (or gas engine). Product Specifications:

AGE LEVEL : 18 and up
SKILL LEVEL : Intermediate
BUILD TIME : 6+ hours

Model Scale	1/5
Wingspan	2259mm / 88.9in
Length	2075mm / 81.7in
Weight	10976g / 387.2oz
CG (Center of Gravity)	Refer to owner's manual
Power System	230-240Kv brushless inrunner motor or 50-60cc gas engine (required)
Electronic Speed Control	120A (required for electric setup)
Propeller / EDF	Match to desired motor or engine (required)
Servos	Electric - 7x high torque servos (required) - we recommend HRC32645S Gas - 8x high torque servos (required) - we recommend HRC32645S
Landing Gear	Rotary 90 degree electric retract gear and CNC suspension metal struts (included)
Required Battery	TWO 5 Cell 18.5V 4000 - 6000mAh LiPo batteries with EC5 Connector (required)
Required Radio	7+ Channel (required)
Ailerons	Yes
Elevator	Yes
Rudder	Yes
Flaps	Yes
Lights	No
Hinge Type	Nylon
Material	Plywood and balsa wood
Skill Level	Intermediate/Advanced
Build Time	6+ Hours
Recommended Environment	Outdoors

[TheRealCrashEd]

Overall, this is the best giant scale warbird I have owned. I am an experienced builder, and found the quality, fit and finish of this plane exceptional; equal to that of the best 3D ARFs by Flex and Extreme Flight. I installed a DLE-55 with a Bisson muffler. Perfect power combo. Maiden was flawless. This plane is extremely forgiving, with a very low stall speed and when it does finally stall, it is a very low speed and level stall. I painted the rudder red, added custom graphics to mimic the P-47, Big Chief, made my own more scale 50 caliber machine guns out of 5/16" brass tubing, and added my own detailed dummy R-2800 engine and scale pilot. All else is stock. The only negative was the installation and adjustment of the tail wheel doors. I am used to pneumatic retracts. It should be better explained in the instructions that the retracts work on a resistance-based automatic shutoff. There is no way to adjust the tail wheel door linkages to accommodate the full retract excursion limits. You have to set them based on the geometry of the doors and let the retract controller turn off the retract travel based on the resistance once retracted and the doors are shut. If the builder is not familiar with that concept of giant scale electric retracts, then this is a very tough thing to figure out. As mentioned in other reviews of this plane, the covering will wrinkle if left out in the hot sun for even a short period of time. I recommend a sun shade when not flying.

On flight number 5, both main retract motors stripped their reduction gears causing a belly landing - luckily there was no damage. MotionRC responded to my trouble ticket immediately with a new pair of main retract drive motors. There is NO mechanical interference on the main gear with the airframe and they cycle on the bench perfectly with no resistance. However, on the very next flight (flight number 6), the new drive motors stripped again when trying to lower the gear for landing (I did this at low speed with flaps down to limit aerodynamic resistance). I was appalled that I had to do another belly landing (again, very luckily NO damage).

I removed and disassembled the replacement main retract motors and found the exact same condition - the tiny 5x reduction gears in both retracts had stripped again. They appear to be drastically under-designed for this application.

I have submitted another trouble ticket email, have spoken with the Black Horse MotionRC tech support POC who was very helpful, and am waiting to hear what they will do.

This is the best quality giant scale P-47 I have owned or flew, and it is a shame that something as basic and important as main landing gear retracts is causing this much trouble.

Overall, I highly recommend this plane, but not the included main retracts. She is a joy to look at and to fly. There are other drop-in higher power retract motors available, which is probably where I will end up to correct this issue.

I truly hope that Black Horse corrects this problem in future kits.

[Lmpbpd]

I have this aircraft along with the Black Horse Corsair and Zero. They all fly exceptionally well. You're absolutely spot on regarding the flight characteristics of the P-47. I actually replaced my retracts with Robart Ki-43 Oscar retracts and they area a drop in fit. I know there is a new company that are building and selling Robart landing gear, can't remember at the moment. Just in case there are no other options.

[TheRealCrashEd]

Thanks, Lmpbpd. I am looking at JP Hobby ER-150 60mm drive motors which are a drop in to the existing retract housings and struts, but much more powerful with a more robust gear train, suitable up to 20kg models, twice the weight of the BH P-47. Another plus is that they are compatible with the BH retract controller.