Official FMS 1400mm P-51D V8 Thread

[Arycon]

I can comment on the CNC side plates cause I'm the one that introduced both of the styles to this forum.
Primary reason for getting the plates is for longevity. No matter how good a pilot you are on landings there is always the lateral stresses induced to the dog ear mounting tabs where they sooner or later fracture at the 90 degree bend and or the metal pivot pin on the trunion pulls out of the plastic side plate hole. All my FMS retracts have been upgraded with the CNC Small Parts side plates and have not had a single issue in 2+ years.
Regarding the 4mm "malleable" strut pin, it is actually not a bad weak link with regards to bending before tearing up the plastic framed retract.
Your decision on investing on an upgrade of metal sideplates/hardened strut pin for longevity is a gonna come down to how long you want to deal with the marginal strength of a stock retract and it's subsequent frustration of frequent tweaking.
Hope I've given you a reasonable foundation to consider about using these excellent aluminum parts from Small Parts CNC.

Some good points, OV. Side plates it is. What about the CNC trunion kit. Have you used that or do you think it is necessary?

[OV10]

I have not seen the need to do an en masse replace of the trunion's. As they wear in the u-fork area and start to get unacceptable play is when I'll replace one. Have a couple that are getting to that stage.

[Shirty]

Agreed. The cnc plates are worthwhile. My Dallas darling has them, but they wouldn't fit in my petie D model because the retracts are different. (All fms gear, don't know why the petie has a different type, they were bought only a few months apart two years ago). Whilst I haven't cracked the sides on the D, I'd still fit them if my retracts would take them. For a few dollars, it's a bit of good insurance. I bought a whole heap of them thinking I coukd put them in my corsair, 190 and zero as well, but they only fit the mustang retracts so I've got a few spare if I get another mustang ;)

[OV10]

Agreed. The cnc plates are worthwhile. My Dallas darling has them, but they wouldn't fit in my petie D model because the retracts are different. (All fms gear, don't know why the petie has a different type, they were bought only a few months apart two years ago). Whilst I haven't cracked the sides on the D, I'd still fit them if my retracts would take them. For a few dollars, it's a bit of good insurance. I bought a whole heap of them thinking I coukd put them in my corsair, 190 and zero as well, but they only fit the mustang retracts so I've got a few spare if I get another mustang ;)

You know he makes the 90 degree rotation plates for the Corsair/Warhawk and any of us(like me) that has the discontinued Hellcat with the 004 retract mod

[Shirty]

Yeah mate I do now, didn't know at the time 2 years ago and I think they were the first cnc started producing back then. I haven't cracked the side on any of them, but they are good to have. Had I bothered to pull a retract out and check I would have known, now I have 5 spare mustang sets lol. You live n learn lol. :)

[OV10]

Shirty,
Yeah, it's a shame you weren't part of this community back in 2015 when I introduced these parts.........but it's great having ya with us now.
Here's where it started:
https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/mo...5520#post15520

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/motion-rc-general-topics/motion-rc-news-and-information/1713-metal-retracts-for-fms-warbirds?p=18955#post18955

[Shirty]

Isn't she beautifull??? :Love:

Yep, time to replace my beloved blue nose. Not that there's anything wrong with the old one (though she needs a new fairing door servo ATM), but my main reason for getting rid of the old one is im giving it to my good mate al for his birthday, as he lost his redtail a while back. I'll leave the sound system, 4258 etc in it for him. Only thing he can't keep is the castle 100, he can get his own 100amp speedy lol. I want this for the new one. The new girl with get cnc sideplates, sound system, a new 4258 of course and said castle 100. A nice coat of minwax, a tiny bit of painting and she'll be ready. Can't wait. Thanks motion for the prompt delivery, and especially the extra packing to protect the contents. It's much appreciated. (Especially given the epic journey she took to get here).
Must admit im a bit sad to see the old girl go... :(

I've had her for two and a half years now and those that know me, know it's one of my favourites. Yes we have had a few issues along the way, (what relationship doesn't?), but a few sets of retracts and 4-5 servos is a small price to pay for the 400 plus flights of fun she's given me. Despite my aggressive 3D type flying style, she's never been crashed and handled nearly everything I could throw at her, and she still looks good imho.... (pic below) At least I know she's going to a good home and will get to play with me and the new girl still. ;)

[Dewey H Lee]

Hey Shirty can i be your good mate. Ive never got a birthday present from a friend. Dang a much less an airplane
;)

[Arycon]

Flew the Duchess Arlene twice today. Zero issues. I replaced my damaged retract and installed the CNC strut plates and removed the strut gear door covers. Landing gear were flawless. Flew multiple landing approaches to get used to her. Finally got a feel for the glide slope and required speed. Nailed the landing both flights. Really good flier and loving having a big P-51. Fly-bys 6' off the runway look fantastic.

Thanks for all the helpful advice. It helped a lot.

[Shirty]

Hey Shirty can i be your good mate. Ive never got a birthday present from a friend. Dang a much less an airplane
;)

Everyone on the squawk is my mate Dewey, when's your birthday? Lol! ;) the truth is my mates say I'm generous to a fault, I honestly don't think about it that way. I've done ok for myself, and helping people makes me feel good about the sort of person I am. I've given away LOTS of planes over the years, it's just good to see them go to a good home with people who you know will appreciate them. One day I'll get to the USA and spend 6 months travelling around and flying with all you good blokes that I've met on these forums. Be great fun to fly with all you guys I reckon. :)

awesome arycon. Grats. Looks like you got a great field there. ;)

[Arycon]

Everyone on the squawk is my mate Dewey, when's your birthday? Lol! ;) the truth is my mates say I'm generous to a fault, I honestly don't think about it that way. I've done ok for myself, and helping people makes me feel good about the sort of person I am. I've given away LOTS of planes over the years, it's just good to see them go to a good home with people who you know will appreciate them. One day I'll get to the USA and spend 6 months travelling around and flying with all you good blokes that I've met on these forums. Be great fun to fly with all you guys I reckon. :)

awesome arycon. Grats. Looks like you got a great field there. ;)

Good on you, Shirty. Too few people like that in the world now, which is crazy considering there are more people now then ever. It certainly could use more people like you...and not because you give planes away.

Anytime you want to come flying in Florida, let me know. The field down here is actually an abandoned housing development that went belly up a decade or so ago. It has stayed that way since. We fly off of a street 4 way cross section. Nothing but field for miles.

Happy to give you a tour. You can take the Duchess up for a spin!

[Shirty]

I'll add you to the list mate. :) (The duchess might end up with a blue nose tho...). ;)

(And cheers).

[Arycon]

I'll add you to the list mate. :) (The duchess might end up with a blue nose tho...). ;)

(And cheers).

Whoa there, bud. Dont threaten me! If you want to fly a blue nose you better pack one in a suitcase. :)

No way you are repainting my lady!;)

[Arycon]

What is the 4258 motor you mentioned, Shirty? I found my P-51 to be scale speed-wise but not peppy at all. Seemed kinda slow, actually.

is the 4258 from a different plane? The P-40, is it?

Are you running on 5S since you have the 100A Castle?

Wouldnt mind adding some pep to my P-51 without needing to go to 5S and without killing my flight times.

[Shirty]

What is the 4258 motor you mentioned, Shirty? I found my P-51 to be scale speed-wise but not peppy at all. Seemed kinda slow, actually.

is the 4258 from a different plane? The P-40, is it?

Are you running on 5S since you have the 100A Castle?

Wouldnt mind adding some pep to my P-51 without needing to go to 5S and without killing my flight times.

Hey mate, you've got a few options with power upgrades. I also found the stock motor pretty lacking. Myself, xviper and licobra were the first to experiment with some other options, and they've proven to be a good match. Now with the p40 motor, you have a couple to choose from. But back when we upgraded ours, the p40 didn't exist. So, here's your options:

1. Get the 650kv motor from the p40. This is about the best motor to stay on 4S. You will need to upgrade the esc to a 80amp one to be safe. You'll get a noticeable increase in performance with this one, and can stay on 4s if that's better suited to your battery options.

2. Get the 4258-550kv from the fms Olympus. You'll need the x mount as well, and the prop adapter if you want to reduce the gap between the spinner and nose with this motor. (It's only a 2-3mm saving, it doesn't stick out much at all, but some people don't like a very small gap). You can see on my old one it's hardly noticeable, but the prop adapter for the 4258-550kv will reduce this gap if it bugs you. I didn't bother, the gaps tiny imho.

The 4258-550kv is a much bigger, heavier motor as it's designed to run both 5s and 6s. If you want to run 5s only, you'll need a 85 amp speedy. If 6s, 100 amp speedy. (I run both 5s and 6s, so 100 amp for me). But please note: 6s is at your own risk: a couple people had the prop and spinner explode on 6s with this motor. (Only a couple, most of us who have gone this way have had no issues). Whether their props expoloded in flight because they weren't balanced, the people did no maintenance like checking the blades are tight regularly, or the much higher rpm on 6s, (or a combination of these), I don't know. Most of us have had no issues on 6s but I mention it so you are aware it has happened.

The conversion is very simple, and the 4258-550 is a drop in fit. Only thing you'll need to do is trim a tiny amount of foam for the bigger xmount. (And upgrade your esc). There's full details on my blog at RCG with pictures on how to do it here: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=439930

i also did this conversion on my Dallas darling b version, and my fw190. No issues to date and both those have over 150!flights as well. Here a vid I made of the performance upgrade, I tried to show the differences with some aerobatics, wot passes, verticals etc, I condensed both flights (one on 5s, one on 6s), to keep the vid short. But I think it's a good vid that shows the bigger envelope and power increases you can expect if you do this upgrade. Note I pulled out of the verticals in the vids, was getting a bit too high to see, though I did push the 6s up further. You'll find the vertical performance with the 4258 is pretty much only limited by your eyesight, though on 5s I was wot, 6s about 80%.

If you have any any further questions, don't hesitate to ask. Hope it helps mate. :)

[Shirty]

Here's the 4258-550, next to the stock 580kv that comes in the fw190. (The 580kv is the exact same size as the 540kv that comes stock with the Mustangs). as you can see, it's much bigger.

.

[Shirty]

And here's my DD on 5s, if it helps. 5s is the safe option, but I seem to fly mine as much on 6s as 5s these days. There's not much nice flying in this one, as the vid was made from my 3 flights on maiden day, and I took it pretty easy being a new bird and all. Again, hope these help buddy. ;)

[Dewey H Lee]

Hey Shirty. Since getting back into flying and learning to fly electrics my biggest problem has been balancing this prop. I always weigh each blade and then try to balance the spinner useing tape as best i can. They come out good on the dubro balancer when im done but i still get a little more vibration than i like. There have been hundreds of requests from people wanting a video of the procedure but have only found one that really doesn't cover the spinner very well. Ive tried the killer planes vesion but the results were worse. Do you think you could post a video of your method from a to z. I would even be willing to pay to see it. Please consider. There's alot of people that have requested but never gotten. A video is worth a 1000 words. Explaining is sometimes confusing. Please consider my request.:Straight-Face:

[Shirty]

G'day Dewey. I'll put something together for you guys, though it may take a little while, sorry. I've got some video projects for my club on the go, and a couple more for mates, and work is a little busy - but I'll see if I can knock one up when I do the new blue nose. There's a couple vids I've seen that are pretty good on this, I'll try and see if I can find them on YouTube again. A couple of the guys here on the squawk have done one I'm sure, but I can't remember who and I may be getting mixed up with rcg. Do my best mate. :)

[Shirty]

Found the one I was looking for, this is by sandancer, who pretty much wrote the book when the fms mustang came out. This is pretty much exactly what I do, however I don't have the dyno, so once I think it's pretty much on the mark on the Dubro balancer, I chuck it on the plane and check that way. Note I never used to bother balancing the props on my foamies, but after the 190 started getting a bad vibration I've started doing it for all my birds. That's just me being lazy rather than anything else...

I do the blades first. If there variance, I usually just add a drop or two of glue, rather than tape as some do, I don't know if ones better than the other, I've always just added a drop of glue on mine. I don't recommend sanding or removing weight from the blades with a dremmal or whatever, you can weaken the blades if over zealous here. Much safer to add weight via a bit of tape, or drop of glue. Then, I do the same as the video. I start with the blades on the backplate, and balance again. Then when I'm happy with that, add the spinner and do again. Note no matter how pedantic I've been about this, I've found a tiny bit of vibration once assembled on the model, but nothing drastic that would stop me flying it.

I've often wondered if it's the way they mount the plastic backing plate that the motor screws into inside the model, and if this is moving in the foam over time (ie, compressing the foam), and the rpms from the motor cause this movement. I know for a fact this was the issue on my 190. The plastic plate had definitely moved in the foam fuse, and had a little play. Once straightened and reinforced with some epoxy, (and re-balanced), I still had a small amount of vibration, but it was tiny. Note my 190 used the old aluminium stand off type mount, and NOT the xmount that later versions came with. I think this was one of the issues (the foam compressing), which made fms change the mount to a xmount system.

If you go to the fms p51 thread on rcg, you'll see it was started by this bloke sandancer. Click on his first post, and go to his blog. There's a ton of good info here. Don't know what happened to the dude, (he's not be on the forums for years), but I've found his blog mighty helpful when I first got these models.

Heres the link to sandancers blog on rcg. https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=293994

hope this is what you were looking for Dewey. ;)