FW P-51 Old Crow

[Ron1950]

a lot of reading on here lol what is the zip tie mod? anyone?

[Hardway]

Ron, I haven’t done it to my birds, but this is how I understand it..... Using small, equal lengths of a zip tie, you place those under the edge of the prop at the root end (on the spinner back plate) and then retighten the screws. This increases the pitch of the prop and gives better performance. Of course it has to be symmetrical and balanced and all the standard prop protocols....:Cool:

[Hardway]

I can’t remember if the gear doors close or not. ShangaLa does close with gear down, but I will have to check Frankie. My Airfield 51D stays open.... A V8 sequencer will fix it though! I think.... :-)

[Grossman56]

Wow, been a long time since any action on this thread!
I had my Old Crow up today for two flights. As a reminder, she was originally an "Iron Ass" with the sound system that I converted to Old Crow's scheme thanks to Callie Graphics. I also swapped out the motor for a 650 kv and did the zip tie mod.

She flew great today for a bird that can be, well lets just say temperamental. Landing went great but on the last one, she drifted off the runway and snapped a pin on the landing gear door. Don't know how many L/G doors I've gone through, several lets just say. It would be nice if they could somehow be strengthened because it seems to me that you can look at them sideways and they break. The real drag is that they don't sell separately, you have to buy a complete set of gear doors to replace just one. Consequently, I have more spare gear doors than I'll ever need and if I keep snapping the same side...…..well you know where I'm going with this.
Anyone ever make a mod to these, I'd like to know.


Grossman56

[hotrod23t]

Flew my fw old crow today also:Cool:got one of the last with sound installed i like it

[TomPatton]

Wow, that makes 3 of us...
Finally got my replacement motor for my Old Crow that's been on BO since spring.
I got my Crow back in Feb this year, but with Ohio weather never got a chance to fly until the end of April. Turns out the motor was bad, had to land immediately after take off. Motor shaft had up and down play and sounded terrible. MRC has a 30 day warranty against defective parts but as a one time only replaced it for me. Thanks MRC!!!
Anyway, I finally got the BO'd motor yesterday, I installed and flew today.
Very happy with the plane. It is not fast, but take off was great, and the landing was even better. Very little headwind, 3 to 5 mph. No flaps and it settled in perfect on the mains. Second flight had a little bounce but settled right back down. Only had time for 2 five minute flights due to work.
Plane flew great, a couple clicks of left ailerons and 7 or 8 down on elevator and she was flying straight. Second flight I had to put some up back in elevator maybe due to battery placement.
Cant wait to check things out and get her back in the air. I have the 4 blade prop and spinner I want to try once all dialed in. It's not that fast anyway, so might as well look good flying slow...
Nice P-51, very happy with purchase.

[digger38]

Been thinking of adding this bird to my hanger when Motion gets it back in stock. Don't know much about Freewing however and this model has been out for a few years. What do you think the chances are of this model being discontinued? Also causing part availability issues?

[deadbug]

Been thinking of adding this bird to my hanger when Motion gets it back in stock. Don't know much about Freewing however and this model has been out for a few years. What do you think the chances are of this model being discontinued? Also causing part availability issues?

Digger,
I just bought mine and unboxed it yesterday. Been debating between the FMS V8 and this one for several months. Talked several times to reps who owned and flew both from their respective companies (Motion and Horizon). Motion has been consistently blowing me away with their customer service...when we discussed the future of the Freewing P-51 he said that the P-51 was Freewing's best seller. So, between that and a couple of other conversations I've had with their folks, I felt confident in the future of Freewing and their 1400 series P-51.
Very pleased with what I've seen so far. There are some really great reviews from folks on this thread; and from talking to folks who've owned both, the scale tipped me over to Freewing.
Also, because of what I heard from Motion, I'm not concerned about parts availability. They keep on restocking.

[rifleman_btx]

Cant ask for a better company, and from what I seen a good plane as well

[TomPatton]

Sure hope they keep this plane around for awhile. I am liking mine a lot. If something happens to it I would definitely replace it.
Would really like to see a bigger super scale model with a brute motor that would turn a 4 blade scale prop with authority...
Couldn't get my wallet out fast enough!!!

[TomPatton]

Cant ask for a better company, and from what I seen a good plane as well

Couldn't agree more Rifleman!!! MRC is the best in RC in my opinion, and I have dealt with most at one time or another in my 27 years of flying RC...

[Grossman56]

Had mine out this weekend and she flew great! Now, mind you, I have a 650 kv in her and she has the stock Iron Ass Sound system installed (because she is an "Iron Ass with and Old Crow paint job) which makes her a tad heavier. Week points, at least to me, are the gear doors and the Landing gear itself.
The doors will pop their pins off at the drop of a hat and, unfortunately, you have to buy a complete set, including clam shell doors and tail wheel doors just to replace one main gear door, at $7.90 a pop, it gets a bit expensive!!
I'm seriously thinking I'd be better off having some 3D printed.
The gear itself will retract very nicely on the ground, but in the air, you have to have your speed way down to get them to retract properly, due to the wind I guess. The set screws in the gear need constant attention as well.
That said, she's a tough bird, I still have the original fuse on her, mind you I've also lost two P-51s as well but, I believe, not due to the airplane, but a receiver issue.
So. although not my favorite P-51 (the best, in my opinion are the FMS 1400mm P-51D and B) it's still a good solid airplane and visually pleasing as well.

BTW, R.I.P My Little Gal I and My Little Gal II




Grossman56

[deadbug]

....
The doors will pop their pins off at the drop of a hat and, unfortunately, you have to buy a complete set, including clam shell doors and tail wheel doors just to replace one main gear door, at $7.90 a pop, it gets a bit expensive!!
I'm seriously thinking I'd be better off having some 3D printed.
.
......
So. although not my favorite P-51 (the best, in my opinion are the FMS 1400mm P-51D and B) it's still a good solid airplane and visually pleasing as well.

Grossman56

Fantastic pics Grossman! You are a P-51 expert, no doubt. That males me very interested in why you feel the FMS version is the best in your opinion. BTW, while assembling my NIB Old Crow, I see what you mean about the gear doors.

Regarding gear retraction vs airspeed, I spoke with Wayne at MRC and he said that Freewing had put in a heavier duty motor in the retracts after the Iron Ass and early Old Crows that apparantly improved the issue of stalling retracts at higher airspeed and/or thrust. I tested them prior to assy in mine While putting a load on them and they seemed pretty good. I'll report back after I get a chance to do my maiden. This was one of my concerns after researching all the forums.

Here's my “squawk list” so far since I've taken it out of the box and assembled fuse and started wings....testing all electrical components:
1. Upper rudder slightly out of alignment with rest of vertical stabilizer around hinge attach point.
2. Left wingtip red LED inop (MRC is sending replacement from equiv. FW a/c).
3. Left flap extension about half an inch more than right (at center servo tester position). Noticed flap was extended about 50% in sealed packaging in box. Apparently some flap upper surface cosmetic damage was done and repaired at factory, but flap not reset, resulting in hyperextending linkage.
4. MLG inner door servos not adhered properly with factory silicone (both sides pulling away from foam). R&R after stripping white silicone and reinstalling clean with Foam Tac.
5. Tailwheel making “clunking noises” when retracted with rudder deflections. Inspected and found slider over steering tiller reaching limit and pulling on trunnion and entire retract. Ticket submitted to MRC for their advice. Not sure on this. Doesn’t seem right though.

Now to put in perspective, I’m really impressed with the overall quality and details of this model, and really looking forward to flying it.

[Grossman56]

The FMS is such an easy plane to fly. I've had both of mine for four years now and, short of gear doors and the odd prop blade ( think I've replaced a prop blade on one of them!!) they're still as they were right out of the box.....Well, not exactly, because they are both running 650 kv's, but then so is the Freewing.
The FMS rudder authority is better, you can ask Lon about that, the Freewing likes to dance a bit on landing, although, if you're right on it, the Freewing can be tamed down.....usually!
The FMs is easy to assemble, the Freewing, at least the IA version with sound is a wire nightmare....

Now, don't get me wrong, I really like the plane, it's just more maintenance prone and I've had to replace the wings because the gear hardpoints are weak. On the other hand, I installed the Smallparts CNC Aluminum sides on both FMS
P-51s and have never had a problem.

As my piloting skills have improved over the years, I've had more success with the Freewing, but the first warbird I ever flew was the P-51B and she's yet to have more than a couple of scrapes on her. Actually the worst damamge I've done on her was transporting her back home from Muncie this year when a flap popped off, out with the Foam-Tac and a quick repair job, back in the air.
I freely admit to being a Mustang junkie since I was a kid, I have a Monogram 1/32 Phantom Mustang sitting downstairs and one still in the box with the cellophane still on it, a 1/32 Old Crow made of metal that I got from the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle and my three 1400mm 'Stangs as well


Grossman56

[digger38]

Thank you all for the advice about this plane. Once Motion gets it back in stock will more than likely be adding it to my collection. The 55inch wing span will just fit in the back seat of my truck.

[deadbug]

The FMs is easy to assemble, the Freewing, at least the IA version with sound is a wire nightmare....
Grossman56

While I'm waiting on a replacement tailwheel assy to see if that resolves the binding and limited right rudder when retracted issue, I've moved on to completing the wing wiring and trying to figure out the best places to place the sequencers, AR6600T receiver/associiated remote antenna...and most challenging of all, how to cleanly route and organize the rats nest of wiring. I've read all the past posts in this thread and looked at the pictures, but still am scratching my head. It should be easier for me as I have no sound system...but...

...I dont want to permanently solder any wiring for multi-connectors and initially was going to mirror Rusty Shackleford's setup, but noticed Gman put only the LED controller on the wing. I wanted to avoid interference/chafing and make it more convenient to remove wing if necessary. Just wondering if there are more ideas or better details on this that you experienced folks can suggest...maybe things you would do differently in hindsight?

On the tailwheel binding/limited rudder issue when retracted: since I only have a DX6, I wish I could do the TX mix to eliminate TW steering when gear is retracted, but that isn’t an option, so if the retract assy R&R doesn't work (it has for at least 1 poster on another forum), then I guess I'll have to fabricate my own slighty longer 90 degree tiller bar and raise the TW steering servo up with washers. I understand the trouble others have had with making their own and to be honest, I'm not looking forward to it. With all the quality I see on this model, I can’t believe FW would keep cranking 'em out with this engineering defect.

[TomPatton]

I have no issues with my tailwheel retract or rudder assembly.
At least I haven't yet...

[deadbug]

I have no issues with my tailwheel retract or rudder assembly.
At least I haven't yet...

Thanks Tom,
According to many posts in the “other common RC forum” this has been a relatively common issue. I thought it had been fixed, but another person bought one at the same time as me and he is having the same issue. I dunno, maybe some guy on the assembly line at the factory ran out of the improved part and went back to old stock. Just don’t know, except we have to deal with it.

[Grossman56]

My control boxes are sitting close to the CG, side by side on the wing and they just fit. She also has an A3L in there so, yes, it's a challenge. My Little Gal didn't have the sound system, so it freed up a bit of space which was nice. I was looking at the wing from MLG the other day and it came through the crash relatively undamaged, so I have a spare set of wings with a small amount of wrinkling in them with cool aluminum flaps, I might get another fuse at some future point in time and build another, promised the wife I'd name it something else. I wouldn't mind doing Miss America or Bob Hoover's Ol' Yeller, just to be different.

Grossman56

[deadbug]

My control boxes are sitting close to the CG, side by side on the wing and they just fit. She also has an A3L in there so, yes, it's a challenge....
Grossman56

Hi Gman--this is the pic you posted a while back...looks like there is just the LED controller there. Are they on top of each other?
DB