Hangar 9 Fun Scale P-47 Thunderbolt PNP

THIS P-47 LIVES UP TO THE “FUN” IN ITS NAME
Hangar 9 Fun Scale P-47 Thunderbolt PNP
By Fitz Walker
Photos by Lee Ray and the author
As seen in the March 2022 issue of Model Aviation

At a Glance

Specifications

Wingspan: 56.5 inches

Length: 43 inches

Wing area: 545 sq. in.

Wing loading: 28 ounces per square foot

Weight (as flown): 104.5 to 109 ounces

Channels: Six

Motor: Spektrum Avian 4250-600 Kv (included)

ESC: Avian 60-amp brushless Smart (included)

Battery: Spektrum 4S 5,000 mAh and 6S 4,000 mAh Smart

Receiver: Spektrum AR637T sixchannel

Servos: Spektrum A391 digital (included)

Radio: Spektrum NX6

Price: $499.99

Pluses

Wide power range. Excellent flying qualities. Well built.

Minuses

Incorrect, preapplied wing insignia locations.

Manufacturer/Distributor

Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com

FUN SCALE! Back in the good old days of kit building, this was a common term. It was meant for people who wanted to fly a Scale model but didn’t have the time or skills to muck about with compound curves and/or the tedious planking of balsa wood strips. These kits, made by mostly now-defunct manufacturers, allowed a modeler to quickly build an identifiable warbird that cheated a bit on proportions and profile but was guaranteed to fly well and be easy to build.

Hangar 9 revisits these sport models of old (for likely the same reasons previously stated) with the all-wood, traditionally built, electric Fun Scale P-47 Thunderbolt PNP. With nearly all of the building work done for you, you can enjoy a balsa model with low investment in time and modern-day prefabrication.

One of the first things I noticed out of the box is how complete the kit is. This includes not only the components, but all of the electronics, servos, motor, ESC, and even the electric retracts are preinstalled. Just add a receiver and battery and you’re done (flying skills not included!). The model’s structure is well-built balsa and plywood, covered with wrinkle-free UltraCote. A large decal sheet contains livery for two actual P-47s: Wicked Wabbit and Hun Hunter IV, both of which currently reside at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation.

Wing insignias are preapplied at the factory, but mine were unfortunately applied to the wrong sides of the wing. They were on the right top and left bottom instead of left top and right bottom. I was able to peel off the decals and reapply them to the correct sides of the wing.

The power setup is quite flexible, accepting 4S to 6S battery packs of 4,000 to 5,000 mAh capacity. A wood 14 x 12 propeller is included for 4S batteries. For 6S, you will have to supply your own smaller, 12 x 8-inch propeller.

The motor is the new Avian series of motors from Spektrum. It is a 4250-600 Kv brushless outrunner that should be good for roughly 1,000 watts of power. The ESC is an Avian 60-amp unit that includes battery and power telemetry for compatible Spektrum radio systems and their Smart technology batteries.

Assembly

Assembly starts with the wing, which conveniently has the servos premounted and connected to the ailerons. The only thing to do is slide the wing halves together onto the wing joiner tube. Here is where the manual recommends epoxying the wing halves together if you plan to use the high-power 6S battery setup.

I didn’t have the heart to glue the wing halves together, so I ran a strip of 3M tape along the center seam’s top and bottom. I don’t see how the wing halves would separate using this fixation, and it still allows me to split the wing apart, if needed, for storage.

Next, the tail pieces will need to be installed. The vertical fin assembly has two threaded rods that slide through to the bottom of the fuselage. Removing the small, magnetic access hatch on the bottom of the tail facilitates screwingdown the rudder’s mounting rods with a couple of locking nuts. The process also clamps the horizontal stabilizer into place. Again, the manual recommended gluing the stabilizers in place with epoxy if using the high-performance setup (which I did). A steerable tail wheel is the final piece to mount onto the tail with more screws.

The motor comes mounted to a modular, screwed-in bulkhead box. One immediately notices the lead weights that are added to the nose for balance (although not unusual with models based on radial- engine aircraft). My guess is that the entire assembly is screwed in for access to the motor-mounting screws.

The engine cowling is a nicely finished fiberglass part with panel line details and an optional dummy radial engine insert. This insert is vacuum-formed plastic and will need some of the spaces between the cylinders cut out for motor and ESC air cooling. After gluing in the faux engine, blind nuts and machine screws hold the entire cowling assembly to the fuselage. An aluminum spinner nut holds on the propeller while providing a classy look and a bit of nose weight.

The battery hatch is a significant portion of the top turtledeck and features a nice, sliding motion with magnets to hold it in place. When the canopy is in the flying position, there is a capture pin in a slot, so there is no way for the entire assembly to fly off when the airplane is in flight.

Flying
The takeoff was stable, with only a touch of right rudder needed to keep the aircraft straight, and the model was quickly up in the air. The foam wheels seem to be slightly small, but I didn’t have any major issues flying from a low-cut grass field. A few clicks of aileron trim, and I was enjoying a nicely tracking model.

Power on 4S is sprightly but not obnoxious. I would have been perfectly comfortable with that setup if it was the only one recommended. There was plenty of power for traditional aerobatics plus relatively fast flybys at full speed. Ground clearance with the 14-inch propeller is a little tight, and I ended up breaking a propeller on one of my not-so-glamorous landings.

Low rates on the ailerons were more sensitive than I had expected, so resist the urge to go beyond what the manual recommends until you actually fly the model. On high rates, expect blurry-fast rolls. I typically like my ailerons on the sensitive side, and even I was surprised at the brisk roll rate.

Loops and rolls can be executed with ease and showed no signs of bad behavior. The rudder is strong enough for nice stall turns and even for holding knife-edge flight (with some balancing of the elevator). Snap rolls on high rates threaten to throw the airplane apart, so there is good reason why the manual tells you to glue certain bits together. If you prefer milder stuff, such as inverted flying, it does that easily with only a touch of down-elevator needed to maintain level flight.

The 6S power has a noticeably louder growl at full throttle. The takeoff run seemed roughly the same, but the vertical performance was unlimited. Level speeds were also faster, which was no surprise. Of course, faster speeds mean more aggressive aerobatics can be done. The P-47 flew more like an aerobatic airplane shaped like a warbird than a warbird shaped like an aerobatic airplane.

Low-speed handling is amazingly slow and docile, with stalls nearly imperceptible. I’ve found that P-47 models tend to have good low-speed flying qualities in general, and this one is no exception. Landings will show a surprisingly flat glide, requiring powering back early in the pattern. There are no flaps, so the model tends to be slightly floaty at the last moments before touchdown.

This aircraft should scratch several itches with fliers. It’s a traditionally constructed model of a classic warbird, with great handling characteristics. It comes highly finished out of the box and utilizes a simple radio setup. Plus, it uses a wide range of powersetups that fly perfectly well, even at the lower end of the recommended power range.

It almost seems to have a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde aspect because on low rates and 4S, you have a sedate, easy-flying sport model. If you throw in a 6S battery along with higher control authority, Mr. Hyde takes control, transforming the P-47 into glorious mayhem.

Despite its simplified shape, I found the Hangar 9 Fun Scale P-47 Thunderbolt PNP an attractive model. Electric retracts add a little touch of class as well. The Hangar-9 P-47 continues the trend of great-flying P-47s but this time, with a little nostalgia thrown in.

By By Fitz Walker | [email protected]
Photos by Lee Ray and the author

SOURCES:

Spektrum RC
www.spektrumrc.com