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Above, my Top Flite P-40 kit as completed by me in the spring of
1973. I never did complete the cowling for it. The built-up fuselage
was two formed balsa shells, and it was pretty rinky dink. I even
wrote Top Flite a letter critical of the kit! The plane was powered
by a K&B Stallion .35 that cost me $14 when I bought it in
January 1973 (used ones are twice that price on eBay!). The plane's
paint scheme is Aero Gloss Olive Drab/Camoflage Tan, with Sky Blue
underneath. The wings are covered in silkspan.
The plane was a disappointing flyer. Perhaps it was beyond my
building skills as a 13 year old, but it never performed well at all.
It flew about a half dozen times, most of which ended in a crash. The
plane wasn't very responsive to controls, so I decided to enlarge the
tail surfaces the last time I repaired it. The one problem was the
balsa I used was too soft, and the stabilizer cracked and broke
during flight, and the plane crashed again, though not unrepairable. |
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