Newly aquired Cox P-51

bottomgun wrote: My second question is, are there any repro peel-back sticker decals featuring the stars-and-bars for the wings and fuse and the red and white checkerboard strips along the inboard part of the wings? They're slightly damaged but it would be nice to have replacements. I've seen the repros for other aircraft but not this one.

You might try http://callie-graphics.com/. They do custom stickers. Their off the shelf sets are for larger models (1/12 and up, it looks like), but they could probably shrink something down pretty easily.

hello, get on ebay and search Cox airplane decals, theres a guy that sells nice vinyl repro decals for your 'stang. if you don't see one listed, just email him.

Your D model with molded gear is kind of a rare model, only made for a couple years, '71-'72

If you have a scan of the originals I can have them done for you relatively cheap. Shoot me a PM if interested

Ron

Wow... a Allied fighter without D-Day stripes

Hey bottomgun,

Welcome to the Forum!

It'd probably be a good idea to fly the Mustang on 25 feet of dacron. The P-51's gear is weak and easily damaged, while the Corsair's landing gear is shorter and stouter. The other difference that I think you'll find is that the Corsair has more wing and will glide a little better. My childhood P-51 seemed to plunge from the sky when the engine stopped, so I always tried to fly it very low toward the end of the run. It still flipped violently landing on grass when I couldn't get it around to the infield dirt, and I eventually cut the gear legs off smooth and had a friend hand-launch it.

While it definitely puts the plane at more risk, if you have some recent flying experience, you might consider finding some smooth blacktop to fly on. Any seams striking the plastic wheels will probably break away their plastic pegs, and smooth asphalt is easier on them.

I've got a P-51 ready to fly, along with several other RTF's and will eventually take a turn with the Mustang.

Good Luck !!! Kim

Hey everyone! Thanks for the quick replys and great info. I'll certainly check out the decals or PM Cribbs if I need to have them made up.Thanks. Didn't know these particular models were only made two years. I know that they did make them later with removable bolt on landing legs that had a little more detail to them, but by that time my attention was turning to other interests typical of a boy getting into his mid teens and I ceased doing these planes altogether from about 1973 when I first got my driver's license until up to this point. I think I gave away what I had to close friends, including my PT 19, Corsair, and a Topflite Formflite Zero and Carl Goldberg profile model of which I don't remember. I've been doing R/C on and off for the better part of 30 years now but all of a sudden I had the interest to go back to simpler times with 1/2A control line again. I had sticker shock as to what these original planes are going for, but if you gotta have it, you gotta have it! I bought a Babe Bee motor for cheap and ordered a rebuild kit and some other items from Cox International and other items from EX Models. Unbelievable to me what is still available for these motors. Just a little under 7 bucks to rebuild it. I wish all things were that simple. I'll build a 1/2A model so I won't have to risk it with the 51 if the flying site is less than ideal.

yep, balsa flys better, but the plastic stuff gives us back our youth...speaking of which, i opened a tube of Ambroid tonight!!!!

I went onto EX Models standard non-Ebay site and you're right John and Mark, they have an exact duplicate replacement decal set for this plane. That helps a lot. Thanks. I was thinking back and my actual first Cox plane was a Stuka which I received on Christmas day 1969. My younger brother got his Dune Buggy that he wanted. My father started the motor in the garage in 25 degree weather at our place in Downer's Grove, Illinois and remember him lecturing me on what damage these little motors were capable of doing to someone if you weren't acting in a safe manner. Later in the spring of 1970 I severely damaged it on my first flight and never repaired it. I kept it for engine spare parts and got a PT 19 that summer to train on. Had to mow about 12 yards to get up the 13 bucks that it cost me lol.

"I kept it for engine spare parts and got a PT 19 that summer to train on. Had to mow about 12 yards to get up the 13 bucks that it cost me lol."


Man...a lot of us have walked THAT walk! I still get an occasional model airplane "memory spike" just driving by some of the yards I mowed in my hometown. I think maybe I "imprinted" myself with the intense daydreams of aviation glory as I made what seemed to be endless laps with that mower !!!

My P-51 is the "razor back" B model, and I'll have video of it on it's epic flight...when it happens...

I DO have Corsair and Stuka flights on You Tube under the name "wintersportster" if you think you might like to check them out. There's also an excellent (and painful!) tutorial video there, concerning the need to double-check you line connections before flying !

Kim

Thanks for the links. I did look at them. Against my better judgement (or maybe not) I just won a NIB Corsair on Ebay so the PT 19 I had lined up will have to wait. Like I stated before, I'll build a BH or Brodak model for my Babe Bee if I want a knock around plane. The wife's gonna kill me!

...if she does tell her ok, maybe you'll start auto racing (1:1) instead for a hobby!

Actually, the PT-19 that I had lined up and thought I would let go after getting the Corsair, I got it. I put what I thought was a low ball max bid, then forgot about it thinking I would easily be outbid and still won it for forty-six dollars. It looks to be made in the 80's or early 90's. It's slightly used, with original box and all the hardware that came with it when new. It also has an original Cox 'D' battery case and glow clip which I've seen go for an average of fifteen dollars by themselves. My 19 from the early seventies had a Babe Bee, while this one has what looks to be a surestart type with a separate tank. No biggie, it's still a 19 that I can fly with no reservations. My wife knows there will be one box coming, now I have to explain the other two.

"I put what I thought was a low ball max bid, then forgot about it thinking I would easily be outbid and still won it for forty-six dollars

My wife knows there will be one box coming, now I have to explain the other two."

And so...it begins....

Kim:

re: your wife and the packages

Here thieves follow delivery trucks around then snag the packages they deliver after the trucks depart.

If you fear confrontation with your wife this might be a solution.

You need to order and snipe so much stuff she can't keep track anymore, then they give up.

I'll just let her buy stuff she wants lol. She really won't have too much of a problem with it. Now I seem to recall going into my LHS and seeing a used and neglected but complete P39 Aircobra that's been sitting forever...hmmmm

crankbndr wrote:You need to order and snipe so much stuff she can't keep track anymore, then they give up.

You mean I've been wasting my time buying Red/white and blue one's Doug?

Got my P-51 and PT-19 in today. The Mustang is in real good condition. Minor surface blemishes that buffed out easily. I'll pull the motor out and tear it down for a cleaning and give the plastic a good detail cleaning and polish before adding decals. The main and tail wheels have absolutely no wear or scuffing typical of these plastic wheels which leads me to believe it was flown over grass or flown very little. Canopy is cherry and looks as if it never flipped over on asphalt or concrete. No scuffing on the undercowling or spinner. My question is that on the underside of the wing, it has the molded info as seen in three lines; AVION, P 51, made in USA, instead of "COX" I probably should research this more but wanted to see if anybody knows what that is all about?

My second question is that on the PT19, it has a snap starter assembly that is LH which is odd to me being that all my past planes have been RH using the spring starter, including my early 19 that I owned 42 years ago. This is my first exposure to the newer motors of the late 80's, and I am already not too much of a fan of the cam unit. Though I haven't cranked it over yet and it probably would work satisfactory, it looks to me like the cam would still rub against the spring when running and hinder performance. Was there a reason for the LH prop set-up on the newer ones and would it hurt any to put an older type spring starter for use with a RH prop? Not that I need to change, but it's just what I'm used to, and it may be easier to get RH props than LH ones.

Not sure why it was Done BG.
The 1985 and 1986 I've got both have left handlers and I'm
Fairly sure the 1972 that got me started had one as well.
As for changing it why go to the trouble?

i've got a complete break down of the pt-19 and p-51 versions on my web site.

John Goddard wrote:Not sure why it was Done BG.
The 1985 and 1986 I've got both have left handlers and I'm
Fairly sure the 1972 that got me started had one as well.
As for changing it why go to the trouble?

Thinking about it and more than likely will leave it alone. Would like to get some spare 6x2 LH props for it, although it won't be flown often. It came that way in the box and it will stay that way and I figure if it flew before than the system is satisfactory. I must have been a small kid at 12 because I remember these as being much larger than they are. The original control line handles are a little snug fitting on my fingers as well which says something also.

Try seller 700x23c
On e-bay
Has a lot of decals for Cox P 51 plus others
Might have to wait for his post or contact him
Dennis

Pictures or it never happened!