Hitec’s
Weekenders P-51D Mustang Zipper
A weekend—or less—is all it takes to go from box to flying field!
By Frank Fanelli AT A GLANCE PHOTOGRAPHY: FRANK FANELLI C
an you guess why Hitec has called their new series of small e-power models the Weekenders? Of course. They can be in the air in less than a weekend, actually a couple of hours, from opening the box to first takeoff. After all these foam planes come with most of
the
necessary equipment—servos, motor and ESC—installed. To debut the line, they in- troduced the 3-channel Zipper a few months ago, and more recently the warbirds in the series.
Obviously you start by opening the box and, as in the real quality foam models, all the parts are wrapped in plastic sleeves and secure in foam cradles. With packaging like that the model will arrive without a dent, unless, of course, some gorilla drop kicks it or a ton of boxes fall on it. As a matter of record, you don’t even need any adhesive for these models, although it’s suggested as an option for a more perma- nent bond. So just to see if it is required, no adhesive was used for the permanent bond of some parts. It’s still your option from the start, but from my experience that won’t be needed. With the Zipper the horizontal stab
48 P-51D Mustang Type:
Construction: Wing span: Airfoil: Length: Weight: Radio:
Zipper
RTF scale electric R/C RTF sport electric R/C EPS foam 29.5 inches symmetrical 25.5 inches 15 ounces 4-channel
EPO foam 23.6 inches
semi-symmetrical 21.3 inches 5.3 ounces 3-channel
Manufacturer: Hitec RCD USA, Inc.
12115 Paine Street, Poway, CA 92064 858-748-6948,
www.hitecrcd.com
literally popped into place, exactly aligned with the fin. In the case of the P-51 the tab and slot arrangement of the vertical fin and horizontal stab once again securely and very accurately align these surfaces. Altogether there are six steps to accom- plish before these planes are flight ready. Perhaps the Zipper requires the most effort of the bunch since it comes as a bare white,
unfinished model. Deciding and applying the trim scheme will take the most time and really turn it into a weekend project. The nose, wing tips and tail were simply painted with plastic model spray cans. The stars trim on the nose, wing and tail came from some online clipart and were created in a graphics program and printed on Testor’s decal sheets in an inkjet printer.
MARCH 2014
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