Has anyone built this model? I have a few technical questions since the instructions are not clear. Revell’s customer service/technical people don’t seem to be interested (there’s a big difference between Revell’s customer service response (excellent) and Revell’s (two calls and an email to get a human person to call me back–he wasn’t familiar with this kit).
I saw the finished model at a show recently and thought I’d give it a try–unfortunately the instruction manual could use some detail clarity.
Anyway if you’re familiar with this kit I need help with Steps 7 and 8.
I remember building it back then. As far as I remember, it was one heck of a project and not bad compared to some of the other kits that were around back then.
It is a bit of a struggle to get everything going as it’s supposed to. On mine, the landing gear never did quite reach the functionality it’s supposed to have. I think it’s trying to do too much with what they had available at the time, but it’s still kind of a fun build.
Feel free to ask if you have any other questions. I used the Testors clear parts cement for most of it and was pleased with the results.
Thanks for your note. I agree with you. The people who wrote the instructions should have added “in between” steps where needed. The tailwheel doors in particular is are one example.
I had one when I was young, so, it couldn’t have been too hard to put together. It was really a cool model back then and I’m glad to have one today. “Bully has done flung a cravin’ on me”.
Thanks for your note and the link; I’m sorry but the link doesn’t work. Clicking on it gets a screen that says “No URL…” I tried it on the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air. I also tried the Hobbico site without success. The model is essentially done except for the wiring and gluing fuselage and wings.
BigJim - If it helps, I just picked mine up, and the wiring is like this:
Each battery is an independent unit controlling either the engine motor OR the landing gear motor. From inside the plane, bring the red wire to the contact on the front of the base for the engine. The blue wire goes to the black button piece at the rear of the base. Another wire (mine provided was black) goes from the rearward battery contact to the plate directly underneath the button. Make sure you strip the wires when wrapping the leads around the button and the piece below it, and wrap it a couple of times if you like. That’s essentially the break in the circuit, and when you hold the button down, it completes it, making the motor spin the prop.
For the landing gear, it’s much the same, except the red wire comes from the motor at the top of the base. Connect it to the front contact, and connect the blue wire to the button, etc.
If the prop spins the wrong way, just reverse the battery.
Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you’d like me to try to snap a picture (my wiring job is ugly, but it does work).
I’m amazed, given the engineering of the parts, that my bombs still drop and reset as they should.
The1/32 P-51 was also issued as a standard kit without the electric motor in the engine and no base. There was a knob to turn and retract the gear and two toggle arks to drop the bombs.