free-flight | James, Planes and Automobiles

Guillow’s Series 400 P40 Warhawk Build:
Cockpit Detail:

I decided to deviate from the plan’s suggestion of using thin cardboard and instead made the dummy bulkheads behind the cockpit from balsa sheet. This may add a bit more weight but I feel the trade-off for additional durability worth it, particularly as I’m going to be trimming the canopy side windows from the main moulding and attaching them separately.

The cockpit detail has been crafted from scrap balsa, doped to seal, and then painted. The instruments I’ve represented with a photo of the real thing glued to the panel – simple but effective. My aim was to make something attractive to pass off as ‘semi-scale’ with minimal weight penalty and I’m quite pleased with the final result.

Cockpit detail and dummy bulkheads crafted from scrap balsa

Instrument panel

Cockpit left side

Seat and trim adjusters

Cockpit right side

Documents pouch

Guillow’s Series 400 P40 Warhawk Build:

I’ve always been a fan of Guillow’s kits finding them well engineered and very comprehensive. Many are now converted to micro RC and I did toy with doing this but in the end I decided to build this one as a glow powered free flight/display and will build it for the most part as per the instructions. The current series 400 kits include laser cut parts but my particular kit must have passed through the net and contained the traditional die-cut parts. Not to worry though as the parts were soon released from the sheets. Some formers and spars did need a little work to reduce the size of the stringer slots but overall the frames went together smoothly using white glue throughout. I always start with the wings. If I start with the fuselage I spend so long admiring it that I never get around to the rest!