VIP Adventurer
FMS 1100mm Mustang Racers Review
FMS ModelFMS 1100MM MUSTANG RACERS
Get in the winners'circle with these speed machines!
FLIGHT REPORT
BY ANDREW GRIFFITH
PHOTOS BY JENNIFER LIVELY
OCTOBER 2022
AT A GLANCE
| Model: | 1100mm Race Edition P-51s |
| Manufacturer: | FMS Models (fmsmodel.com) |
| Type: | ARF civilian scale racers |
| Wingspan: | 42 in. |
| Pilot skill level: | Intermediate |
| Time to assemble: | 20 minutes |
| Radio req'd: | 6- or 7-channel |
| Power req'd: | 4S 2800mAh LiPo |
| Price: | $259.99 |
Whether you're playing with an RC airplane, car, or even a sailboat, eventually going solo can get a little boring. Add another person or two and start racing, even sailboats become fun and competitive! To that end, FMS has decided to re-release their 1100mm P-51 Mustangs in four classic Reno Racing schemes that are sure to be popular models for some friendly club pylon racing.
The Mustangs are constructed of high-density injection-molded EPO foam, so they feature plenty of molded surface detail. The high-density foam makes them less prone to the hangar rash that other types of foam tend to accumulate, but you still need to handle them carefully.
They also include electric retractable main landing gear for less drag and maximum speed that feature metal gear struts. To maintain simplicity and low weight, the tail wheel is fixed in place, and it was nice to see it in the scale location instead of attached to the rudder like some models.
Assembly of the little P-51s is quite simple as they go together easily with the included hardware, requiring only a small Phillips screwdriver and an M2 Allen driver. There are three parts that require some foam-safe glue as well.
These are high-performance aircraft so you will want to have enough experience to handle a tail-dragger model that is capable of speeds of 100 mph.
UNIQUE FEATURES
The racing Mustangs are available in four distinctive full-scale schemes of P-51s that race in in Reno, Nevada. We received the purple Voodoo and the patriotic red, white, and blue Miss America air racers for our review. They are also available in the distinctive Dago Red and the Blue Thunder II schemes.
My personal favorite has always been Miss America and fellow reviewer Adam Strong, who is a fan off all things unusual, elected to fly Voodoo for our review.
The new release of the 1100mm Mustang features an upgraded power system with an 80-amp speed controller and a 900KV motor. A big, 10.5-inch four-blade propeller completes the business end and looks very scale.
Interlocking foam packing containers ensured our Mustangs arrived damage-free. We used Bob Smith Industries Foam Cure glue to attach the wing fences and pitot tube.
The battery compartment has plenty of room for a variety of pack sizes. We used Max Amps 2800mAh 4S LiPos.
OCTOBER 2022 37
HITS
| + Available in four striking color schemes |
| + Can be assembled in a few minutes |
| + Large hatch for convenient battery access |
| + Upgraded power system and scale 4-blade propeller |
GEAR USED
| Radio: | PowerBox CORE, Powerbox PBR-7S receiver (powerbox-americas.com); servos installed |
| Battery: | MaxAmps 2800mAh 4S LiPo (maxamps.com) |
| Prop: |
10.5 x 8 4-blade (included) |
MISSES
|
Minor paint chipping while handling the model |
Lots of molded-in surface details like rivets and panel lines and molded exhaust stacks combine to make these attractive models.
Retractable main landing gear with metal trunnions.
The pushrods utilize ball links for precise control. The elevator pushrod is the only that needs installation during assembly.
The streamlined canopy is held in place with strong magnets. The Reflex gyro worked extremely well to stabilize the little Mustangs in the wind.
All the control surfaces are hinged and most of the servos are installed with the pushrods connected. In fact, the only pushrod that requires installation is the elevator because the stabilizer and elevator halves require installation during the build. The pushrods use Z-bends on the servo end and ball links on the control surfaces and the result is a nice tight control system installation with no slop, which is always desirable but especially on an airplane that we expect 100 mph from.
The promotional material calls for a 6-channel radio system, but the models arrived with a Reflex gyro system that uses a seventh channel to set one of three available flight modes. If a seventh channel isn't available, you can set the gyro mode by using the supplied jumper. The gyro is optimized for the model it's included with, and replacement units can be programmed with a USB cable by downloading the appropriate aircraft's file. The modes available are Gyro Off, Stabilized Mode, and Optimized Mode. Stabilized is a way to automatically level the plane if you get into trouble and Optimized mode is for normal flying.
The streamlined racing canopy replaces the large bubble canopy normally seen on operational P-51s. The canopy acts as a magnetically retained hatch that provides access to install a receiver and the flight battery. I always like it when a model has the battery hatch on top and the battery can be swapped while it's sitting on the landing gear.
In addition to the primary flight controls, the Mustangs are equipped with both flaps and retractable main landing gear. The landing gear struts are metal and over the course of several flights over two weekends of testing, the gear worked flawlessly.
IN THE AIR
The Mustangs are small enough to be stored and transported fully assembled, so other than charging up a battery there wasn't much work to prepare the Mustangs at the field. The small wheels mean the Mustangs are best suited to paved or geo textile runways. The wide landing gear stance makes ground handling easy.
The large 4-blade prop produces a lot of torque, so it takes some practice using a combination of right rudder, smooth application of throttle, and a little up-elevator during the beginning of the takeoff roll to hold the tail wheel down until the rudder takes over. When done properly you are rewarded with a nice, straight, scale looking takeoff. Full disclosure: it took me a couple of tries to get it right, jam the power or get behind the rudder and I promise you a ground loop.
The drag induced with the landing gear and flaps fully deployed will slow the Mustangs down significantly. Some power is required to maintain flying speed until the main wheels touch down. When done properly, the Mustang will settle on the mains and coast to a stop in less than 50 feet.
GENERAL FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS
Stability:
I was impressed with the Reflex gyro and how stable the Mustangs flew even when the wind picked up. They are sleek and fast, but they remain stable at all but the slowest speeds.
Tracking:
The Mustang tracks well and inspires confidence to pick a lane and stick to it during our mock races. Even in hard turns, the little Mustangs are locked in.
Aerobatics:
We were impressed! The power system will pull the Mustang through large, majestic victory loops and at high speed the roll rate is impressive. The roll rate is fast and stops are nice and crisp. The Mustang will even do impressive snap rolls.
Glide and Stall:
In Optimized mode, the Reflex gyro will fight a stall until it nearly stops flying and drops a wing. If you do this too slowly, it won't be pretty as it takes a bit of altitude to power up and recover. If you lose power, get the nose down and land.
Pilot Debriefing
The Mustang moves out when power is applied, when the gear is up the low profile of the Reno racers are low drag and the acceleration is impressive. These are inexpensive and simple enough for several club members to purchase them for club race days. I know that flying our two review models together at high speed was a lot of fun.
FROM WAR ZONES TO RACE COURSES
The arrival of the P-51 Mustang in the European theater during WW II was one of the turning points of the war for the Allies. Equipped with powerful engines and drop tanks, they had the range and performance to escort bombers to the heart of Germany and wipe out their ability to make war.
After the war, many Mustangs are housed in private collections, but a few have been heavily modified to race in the Unlimited class at the Reno Air races and other races throughout the world. Stripped of excess weight, and the engines machined to extract the very last horsepower the airframes have been cleaned up of drag by removing intake scoops and the bubble canopy. The result is 500 plus mph machines that race side by side in a thrilling aerial ballet. The P-51 Voodoo, currently retired and on display at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, is the fastest at 554 mph.
At the 2009 Reno Air Races, Voodoo and Strega, another modified P-51 racer, meet on the runway. (Photo by Jon "ShakataGaNai" Davis via Wikicommons)
Both Mustangs were equipped with PBR-7S receivers and flown with the Powerbox Core radio.
BOTTOM LINE
No matter what color scheme you choose, you will get a sharp looking model. The Mustangs only take about 20 minutes to assemble with some basic tools. Each required set of bolts has a spare included in the hardware bag.
I would recommend covering your workspace with a nice fluffy towel to protect the foam parts. The foam is tough, but a little paint chipped while I was working on my Miss America. A color matched latex paint in a small sample obtained at the local paint store fixed it right up. (They are used to me bringing airplane parts in for color scanning!)
