Holman Me-109F | IMP Fw-190 A6 | Hobby Lobby P-38 | Me-262 A-1a | Misc. R/C | Contact | Links | R/C models | Home

Addendum (8/23/2000) I was just glancing through one of the "on line magazines" and saw a thread where someone asked about IPM kits. Most responses were very negative. I felt that I should put my 2 cents in here as well. Kit Quality: Glass work: Average at best. Pin holes not too bad on the fuselage. The cowl was below standards. Foam Cores: Below average. I had 3 total sets of foam cores. None matched. All needed to be sanded to shape. While not a big issue if you have a vacuum bagging operation, if you plan on sheeting the wings and then placing them back in the foam cradle to "cure", well, your cradle no longer matches your core. Wood Quality: Average, but missing parts. Extras: Retracts, average. Tail wheel retract, below average. Again, in defense of IMP, a call would get a positive response (5 years ago), but for a custom kit like this it should not be necessary. Replacement parts were of same quality. Delivery: Below average, but IMHO the entire industry is below average. On flying: I've had engine overheat problems, which I think I have solved now. In the air mine flew very nice.

I should start by saying that this article is not a complete build and fly report on the innovative Fw190A. I will cover some general information on what I did during the build process, but this is pretty much a typical fiberglass fuselage, foam flying surface model. I have read some 'bad press' about Innovative Model Products kits on the internet over the past two years. I must admit that I was disappointed in the quality of some areas of the kit. In defense of Greg Namey at Innovative, anytime I called with a problem or concern, he always responded in a positive manner. I just did not always call, preferring to tackle things on my own. I must also add that, since attending the Toledo show in 1997, I think IMP kit quality is not at all out of line with other major kit makers. I saw many fiberglass fuselages' with very bad joint seams (much worse than what I got with my Fw190). Seams that I would find unacceptable, and this was at a major show where you would expect manufacturers to show only their best! So I guess IMP may not be all that bad after all. If you are considering an IMP kit, or anyone's 'specialty' kit for that matter, and have concerns about the purchase, I urge you to attend one of the many trade shows that these manufactures attend. This way you can look over the purchase first hand, prior to buying.

Now on to the interesting part. Building the basic kit is simple. There is a foam core wing that comes in four parts. Glue things together per the instructions and it goes quite fast. Doublecheck all the joints and make sure that the left outer panel matches with the left inner pannel. I had to do some sanding to ensure an accurate fit. (update, I had to do this on a second wing I built as well. The quality of foam cores is questionable.

I deviated some from the kit by installing a 1/2 wide piece of .014 carbon fiber strip into the wing. I did this by cutting a thin trench (the width of my zona saw blade) into the top of the foam core (after the 2 pieces of foam are glued together to form a wing half). The channel is 1/2 inch deep and I filled it with 30 minute epoxy and pressed the carbon fiber into the trench. I also deviated from the instructions where the landing gear mount to the wing. Here I removed a chunk of foam from the leading edge, back to the thickest part of the airfoil . In this area I inserted two pieces of 1/8 inch plywood that fit the profile of the airfoil, like a mini rib. I located the area where the landing gear mounting rails would meet the mini rib and cut square holes to accept the mounting rails, much like you would lock the mounting rails into a built up wing. I also put a stiffener piece of plywood between the plywood mini-ribs at the back of the gear mounting box. I also removed the foam where I wanted the aileron servos to be placed and installed the servo mounting rails. Don't forget to cut a channel into the foam to route the servo wire. While you're removing foam, you might as well remove the wheel area and cut a channel for the gear struts (once retracted). Once this was done I sheeted the wings with balsa, per plan. I used 3M77 adhesive on one wing and 30 minute epoxy on a second wing. I think a thin coat of 30 minute epoxy, applied to only the balsa, is lighter. (The second wing was built as the result of a "minor" mishap.)

The vertical and horizontal tail surfaces were done in a similar manner, without the carbon fiber. Prior to installing the horizontal stabilizer to the fuse, you should install the retractable tail wheel, if you are adding that option. Reinforce the horizontal stab where it joins the fuselage. I used carbon fiber mat for this. In trying to keep the tail light, I built the elevator and rudder from a piece of 1/32" plywood sandwiched between two pieces of 1/2" soft balsa. I removed most of the 1/2" soft balsa to follow the outline of the scale fabric covered elevator/rudder. Here I used a neat trick. I photocopied the outline of the elevator and rudder, and then made a transparency of the photocopy. I placed the transparency on the piece of 1/2" soft balsa, ink side down. I then ironed the transparency as if it was a piece of monocoat, with a hot iron. This transferred the ink from the transparency to the wood. You now can cut out the elevator exactly per the plans. Since the plans show the true outline of the original fabric covered elevator (shows the frame work) you can remove all the extra wood from the elevator, and it looks very scale.

Once wings and tail assembly was finished, I opted for using fiberglass and CA for a finishing method. I need to add a big warning here that you need a well vented shop along with a good particle mask while glassing with CA. This method is well documented in the builders guide that comes with all IMP kits. I find it just as fast as resin and neater. Just take your time and you will be surprised at the outcome.

Once the Tail surfaces were glassed, I attached them to the fuselage. I used carbon fiber mat when joining the horizontal stabilizer to the fuselage. Again work slowly, and verify alignments often. This completed the major assemblies. Once everything was covered, I brushed on one coat of Hobbypoxy white filler. This seems to fill the weave of the cloth well, and gives a white base coat for sanding. After the hobbypoxy, I spray on a coat of Auto Primer gray. This dries fast, Fills well, and sands easy. The white base coat makes it easy to tell when you are getting close to the glass cloth. Make sure that all the cloth weave is filled and no major dents remain. It's much easier to fix them now!

Prior to painting, I cut and access hatches and raised details out of sheet styrene and attached them in place with zap 560. You have the option of attaching them before priming, but I find it easier to sand without them in place. I also made a machine gun hood for the top/front of the Focke Wulf, per the scale drawings I had. If you opt for the A8 version, the IMP kit includes a vacuum formed gun hood. I attached the wing cannon ammunition bulges and filled them in with green putty.

For painting, I used Chevron Perfect Paints. I have only just begun to use these paints, but I absolutely love them. In the past 25+ years of enjoying this hobby, I have always been heavy handed when it came to painting. The more paint I put on the plane, the better the finish got. I do not think I put more than two coats of any color on this plane. The coverage is good, the paint dries fast, and after full cure (18 hours) I can wipe off goofs, spills, etc. and not affect the previous coats. I used CHE34 for the light blue bottom, and CHE38 for the green/gray, right out of the can. I think they are a little light but close enough for an everyday flyer. For the gray/violet I mixed CHE54 & CHE01 until I got a hint of violet to the gray. I sprayed the bottom and sides with a touchup gun, and finished the camouflage with a small Miller airbrush and a Badger 150 to help finalize the separation lines. Not bad for someone who is still learning. While I was painting I contacted the good folks at Pro Mark, and did just what Frank Tiano suggested in a previous issue of SRCM. I sent them 1/48 scale decals, and they sent me dry transfers to mach my paint scheme (not quite that easy, but very close). These dry transfers look great and are easy to apply.

Prior to applying the dry transfers, I experimented with adding panel lines using ink pens. I went to the local art supply store and purchased a variety of pen thickness and color. I thought a medium gray color would look better than stark black, and some tests that I ran looked good too. Unfortunately every time I would stop the pen, it would bleed a little, leaving small dark spots that detracted terribly. A little isopropyl alcohol to remove the test lines and it was back to the basic black.
Once all the panel lines were in place I applied the Dry transfers per instructions. The final step was a clear coat of Cheveron dead flat clear. I realize that the paint as it comes out of the can is fuel proof, but I had combined some flat camouflage paint with standard colors (for the Luftwaffe markings) that were quite glossy. My hope with the clear coat was to equalize the degree of gloss. This is exactly what the clear coat did. When it was all over, and the paint had dried, the flat camouflage colors were slightly glossier than before, and the gloss colors were flatter. The overall effect was a leveling of the gloss between the two "types" of paint.

Mount all the radio equipment and retracts and it's time to fly.

I decided to test fly my Fw190 at a friends private grass field. Innovative's instructions recommend test flying from as large a runway as possible. This location was ideal, with at least 1000 feet of smooth grass. I exchanged some e-mail w/Greg Namey about the weight of my plane and the location of the CG. I was concerned that the location shown on the plans was to far forward, which caused me to add a whole bunch of weight to the nose. His advice was to keep the CG at the location shown and keep the speed up on landing. With this information in hand ... I was off to the field.

The wind was just coming up, and was almost right down the runway. I quickly put the plane together and fueled up. A quick check of the controls and I started the OS1.08 on the first flip (I cannot say enough about this engine). I made the mistake of not installing a steerable tailwheel (it's free pivoting with a light spring centering) so we had to walk the 190 to the takeoff position. One more run up on the engine to clear it and I was ready. I slowly applied throttle, anticipating a pull to the left, but it went more or less straight. Once beyond 25% throttle I got the anticipated pull to the left. I over corrected to the right, corrected that, and then at 90% throttle backed off and aborted. The last thing I wanted was to takeoff after such a lousy run.

We walked the plane back to the takeoff spot, cleared the engine and re-started the engine (it loaded up before I could clear it). This time I had my father hold the plane until I had 50% throttle and then had him release it. This time I got a nice straight track going by holding a little right rudder, and continued to throttle up to 100%. I remember it looking very Focke-Wulf'ish running down the runway, tail up on those long main gear. It took a little up elevator to keep it running level on the main gear, and a little more up to break ground. The transition to flight was smooth and I established a gentle climb out. I started a shallow right turn after gaining 75-100 feet of altitude and was a little worried because the plane seemed to be flying very slowly. This could be attributed to the size of the model being a little larger than what I have been flying in the recent past.

Once level and going down wind I throttled back to 80-85% throttled and examined the trim needs. I needed a little up elevator trim, but no other trim was needed !! A couple of circles of the field showed the plane nicely balanced for controls, the elevator and ailerons were not too sensitive and had a nice feel to them. I do not remember trying the rudder alone, although I always feed a little in on every turn (habit). The plane still flew slower than I thought it should, but never felt on the edge of a stall.

After 4-5 circles, I retracted the gear. This showed two things. One, the up elevator trim could be removed and two, the plane picked up some speed. At this time I noticed that one wheel was still slightly down. Apparently what happened was one wheel pant and rotated slightly and was keeping the gear from retracting. Not wanting to risk anything, I put the gear back down on the next pass and got ready to land. I set up the down wind leg with 60% power and put the flaps down slightly. Keeping the nose down I turned base and reduced throttle some while applying full flaps (the flaps are on a "servo slow" device, and take 10 seconds to fully deploy). I turned final, kept the nose down and reduced throttle some more. I could see the flaps fully down and thought I felt a slight tendency to balloon from them. I was lined up slightly to the far side of the runway, so I corrected and kept the sink rate low and the throttle around 25%. At about 10 feet I throttled back almost all the way and , dare I say it, it almost seemed to float. Now this is not a light plane and it was definitely flying slower than I thought it should on final, so I throttled up a bit and flared. I performed a very nice wheel landing, followed by the tail raising way too high, but I was able to correct this with up elevator and the tail settled nicely. I do not think the plane rolled more than 100 feet after touchdown. I was VERY Happy.

What did I find out ? The gear pants on my model point out slightly, and created a nice air brake. I think this is what kept the model flying slower than I thought it should. My next flight I will remove the pants and retract the gear sooner. Also the plane does not have to land at supersonic speeds. It may also be slightly nose heavy. I will keep it as is for now and perhaps later start removing some nose weight later. I will keep you posted as I get more familiar with the plane.

Holman Me-109F | IMP Fw-190 A6 | Hobby Lobby P-38 | Me-262 A-1a | Misc. R/C | Contact | Links | R/C models | Home