Model review: DURAFLY - P-47 THUNDERBOLT 'Hun Hunter XVI'

About

One of the perks and advantage being inside R/C clubs is you get to meet bunch of people with interesting R/C models in hand and more likely you'll get cheap second hand models at bargain price because most R/C hobbyist tend to sell theirs so they will get some budget for much better ones. If there's crashes more likely you'll get freebies especially from people who can't fixed it... btw i like those newbies pilot..hehehe!  That's how i get lots of cheap plane for less and clogged my personal hangar. 

 One day we had a simple event to showcase our planes for photo shoot at local R/C runway, i noticed one of our member have this slivery shiny looking plane which looks very familiar from Hobby King planes inventory.  It's a DURAFLY:  REPUBLIC P-47 THUNDERBOLT!  with 'Hun Hunter XVI' livery. However i'm not a big fan of 'Hose nose' type plane especially for a juggy looking fuselage design which doesn't appeal me much.  The only 'Hose nose' plane i love is the F4U CORSAIR because of my nostalgic attachment to tv series "Baa Baa Black Sheep" as discussed in previous articles.  At that time i have the intention to collect as many range of DURAFLY lines of warbirds which is popular back then from Hobby King's inventory due to its scale like plastic model looks for its unique size especially since already own a P-51 and an F4U.  An additional DURAFLY's will complement the my existing collections.  Since i've already saw a P-47 in front of me i was willing to put some bargain with the owner, the good news is the owner who is my friend got bored of it wanted to sell it off for a good price. Yes! finally i bought for a good price slightly 20% cheaper at least it doesn't including shipping cost because back in those days the shipping price was way off the chart which deter people from buying stuff online.  That concludes my third DURAFLY warbirds!...few months later came the T-28, MK24, BF-110, DH100 and another extra F4U which all came in as second hand unit because someone just gave up flying it, lol!

FYI: DURAFLY warbirds has the best realistic and aesthetic details for its size during its time of production relevant to the same quality as its bigger models opponent from FMS brand and later DYNAM.  In short; 'Yay! i got epic collection of DURAFLY war birds'.....just for sake of hoarding my R/C model hangar, lol!  Of course i was young and naive with my spending...hahaha! But now i'm smart because by 2018 and beyond those DURAFLY models extinct.  If they do come out again its going to be twice pricey!  At first i have no love for P-47 so it rarely get out from the hangar for a good spin around the club flying field but soon that is about to change after i got bored of those P-15 and F4U for too much flying. Time for a change of taste!

 
Specification (as describe by vendor/manufacturer)

Brand name: DURAFLY
Model name: REPUBLIC - P-47 THUNDERBOLT (Hun Hunter XVI livery)
Release date: Early 2012

Quality and builds

Just like many DURAFLY i've owned before the P-47 the fuselage and wings are made form molded compress EPO foam (Expanded PolyOlefin). It also have the same electronic hardware's specification like its sibling the P-51D and F4U; 1x brushless motor, 1x ESC, 6x servos, 2x retract and LEDs on the wing tips. On the down side this is the only model that doesn't comes with extra detachable aesthetics accessories such as drop tanks and weapon payloads which is pretty much standard across all DURAFLY warbirds.  So it doesn't really look cool or 'battle' ready war planes when taking good photos of it in action flying in the air or sitting on the shelf for the show,  Its like Cowboys going to a gun fight without hat and cowboy boots. .....i kind a bit disappointed to be honest.

To summarized the overall physical attributes of the P-47:

• It has realistic looking PRATT & WITHNEY R-2800 radial engine behind detailed nose cone and 'HAMILTON STANDARD' replica big 4x bladed propeller.
• Fully detailed foam molded surface texture of detailed rivet, panel lines and bulk surfaces.
• Slightly bigger in mass than its other DURAFLY 1100mm wingspan siblings.
• Scale cockpit pilot.
• Striking silver color overall is based on replica version of 'HUN HUNTER XVI' livery. (https://www.modelairplanenews.com/the-hun-hunter-xvi-p-47-thunderbolt/)

Despite all DURAFLY warbirds are sized equally according to their wingspan which is 1100mm, the P-47 scale sizing seems to be off when placed side by side with its sibling the P-51D, F4U and MK24 because if all suppose to be scaled at proper ratio eg: 1/18 scale then the P-47 have been shrunken slightly 10 per-cent smaller than its sibling.  The most obvious was the size of the pilot and the cockpit are visibility smaller than all DURAFLY warbird models.  If scaled properly by true ration and not by equal wingspan measurement the P-47 should have been slightly bigger and chunky than the rest of the family.  Unfortunately like all DURAFLY planes the landing gear retract still suffer some 'stucks' during flight due to the fact the whole wing structure and wheel wells are made from flexible EPO foam that bent during wing loading in the air and deform the wheel wells causing friction and wheel rub with the well's wall as discussed from similar DURAFLY model reviews in this website.

The plane comes as complete 'stock' PNF so it already have electronic hardware built in to make the plane ready to fly out of the box. I only have to supply my own radio unit and battery to get it running.  For the radio unit i'm using the classic TURNIGY 9X radio with FRSKY DJT 2.4Ghz transmitter module with FRSKY 8 channel receiver with RSSI telemetry support  unit for extra reliability and TURNIGY classic blue pack 11.1v 3s 2200mah 35~40C battery pack (12.6v when fully charged).  Total flight control only uses minimum 6 channel from radio receiver; aileron, elevator, rudder/steering, throttle, retracts and flaps.  Below are details of the setup for various flight surfaces and function radio channel assignment.

Radio surface control setup

• Channel 1: Aileron (EPA=100%, EXPO=65%)
• Channel 2: Elevator (EPA=120%, EXPO=65%)
• Channel 3: Throtttle (EPA=100%, EXPO=0%)
• Channel 4: Rudder (EPA=100%, EXPO=45%)
• Channel 5: Flaps (EPA=100%, EXPO=0)
• Channel 6: Retracts (EPA=100%, EXPO=0)
• Radio timer: 6 minutes (Recommended for 3s 2200mah 40c runtime)

Unlike the P-51D and F4U i don't have to install external BEC to supply a clean independent 5V/3A current.  The stock 35A ESC with internal BEC (B-ZTW35ABEC) should able to supply a good amount of current and it doesn't need to pump huge amount of amps to spin the propeller to get up to speed.  So pretty much expected the ESC will be at moderate temperature without being total shutdown (brown-out) when flying a P-47 at cruise speed....slow and steady tank buster flight.  Unlike P-51D and F4U those are nasty fast power hogging planes will push the ESC to its bottle neck.

Flight performance

I'm not going to dive deep into the history book to tell much about the P-47 but all i knew back in World War 2 the P-47 earned the nick named the 'Jug' due to its fuselage shape (or from other's mouth 'Juggernaut') and jokes among aviator that people can hide and running around inside the fuselage cavity due to its size.  One thing for sure its designated name 'THUNDERBOLT' share the same name and flight role as today modern military jet fighter the A-10 THUNDERBOLT (or WARTHOG)   Both the old and new fighter share the same role as ground proximity attack plane and a bunker buster because both can fly relatively low altitude, slow and durable enough to get hits by Anti-Aircraft weapons (AA).  Coincidentally i do have twin 75mm EDF A-10 THUNDERBOLT/WARTHOG jet in my hangar too which makes it more reasonable to own the P-47 as relatable collection.  That being said even in miniature R/C size both P-47 and A-10 flew amazingly stable and tame like its bigger real life counter part.  Both are ugly plane but after flew spending lots of time at airfield i've develop my fascination and bond with them....very fun plane to fly!

Despite the plane bulky appearance looks as if it were build as same league as the P-51D MUSTANG and F4U CORSAIR due to similar wing size and mass fortunately it is a very docile plane to fly almost like flying my A-10 EDF jet plane; very stable, less twitchy and tolerate better at low speed and low risk of stalling.  It felt like riding a bicycle with 'loose' training wheels behind it.  I don't feel much struggle with the flight control try to balance the roll especially during take-off when expecting moment of 'torque rolling' from massive propeller and also executing aerobatics stunts.  I think what contributes this plane to fly much tame than other warbirds because its wing configuration located almost at mid section of the plane close to center axis torsion roll like YAK 54 which behave more like conventional aerobatic plane than low winged plane that struggle to balance its feet on a tight rope. This wing configuration makes the plane easy to move around on its center axis such as aileron roll stunts.  In fact among all lines of DURAFLY warbirds series i've flown the P-47 comes second as the best starter warbird planes after T-28 TROJAN which is in first place best for beginners warbird. 

First maiden flight caught me by surprise how easy it was to take off from the ground with less drama. Most warbirds of similar build like the P-51D MUSTANG and the notorious F4U CORSAIR would encounter 'torque roll' during take-off because of twisting spinning load from propeller spins on its axis, the P-47 however have less issues.  It rolls through the runways almost perfectly straight without to much rudder control unlike what encountered by both P-51D and the F4U.  Once in the air it flies straight more like a low wing trainer plane like a PILATUS PC-9 and very docile on all flight controls.  The only first radio stick trimming was 15 clicks of elevator up trim and that was it.

In the air once the elevator trimmed well it flew perfectly straight at 70% throttle minimum in zero wind condition. It handles like a big 1400mm wingspan plane rather than the same feeling i would get on a 1100mm P-51D, F4U or even MK24.  Less twitchy on the control, doesn't fell jumpy when hit by wind turbulent and can fly slow and low like a bunker buster plane do....exactly handle like my A-10 twin EDF jet; very calm like eagle moving about it circles.  When every i try to bank either left or right via rudder or 'bank-n-yank' method i don't feel much pressure to avoid the plane from stalling so the risk having to stall on this plane are lesser than i've expected.  I felt this plane is very floaty in the air due to the fact it has bigger and broader wing surface especially near the wing root.  The tail of the fuselage also much longer than my other warbirds of the same DURAFLY line up, it seem to help smoothen the air bumps and keep the flight steady and straight line.  This similar flight characteristic can be felt also when flying my FMS F3A EXPLORER plane which also have very long fuselage tail when compare to the ratio of its wingspan, the plane flew perfect straight line and smooth transition in all elevator control even in bumpy windy condition as depicted on all my previous F3A EXPLORER videos. A similar model that flew as smooth as the P-47 is my BF-110 which will be review soon in the future.  Overall i felt more safe to fly and have huge confident to perform basic aerobatic stunts maneuver on P-47 than on any other warbirds i flew before such as simple aileron roll and back loop....all executed at much higher altitude away from ground. All of these maneuver pretty much similar how i throw about my A-10 twin 75mm EDF jet in the air.   The best two words to describe flying this plane with my current flight skill level are; exhilarating and relaxing.  The plane doesn't put me feeling on the edge nor get my adrenaline pumping because just way too tame to worry all the risk like most would encounter on planes that have notorious stall characteristic like my badass P-51D, F4U and MK24 Spitty.  The only warbird model than always make me hard to blink my eye was the TOP MODEL: 750mm BEECHCRAFT T-34 MENTOR.....beginners should strongly avoid this tiny nasties!  Although the P-47 not so 'handsome' but it flew like steady like a big ship while others like a small tumbling kayak.

Like almost all DURAFLY's EPO based foamy warbirds the P-47 never escapes with another one of the famous technical flaw...stuck retracts. After repeated take-off and landing the retracts system may sometimes fail to deploy at some point but not as often as what seen on P-51D and MK24.  As mentioned before wheels may rub with the wheel wells enclosure under the wings especially once in the air because of bending torsion of the whole wingspan  due to 'wing loading' in the air.  So the landing gear retracts might have to struggle with to put down the wheels or get stuck.  In my case the only way if it fails is to fly loop at most peak height where the plane almost at inverted position then quickly activate the wheel retracts.  At that position the wing loading stress will be at minimum almost at negative torsion. The wheels along retracts unit may no longer rubbing against the compressed wall foam thus able to retract unobstructed.  On the 'Pros' side; worse case scenario if all doesn't work you can just do belly landing if retracts doesn't work.  The P-47 have tall and sturdy mid wing fuselage which allow it to land on its belly without damaging the propeller....yes although the body looks like ugly 'jug' you got added bonus of security and insurance right there, lol!.

Just like the take-off scene the P-47 lands much smoother than expect......well you know long tailed plane does it better than shorty ones.  I don't always land on flaps but the P-47 can land a bit lower but steady plane unlike its fast twitch sibling.  Like i said before it flew like a big plane and so does the landing.   Being a tail dragger and having a long tail fuselage it doesn't prone to 'propeller strike' if you accidentally hit bump during landing and goes 'nose over' which is common on many warbird.  In fact among all my DURAFLY collection the P-47 never had a broken propeller in its lifespan.  Most of my DURAFLY warbirds had a multiple broken propellers due to nose over during landing because where i flew we had patchy and uneven runway surfaces.  So that's another advantages of P-47 if you don't like to stock up some spares of propellers.  Unfortunately DURAFLY's iconic 4 blade 10x8" scaled "HAMILTON STANDARD" replica is a rare parts no longer in production, communities of DURAFLY owner now still searching high and lows on the internet for this props. Thankfully i still stocked some like there's no tomorrow cause i need some insurance for my FPV planes; the HK/Artech P-51D and Pitts Special. Those props gives massive rocket power thrust via HEXTRONIC DAT700 motor on my FPV planes!

Flying on standard 3s 2200mah 40C li-po battery the overall flight time before it hits 3.6V per-cell was 6 minutes with mix of fast low passes, moderate loop aerobatics and mix of 70~90% throttle stick flight speed.  If just float and glide about into the strong head wind with 60~80% throttle especially flying at breezy beach the flight time can be as long as 8 minutes per-battery pack.  When it comes to transporting in and out its obvious like the rest of my 1100mm warbirds the P-47 is extremely portable to move about using just an arm held beside me.  My 5x door sedan could carry easily max 3x units of 1100mm winspan DURAFLY per-trip without trampling over each other.  Casually i would just bring 2x on daily basis and still have ample space to lodge in 1x more park flyer in between eg; 860mm Pitts Special.  This is why i love 1100m wingspan size plane as my daily flyer, on the flip side my 1400mm and 160mm just dusting about in the hangar.

Aesthetic value

Although i'm not a fan of P-47 overall design and styling its does have some good aesthetic value.  Even when i placed on my hangar wall with lines of DURAFLYs war planes the P-47 is the one that catch my eyes due to its striking silver livery which make it looks like you're looking at real life aluminum panel on its fuselage and wing surface.   Panel lines, rivets and parts details on the fuselage and wing surfaces looks sharply embossed and much more revealing than other models around it.  Stock form the plastic replica of radial engine around the cowling comes in black color but i manage to paint it with proper engine block color to make it looks more realistic. 

The size also quite bigger even though it was improperly scaled a bit smaller because it shrink down based on same wing span size as its sibling.  The P-47 THUNDERBOLT seems to shout out ' Hey! look at me!' both in the air and even as shelf queen.  It does seem to be a looker.  The red ring on the most front cowling really stood up well too.  The only thing i don't like about this plane other than the design is out of box this model lacks some aesthetics accessories such as drop tanks, rockets and all those weapons or payload under the wings that mostly a standard accessories found on many DURAFLY warbird models.  As a fan of miniature scale plastic kit models this plane is a keeper worth of shelf queen because it has all the elements of realistic looking scale models that not only can fly but also looks realistic like a miniature plastic models war planes.

Videos/Medias
Here are sample of video of  i posted on my Youtube channel contain fun flying my DURAFLY P-47 THUNDERBOLT

• Model gallery :  DURAFLY P-47 Thunderbolt - 1100mm
  • Video: Durafly P-47 Thunderbolt - The Classic Returns
  • Video: Durafly P-47 Thunderbolt - Hazy beach fly
  • Video: Durafly P-47 Thunderbolt demo flight

Vendor/seller

Here are list of reputable vendor/seller which i bought from and also verified by community forum discussion groups. Also i've experienced buying from these places that have good support and services:

1. Seller HobbyKing.com:  Durafly™ P-47 Thunderbolt w/flaps/retracts/lights 1100mm (PNF) *(discontinued production model)


Support group/articles:
Places where you can find help and resources related to this product:

• RCgroups discussion group - HK Durafly 1100mm P-47 Thunderbolt:  https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1512306-Durafly-P-47-%21
• Actual real aircraft information 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_P-47_Thunderbolt
• Actual real aircraft information 2: https://p47millville.org/museum/p47-thunderbolts/
• P-47 Thunderbolt 'Hun Hunter XVI' model airplane news: https://www.modelairplanenews.com/the-hun-hunter-xvi-p-47-thunderbolt/
• P-47 Thunderbolt 'Hun Hunter XVI' aircraft registry: http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p47registry/p47-hunhunterxvi.html
• P-47 Thunderbolt 'Hun Hunter XVI' news article: http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/thunderbolts-inbound-airventure-oshkosh.html
   

Summary

So how did i felt after years owned and flew a DURAFLY P-47 THUNDERBOLT?...was it worth it?  Although in my book its not a looker because of its funny juggy plane design but the experience of flying this plane was a unique experiences and well enjoyed.  Having all sorts of replicas war planes in my hangar each offer unique type of skills and experiences the P-47 have its own flight characteristic that have filled my curiosity and satisfaction of "Wow! this plane is terrific! Awesome to fly".  You know that feeling when you take-off, fly and do stuff then land in one pieces?...yes i flew 'that' and i did it!  Best word to describe about me with this plane; "I learned something new and gained experienced".  Of course! The reason why i want so many R/C plane is to experience new things and learned about it.  As a old fans of aviation its better to fly one than just to look at visual book encyclopedias of war planes.  "Yes, i flew a P-47!"  Now that's a good statement if you want to share experience with fellow R/C models enthusiast. So i can say yes it's really worth it!. 

For new comer into R/C war planes if you want something that doesn't look beginners on a T-28 TROJAN but wants to feel more muscular looking warbirds in the air without struggle on the control stick then the P-47 THUNDERBOLT is your best bet.  Unfortunately the DURAFLY version of P-47 have stopped production somewhere around year between year 2016~2017 at hobbyking.com website which is the sole distributer for DURAFLY brand products. But that doesn't mean the end because there are other same model from different manufacturer out there still building the P-47 THUNDERBOLT. Plus there's also the P-47D RAZORBACK version with non bubble canopy design (framed cockpit) made popular under FMS. As far as i know DYNAM produces 1220mm version wingspan P-47 while FMS also produces 1500mm up to 1700mm wingspan P-47 and P-47D RAZORBACK variant which still available on the market today. Regardless of sizes both brands of P-47 still flew docile enough for any R/C pilot with intermediate flying skills able to handle without problem.  You can't go wrong buying from these brands; the DYNAM and FMS MODELS because both companies produces high quality and realistic looking flying model much like how DURAFLY planes would looks.  If i rate their aesthetic quality in order the FMS MODELS comes first, DYNAM second and DURAFLY third because DURAFLY makes smaller size at 1100mm. Overall P-47 is a good plane to have both for the go and the show.  Btw 9 years later the original owner (who decline too long in the R/C hobby) thinking wanted to buy back his old DURAFLY P-47 THUNDERBOLT......too late buddy! This plane is butt ugly but awesome at the same time. Its a keeper for me! Hehehehe!