The HVP Modell PBY kit includes a gel-coated glass fuselage, pre-sheeted foam wing and vacuum-formed nacelles, cowls and tip floats. The quality of the kit is outstanding; even the balsa tail-surfaces are pre-sanded and nearly ready for finishing. Per my usual practice, I covered the wood surfaces with glass cloth and epoxy, and I copied the mid-1942 VP-23 color scheme with Floquil Military paints.
I originally powered my
kit with 2 X 7.2V Speed 400 motors wired in series with 16 X 500AR
cells.
I've since changed to parallel wiring and 8 X CP-1300 cells. The plane
is even lighter with this battery, and duration is about 7 minutes of
pleasant
cruising. All up weight as flown is 45 ounces, for a wing loading of
just
16 ounces per square foot. Performance is very nice; a little faster
than
scale, but very pretty on a fly-by. I've moved the CG forward to about
20% MAC, and this has made the "P-boat's" tendency to tip stall much
less
of a concern.
