Grumman Panther F9

Now for something a little different, a Cambrian Grumman Panther. Colin has been kind enough to send a few photos in for this, and has written a short piece too, so over to you Colin:

I wanted to build a scale jet type model and decided that either the Hunter, Sabre or Panther would fit the bill. I eventuall settled on the Panther as it is a little modelled aircraft but has beautiful lines and good flight characteristics.

Built from Cambrian Models ‘Fighters of the Fifties’ range. Currently not produced any more, but through an advertisement in the Classifieds of RCM&E one was tracked down and duly purchased.

Power is from a JEN 56, which although very tight to start with, has had a couple of hours running in and now produces an awesome amount of power for a ‘straight’ engine with a super quiet silencer arrangement. Prop used is a Graupner 11 x 7” and although this is quite small for the engine (will turn up to 14” diameter) the ground clearance is quite limited with scale sized wheels, so next step is to use a 3 blade prop which will load the motor a bit and reduce revs.

Test flight was on Sunday 20^th November and showed that the model has good flying manners, not twitchy in way. The slow flying characteristics were put to the test when the motor went dead-stick (the tank had turned around in fuselage and the pressure feed line had come off) and a landing was called. It seems that the tip tanks help with the slow speed handling, and subsequent flights have shown that power on landings can be really smooth and slow.

The aircraft is all built up (except for foam wings) and took many hours of filling and sanding to achieve a smooth finish. Covered in doped tissue and sprayed with Humbrol enamels it became a labour of love lasting nearly 11 months! The model is based on a full size example currently on show in the US at a military museum.

Engine – Just Engines JEN 56, prop 11 x 7”, fuel – Model Technics with 5% nitro

Thanks Colin!! I have to say that when I first saw this model I thought it looked very good. Colin always produces a well finished model and this is no exception. I can vouch for the motor having bags of power, and would definitely be suited to other applications ie. sport, 3D etc. The model has a good turn of speed and looks the part in the air and on the ground.

Colin has kindly also given me these photos of the construction of the fuselage, showing the complex curvature of the fuselage.

Here are a few pictures of the airframe under construction, showing the level of build complexity in the fuselage. As you will see, it is built in two halves then planked, which results in a very robust, yet light structure. The wings were a lot simpler as they are veneered foam, but the various fairings did test my patience in getting them to sit just right.

All in all, the kit was excellent to put together and the finished model flies really well. I have decided not to use it much until the weather improves, so that I can fully assess the flight characteristics in more favourable conditions