PSA New Projects

RETRO FIT COWL FOR TOP FLITE GS MUSTANGS

The Top Flite GS 1/5 scale Mustang overall captures the essence of the Mustang better than most of the sport scale Mustangs in my opinion. However the OEM cowl isn't nearly up to the rest of the kit's appearance. Any effort to do a detailed and realistic TF GS Mustang should start with with a cowl having the best possible shape and appearance.

The areas that I think need improvement are:

* Take the prominent "drooped hook" out of the upper cowl profile
* Improve the air intake shape to make it more scale-like
* Add the Mustang's subtle upper cowl bulges behind the spinner
* Use a spinner close to the scale diameter
* Blend the cowl into the spinner's contours
* Make the cowl look like part of the fuselage - not just slipped over the front

The design objectives were:

* Not to modify the fuselage or firewall structure
* Minimize weight gain

This is the original plug which was made using a Top Flite GS ARF fuselage. The grey areas are the new cowl. Underneath the plug the fuselage has been not been altered and the original thrust angles are used. The spinner has been increased to 5-1/2" diameter and the thrust line has been raised 1/4" to avoid a "hook nose" look.

This is an early cowl that doesn't have an engine hatch formed yet

A prototype cowl shown with a static display spinner ... the cowl extends back over the wing to allow the new front contours to blend properly into the fuselage. It ends at the full scale firewall location just ahead of the base of the windshield which is also a cowl panel line.

Raising the thrust line improves the room inside the cowl for the engine as well as making the nose look more like a Mustang should. The complete cowl with a hatch is anticipated will weight about 12 oz (the OEM cowl is roughly 6 oz). A Moki 210 on a homemade mount is shown.

As you can see this cowl maximizes the scale appearance of the Top Flite GS Mustang as no short cowl can.

An exhaust manifold kit designed to be either surface mounted or mounted from inside the cowl will be available. Flush mounted laser cut air filer intake grills are included.

The availability and cost of the cowl kits will be announced when kits are ready to ship.

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