Review: Great Planes Mr. Mulligan EP ARF-2012/04

The Mr. Mulligan is stunning and garnered
much attention at the flying field.
In the 1930s, air racing was all the rage in the United States and Europe. There
were no CAD design systems and most designers learned from the old, and
sometimes tough, trial-and-error method.
Bennie Howard and Gordon Israel were two such designers and builders of race
airplanes and later civilian aircraft. Howard’s racers were white, but the one that
most people remember is his DGA-6 Mister Mulligan.
This high-wing monoplane cabin aircraft won the Thompson and Bendix Trophy
races in 1935. Another of Howard’s racers, the DGA-4 Mike, piloted by Harold
Newman, won the Greve Trophy Race.
Mister Mulligan was equipped with a 1,344 cu. in. Pratt & Whitney Wasp Senior
radial engine with a supercharger that could increase the horsepower to 830. The
airplane was lost in 1936 when it shed a propeller blade during the cross-country
Bendix Trophy Race. Pilot Benny Howard and his wife survived the crash.
First Impressions
The box is adorned with good color photos of the model, its specifications, and
views of the model including cowl, wing and struts, and the unique battery access
hatch for the airborne pack. The model is packaged well, but check the box for dents
and holes.
Cut the rolls of tape used to secure the various sections inside the segmented box.
There is a specific area for each subassembly. This helps eliminate damage or scuffing
during shipment. Take your time and save the plastic bags that envelop most of the
major parts of the model; you’ll use some of this during assembly.
Construction
I begin any construction project by reading the entire instruction manual and
checking to make sure all of the parts and pieces are there. You will need to purchase
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Glue the black alignment dowel to the
rear inner rib on one side, leaving half
of it for the other wing panel. The main
gear is next. The two halves are installed
into a plate with socket-head bolts in the
center of the fuselage. I recommend that
you coat these bolts as well as the holes
with threadlocker before assembly.
The landing gear fairings go on next.
Check and recheck these to make sure
you have them installed on the correct
side. You may have to sand a little to
make them fit. This was the only place
on the model I used sandpaper.
Apply canopy glue (I used Pacer
Formula 560 canopy glue) to the inside
of the fairings. After you put them in
place, apply it to the outside edges. Hold
these in place for a few minutes until
the glue has time to set. Hold the parts
together with light tack masking tape
until they dry.
Installing the tail surfaces is easy. The
elevators are preinstalled and hinged for
you. The vertical fin fits perfectly into
When installing the servos, make sure
that you have the 6- and 12-inch servo
extensions fitted to the servo connectors
and sealed with shrink tubing. The
shrink tubing allows you to move the
servo wires easily with the provided
string through the wing to the exit holes
on the bottom center wing section. Do
this by gently holding the wingtip up
and letting gravity take the wire through
the wing panel. Don’t pull it or jerk it.
If you use a servo other than what is
listed, adjust your marks on the inside of
the servo cover and make sure the servos
work with the servo arms for their
application before gluing them in place.
The manual gives the builder an
option to glue or not glue the wing
center section with the wing spar tube
in place. Old habits made me go ahead
and glue this together with 30-minute
epoxy. Some builders may choose not
to glue the wing center section to allow
for easy replacement if one wing panel is
damaged.
a few items for the radio system you
plan to use. This is listed in the assembly
manual and on the Great Planes website.
Start with the wing panels. Remove
the hatch covers on one panel and glue
the hardwood servo mounts to the
hatch. If you plan to use flaps, you’ll
need two servos per wing. Marks are
placed on the inside of the hatch covers
for the servos and they fit perfectly.
REVIEW
Specificati ons
Model type: Semiscale ARF
Skill level: Intermediate builder;
intermediate pilot
Wingspan: 52.5 inches
Wing area: 441 square inches
Length: 41.5 inches
Weight: 5.25/5.75 pounds
Power system: 600- to 1000-watt electric
Radio: Four channels with four servos;
five channels with six servos
and flaps
Construction: Balsa and light plywood
Price: $209.97
TEST-MODEL DETAILS
Power: ElectriFly RimFire 42-50-800
outrunner brushless motor,
ElectriFly 45 amp ESC
Battery: FlightPower four-cell,
4350 mAh LiPo
Propeller: APC 12 x 8E
Radio system: Futaba 7C FASST transmitter,
Futaba R617FS 2.4 GHz receiver,
six Futaba S3115 microservos,
two 6-inch servo extensions,
two 12-inch servo extensions
Ready-to-fly
weight: 5 pounds, 6 ounces
Flight duration: 10 minutes
PLUSES
• Detailed instruction manual.
• Prehinged ailerons, flaps, and elevators.
• Shaped landing gear fairings preinstalled.
• Instrument panel, windows, and windscreen
preinstalled.
• Horizontal and vertical stabilizers had a tight,
accurate fit to the fuselage.
MINUSES
• Tail wheel is not in the scale location.
• Gulf Oil stickers replaced by Great Planes
stickers.
AT A GLANCE....
Left: The
manufacturer’s
recommended
components were
easily installed.
The aircraft can
be set up with or
without flaps. The
flaps require two
additional servos.
The well-packaged model had much of the work already
completed at the factory. The decals and photo instruction
booklet were great to work with.
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the slot cut into the horizontal stabilizer.
The precut MonoKote fits tightly to the
fuselage. My kit aligned perfectly to the
fuselage.
Put the wing in place to check for
alignment with the stabilizer and
elevator and use a tape measure to
make sure it’s level. I used 30-minute
epoxy because it gives you time to check
the alignment, and balance with the
stabilizer and wing. Do this before and
after adding the epoxy. Perfect alignment
can result in a great-flying model.
Add the tail wheel bracket and wheel
into the provided slot at the bottom
of the fuselage. Test fit it first with the
rudder slid into the hinges. When you’re
satisfied with the fit, glue the tail wheel
bracket into place with thin CA glue and
add the rudder.
Cut the hole in the center of the
dummy engine to 13/8 inches to allow
the center shaft of the RimFire .32
engine to clear the propeller and forward
engine propeller adapter. A Dremel tool
Below: The tail assembly was well constructed with
the horizontal and vertical stabilizers fitting tightly
into their slots. The author used 30-minute epoxy
to allow time to align the parts.
Left: The RimFire 42-50-800 motor mounts easily
to the motor box. Designed for electric power, the
structure is light and offers good ventilation for all
the components.
Right: An X-Acto
knife and some
5-minute epoxy
is all you need
to install the
pushrods on the
dummy engine.
or a sanding drum made with a dowel
and sandpaper works well.
Add the plastic pushrods for detailing
the dummy engine. Be careful with
the painted surfaces because the paint
tends to flake off on some sections of the
engine.
Use 5-minute epoxy to seal the
pushrods in place from the back side
of the engine and coat the inside of the
dummy engine cylinders where the rods
are attached. Cut out the excess plastic
between the cylinders with a hobby
knife or a small Dremel sanding drum.
Fit the dummy engine to the inside of
the cowl, making sure that the pushrods
align with the bumps on the outside
of the cowl. Add 5-minute epoxy to
the inside of the cowl, align the cowl
bumps, and seal the dummy engine in
place.
The cowl has a great attachment
system with four socket-head bolts
which fit into the black cowl ring. Fit
the plastic sleeve the fuselage came
packed in over the fuselage cut holes for
the four socket head bolts that hold the
cowl/ring and motor in place.
Apply 5-minute epoxy to the back
inside of the cowl with the ring bolted
to the front of the fuselage and mount
the cowling onto the fuselage. Only
the exposed plywood ring will receive
a coat of epoxy. Align the top center
cylinder with the top of the fuselage
and allow it to dry—quick, neat and
simple.
Flaps
You can assemble the model with
or without flaps. If flaps are used, the
suggested setting is 5-10% flaps. In flight,
after turning onto final, I used the dial
on the transmitter to give the model full
flaps and they seemed to work fine.
Flying
The Mister Mulligan looks fast simply
resting on the runway. Scott Patton was
at the controls while I was on camera
64 Model Aviation April 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
REVIEW
duty. Scott taxied the model to the end
of the runway and paused slightly, as if
asking the tower for permission to take
to the sky. The takeoff was smooth, and
after adding some right aileron trim,
the model flew comfortably at half
throttle.
Scott added power for aerobatics
that included a loop, four-point roll,
aileron roll, and the barrel roll. We
found that the model didn’t like to fly
knife-edge; we’ll keep working on that
one.
Although this is a high-wing model,
it isn’t a trainer. It’s a racer and you’ll
want to keep the speed up in the
turns. With the short wingspan, there
is the possibility of a tip stall, but
being mindful of our turns we had no
problems.
On low rates, the model needed
some added rudder in the turns.
Switching to high-rate ailerons took
care of this. As with a Gee Bee, the
rudder isn’t effective at low speed.
Line up the Mr. Mulligan on the
runway and gradually reduce power,
landing on the main wheels first,
letting the model slow before touching
the tail wheel.
Conclusion
Everyone who looked at the model
commented that they either wanted
one or wanted to fly mine. There were
several questions about the price and
some wondered if mine was for sale.
The group at the Middle Tennessee
Radio Control Society’s field wanted to
know one thing from Great Planes—
when can we get it in 1/4 scale?
This is an easy-to-build, great-flying
model that brings back the 1930s air
races! I hope this is the first in a series.
I want to mention that Great Planes
has included good information in the
kit about AMA and the advantages of
belonging to our national aeromodeling
club. There was also information about
the AMA Fun Scale competition!
Way to go, Great Planes! Other
manufacturers should take note!
—Stan Alexander
[email protected]
Left: The ESC and
battery compartment
provide plenty
of room and
ventilation. It
is accessed by
the removable
windshield that
is held on with
magnets in four
corners.
The Mr. Mulligan has plenty of power for
aerobatics. Don’t let the high wing fool
you; this isn’t a trainer.
manufa cturer/dist ributor:
Great Planes
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
Sources:
Futaba
(800) 637-7660
www.futaba-rc.com
ElectriFly
(800) 637-7660
www.electrifly.com
APC Propellers
(530) 661-0399
www.apcprop.com
The Golden Age of Air Racing
www.shopeaa.com
Paul Matt Scale Airplane Drawings
(800) 952-7007
www.windcanyonbooks.com
Howard Aircraft
(918) 296-4326
www.howardaircraft.com