The Volantex P-51D Mustang with 500mm wingspan is probably one of the greatest small-scale RC warbirds in the market. But its downfall is the tight battery compartment that could barely house a 400mAh 2s LiPo battery, let alone one that is 600mAh and beyond. Moreover, it’s hard to source for such tiny battery to fit inside. So, here’s a quick tutorial on how to modify the Volantex Mustang to fit a larger 2s LiPo, or even a 3s battery.
Before modification, the battery compartment inside the bay is about 43mm deep (height), 18mm wide (width), and 25mm long (length). This means the length of a battery cannot exceed 43mm. We shall instead try to expand the length of the bay so that instead of dropping in a LiPo, we shall insert one that is parallel to the fuselage.
Support 2s or 3s LiPo Battery
In this article, we shall use a 600mAh 2s LiPo battery that is 60mm in length. We may also use a 3s LiPo that is almost similar in dimensions. The LiPo we are using is actually the stock battery for XK A280 Mustang. The image below shows the size comparison between the stock batteries of a Volantex Mustang (above) and XK A280 Mustang (below).
Cut Off a Small Foam Section Behind the Propeller Motor
There’s a section behind the motor that is basically constricting the battery bay. We need to cut some of the portions off. A good tool to use is a sharp hobby knife and a plier to pry off the foam.
This section is not a part that is holding onto the motor structure. Thus, there’s no worry about disrupting the motor mounting frame. Use the hobby knife to gently slice the foam near the walls of the fuselage and near the motor. You will not be able to cut the deep bottom portion of the foam. Instead, use the plier to pry off the foam once you have sliced the front and left/right sides. The photo below shows a portion of the foam already removed.
The dark-looking plastic near the cut section is the motor mounting structure. Be careful not to cut the ESC wires on the right. We shall continue to remove the foam until we have something as depicted below.
Squeeze in the Larger 2s LiPo
Once we have cut off the foam, we can now try to push in the longer 2s LiPo towards the motor. The result should look something like the image below. Remove the motor bottom foam cover to view the edge of the LiPo that is near the motor.
Now, you should be able to connect the LiPo JST connector to the airplane’s power socket and close the battery compartment, as shown below.
Now, we have increased the battery area to approximately 60mm x 35mm x 18mm. This customized battery bay may also accept 3s LiPo battery such as the Tattu 3s 450mah 75c LiPo. Or get the A280 Mustang stock 2s battery for the perfect fit.
Larger LiPo Batteries That We Tested
- Tattu 2s 7.4v 450mAh 95C – 61mm length x 16mm width x 15mm height
- Tattu 3s 11.1V 450mAh 75C – 63mm length x 16mm width x 21mm height
- XK A280 Mustang stock 2s 600mAh – 63 lengthmm X 18mm width X 16mm height
- Wltoys 2s 600mAh – 49mm length X 18mm width X 15mm height