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Customer Reviews
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2025
Brand: BINOS - P-51 Mustang Balsa Wood Historical WW2 Glider with 14 inch Wingspan and Slingshot.This arrived well packed for safe shipping. This model airplane is made from hard, dense, fine grained balsa wood, and the parts are laser cut. All the parts are already separated (they do not need to be removed from a perforated sheet first) and so it is necessary only to assemble them. There are instructions included for assembly and balancing the airplane. (if you plan to fly it) The grooves/slots are VERY TIGHT, so go slowly working the wing and tail pieces into place.I found that the balance point adjustment (by moving the main wing forward or rearward) needed the main wing to be almost at the most rearward position in its slot. I may add a little more weight to the nose to even things out.The plane flies.. Ok. Not the greatest, but not bad. It does not have a great glide ratio, but flies Ok if it has enough speed to keep airflow over the wings. I flew it a few times in a tall grassy field, so no damage from landings. The slingshot launcher works well for launching.This makes a cool-looking display model too. Because who does not love the looks of the P-51 Mustang? I just wish it had a shark mouth and eyes on the nose.
Dr. Ejmo
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2025
Like its P-40 stablemate, the P-51 is made of thick, sturdy balsa that will survive a lot of flying. It goes together easily and the thick fuselage holds the wing and tail surfaces securely while the long slots allow adjustments to trim for flight. The nose weight is laminated wood glued on which prevents the front of the wing slot from splitting in a sudden crash. A rear cuff on the slot offers more protection. It's built to survive. The kit includes a sticker for your flight bag or bike.It can be set up for stunts or nice long flights with a hand launch. I found the rubber-band launch to work best when launched in a slightly nose down attitude. Launching straight up is entertaining and needs some room. Like the P40, I used straight pins up through the bottom to secure the wing and horizontal tail once I got it trimmed out. At 22grams, it wants some airspeed in any case and is best used outside.Flying with the kiddos, it survived many encounters with trees, fences and the ground without damage while providing lots of fun. These are sturdy birds that will take some punishment.
Benjamin
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2025
Super high quality balsa glider! Flies really well and is very durable. Plus rubber band slingshot it a lot of fun.Will definitely buy a bunch more of these for the summer.
Harvey S. Picker
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2025
This is a preliminary review that I'll update once the wind subsides enough for me to get the glider in the air. Assuming, that is, that I can finish assembling the glider. While the wing slots into the fuselage just right: tight enough to not move around in flight but not so tight that adjusting its position risks damaging it. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the fit of the horizontal stabilizer, which is much too loose, and of the vertical stabilizer. The fit of the latter is so tight that I can't get it properly seated atop the fuselage without risking damage to its thin ventral extension. Someone needs to go back to the factory to redo the cuts for those slots in the fuselage. (The looseness of the horizontal stabilizer is easily fixed with a couple of shims of thick paper or thin scrap balsa. To fix the problem with the vertical stabilizer, I'll need to carefully widen the slot atop the rear of the fuselage with my Xacto knife. This is obviously not something for a child to be doing.) As it stands, lots of frustration is the only thing this glider will give a child eagerly anticipating its flights.Note added 3/232025: I am lowering my rating from 3 to 2 stars. And that may be too generous. I somehow failed to notice before I first submitted the review that, while a nice handle with a good strong rubber band is provided for launching the glider, nowhere do I find any provision for attaching the rubber band to the fuselage so that the rubber band can give the model a good swift "kick" to send it skywards. Not only is there a quality control problem with the fuselage slots, there is a glaring design flaw. My advice? Skip this new toy and purchase one of several gliders and rubber-band powered models that Paul Guillow of Wakefield, MA has been making for nearly a century. I've played with this since I was a kid, in the 1950s, and not once have I been disappointed.
Torte
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2025
I've had a million of these balsa gilders over the years, but this is the best made model I've ever seen. The stamping is sharp and clear without any fades. The fuselage stock is nearly a 1/4" thick and the wing has dihedral to make it more stable. Trim is set by moving the wing fore and aft (move the wing forward if it nose dives, to the rear if it noses up and stalls). The nose is reinforced and weighted by plywood formers. The launcher is nice and durable and launches the plane several yards. The kit is easy to assemble and light enough to take several crashes without damage. Highly Recommended!
Christian Tucker
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2025
My wife and I went through lots and lots of balsa gliders, slingshots, and rubber band propeller planes in the 50s. Our kids went through a lot in the 80s. I was quite surprised that adjusted for inflation, this American-made review model cost about the same!It’s much better than older balsa airplanes. Better balsa, laser cutting, and reinforced joints. It assembled with no problems. But someone new to working with this sort of model might be flummoxed by the fit of the parts. Don’t rush. They fit. If all else fails, a snick of sandpaper and a dab of glue will make things right. The notch for the slingshot rubber band seems to be sized just right to let loose but not too soon.My lot isn’t big enough for a real test. That will have to wait for a trip to the park. But my limited test indicated that the flight of the plane will need some tinkering. Namely warping the tail and stabilizer. But that will have to wait for another day. Heck, isn’t perfecting the flight part of the fun?
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