1. VMA-P240X Texan II, Harvard II & PC9 45-60 45-60 ARF
1.1. VMA-P240X Texan II, Harvard II & PC9 45-60 ARF - Assembly & Operations Manual in PDF format
1.2. VMA-P240X Texan II, Harvard II & PC9 45-60 ARF - Fins (Ventral) Beneath Fuselage - What? Why? Where?

Question: What is the purpose of the small fins under the fuselage on the Texan II and Harvard II 40 ARF? Where do they attach to fuselage?

Answer: They are largely decorative. The real aircraft has them and we wanted to have a model that was as scale like as possible. They may also be helpful at high speeds when using larger engines. Please see the attached PDF for location information.

Better Answer: For most situations the fins can be installed or not depending on if you want the model to really look as close as possible to the real thing. The full size aircraft does have these fins. If you are using a 60 size engine on the model you may find that the fins help with lateral stability at high air speeds. The model will "groove" a bit better at high speeds and have more yaw stability... in effect the fins increase the size of the vertical stabilizer slightly. Please note that the ventral fins are not normally provided with the PC9 versions of this model.

1.3. VMA-P240X Texan II, Harvard II & PC9 45-60 ARF - Manual says Pilatus PC9. Is this OK to use for the Texan II and/or Harvard II?

Question: Is it OK to use the Assembly & Operations Manual for the Pilatus PC9 when assembling the Texan II or Harvard II?

Answer: Yes, the Texan II, Harvard II and Pilatus PC9 are the same airframe with different graphics. The assembly procedure and specifications are identical.

Better Answer: Yes. The full size Texan II and the full size Harvard II are based on the Pilatus PC9 and built under license in Wichita, KS by Raytheon. The Pilatus PC9 is made in Switzerland by Pilatus and sold worldwide. The Australian and Swiss models from VMAR have PC9 graphics... the Texan II has USAF graphics and the Harvard II has RCAF (Canada) graphics. The VMAR model airframes are the same for all four versions and the assembly procedure and specifications are identical. There are minor variations between the models that do not affect the assembly process... for example the fins beneath the fuselage may or may not be included with the PC9 and the canopies are different. The PC9 has a single roll bar type canopy... the Canadian and USAF product have double roll bars. The cockpit instrumentation is also different.

1.4. VMA-P240X Texan II, Harvard II & PC9 45-60 ARF - Engine Mounting - Inverted (Semi) - Regular Muffler

Question: I have a VMAR VMA-P240X (Texan II, Harvard II & PC9) 45-60ARF. I'd like to mount my .46-52 size engine inverted and use the regular factory muffler. Will this work?

Answer: Yes, depending on the size and shape of your engine it should work. It will require more work and possibly be more difficult to operate  than an upright or 90 degree installation but it will look more "scale like".  Please note that we do not recommend a perfect 180 degree upright installation. We suggest about 160 degrees (semi-inverted) for this model. For general information about inverted engine operation please see the relateed article.
 
Please see the attached PDF drawings of a typical  engine mounted to the removeable power module firewall and of the typical cowl cutouts that go with this engine orientation. These depictions relate to a typical two stroke engine for this model. You will need to adjust the cowl cutouts for your particular engine. Note that we strongly recommend proceeding in small incremental steps when cutting cowls to fit around an engine and muffler. Don't overdo it. Go slowly in small steps and test fit frequently.
1.5. VMA-P240X Texan II, Harvard II & PC9 45-60 ARF - Engine Mounting - Upright - Regular Muffler

Question: I have a VMAR VMA-P240X (Texan II, Harvard II & PC9) 45-60ARF. I'd like to mount my .46-52 size engine upright and use the regular factory muffler. Will this work?

Answer: Yes, depending on the size and shape of your engine it should work well. . It will not look as "scale like" as a 90 degree or semi-inverted installation but it will be easier to install and easier to operate.
 
Please see the attached PDF drawings of a typical upright engine mounted to the removeable power module firewall and of the typical cowl cutouts that go with this engine orientation. These depictions relate to a typical two stroke engine for this model. You will need to adjust the cowl cutouts for your particular engine. Note that we strongly recommend proceeding in small incremental steps when cutting cowls to fit around an engine and muffler. Don't overdo it. Go slowly in small steps and test fit frequently.
1.6. VMA-P240X Texan II, Harvard II & PC9 45-60 ARF - Engine Mounting - 90 Degrees - Pitts Muffler

Question: I have a VMAR Texan II 45-60 ARF. I'd like to mount my .46 size engine at 90 degrees and use a Pitts Style Muffler. Will this work?

Answer: Yes possibly but we would suggest an angle more like 110-140 degrees depending on your engine and muffler. This will be a matter of personal preference coupled with whatever limitations may be imposed by the muffler and the engine. The issue here is balancing the desire for a more scale like engine installation versus the scale like exhaust stacks on the cowl. If you mount your engine at 90 degrees you may (depending on the engine) have to cut into or cut away one of the scale like exhaust stacks fitted to the cowl on either side just aft of the nose ring. If you rotate your engine somewhat more (or less) than 90 degrees you can leave the exhaust stack unscathed and still achieve a good looking engine installation. Trial fittings will help you decide on what angle will give you the best overall appearance.