New project

[bru333]

I just picked up a Great Planes F4 Phantom kit, partially built, for free! Guy hasn't worked on it for several years, and if no one took it he was going to throw it away.

He had barely started on the fuselage. Bought an extra wing kit for it that he had just framed up. The first wing has some smoke and water damage from a fire at his apartment. Mechanical retracts, and missle/drop tanks kit.

The instructions reccomend a .60 size engine. But I've been reading reviews online that a .90 is much better (plane weighs 11 pounds ready to fly), a .60 will get it off the ground but control is marginal.

Fuse

Wing and fuse

A shamelessly stolen photo of a finished model

Now, to get some other projects done, so I have room in the shop to finish it!

[Joe 1320]

That's a nice size F-4. not too big, not too small. Can't wait to see it finished. Given the advancement in brushless motors, you might wish to convert it to electric. No fuel cleanup, less noise, etc.....

[bru333]

I certainly wouldn't mind not having to deal with the "slime" from a gas engine.

One of the guys on RCUniverse is going electric with the same kit he just bought off Ebay. Says the motor/ESC will run about $350, plus the cost of the Lithium Polymer cells (LiPo) to run it. I might not be able to swing that much! Eh...I could always convert it later...I'm keeping an eye on his thread to see how it turns out.

[Joe 1320]

Electrics can run a few bucks, but the coolness factor and the cleanliness of the model makes it a nice long term investment. If you look at the batteries in the same way you would fuel, then it's really just as cost effective. The only real downside is that fuel gives you a longer run time where with electrics, you have to land and swap battery packs.