What's next from Motion RC?

[rifleman_btx]

RM, the little voice in my head just keeps sayin', "It's good to own a Tomcat." Regardless of the new offering, it's like money in the bank, right??... Best, LB

Yes indeed!

[xviper]

Yes indeed!

Now that we know it's NOT a Tornado, I guess your dilemma won't be a problem. However, even if it was a Tornado, I think the F-14 is the most iconic of any of the swing wings. Since I have the F-14, I would not have "had to have" a Tornado. My all time fave is the B1-B swing wing bomber. Even if it had been that, I would not have gotten it. IMO, the F-14 would still overshadow it. We've got the best of all swing wing worlds.
(In fact, I've ordered the Eflite F-14 as a practice ship for my FW F-14.)

[rifleman_btx]

Absolutely! I can't wait to see it, suppose to be tomorrow, buuuut we all know how shipping has been going in these times. Besides I have to wait to pick up some motors and escs anyway.

[xviper]

Absolutely! I can't wait to see it, suppose to be tomorrow, buuuut we all know how shipping has been going in these times. Besides I have to wait to pick up some motors and escs anyway.

You'll love it. Even though it can be a challenge to fly, I really like mine. Like you, I got the ARF Plus and put better fans and ESCs into it. I've had it for 2 seasons and still haven't had the nerve to swing the wings in during flight. Just read all the stuff about and check out RCInformer's YouTube vids on it and RC Geek's as well. They have some great info about what to mod and how to set it up so it's a bit stronger in the problematic areas and better flight characteristics.

[T-CAT]

I agree with xviper. I’m biased considering the F-14 airframe is my favorite, but a F-14 is, in my opinion, the best of the swing wing jets. So, owning a RC version of the F-14 was/is a must-have. That’s not to take away anything from other airframes that have variable swept wing function, as they are all very unique and incredible.

[rifleman_btx]

Will do! Looking forward to it.

[Elbee]

Absolutely! I can't wait to see it, suppose to be tomorrow, buuuut we all know how shipping has been going in these times. Besides I have to wait to pick up some motors and escs anyway.

Okay RM, are you going to: 1) Build-Fly, 2) Build-Mod-Fly or 3) Mod-Build-Fly? I am partial to #3 . Looking forward to seeing whatever you decide to do. Best, LB

[rifleman_btx]

I'm looking into different motor/fan combos. I'm thinking possibly jetfan? I like more so the idea of the fms 2100kv systems from the futara. The problem I have with the jetfans are it seems like they suck the power out of the batteries very quick. Hence why my thinking keeps pushing towards the fms units.

[SanExup]

For me it's a long term project, being relatively new to EDFs and wanting more glue and fly simplicity, but the F14 was a must. I do plan on assembling it this winter. I bought the arf and also the Mig29 esc's and fan units. I figure I'll be happy with that power system and upgrade in the future if I feel the need for more speed. 😋

[xviper]

Performance almost always equates to high usage of battery power. However, as battery tech and quality goes up over the years, we reap the benefits and can do stuff we once could only wish for. Of all my twin EDFs, the worst for power hogging is the Mig-29. The F-14 is actually not too bad, even with upgraded fans.

[Daryl]

Probably already been thrown out there..but how would you all like to see a quad 64mm B58 Hustler?

[Evan D]

It has and I said I would but it would be hard to do right. The wing is super thin and would be hard to do plus the Hustler had thin ramjet engines that would be hard to scale as a EDF.

Probably already been thrown out there..but how would you all like to see a quad 64mm B58 Hustler?

[SanExup]

Performance almost always equates to high usage of battery power. However, as battery tech and quality goes up over the years, we reap the benefits and can do stuff we once could only wish for. Of all my twin EDFs, the worst for power hogging is the Mig-29. The F-14 is actually not too bad, even with upgraded fans.

Are you saying that you think that the Mig 29 power system is not a good choice of upgrade for the Tomcat? My choice of that power system is only based on what others have said, and it seemed like an easy swap, so I'm not married to it at all. I'm not looking for top speed as much as I am for thrust and duration. I'm completely open to suggestions. As I kind of said, I see the F14 as more of a project, while I fly and repair some of my less expensive EDFs.

[Evan D]

Xviper. My MiG29 has it's timer set to one of the longer time periods of my EDFs. Of course throttle usage is a main contributor but so are aerodynamics and I have to ask if you did the camber adjustment to your wing including tips which I have and would think it makes it more efficient at speed.

[xviper]

Are you saying that you think that the Mig 29 power system is not a good choice of upgrade for the Tomcat? My choice of that power system is only based on what others have said, and it seemed like an easy swap, so I'm not married to it at all. I'm not looking for top speed as much as I am for thrust and duration. I'm completely open to suggestions. As I kind of said, I see the F14 as more of a project, while I fly and repair some of my less expensive EDFs.

Not at all. I tend to fly the Mig at higher throttle settings to get the same visual sense of speed. Also, at lower throttle settings, the Mig looks (to me) dangerously floaty. I also have the TV nozzles, which apparently reduces the efficiency a bit. By contrast, the F-14 with the wings out, seems to fly more confidently when closer to float speed. Finally, I find it easier to put bigger batteries in the F-14 than in the Mig.
I just looked up the tailpipe of my F-14 and I have the 9-bl outrunner fans from the A-10 in there. I'm very happy with those. The inrunners from the Mig should give a nice bump in power for the F-14.

[xviper]

Xviper. My MiG29 has it's timer set to one of the longer time periods of my EDFs. Of course throttle usage is a main contributor but so are aerodynamics and I have to ask if you did the camber adjustment to your wing including tips which I have and would think it makes it more efficient at speed.

I haven't done any of the aero mods (ie, camber) to the Mig. I'm always worried that I'll get it wrong and mess up the plane. As in my previous post, I think my flying style for the two planes are different, causing my battery drain to be faster in the Mig. Even though the two planes are close in weight (Mig with VT), it just looks and feels like the Mig flies heavier than the F-14, making me dial up the throttle a bit more.

[Evan D]

Yeah the F-14 wings out flew like a trainer.... My F-14 was the original version and flown with 705g 5000 packs. My MiG also has TVs and I fly it with 645g 5200s but have flown it with 6000's. As said I get great flight time on the 5200's so I use them more often. I have to say that even though I have a lot of flights on the MiG it's still not a "comfortable" jet for me. I do a lot of post stall flying along with a few slow and fast passes, it's still a very impressive plane in the air.

[Elbee]

Great information there, Gentlemen. Thank you. I, too, bought the ARF+ Tomcat. The fans I bought later are the 80mm 9-Blade EDF w/ 3658-1920Kv Inrunners. I don't recall which airframe those originated. I know the 100 amp ESC's are from the MiG-29. Great to read what everyone is using. Best, LB

[T-CAT]

Being a drop in fit for the EDF’s, the ESC wire length (battery and motor side) being perfect, and the price being reasonable, the the use of two Freewing 80mm 9-Blade with 1920kv inrunner motor and the MiG-29 80mm 100A ESC’s is a great bang for the buck upgrade to the Freewing F-14 Tomcat 80mm EDF Jet. It cruises excellent (so flight time can be great) and the extra thrust when needed is nice for maneuvers. This power system originated in the Freewing T-33 and it’s definitely a nice combination of power, thrust, weight, price, and reliability.

[Elbee]

Being a drop in fit for the EDF’s, the ESC wire length (battery and motor side) being perfect, and the price being reasonable, the the use of two Freewing 80mm 9-Blade with 1920kv inrunner motor and the MiG-29 80mm 100A ESC’s is a great bang for the buck upgrade to the Freewing F-14 Tomcat 80mm EDF Jet. It cruises excellent (so flight time can be great) and the extra thrust when needed is nice for maneuvers. This power system originated in the Freewing T-33 and it’s definitely a nice combination of power, thrust, weight, price, and reliability.

TC, what did you decide as you powerplants for your Tomcat? Best, Steve