Official Freewing 64mm F-8 Crusader Thread

[Kloverzero]

TI, that is insane, I freakin LOVE it!!!! I took mine out to the field today, bone stock, and flew (3) 3S 2200's through it. Nice power for a stock system. Not a barnburner, but it will get over the top, no problem!! Belly landing in the grass, did not even scuff the paint. I got some dirt on the ventral strakes, and had some debris on the battery board, but a few shakes, and it all come out. Gonna fly it a bit longer stock, and them break out the 4S 2200's and drop the 12 bladed fan into it. The size comparison between it and the 4S F-22 says it all I think...It will be a BULLET!!!

[xplaneguy]

You do know that the actor playing CDR Ecker IS an ACTUAL Kennedy.

Yes sir! He's also in another favorite film, "The World's Fastest Indian"

[Alpha]

Very cool showcase mods, TiredIronGRB! What's your new AUW?

The optional landing gear should be on the website now, in the Upgrade section of the product page, not the Spare Parts section.

[TiredIronGRB]

Very cool showcase mods, TiredIronGRB! What's your new AUW?

The optional landing gear should be on the website now, in the Upgrade section of the product page, not the Spare Parts section.

It looks like I added a little over 2oz including Foam Tac ;)

[RCjetdude]

Very cool showcase mods, TiredIronGRB! What's your new AUW?

The optional landing gear should be on the website now, in the Upgrade section of the product page, not the Spare Parts section.

I am not seeing the LG in the Upgrade section....hmm.

[crxmanpat]

Neither am I.

[MikeT]

Same here nothng on the site.
Mike

[Model jet juggernaut]

Great! So the gear is finally here. Now it just needs a pilot dude.

[Felixs10]

Missed out on the 1st batch of these . When is the next shipment expected in ?

[Model jet juggernaut]

Yep, still no landing gear in the upgrade section from this end either. Thinking they just want us to be tossers :p

[dkalwishky]

Well that sold out fast!

[crxmanpat]

Looks like the LG are on the site now (under Spare Parts, not Upgrades), but are listed out of stock. I heard that they will be on the next container, hopefully with more Crusaders! My friend wants one too but did not order in time.

[TPS]

Here's a short clip on the wing incidence mod.

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a lot of spare parts and will do the same with the landing gear - love it!
Thanks for sharing!

[TPS]

I'm glad you guys are enjoying the fit and finish of this $99 stocking stuffer. We joke internally that the F-8 is part of a new "Mantle Class" of aircraft, since part of the fun with bringing scale subject matter to this size is they make nice display pieces on a wall or mantle. With some detailing and refinement, they're worth the end result.

In terms of belly landing, like our other 64mm belly landers, this bird is envisioned as a park flyer i.e. grass belly lander... with large planes we're often queried "how does it land on grass?". I'm surprised with this mini plane how many plan to operate it on smooth pavement. Like our other 64mm belly landers, we've been using fiberglass tape where the belly touches the ground. Adding a second layer of smooth packing tape is a helpful tip; over time as the smooth packing tape decays, just peel if off of the fiberglass tape, which itself remains adhered to the foam. If we're flying that day over gravel, I just catch mine. Slow approach power low, then quick burst of throttle and full back elevator to get the nose to 70 degrees, and reach out and grab the belly. If you miss, just level elevator and full throttle to go around. Fun times.

A tip about the variable incidence wing: One of the earlier prototypes used a linear actuator (from the Freewing 90mm F-15 air brake) to vary the wing incidence during flight. I'll say that none of us liked how it flew, since it changes the aircraft's handling significantly, at times becoming uncontrollable. Even when overcoming slop in the actuator and hinge, the model was a Departure Queen. I strongly advise caution when attempting to fly this model with a variable incidence wing. Some things just don't translate well when they're downsized from the full scale. But hey, it sure looks great on the ground! #DisplayMode.

One thing about the F-8 wing - the wing didn't just go up and down. When the wing went up, the flaps came down, all the leaders extended (very pronounced) and the ailerons drooped. This was all automatic with one stoke of the handle.

[Evoman]

One thing about the F-8 wing - the wing didn't just go up and down. When the wing went up, the flaps came down, all the leaders extended (very pronounced) and the ailerons drooped. This was all automatic with one stoke of the handle.

I knew there had to be something else that went on when engaging the wing. Thanks for the info TPS! Now it would just take some tweaking of some mixes to get it to fly right when the wing goes up.:Cool:

[xplaneguy]

Flite Test Crew having fun with the Freewing F-8.

[Model jet juggernaut]

This looks to be MRCs new 'Freewing Panther' in terms of economy. Not only does it fly great, but parts are cheap. Fuselage is 30 bucks just like the Panther. That's astounding. On the other hand,
I was ready to put some coin in for a backup F-104 fuselage but decided it was better to just buy the kit since the sum of it's parts are astronomically greater than the whole.

[spec450]

Photos shot Sunday at the Castle Air Museum.

I used to volunteer there. I spoken to the pilot in the past during open cockpit days. Awesome stories!

[FLTRI]

My Crusader arrived today, first EDF for me. Initial impressions are good, paint is very nice and gator skin is minimal. I plan to build it and fly it stock, on 3S. May do some of the mods I see here eventually, still can't wrap my mind around the ailerons and elevator being tied together. I'll try to get someone to video the maiden, good or bad.

Second thing that surprised me was that the fuselage is way longer than the wingspan. Guess it's a jet thing, I'm just used to WWII warbirds.

[Bajora]

Finally dug into my F8 last evening. Man this little guy is impeccably detailed! I am very impressed with the graphics, the paint and all of the scale markings right out of the box. Very high quality IMO.