Official Freewing 90mm F-4 Phantom II Thread

[Lcacing]

Alpha,

On another note, I’ve had the Ghost Grey F4 since it was released. I was never too impressed with the speed/performance . Never had any issues with the EDF unit so never pulled it out. When I did the swap last weekend, the stock EDF unit had the 1750kv motor but a 12 blade fan. Could that the be the reason for the lack of performance?

Thanks

[Corsair nut]

The inlets are actually a lil oversized. They deginately arnt small. The exhaust openings might be a hair big..especially if your using a jf90. Honestly this is a pretty good size model for a single 90..it can handle the weight and theres enough room. A hot 6s or a good 8s setup really is the way to go. (And 9s certainly doesnt hurt...hahaha)

[Hugh Wiedman]

Alpha,

On another note, I’ve had the Ghost Grey F4 since it was released. I was never too impressed with the speed/performance . Never had any issues with the EDF unit so never pulled it out. When I did the swap last weekend, the stock EDF unit had the 1750kv motor but a 12 blade fan. Could that the be the reason for the lack of performance?

Thanks

That is strange. I have 2 F-4's and both have the 9 Blade 3748-1750kv motor. Motions website does not have a 12-blade 1750kv EDF, only the 12 blade 3748-1650kv that came in my Stinger 90 (although the on line specs say it is a 3748-1450KV motor-must be what was in it originally when it came out) and a 9-blade 3748-1750kv that comes in the F-4 and in the F-18. Could the factory have stuck a 12 blade fan on a motor intended for 9 blades? Did you remove the motor from the fan housing and look at the markings and is it actually a 3748-1750kv motor, or did they stick the entirely wrong EDF unit (12-blade 3748-1650kv motor) in it at the factory. All I can say is some-thins not right!!

[Lcacing]

All I can say is some-thins not right!!

I checked the motor and it says 1750, I also have the F18 and it has the 1750 with 9 blade. I also have a spare 1650 12 blade from my crashed T-45. Today I’m going to run both motors and see how they perform. Just curious to see actual numbers on the 1750 12 blade combo.

[Wobisch]

our squadron of VMFA 451 Warlords F-4 is ready.





looking forward to our e-Jet Meeting. My Phantom #200 was already airborne.

[Hardway]

Just beautiful! Great job!!!

[Elbee]

our squadron of VMFA 451 Warlords F-4 is ready...looking forward to our e-Jet Meeting. My Phantom #200 was already airborne.

WB, There are just no words left to describe your "twins". Bravo Zulu, Sir. Absolutely Outstanding. Best, LB

[Wobisch]

I would love to see a #202 but not many friends are willing to invest this huge amount of work.

[Elbee]

Wobisch, To paraphrase the quote, "The Few, The Proud, The Modelers". Best, LB

[Wobisch]

If I wouldn't already have a F-4, a F-14, an A-10 and a Hawk I would just by a T-33 now..... but you never know what happens next.

[Ludovic]

Hello,
I'm about to buy the F4, I don't know which configuration to choose between the 6s or 8s version. or the arfplus version for the choice of propulsion??? 🤔 thank you to enlighten me. On the choice of my next purchase. Any information will be useful to me. Thanks a lot for your answers😉

[Evan D]

I went with a arf+ and put a Jetfan 8S system in it. That said I have flown F-4's with the 6s setup and I felt it was too lacking in power.

[GliderGuy]

I am re-posting from another thread. Please note, the F-4 is a well designed plane. This information is intended to take a good design and improve upon it. I took advantage of the below, and my #3 F-4 has been trouble free for well over 700 flights over more than a year. The information below was gathered from other posts as well as from personal experience. If it prevents even one F-4 crash, it has served its intended purpose.

Cheers,
Glider Guy

===============
Initially posted to a new F-4 owner's request for assistance.....

Take heed of the below, and you will VERY MUCH enjoy your F-4! I've ordered 3 of them (crashed 2 of them). The below will help you avoid the things that caused my 2 crashes. Bird #3 has been flying over a year with hundreds of flights on it:

• As a beginner EDF pilot, it is strongly suggested that you have an experienced EDF pilot do the maiden flights. The bird typically has a tendency to roll left after lift off. I set mine up by the book (no expo), and I am satisfied with the handling and response after I added some right aileron trim to account for the left roll tendency. You questioned the control movements. The book control throws are not excessive. I suggest low rate for your first few flights.
• The critical set-up is the amount of elevator/flap mixing....don't overdo this mixing.
• Ensure both elevators are aligned as the same angle each side and verify the amount of nose-up when the stick is neutral (nose up = leading edge of the elevator is down. Set this amount by the book.).
• Double check that the elevator servo is securely glued in. Some folks remove the elevator servo and add a bit of plywood around it then screw it to the plywood. I crashed bird #1 because the elevator servo came out of the socket (there was no glue in the socket...factory QC and I missed that one). Luckily, the crash damage was repairable.
• The elevator push rod and ball link have a propensity for breaking/bending which will cause a fatal crash. I have updated to a 4-40 threaded push rod and automotive grade/beefy ball link for the elevator. I lost the F-4 (#1 bird's second crash) because the elevator ball link broke.
  • If you don't want to wait, at least epoxy some carbon fiber tubing to the push rod and add some layers of hot glue to the outside edges of ball link structure to strengthen it and fill the "Y" gap in the ball link with hot glue (this is where it breaks). Also, put some heat shrink tubing around the servo arm end's white plastic retainer clip. This white clip can break and/or bend under flight stress and allow the push rod to disengage from the elevator servo arm.
    • Lots of stress on this elevator push rod during flight...so it seems and so others have reported in this blog.
  • If you lift the nose and smack the elevators on the ground, you can cause the servo arm's plastic teeth to slip on the servo actuator. I put a dot on the fuselage at the leading edge of the elevator so I can visually check the alignment prior to each flight. Also, any smack on the tail when loading/unloading can cause this to happen. I can tell you by experience, slipped teeth on the elevator servo arm will make your next take-off very EXCITING!
• Balance it by the book's CG location. A bit nose heavy is OK, too.
• Order some extra Freewing 80/90mm EDF Nose Landing Gear Connecting Pin / you'll need these as they break on hard landings
  • On bird #3, I added a small steel skid plate to the bottom of the under-nose radome to minimize the damage when the nose gear's pin breaks..
• Approach on final with a tiny bit of power then ease the power off once in ground effect....be prepared that if you chop the power the nose will drop. Chop the power close to the ground and things get interesting until you get used to this characteristic. Ease off the power as you enter ground effect.
• Add some hot-glue striping to the main landing gear doors (add this where it does not interfere with the fit of the gear door against the wing). Failure to do this will have you picking up pieces of the gear doors after a hard landing. The hot glue striping can be added to the "inside" of the gear door, if you are careful and pay attention to the gear closure fit. Or...put the hot glue on the outside of the door and not worry about where you put it.
• Check each/every control horn attachment to ensure they are securely glued to the control surface. Put some pressure on them. If you find an insecure control horn, add some hot glue to secure it.
• Take-off with no flaps and land with full flaps.
• If you are using a 5000 mAh battery, expect a 3 min to 3.5 min flight so you'll have reserve for a go-around....4 min is pushing it and you won't have much of a go-around reserve. This is with 1/2 throttle cruise and some acrobatics.
• Keep it fairly close initially because it will blend into the sky making it hard to keep yourself oriented to the bird's profile. You will have precious little time to re-orient yourself....it scoots along pretty fast.
• Add some clip-on RF chokes to each of the power leads going to and coming from the ESC. These high-current ESCs can generate common mode radio interference which might interfere with the hand-shake between the transmitter and receiver. Any length of wire between the ESC and the RF choke is an RF radiator. So, keep the chokes as close to the ESC as possible. I lost bird #2 due to a transmitter/receiver hand-shake loss. Since I've added the RF chokes to the bird #3, I've had ZERO radio issues with bird #3 and have flown bird #3 hundreds of times for over a year. Get the clip-on RF chokes from Amazon.
  • From Amazon.... Cedmon 20 Pieces Clip-on Ferrite Ring Core RFI EMI Noise Suppressor Cable Clip for 3mm/ 5mm/ 7mm/ 9mm/ 13mm Diameter Cable, Black

A little extra time setting-up per the above precautions will keep your bird in the air trouble free, and you won't be buying three of them.

END OF F-4 POST

P.S. I purchased an AL37 in December and am using the clip-on RF chokes on it, too. I have documented over 300 flights to date and have not experienced any radio glitches. The HAM radio operator who suggested using these RF chokes on high-current ESCs seems to have been CORRECT! Loss of transmitter/receiver hand shake doesn't happen often, but even once in hundreds of flights is too many times.

[Ludovic]

Little question : I want to place an order with Callie Graphics and I wanted to know that it should I take? 1/11 or 1/12 Thanks for your help ...

[Elbee]

Little question : I want to place an order with Callie Graphics and I wanted to know that it should I take? 1/11 or 1/12 Thanks for your help ...

Ludovic, I had a similar issue and I simply emailed Callie Graphics and told her what I wanted. She knows exactly what sizing works for the Freewing F-4 Phantom. BTW, check out her "nomenclature sheet" for the F-4, it's quite good. Best, LB

[spook]

Did some measurements and more or less it is 1/11.4 overall

[Wobisch]

I thought about what I could do with all those bombs, rockets and stuff I had from all my jets and finally added some parts to the F-4.

[Elbee]

WB, That looks outstanding. I think the F-4 needs the Sparrows just to 'look' correct. It's just part of its stance. Well done and good hunting, Sir. Best, LB

[Jets and Wings]

I thought about what I could do with all those bombs, rockets and stuff I had from all my jets and finally added some parts to the F-4.

Looks great, did you add attachments into the fuse to add the Sparrows?

[Wobisch]

They grey rockets are mounted with two magnets each, the rear bombs with the Freewing attachment parts.

[Elbee]

Wobisch, I mounted the "Sparrows" the same way you did. I have not flown my Phantom with anything attached yet. All the 3DP ordinance added more weight than I thought. I like that you used the OEM ordinances to keep weight down and your Phantom looks great. Best, LB