Official Freewing 90mm F-4 Phantom II Thread

[Evan D]

I use the white tube glue which is similar. A slight bead around the inside of just the canopy side and just put it in place. I've also used canopy glue which is like elmers but for the foam models I like the white tube that comes with the models best.

[paulsnapp]

For those of you who have removed the canopy for cockpit enhancements I have a question. I am ready to re-install my canopy. When I removed it, it came off very clean and did not pull up any chunks of foam. The glue that was used I was able to easily pull away from inside the canopy. My question is, is the proper re-attachment to apply a thin coating of Foam-Tac around the cockpit edges and inside the canopy edges, let it tack, and press into place? The glue that the manufacturer used looks more like a clear rubber cement. If Foam-Tac is not the right glue to use can you share what the correct glue is to use? Thanks so much!!

[steven gubala]

Thanks GliderGuy, will check into this

[GliderGuy]

Hey Glider guy what was the choke you purchased for the F4, by the way great info much appreciate

Suggested reading are posts #4428 and #4455.
Especially the photos are helpful.

Here is the link to the RF chokes. A cheap, easy, small, light weight “prevention” thing. I have over 1000+ flights each on the F-4, AL37 and MiG-29. No radio glitches on these since installing the chokes. Lost an F-4 and an A-10 twice due to unexplained radio things before I began to use them. A HAM radio guy suggested this “solution”.
NOTE: Only seem to be needed on high-current ESC EDF jets.

https://www.amazon.com/Cedmon-Pieces...8870654&sr=8-4

Link to the MRC hardware page for the 4-40 rod and links:

https://www.motionrc.com/pages/searc...ts-page?q=4-40

-GG

[steven gubala]

Hey Glider guy what was the choke you purchased for the F4, by the way great info much appreciate

[Madness]

Congrats on your new bird! Not aware of issues with the servo that might call for an upgrade.

I lost an F-4 due to a ball link breaking, so definitely upgrade the rod to a 4-40 and heavy duty linkages. Consider better glue for the elevator servo or even add some plywood around it to screw in to. Beef it up....bottom line.

Search on “choke” or “RF choke” or “ferrite” and consider installing these as detailed in the posts. Lost another F-4 and an A-10 before installing them....no losses of planes with high current ESCs after I began to use them.

If balanced at the book CG, watch for the nose to drop if you chop the power on final...so ease off the power slowly on approach. Ref what others have posted about the best CG location.

Buy a few spare nose connector gear pins (MRC F-4 spare parts). The brittle metal will snap on a hard landing. I embedded some metal onto the bottom of the under-nose radome to act as a skid plate for when this happens.

Pay attention to book throws and the amount of flap-elevator mixing and elevator trim amount. Make sure both FFSs (elevators) are aligned identically and use thread lock on the FFS’s screws.

-GG

Thank you for this awesome information!

[locharrow]

Have the new LiHV charger up and running, peculiar to see six 4.35v cells instead of 4.20 on the balance set up. Great weather for the past few days, light winds, thin clouds with pale sunny breaks, ideal flying conditions apart from one wee thing.... ....the night before the charger arrived we had three inches of snow, now hard and trampled over by dog walkers! Patience.........

[GliderGuy]

Hi everyone! I've been trying to read all the postings to look for recommendations for the elevator servo of the F4. Have gone thru lots of goods stuff for sure! Probably the answer to my question is still on the unread threads but I'll ask anyways, is better to replace the elevator servo with something better or just beef-up the rod and clamps? I got my F4 last Thursday and I want to make all improvements while is still brand new. Thanks!

Congrats on your new bird! Not aware of issues with the servo that might call for an upgrade.

I lost an F-4 due to a ball link breaking, so definitely upgrade the rod to a 4-40 and heavy duty linkages. Consider better glue for the elevator servo or even add some plywood around it to screw in to. Beef it up....bottom line.

Search on “choke” or “RF choke” or “ferrite” and consider installing these as detailed in the posts. Lost another F-4 and an A-10 before installing them....no losses of planes with high current ESCs after I began to use them.

If balanced at the book CG, watch for the nose to drop if you chop the power on final...so ease off the power slowly on approach. Ref what others have posted about the best CG location.

Buy a few spare nose connector gear pins (MRC F-4 spare parts). The brittle metal will snap on a hard landing. I embedded some metal onto the bottom of the under-nose radome to act as a skid plate for when this happens.

Pay attention to book throws and the amount of flap-elevator mixing and elevator trim amount. Make sure both FFSs (elevators) are aligned identically and use thread lock on the FFS’s screws.

-GG

[Madness]

Hi everyone! I've been trying to read all the postings to look for recommendations for the elevator servo of the F4. Have gone thru lots of goods stuff for sure! Probably the answer to my question is still on the unread threads but I'll ask anyways, is better to replace the elevator servo with something better or just beef-up the rod and clamps? I got my F4 last Thursday and I want to make all improvements while is still brand new. Thanks!

[GliderGuy]

It was a cool day, but light winds and sunny. Waited until the temp got above freezing before going out (45F+ suites my old bones better and is better for the LiPos...so I read).

Beat my personal best of 40 flights in one day with 47 total flights today. Was using 3 of the 4-bank (4 X 100W) chargers and 16 batteries (10 6S and 6 4S) powered by my truck's heavy duty electrical system. Nobody stopped by the baseball park's parking lot to chat (that's unusual).

The break-out of the flights is as follows:

AL37 = 34 flights (This is a brand new bird...not even a week old. Maiden was on 01/13. After today she already has 60 flights on her.). I retired AL37 #1.
F-4 = 4 flights
P-38 = 9 flights

I'm bushed! But it was sure fun!. I love this hobby.

-GG

[locharrow]

Just back from a sortie with the F4. Ground and grass is as hard as rock with frost and the take off and landing were real boneshakers. It was to test a wee mod that I made to the fan cover. I had a spare from the old fuselage lying about. I cut out a square leaving about 3/4" all round right down the whole depth of the block. Put in thin balsa supports along each inner edge and glued on a fine plastic mesh roughly 3" x 4" . Apart from the really bumpy run it lifted off quite easily. Still not tried the Bolt lipo with the 4.35 cells. Had to return two chargers that claimed to support the battery but one was dud the other was just a standard lipo charger claiming to support 4.35 cells. Third one supposed to be here tomorrow ...we will see !

[Justwingit]

Chris Wolfe's (aka "The RC Geek") wonderful repaint of the Freewing F-4D, done up as a QF-4B drone over Rabbit Dry Lake...😎

This one's on 8s and flying on a Jetfan 90mm...

Enjoy 😁!

[Willy]

The original is the RTF version with the 8s edf allready installed. But it's not the same as the one you can buy . That one has 1390kv and not 1270 KV installed in de Camo version.

[Hugh Wiedman]

I have painted a neutral grey Phantom in jasdf colors from Japan. build it from skratch and bought the 8s freewing 1390 kv 12 blade edf. The problem is that the static thrust is no more than 2600 grams. I made some holes in the fuselage and now he pulls 3000 gr, wich is 100 grams less than my original Phantom. Maiby i should make the same improvement on the original f4

Very nice, I see you added the additional air intake vents on the underside which added an additional 400 gr of static thrust, but you go on to say that it is 100 gr LESS than your original Phantom. What fan do you have in the "original" phantom.

[SanExup]

The Jasdf paint schemes are great, nice work!

[Willy]

I have painted a neutral grey Phantom in jasdf colors from Japan. build it from skratch and bought the 8s freewing 1390 kv 12 blade edf. The problem is that the static thrust is no more than 2600 grams. I made some holes in the fuselage and now he pulls 3000 gr, wich is 100 grams less than my original Phantom. Maiby i should make the same improvement on the original f4

[locharrow]

I don't think it is so much that the grass is wet, footballers boot studs roughen up the layer under the grass and it gets fairly soggy when it is wet and the wheels tend to dig in to that layer. The weather is cold and frosty at the moment so the surface is hard but pretty rough! Been calm as well after weeks of wind and sleet. I'm waiting for a charger for the 4.35v as my iMax chargers don't get past 4.20v. Looking forward to the result myself.

[Hugh Wiedman]

HRB 6000 is giving a comfortable 3.30 min. ending at 3.8--3.7 v. That is as far as I will push it as I only have one 6000 and don't want to screw with it. Just arrived today....a new Turnigy Bolt 5400 LiHV. 4.35 per cell instead of 4.20 ...... I'm hoping it will give the F4 a bit extra ooomff off the grass. Might even lift it off the wet grass hopefully. Anyone tried one of these in the F4 so far ???????

I actually use the RT 6250 35C in both my F-4's that have the original stock outrunner and get 4 minutes of flight time as the outrunner does not benefit as much from a higher C battery. It takes off of grass just fine, even with a little moisture on it in the morning. I do use the HRB 6000 in the F-16 and my SU-30 as both have inrunners and get more punch from the higher C. Interested to hear your results on the Turnigy.

[locharrow]

HRB 6000 is giving a comfortable 3.30 min. ending at 3.8--3.7 v. That is as far as I will push it as I only have one 6000 and don't want to screw with it. Just arrived today....a new Turnigy Bolt 5400 LiHV. 4.35 per cell instead of 4.20 ...... I'm hoping it will give the F4 a bit extra ooomff off the grass. Might even lift it off the wet grass hopefully. Anyone tried one of these in the F4 so far ???????

[locharrow]

Successful "re-maiden" with rebuilt F4 today..first time the weather has been close to suitable. Left the analogue servo in the tail and it worked fine,I couldn't sense any difference in the handling at all. Used an HRB 6000 for the first time, quite impressive, it had 3.9 left after a spot on timed 3 minute flight. It weighs less than my 5000 H/Duty Turnigy and Optipower batteries.I'll push it to 3.30 next flight ...an extra 30 secs in the air is more than welcome !