New Eflite F4 Phantom ll 80mm

[CFIT rob]

Just recieved my march Model Aviation magazine. On the back is an ad for Eflite jets. A 80mm phantom ll is shown. Any one have any inside info? I might be able to afford this one

[dfordham]

Formal announcement expected Thursday.

Don

[Russ]

I really liked their 70mm Viper...this one may be for me if the price is right and it looks right.

[JamesonC]

Yeah, I am looking forward to seeing the details on this one. Really curious if it will be a new fan to the market or if they'll use the FMS 80mm fan in it.

[fastforward]

I will sit anxiously with my nose pressed up against my computer waiting for the announcement.

[Dirty Dee]

[Patrnflyr]

The big question is why? I’m guessing this is another FMS model that Eflite will market. It looks and flies great according to the video. It just seems there’s a lot of corporate espionage going on out there. Freewing introduces and F-16, T-45 and now an F-4 only to be copied by the “E Flite” 80mm models. No wonder Alpha keeps tight lipped about what is going to be coming out soon. I sure don’t blame him. This has been going on for decades with tons of Piper Cubs, P-51’s, etc from every company under the sun. When there’s so many aircraft out there to model, why do these companies end up making the same thing as other companies?

[Dirty Dee]

The big question is why? I’m guessing this is another FMS model that Eflite will market. It looks and flies great according to the video. It just seems there’s a lot of corporate espionage going on out there. Freewing introduces and F-16, T-45 and now an F-4 only to be copied by the “E Flite” 80mm models. No wonder Alpha keeps tight lipped about what is going to be coming out soon. I sure don’t blame him. This has been going on for decades with tons of Piper Cubs, P-51’s, etc from every company under the sun. When there’s so many aircraft out there to model, why do these companies end up making the same thing as other companies?

Im not sure how long a product development cycle is, but the FW F4 was only announced 12 months ago, so it might just be that both were coincidentally in development around the same time. Maybe someone from motion can chime in.

To be fair, a lot of people have been asking for a decent phantom for a while, so this might have signaled FMS to make one. It is also a different size than the FW model, so it appeals to a different group of buyers. Last year I considered buying the FW phantom, but instead bought the 70mm FW F16 arctic camo. The phantom was just a bit too big for me, but with this eflite release, I'm very tempted to pick it up unless some other FW or FMS catches my interest in the next few months.

[MikeT]

I really liked their 70mm Viper...this one may be for me if the price is right and it looks right.

$449.99

https://www.horizonhobby.com/f-4-phantom-ii-80mm-edf-bnf-basic-with-as3x-safe-select-efl7950

Mike

[Dirty Dee]

PNP Version = $419.99
BNF Basic Version = $449.99

[JamesonC]

Little too high for me for an 80mm EDF. If the PNP price was closer to the 80mm FMS Hawk pricing, I would have been tempted.

Definitely looks to be built by FMS looking at the construction of it and it definitely has the 80mm FMS edf unit in it.

[Russ]

I snagged a BNF...love that FMS 80mm fan/motor combo...use it in my Freewing 80mm F-86 and it is a GREAT performer on 6S-5000 lipo...gets at least 4.5 minutes of mixed flight. I loved the original FMS F-4 and have been waiting on this one for years now. E-Flite also tests well before they release 'em so I'm hoping for greatness. I'll probably use the Rx in something else and put on of my FrSky rxs in this to use with my Taranis X9D+ so I can get my voltage telemetry. This way I have a cheaper AS3X rx and I get the plane a month sooner...win/win! Come on slow boat from China!

[TiredIronGRB]

Something doesn't look right about the nose, where the windscreen meets the fuse looks off.

[MikeT]

Going to be interesting to see just how many get them before it's sold out. Anyone remember how the Viper pre-order went down? We're a dealer and did a order on fast serve and got shut out. Than two shipments came and went though Horizon before we got one. The price might slow this one down a bit though.

Mike

[JamesonC]

Sooooo.... As I am sitting here thinking about this release and after realizing it is a FMS plane, something came to mind. This was just the next FMS release to copy a FW release...again! LOL HH just snagged this one for themselves as an E-flite release! So far...

FW hawk.... FMS hawk
FW F16.... FMS & Eflite F16
FL Tigercat.... FMS Tigercat
FW A10.... FMS A10
FW Yak 130.... FMS Yak 130
FW Avanti.... FMS Avanti
FW T45.... FMS T45
FW F4.... FMS/Eflite F4

Y'all absolutely correct me if/where I am wrong on this, but were any of those FMS releases first??

Don't get me wrong, I like FMS planes and have quite a few but this "coincidence" just keeps getting bigger and bigger and almost funny. With the latest F4 release, all I can say is I can't wait to see the FMS F22 in 6-12 months! :)

[Evoman]

I guess Eflite does not like to take risks and rather go with a model they know will be a guaranteed seller. Which is not a bad thing but it would be a better business decision to bring to market something totally different that no other manufacturer currently makes.
Then instead of only getting half of the sales they can get all of them. The saving grace of this new F-4 is that its is slightly smaller, its in Navy grey and it comes with AS3X and SAFE Select for those that want to fly a Phantom without much experience.

[Tom]

Im not sure how long a product development cycle is, but the FW F4 was only announced 12 months ago, so it might just be that both were coincidentally in development around the same time. Maybe someone from motion can chime in.

Our development cycle is a lot faster than it was a couple of years ago but it still typically takes 12 months. However, if all resources are put into a single project, it can be quicker.

[Dirty Dee]

Thanks Tom!

[xviper]

It just seems there’s a lot of corporate espionage going on out there.

so it might just be that both were coincidentally in development around the same time.

You know, I raised these points quite a while back when another plane was produced by both front line companies within a heartbeat of each other. That post even lured an "insider" to come on board here to reply in a very vehement and extremely defensive manner. (Makes ya kinda wonder, don't it? ;) Since he never set foot in this forum till that point.)
Espionage or "coincidence"? Really, to the consumer, does it matter? It's only a sore point to those in the company side and of course, to company "fanbois", those are fightin' words. Who's to say that the janitor of one company isn't the 3rd cousin (twice removed) of the janitor of the other company and when they got together on the weekend for dumplings and Mahjong, one of them talked about what they "heard" from his other cousin, the mailboy or lunchroom monitor, that "this new plane was on the drawing table"?
To me, it simply doesn't matter. If the plane appeals to me and I really want it and I have room for it, I'll buy it. The only problem is that if there is too much competition, neither side will sell enough to justify continued production. Maybe the strong will prevail.

[davecee]

If this was one of my "dream" planes the price would be no barrier. However for a plane that I "like", but don't have a passion for, the price is a big factor. Some planes I would buy only if they are a bargain.