Official Freewing F/A-18C Hornet 90mm EDF Thread

[jetpltrich]

G’day everyone,

I’m new to the forum—great to be here. I found you all after picking up the F/A-18C 90mm in Grey Diamonds.

I’ve already been making use of the resources here and printed the detailed cockpit, which is fantastic. I’m planning to finish it in a RAAF-themed paint scheme with custom decals from Callie Graphics.

Originally, I was set on doing a turbine conversion using the Xicoy X45. Back in February I ordered a conversion kit from RC Castle, but I’ve since been told they can’t supply it anymore as the factory in China has stopped producing them (not sure if that’s temporary or permanent). From what I can tell, other suppliers like BigBoy RC and Nova Jets are also out of stock.

At the moment, the only option I’ve found is Grumania Jets. Their bifurcated pipe and mounting hardware look excellent, but by the time you factor in shipping and taxes, it’s getting close to what I paid for the jet itself.

So I’m a bit torn:

• Do I push ahead with the turbine conversion and go with the Grumania setup?
• Or keep it as a ducted fan and put that money towards something like the Turbine Ready Zeus?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share. Has anyone here done a turbine conversion on one of these? And are there any alternative suppliers or approaches I might have missed?

Thanks in advance—keen to hear your thoughts!

My two cents... fly it as a ducted fan and determine if it's a candidate for a turbine unit.

Rich

[Elbee]

Leighton63,

I agree with jetpltrich 100%.

Finish this as an EDF and make those decisions after you learn this jet.

Post pictures as you are able.

Very interested to see hoe your cockpit turns out.

Welcome to Hobby Squawk; glad to have you onboard, Sir.

Best, LB

[Airguardian]

1st, welcome aboard!

Here's my biased opinion, for what it may be worth:

This Hornet is a tricky jet. Get a taste of what it's like first with the EDF. Decide later if you want to commit to a turbine upgrade. It's a lot of money for a quirky model that quickly becomes hard to see as it flies away, so I'd recommend against it.

As for the Zeus... I hate how that thing looks, so my recommendation is to put that X45 (or X52) into something else.

F-22s are great for turbine mods. ^^

[Leighton63]

Leighton63,

I agree with jetpltrich 100%.

Finish this as an EDF and make those decisions after you learn this jet.

Post pictures as you are able.

Very interested to see hoe your cockpit turns out.

Welcome to Hobby Squawk; glad to have you onboard, Sir.

Best, LB

Thanks for the kind welcome

Here's a picture of my work in progress, again printed the cockpit and detailed it (as this was my first go at it - I think it turned out ok, but I will do another one, and from my learnings with this one, the next will be better)

[Leighton63]

1st, welcome aboard!

Here's my biased opinion, for what it may be worth:

This Hornet is a tricky jet. Get a taste of what it's like first with the EDF. Decide later if you want to commit to a turbine upgrade. It's a lot of money for a quirky model that quickly becomes hard to see as it flies away, so I'd recommend against it.

As for the Zeus... I hate how that thing looks, so my recommendation is to put that X45 (or X52) into something else.

F-22s are great for turbine mods. ^^

Thanks for your opinion and tips on the jet - coming back to the hobby from some time away, and guess I've got swept up by the whole F18 thing (Top-Gun etc) - thought it would be a nice one to build in a turbine spec. I might check out the F-22, shame there isn't a 90mm F-35 out yet

[Airguardian]

Yep, a 90mm F-35A would be sweet too... I keep asking for one, but so far, no luck!



Good job with the cockpit work, BTW!