When will Freewing come out with a F-4 Phantom II?

[TPS]

Freewing and MotionRC have brought out some great EDF jets. Now that the MIG-21 is out, it would be great the have its prime adversary, the meanest looking fighter in the world, the F-4 Phantom II put in production. If Freewing would make it with their latest technology and incorporate operable leading edge flaps, the plane would fly better than anything on the market. I would like to see it with Air Force (F-4D), Navy ( F-4B) and Marine (F-4B) versions. I would buy these all day long. The current offerings on the market leave a lot to be desired and do not fly well!

[AkumaZeto]

Agreed I would love one as well

[dkalwishky]

I'd love one from Freewing!

[F106DeltaDart]

I would love to see one from Freewing preferably an F-4C or D with full triple bomb racks, drop tanks and a gun pod. I had the LX version, and I could never get it to fly right and it was a maintenance nightmare. It was finally lost when a flap departed the aircraft on climb out. A Freewing version would be done right, and fly fantastic!

[TPS]

Nice work on the F-4!!!!!!!
Agree, the LX F-4 is high maintenance and does not fly well - if Freewing would produce one, it would fly well and would be a keeper.

[Ron1950]

F4 J navy model for me please lol

[apmech1]

Can't agree more. I would love to see a twin 80mm F-4. Personally I would like a model that I dont jave to repaint to slap USMC VMF-323 "Death Rattlers" on.

[Alpha]

Death Rattlers is a neat livery. Any reason in particular why you're fond of that squadron's markings?

[Evoman]

The Death Rattlers livery seams simple enough as its mostly decals on the typical gray paint. A gray based F-4 would be a high probability as the Navy also had them. So it would just be a matter of a Death Rattlers decal sheet to be included if not you can always just have them made by Cali graphics. But I don't think a repaint will be needed. A similar livery that I like is the Navy VA-86 Sidewinders but for the A-7 Corsair or F/A -18.

[Ks.jetflyer]

I would like an F-4 in the single 80mm size. Affordable. easy to transport, same batt. size as the F-86. SEA camo preferable.

[nuts-n-volts]

Rhino fer sure! Keep the scale the same. So maybe 80mm twin? It's so much better when the planes look right side by side. Luvin' my Balalaika!!

[TSHobbies]

Im on the wagon for an F4 too please. AF or Navy is fine with me..love both schemes. but already have plenty of grey jets...time for a camo one

[Laserdude]

Count me in for one and go twin 70 or single 90. Please not another grey one as they are a little hard to see in the air. I have an LX F4 and it flies well but it is a little short on power. This scheme is easy to see.

[Alpha]

A twin 70mm was done recently with LX. I'd like to see a twin 80mm, but a single 90mm would be cheaper. I've owned the Fly Fly single 90mm and the LX twin 70mm. The LX looked nice but I agree with you it's short on power.

[TSHobbies]

nah, make it the size of FWs bigger birds...2 80s please.

[Evoman]

One of the F-4 Phantom characteristics was its sheer raw power from it's huge twin J79-GE-17 engines producing 17,900 lbf of thrust! And it had afterburners!
So to do this iconic jet right it would have to be pretty powerful for the most scale performance. Twin 80mm would suit it perfectly.

I would also be more interested in a camo F-4 as it was the most iconic one. But I see no problem in also offering a grey version as it would be just as popular with the Navy and Marine fans.

Note what a former F-4 Pilot says about the power of the Phantom at 8:40 in this episode of Dogfights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62fIyD5ag_c

[Prowler901]

I love that show. This was a good episode.

[TPS]

A twin 70mm was done recently with LX. I'd like to see a twin 80mm, but a single 90mm would be cheaper. I've owned the Fly Fly single 90mm and the LX twin 70mm. The LX looked nice but I agree with you it's short on power.

Alpha, Do you think that Freewing might produce a good F-4? I think they would sell a lot of them, especially if they have a lot of quality. Any power version would be good at $500 range. Ready to buy a couple of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alpha]

Hi TPS, Welcome to Hobbysquawk!

As we all know, I can't disclose if or what we're working on at any given time, unless/until we're truly nearing production on an upcoming item and we're ready to reveal it. I would theoretically love to do an F-4 eventually, not because I absolutely love the aircraft but because it's a challenge, and that's all I'll say about that. My fondest, most succinct answer to questions of "Will you make this?" is, "Yes, we will make almost everything, it's just a matter of time."

In a somewhat related tangent, philosophizing for a moment on the F-4 and other frequently requested airplanes in general, I will say that we've learned over the years that we need to take more than online polls and posts into account when deciding which aircraft to make. We don't do anyone any good if we make unsustainable business decisions that weaken our ability to deliver quality products and service to our customers. The development cost for a large aircraft like the Freewing 80mm F-14D, for example, approaches six figures, not including actually producing the model. The F-14 was a "unicorn" for many people, and for years we've all read the countless posts from people proclaiming they'd buy a big F-14 in a heartbeat. Long story, we made a big F-14, and a year later it's still a great seller (one of our top five), but I must also recognize that many of those who said they'd buy one, didn't. Obviously we don't take it personally, this is a fact of life in consumer products. It is well known among all the RC manufacturers, and in fact I'd extend this statement to just about any hobby or consumer product, that the conversion ratio from people who verbally support a product's creation to people who actually buy that product when it is created is never 1:1. In our experience, it's closer to 5:1-8:1. And so, it is with an eye toward those conversion ratios that we temper our development of new products. FlightLineRC and Freewing's 80mm EDF series are good examples of this balanced approach. We try to mix "surefire" hits like the P-38 with "risks" like the Ta-152, or an F-86 with an A-6. On the whole, this diversity helps us distribute the hit if/when a plane isn't as popular to the masses as projected.

My point in all this is, if anyone really wants an aircraft to be made, then by all means talk about it and don't let up, because we truly do take every single post's request into consideration. And if/when we make it, and it meets your criteria for quality, performance, value, and price, then please consider buying it. In the meantime, consider though that there are also other factors at work, so if planes we want aren't made when we want them to be, it's not usually because we weren't listening, but more often because those other factors may weigh more heavily at a given time. I'd love to make a slew of planes that I personally love, but at the same time I have accepted that I will never make them because I would bankrupt the company because I'd probably be the only guy to buy them. Hahahaha! Yes, I'm looking at you, Beechcraft Starship :D

[ddsjoseph]

I owned an LX Phantom and was not thrilled to make all the modifications. The worst big jet I have ever owned. It was heavy and under powered. If Freewing makes a Phantom, I would be one of the first to get in line to buy it. I wrote two emails to Freewing asking them this very thing, but never got a response. I just like the way the Phantom 4 looks and with a single 90mm EDF, it would have adequate power to fly.