I've seen a couple of comments about the nose gear mounting needing some reinforcement. How is that being done by most?
-
-
It's here! W00t!
And that pilot figure is even more hideous in person than in the photos. It's hard to believe Freewing did such a nice job on the scale details for the rest of the plane, and then missed the mark so badly for the pilot.
Well, that, and I'd warrant from their paint job on the Maverick missiles, that they didn't bother to look at any photos of actual Mavericks.
I have some UV curing resin on the way. My plan is to take a slice off the end of the Mavericks, and mold a clear dome to glue in place of the foam nose, with the façade of the laser seeker painted behind the clear piece.Comment
-
In case you ever wondered what that device hanging below the cockpit on the right side of the Warthog is:
Comment
-
Pilot figure has been replaced. I ordered a three-pack of the Corps Elite figures from Amazon for $9, which included a pilot. I repainted the figure to a more correct olive drab uniform and dark visor on the helmet. I added the O2 hose to the mask (small black heatshrink), and fabricated a joystick from small aluminum tubing covered with black heatshrink.
By the way, as near as I can calculate, the original pilot figure that comes with this plane, would be ten feet tall at the scale of the plane. The Corps Elite figure would be five feet tall.
After hooking up the receiver, I think I'm going to pull the wing off again, and move the receiver to the cavity over the wing. The servo wires included with the plane are not quite long enough to conveniently mount the receiver under the cockpit. If I can move the throttle wire for the receiver to the back of the ESC cavity, then I should only need an extension for the nose gear steering and retract, and the Rx will be nicely out of the way for battery install.Comment
-
Here's where I put mine.Comment
-
A few more...Comment
-
I put it just forward of the wing, to one side of the fuselage. Made for much easier tucking of the wiring out of the way, and only needed two extensions for the nose gear steering and retract. I put her back together, and cruised her out and back on the dungeon floor, on her own power. I still need to attach the small details like the antennae and such, touch up some paint, but for all intents and purposes, she's in flyable condition right now.
I like how that pilot turned out. If my revision of the Maverick missiles turns out as well as the pilot, I'm going to be very happy with how this plane looks.
Comment
-
Thanks to Scootergenie for pointing me towards the Corps Elite figures.
Honestly, it really doesn't take much to look better than the stock pilot figure Freewing slapped in this bird. I'll put "Mr. Potato Head" aside, in case I ever build up anything of the right scale where he would look okay as the pilot figure, but Freewing would have been better off with no pilot figure, than with one twice the size of what it should be.
Personally, I think a lot of these planes, even if they come with a correct scale pilot figure, should be shipped with the cockpit disassembled, allowing the buyer to decide if they want to use the included pilot figure, if they want to customize the figure, or super-detail the cockpit before attaching the canopy. IF the buyer is happy with everything as-is, they can just glue the pilot in the seat and affix the canopy, and it saves the factory a couple of minor steps in the assembly process. If we can't handle that much extra assembly, we're probably not ready to buy the plane in the first place!Comment
-
Agree 100%Comment
-
I ordered a set of these little neodymium magnets from Amazon. 216 total 3mm magnet cubes. I cut one of the dumb bombs for the A-10 from its pylon, and put two of these magnets each in the pylon and the bomb. Feels like they should hold pretty well. I'll post a photo or two later tonight. The tough part is going to be separating the Mavericks from their pylons, since the pylon meets the missile between two of the fins.
Comment
-
They are glued at that joint where the missile meets the pylon. Just wick some lighter fluid in the joint while working it back and forth. It will loosen the glue and allow them to separate.Comment
-
Good to know, thanks! I happen to have some lighter fluid on hand!Comment
-
Asking again, since it seems the question might have been missed - some commented on reinforcing the nose wheel mounting. Any suggestions on the best way to do so? When I'm ready to fly, I'll be flying off our club's dirt runway, and it's not always the most gentle on gear.Comment
-
Mine is officially ready for it's maiden on next Sunday ! Our club runway is grass, so wish me luck. I have a 3700 Roaring top 4s 45c and it balances with the battery all the way fwd. Just have to install the battery strap, and she's ready to go.Comment
-
Maiden went sweet today ! My jitters were unfounded...she flew super... Few clicks of aileron, and to my surprise, quite a few clicks of down elevator. Greased the landing, and the gear held up well. A very slight bend to the nose strut, and that was to be expected for the rough grass it flew from.
Comment
-
I just noticed the big drop tank came with magnets already installed in the mounting pylon. I need to check if there are corresponding magnets in the bottom of the plane.Comment
-
Yes, magnets are already mounted. I flew the maiden clean. 3 minutes on a roaring top 3700 45c...had 3.8 per cell. Not incredibly fast, but I forgot to calibrate the esc. That was also the first cycle of the new battery.Comment
-
another great flight today....Loving this thing. grass is no problem.:Cool:Comment
-
Camera mount constructed and test-fitted to the plane. The material is 1/4" thick balsa, glued double-thickness, with magnets mounted in the proper location to match the magnet mounting of the large centerline drop-tank. Once the glue was completely set, I sanded the wood to a similar profile to the tank pylon. The flat platform at the bottom is shaped to match my keychain camera, and should help keep the camera from rocking or shaking during flight. The magnets seem to have a good, strong hold, so it should stay put when I finally put the Hawg in the air.
I'm not sure if I'll paint the mount, but I haven't ruled it out. I'll need to pick up a bit of sanding sealer before I do, lest I waste numerous coats of paint, soaking in to the bare wood.Comment
Comment