Official Freewing 80mm A-4E/F Skyhawk Thread

[TomPatton]

Tailhook, variable speed drill, and 44 Magnum permanent marker and about 2 minutes...

[crxmanpat]

Tom, that's sweet! And easy too!

[crxmanpat]

You guys might want to pull on the hook on your tail hooks. Mine came off in my hand as I was painting it just now. Not much glue there.

[TomPatton]

You guys might want to pull on the hook on your tail hooks. Mine came off in my hand as I was painting it just now. Not much glue there.

Checked mine, on good and tight...
Thanks for the heads up.
I read where some one had the canopy come off because of lack of glue. I am assuming they were talking about the small strip of wood at the rear of the canopy where the latch pin goes in above it...
Mine seems OK, need to go back and find that post...

Thanks again for the info Pat...

[crxmanpat]

Yes, that little wooden piece that the latch pin goes into. Mine seemed to be on tight, but just a little pressure pulled it off. Re-glued that too.

[TomPatton]

OK, will do...
I put 3 holes in my canopy at these locations hoping to avoid some of that ugly gatoring. You can hardly notice them and have to really look close. Not sure it will help, but worth a shot...

[T-CAT]

With every PNP, Kit or Kit + that has had any gluing done at the factory (regardless of manufacturer), I tug on every single glued part. All crucial structural plastic mounts, foam joined surfaces, etc., as well as every metal to metal connection, and all screws and bolts are checked thoroughly. With human error involved and so many parts now being installed at the factory, there is always a chance for something to be incorrect. I've had planes in the past arrive with either insufficient glue on crucial parts (and non-crucial), screws loose, wires plugged in incorrectly or loose, etc. Now I know it's just piece of mind to simply go over every RC plane with a fine toothed comb to ensure proper functionality and safety. It's worth the extra time to do so.

[TiredIronGRB]

Here's a better picture of the zip tie for the retract.

[TomPatton]

What is the purpose of the zip tie on the retract? I must have missed something...

[TiredIronGRB]

Tailhook, variable speed drill, and 44 Magnum permanent marker and about 2 minutes...

Great idea Tom, I'll be doing this as well :)

[TiredIronGRB]

What is the purpose of the zip tie on the retract? I must have missed something...

Gives it a little more strength so the screws aren't the only thing holding the retract in place.

[RuthR720]

The performance of this jet is great! Be careful of your wing tips during crosswind landings.

[xplaneguy]

Glad to see another wind flyer. Nice job!

[crxmanpat]

Doh! Took the time to mask and paint my tail hook, then started applying decals only to find there's a decal for the tail hook striping! :Silly:

[RCjetdude]

Man, I feel like the 18 year old I was back when I had my Violet A-4 done up in this scheme. Just a few more minor things to do and I will start weathering it.

[Corsair nut]

Man,im in love rc jet dude!

[Boots Whirlygig]

Is anyone planning to add wing slats? That is the one modification I'd like to do. Oh, and did I say stupid brown truck earlier, I take it back. Arrived in perfect condition, like it just came off the shelf! That's what brown does for me!

[TomPatton]

Doh! Took the time to mask and paint my tail hook, then started applying decals only to find there's a decal for the tail hook striping! :Silly:

Yeah, but I bet yours looks better than a decal...
Do you know if there are any decals in the kit for the tanks and bombs? I looked but nothing stood out and no info in manual or decal placement page, that i saw anyway...
Thanks
Tom

[TiredIronGRB]

tired iron, how did you connect the esc wires? mine are also disconnected but i can't hole the esc connectors to plug the bullets in

I was able to loosen the ESC mount screws through the vent and slide it toward the fan cavity (you need to remove the fan as well).

[seaviper]

Got mine late last evening. Already started the build. I had no external damage on the box. But one of my wings had some damage to the wing root and the aileron. I performed surgery and fixed the aileron. My ailerons were also rather "bendy". So I fixed that too.

My motor connectors were not completely plugged in. Went to access the esc to slide it back so I could get to the connectors and found that the factory had attached the bottom vent with the intent of it never coming off. So I resorted to a very looong screw driver to get in there, loosen up the clamp screws on the esc, and slide her back to plug in my connectors. I actually prefer they just leave the vent off and let us glue it on. I was afraid I would break mine. It is very lightweight.

So far I like the looks of the bird. Waiting to finish the build and actually fly her before I make up my mind. So far so good I think. My bird needs to blast off from a less than perfect runway. We shall see.

I will post a build and some videos after test flying is completed. Definitely not going to detail her up until she proves she can fly.

Doh! Took the time to mask and paint my tail hook, then started applying decals only to find there's a decal for the tail hook striping! :Silly:

Welcome to my world...lol