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**Waconut** · Nov 18, 2020, 07:57 AM

Originally posted by paulsnapp View Post

I have been searching through this thread (a lot of pages!). Can someone please direct me to exactly where the nose pin upgrade is outlined (if there is one)? Thanks!

Page 232 post #4625

**paulsnapp** · Nov 18, 2020, 08:07 AM

Originally posted by Waconut View Post

Page 232 post #4625

Thanks!!! And this is the pin that is softer and will bend not break??

**Waconut** · Nov 18, 2020, 08:15 AM

Originally posted by paulsnapp View Post

Thanks!!! And this is the pin that is softer and will bend not break??

That I do not know, I have not done the mod myself. I broke the stock pin, I replaced it with another stock pin. On the next flight my front gear collapsed due to a cracked retract motor case. I still need to order a new retract.

**Evan D** · Nov 18, 2020, 08:18 AM

Nose pin upgrade? Some make one out of drill pin blanks or other stronger materials. When mine snapped on a easy paved landing I replaced it with the F-14 one and that has been flawless since. But that was when they first came out and I'm not sure they haven't changed the stock one or the replacement F-14 one since then.

**Captain Moron** · Nov 18, 2020, 09:00 AM

Need so help choosing my Christmas present. My wife has told me to choose a new model for Christmas. God bless her. The Mig 29 was my first choice but it will not fit in my car ☹️. So I have narrowed it down to the F 15 and the F 4 Phantom.. So which is best F 15 or F 4??????

**Captain Moron** · Nov 18, 2020, 09:01 AM

Originally posted by Captain Moron View Post

Need so help choosing my Christmas present. My wife has told me to choose a new model for Christmas. God bless her. The Mig 29 was my first choice but it will not fit in my car ☹️. So I have narrowed it down to the F 15 and the F 4 Phantom.. So which is best F 15 or F 4????

**Evan D** · Nov 18, 2020, 09:12 AM

The F-15 is an older release, fairly heavy for it's power system even with the inrunner "HP" setup. The larger F-4 does okay with the HP set up, it flies much lighter. Both do quite well with a 8S set up though the F-15 has a more limited battery area.

I am more a fan of the F-4 looks and it's a FreeWing generation ahead of the F-15 so would go that way.

Are those your only choices?

Originally posted by Captain Moron View Post

Need so help choosing my Christmas present. My wife has told me to choose a new model for Christmas. God bless her. The Mig 29 was my first choice but it will not fit in my car ☹️. So I have narrowed it down to the F 15 and the F 4 Phantom.. So which is best F 15 or F 4??????

**Hugh Wiedman** · Nov 18, 2020, 10:00 AM

Originally posted by Captain Moron View Post

Need so help choosing my Christmas present. My wife has told me to choose a new model for Christmas. God bless her. The Mig 29 was my first choice but it will not fit in my car ☹️. So I have narrowed it down to the F 15 and the F 4 Phantom.. So which is best F 15 or F 4??????

Agree with Evan D , if those are your only choices, the F-4 is an excellent choice, even with the stock set-up. You can go with the camo or a grey version and do any livery you like with the help of Callie Graphics. I have 2 of them, the camo and one I did in the Blue Angel livery. I would also suggest the F-18 if you don't already have one, either the stock Blue Angel or again the base grey and do a multitude of different and outstanding liveries that she has graphics for. The F-18 (which can be in the air at least 5 minutes with a 6250) is a real sweet flying EDF, quicker and lighter than the F-4 (which will give you just under 4 minutes of flight time on a 6250) and a little easier to land, but both are great. Then there is the F-16, which has been upgraded with a new inrunner EDF which is certainly worth a look. But believe it or not, the easiest flying and landing warbird EDF of all those that I have, IMO, is the A-10 which has hundreds of different livery options (I did the Artic Thunder) and it has a great presence in the air and on the ground. Can fly at least 5 minutes with 2 6250's. Oh what the hell, it's Christmas and you only live once, get one of each cause your wife loves you and you need something to ward off the long dark upcoming winter.

**Captain Moron** · Nov 18, 2020, 10:39 AM

Thanks Evan D and Hugh. I was leaning to rhe Phantom so think that is going to be my Christmas present. Never thought about the F 18 but I think I go with the Phantom.. Thanks for your help

**Hugh Wiedman** · Nov 18, 2020, 10:41 AM

Originally posted by paulsnapp View Post

I have been searching through this thread (a lot of pages!). Can someone please direct me to exactly where the nose pin upgrade is outlined (if there is one)? Thanks!

paulsnapp , there are probably several different modified nose pins, but the one I used back in 2018 was the main wheel axel off of the FL 1600 mm Spitfire. Same length, but you need to grind down the bottom end (the "head" which is too large in diameter) so it turns freely in the retract and also grind down a flat spot on the pin where the set screw hits, both easy mods. This pin will not break, but does bend from an impact that is slightly less than what would break the stock nose pin.

I did a very scientific

hammer test to both

, see my post on October 13th, 2018, post #2619, page 131.

The stock pin breaks before it will bend a micro millimeter, but it will take more abuse than the Spitfire axel, but when it does breaks, there is certainly a lot more damage than a bent pin would cause. I never actually broke a stock pin, changed them out early on in both my F-4's. At the beginning, I was a kamikaze on landing (stupidly my first EDF, but I had to have one) and I did bend a couple of nose pins, changed them out and went on to the next crappy landing.

With that said, I did learn how to land properly (even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut) and I forgot I had these "bendable" pins in after some 70 or more additional flights on each. Noticed a couple days ago (as I posted a few posts back), that the nose pin was slightly bent to the right (which is strange since I would have thought the constant landings would eventually slightly bend it backwards), probably from rough going on our grass field over a long period of time (or one hell of a crosswind landing), so I just switched back to the "stiffer" stock pin as I'm not worried anymore about having a hard nose impact landing.

If you change them out, just make sure you inspect them after every landing to ensure they are still perfectly straight, as if they do bend in any direction, the gear and door may not retract properly.

**Evan D** · Nov 18, 2020, 10:43 AM

If other choices are being entertained the F-18 is really really good. The new Gripen is a really good choice too. And the F-22... Sorry I'm forgetting what you currently have.

**Captain Moron** · Nov 18, 2020, 12:52 PM

Where do I start. I have the 70mm Hawk, Venom, F 86 Sabre, 70mm F16, F 35, L 39 Goshawk, Me 262,T 33, 80 mm Mirage and the brilliant F 22. I just love them. And it looks like the F 4 Phantom. High Power could be next

**DCORSAIR** · Nov 18, 2020, 06:26 PM

Originally posted by Captain Moron View Post

Where do I start. I have the 70mm Hawk, Venom, F 86 Sabre, 70mm F16, F 35, L 39 Goshawk, Me 262,T 33, 80 mm Mirage and the brilliant F 22. I just love them. And it looks like the F 4 Phantom. High Power could be next

Had both myself, go with the F-4, it just flies and looks better all around I think. Think I will ask my wife for a Christmas present like that.............

**Hugh Wiedman** · Nov 18, 2020, 06:55 PM

Originally posted by DCORSAIR View Post

Had both myself, go with the F-4, it just flies and looks better all around I think. Think I will ask my wife for a Christmas present like that.............

While your at it, as her for a Christmas present for me too! The Mig would be nice.

**e4dragongunner** · Nov 18, 2020, 07:20 PM

F4... Not that I am bias LOL ....

**e4dragongunner** · Nov 18, 2020, 07:21 PM

Originally posted by Evan D View Post

Nose pin upgrade? Some make one out of drill pin blanks or other stronger materials. When mine snapped on a easy paved landing I replaced it with the F-14 one and that has been flawless since. But that was when they first came out and I'm not sure they haven't changed the stock one or the replacement F-14 one since then.

Hey Evan.... I know right... totally blown away that mine snapped as easy as it did.

**e4dragongunner** · Nov 18, 2020, 07:24 PM

Oh and I took a pic of the broken pin. Looks like pot metal.

Attached Files

**e4dragongunner** · Nov 19, 2020, 05:28 AM

Here is the loose process of pre-shading and over-spray. The pre-shade is just Vallejo grey-green thinned for airbrushing. I tried to order the pics to show a progression of softening the starkness of the original pre-shade. I am undecided if there is more softening to do. I will take her out in the sunshine today to see what's what. Plan to hit it with Poly to prep the surface for the Callie graphics, then apply a nice flat clear to even everything out.

Tools: Grex T3 airbrush and Grex compressor.

Attached Files