Official Freewing T-33 Shooting Star 80mm EDF Thread

[JohnVH]

Flight TWO on this bad boy!

[flazz]

C-nut, thanks for the clarification .........

[Beeg]

Disregard....

[Dacostasr]

My first CAD design...came out okay. Bracket for the front landing gear light. Needs a little tweak, then I can mount it

[Reaper911]

Anyone catch the video from MRC on 9 blade 80mm 1920kv comparison to 12 Blade 1857kv in the new T-33. It was up for a very short time then pulled down ?? Basically, littler better speed on the 8b 1920kv and little better sound on the 12b 1857kv.

[Reaper911]

[Evan D]

8 blade?

[Hardway]

9 blade..... 80mm

[Icarus the 2nd]

It's a first european Freewing T-33 vid in german scheme by Motionrc!

Had my maiden flight today in splendid weather, I liked the new jet so much that I did 6 more flights in a row.

Here's a compilation vid with the best parts of 4 flights.

Sit back and enjoy

[Biff767]

Open Letter to MotionRC

I am a big fan of my A-10 that I purchased from you and the Freewing F-4 I bought from a friend this summer. Both airplanes have very novel engineering and are tough and durable airplanes built with a lot of thought and strong internal structures. I am though terribly disappointed with the Freewing T-33 that I just purchased. This airplane doesn't appear to contain any of the advanced structural engineering found in your other planes. It just appears to be a typical foamy where everything is glued onto foam. It sure looks pretty, but on my third flight the left landing gear fell off, followed by the right. Both were apparently hot glued to the wing. There was nothing else to support the gear except the foam. Yikes. You guys are known for well thoughtout airplanes and not cheap foam jobs. Frankly, this airplane is not competitive in the price range. You can get foamies just as pretty and certainly with similar low level durability elsewhere. This airplane is not what you are known for.

Ken Dunlap

[Reaper911]

8 blade?

whoopps typo, corrected to 9 blade

[Oxotnik]

Open Letter to MotionRC

I am a big fan of my A-10 that I purchased from you and the Freewing F-4 I bought from a friend this summer. Both airplanes have very novel engineering and are tough and durable airplanes built with a lot of thought and strong internal structures. I am though terribly disappointed with the Freewing T-33 that I just purchased. This airplane doesn't appear to contain any of the advanced structural engineering found in your other planes. It just appears to be a typical foamy where everything is glued onto foam. It sure looks pretty, but on my third flight the left landing gear fell off, followed by the right. Both were apparently hot glued to the wing. There was nothing else to support the gear except the foam. Yikes. You guys are known for well thoughtout airplanes and not cheap foam jobs. Frankly, this airplane is not competitive in the price range. You can get foamies just as pretty and certainly with similar low level durability elsewhere. This airplane is not what you are known for.

Ken Dunlap

Almost every foamy, from every manufacturer, with retracts suffers this problem. It's not just a T-33 problem. Or just a Freewing Problem, or just a MotionRC problem. It's a pervasive problem. Every time I buy a new foamy warbird, I joke that I'm going to go ahead and rip the gear out of the wing, while the plane is still sitting on the bench, and glue them back in properly.

There's also speculation among us girls that the Chinese assembly workers get paid a bonus, based on how much glue they don't use.

[Alpha]

Biff767 Hi Biff, thanks for your feedback. I'm sorry to see that, and I've forwarded the photo to our QC team at Freewing for their review when they return from their long holiday.

QC is a constant focus of ours and all production teams. We take it seriously --workers have lost their jobs over things like this.

I hope you're able to reglue the mounts and enjoy the T-33 as it's meant to be and as so many others have!

Clear Skies,
Alpha

[flazz]

Alfa,
Thanks for your response to biffs/Ken complaint
I started writing this in response to his complaint and other issue that also need to be addressed.

Ken
Thanks for the pics. This has been my complaint ever since I’ve been flying foamy’s. Other than an initial maiden to see what I’ve got, I always, always go to work strengthening the landing gear attachment points. They are totally inadequate especially for the larger birds. Unless every landing is greased on, on a smooth paved runway, they will eventually ripe out. Its just a matter of time. The pictures Ken put up is a great example of an inadequate glue joint. Look at all the surface area that’s available that has no glue on it. This is a good example of rapid production with no since whether its an adequate joint. The only bonding that’s occurring is the smeared line’s of glue, where the entire plastic area is available and should be covered with glue. An eye ball guess of the glue available is 10% or less. Remember, the foam these are glued to, its not a porous material like a wood or open cell foam where the glue can infuse, with EPO its only 1 cell deep. That’s why the entire plastic are must be covered to be even a reasonable bond, and even at that I would still do my own reinforcement.

Other issues that bug the hell out me is the abysmal hardware that comes with the planes. The screws and wire that is used for the landing gear is more like chromed lead than real steel wire. They will bend with a minimal force applied to them, and if you attempt bend them back into position, if you don’t remove them for the plane, your likely to ripe them out of the plane. Part of my learning the limitation and issues with foamy’s. With regards to poor alloy screws. They are no better than the wire struts, and are easily stripped just trying to remove in order serves what ever their holding down ............ really worthless and I replace as I mod the plane. I use K&S precision metals to replace the wire struts.

Some of the aluminum upgrade struts, or come with the plane, are a waste of money unless modified and even then the aluminum their made of is a poor quality. Its not 6061 t6, its poor alloy or not heat treated properly. Whether its an internal spring or the trailing link type, the springs would be perfect for a plane that weighed 3 to 4 times its weight, but that’s not the case. They have to be modified to be of any advantage at all. I first realize this when I upgrade my Flightline P-38L from wire to aluminum struts. I’m thinking this will cool no more hard clucky sounds on landing ......................... wrong, there was no difference, there was no advantage in have made the upgrade. So in analyzing the reason why, when the plane is landing, even though the plane might weigh several pounds, the struts are seeing “0” weight ............. the plane still flying. The struts only see the full weight when its not flying. I’ve come to laugh when I see someone pushing down on the plane to show a prospective buyer how great these oleo’s are ............... no their not great, the only thing they’re showing is if the plane weighted this much, they’d be great. So the fix,........ modify the springs. The trailing link types are the most difficult, but what needs to be done is to over stretch the length of the spring to where when reattached to the strut (hook to screw) there is “0” tension on the spring. This is more difficult because its easy to screw it up and I have. It helps to measure each incremental stretch in the process so you don’ t over do it always checking the distance to the strut so you don’t over do it.
The internal spring in a strut are easier. The right tension can be achieved clipping its length with a pair of dykes, again to where there’s compression on the spring until the plane is set down, at which point the spring compression comes into play. In both cases, trailing or internal springs, when you set the plane down on a counter top or garage floor, you should see plane settle down a minimum of a 1/4” to a 1/2” depending on what surface your flying off and you personal preference. If you can find springs at the local hardware that you can swap out for either type it would make it a lot easier, so you might check that out.
An added bonus, it quiets the wheel landing noise ............. a lot!!

I don’t want get started on the poor bonding of the paint to foam ......

Sorry for the long venting but Kens pic made me do it ........LOL

[Biff767]

While I appreciate the fast response from MRC there are a couple of issues that I would like to make sure they understand. First is that when the gear drops out of the plane you need to replace all those parts left hanging that get ripped off when it lands. So, MRC did in fact get an order from me for replacements. Next, either the amount of glue that I showed that was used to put the gear on was either the correct amount or wrong amount. If it was wrong, then that's a manufacturing defect that I shouldn't have to pay for. My pictures are pretty clear. My final point is that I am a big fan and repeat customer of MRC because they make well engineered EDF's. They have fans like me and my friends because they are really good at what they do. Speaking from experience this airplane is just simply not as well engineered and well built as the A-10 or F-4. If I wanted crap, I'd get a plane elsewhere.

[Newpil0t]

While I appreciate the fast response from MRC there are a couple of issues that I would like to make sure they understand. First is that when the gear drops out of the plane you need to replace all those parts left hanging that get ripped off when it lands. So, MRC did in fact get an order from me for replacements. Next, either the amount of glue that I showed that was used to put the gear on was either the correct amount or wrong amount. If it was wrong, then that's a manufacturing defect that I shouldn't have to pay for. My pictures are pretty clear. My final point is that I am a big fan and repeat customer of MRC because they make well engineered EDF's. They have fans like me and my friends because they are really good at what they do. Speaking from experience this airplane is just simply not as well engineered and well built as the A-10 or F-4. If I wanted crap, I'd get a plane elsewhere.

To be fair, it is @ $200 less than your comparison. I think this model is great for the money.

[Elbee]

NP, Welcome to "The Squawk". Glad you're on board. Best, LB

[fjkelley@cox.net]

Bitch, bitch, bitch! Whine, whine, whine, whine!!
Heck of a value for the buck! Can't you people just enjoy it? Use the T-33 inside the parameters it was designed for, and be happy!!

Old Dawg

[Wild Man]

Open Letter to MotionRC

I am a big fan of my A-10 that I purchased from you and the Freewing F-4 I bought from a friend this summer. Both airplanes have very novel engineering and are tough and durable airplanes built with a lot of thought and strong internal structures. I am though terribly disappointed with the Freewing T-33 that I just purchased. This airplane doesn't appear to contain any of the advanced structural engineering found in your other planes. It just appears to be a typical foamy where everything is glued onto foam. It sure looks pretty, but on my third flight the left landing gear fell off, followed by the right. Both were apparently hot glued to the wing. There was nothing else to support the gear except the foam. Yikes. You guys are known for well thoughtout airplanes and not cheap foam jobs. Frankly, this airplane is not competitive in the price range. You can get foamies just as pretty and certainly with similar low level durability elsewhere. This airplane is not what you are known for.

Ken Dunlap

I would like to see more photo's, lets see a photo of the retract and the rest of the wing and the wing tank. This could have been handled in a much better way. Most of us understand that sometimes this happens. Why not take care of it through MRC and not spread it all over the forums like this.Mrc does a much better job with QC then most and most will agree. This is not the way to solve your problem. and MRC would let people know about it. We all make bad landings no body is perfect.Landing gear problems are the largest problems with All RC planes. What do you mean by the gear just dropped out of the plane. Was it on landing and after you bounced it in then it fell out? would love a better explanation Please

[Icarus the 2nd]

No problem for me with the landing gear during my 7 flights on thick grass which is really hard for the retracts, as you can see yourself in my vid.

I tugged at the landing gear during assembly and it seemed alright for me.

[e4dragongunner]

Just checking... Woah... thought I was on RCG for a quick second.