Freewing A-4 Blue Angels Conversion

[RCjetdude]

I am in the process of converting a Freewing 80mm ARF+ to a Blue Angels #6 from the 1980 team that I watched fly in my home town of Corvallis, OR. I thought I would post up a thread on the project. So far I have the plane, graphics from Callie (which needed some re-sizing), the JetFan 80 fan unit with HET 2085kV motor, HET Zeus 125A ESC, Model Masters Acrylic paints and various other components. My plan is to add main and nose gear doors and Strobon V2 landing and Nav lights which are currently back ordered. So far I have installed the fan and ESC, removed various raised portions on the fuselage, done some filling work with Beacon Foam Filler, modified the refueling probe, removed the gun mounts for filling, painted a new pilot and I am currently finishing up lining the cockpit with card stock (poster-board). Here are some photos of the progress so far.







The fan fit great. I will try to get a shot of the ESC mounting as well.

















I need to shorten the probe a bit more.



More to come as it progresses.

[crxmanpat]

Watching with interest! Especially looking forward to what you come up with for gear doors. Any plans to add a trailing strut on the nose gear?

[TiredIronGRB]

I have no doubt it will be another RCJetDude masterpiece!

[JLambCWU]

I highly recommend baking the acrylic in a hot room with a space heater then coating with Testors Blue Angel blue in rattle cans from a hobby source. It’s the only way to get the correct blue with silvering on the finish. I tried for 2days mixing acrylics and couldn’t get the right finish.

The Callie spine decal and US NAVY on the fuselage is way out of size and proportion. The shield also shows F-18s.
Would probably be better to mask and paint white after clear coating the blue, then covering the white with yellow for that pop. If I do another BA for a friend that’s what I’m doing. I clear coated with Rustoleum gloss enamel in 3 light coats after painting the blue and baked in an extra bathroom with a space heater. Finish is beautiful, and the color is accurate.

[RCjetdude]

Beautiful job! I plan to apply the Model Masters (Testors) Blue Angels blue and yellow through an airbrush. I had considered pre-painting white before the yellow. I think it is a good idea. I have not noticed the F-18's on the shield but will be looking into that. I have been back to Callie several times on the decal sizing and the set was missing the McDonnell Douglas logo as well. I did get her to reduce the size of the spine and fuselage US NAVY decals as well as the US NAVY's on the underside of the wing. What did you use for the silver on the leading edges and intakes?

A few more small updates as I did not get much time on it last night but did manage to shorten the refueling probe.

Before...



after.



And start filling in where the guns were.

[vduniec]

What did you use to fill the gun ports? My Topgun scheme requires that as well. Thanks.

Beautiful job! I plan to apply the Model Masters (Testors) Blue Angels blue and yellow through an airbrush. I had considered pre-painting white before the yellow. I think it is a good idea. I have not noticed the F-18's on the shield but will be looking into that. I have been back to Callie several times on the decal sizing and the set was missing the McDonnell Douglas logo as well. I did get her to reduce the size of the spine and fuselage US NAVY decals as well as the US NAVY's on the underside of the wing. What did you use for the silver on the leading edges and intakes?

A few more small updates as I did not get much time on it last night but did manage to shorten the refueling probe.

Before...



after.



And start filling in where the guns were.

[RCjetdude]

I just Foam Tac'd a chunk of scrap foam there and then covered it over with Beacon Foam Filler.

[RCjetdude]

Made a little more progress this evening. I added the detail of the piece below the tail pipe. Made it from 1/2" CPVC and styrene. Also spent some more time working on the cockpit. It is ready to paint.

[RCjetdude]

Here is the ESC mounting.

[CT]

During my last years at San Diego State in 1981, I was also finalizing training for my pilots license and vividly remember the day I had an encounter with the great blues.
I was on my second solo cross country trip with three legs to Yuma AZ and Twentynine Palms and back to Gillespie field in San Diego. Enroute to Yuma I was flying at 5000' and was just South of the NAS El Centro field. NAS El Centro is where the Blue Angles practiced during the winter months because of the favorable weather. When I was abeam the tower at 5000' I noticed several jets lined up on the run way with another set behind, closer look revealed their deep blue color, and I realized they were the Blue Angels preparing for take off. After hootin and hollerin at my good fortunes I sat there mesmarized during their take off and departure. We were both flying Eastbound when I noticed they had made a right crosswind leg, I sat there in awe. Confirming my altitude was out of the airport boundary and thinking I was well out of traffic, the Blues in formation turned right downwind departure which brought us head to head. After hootin and hollerin, and thinking I had plenty of altitide for them to cross under me, I saw them pull up which looked to me a direct head to head collision course. Being a lowly pilot in training with 30 hours under my belt in a Cessna 150 I did the sane thing, I cut power and dived cycling my landing light the whole way so they would see me. To my amazement they pretty much went vertical and crossed my path well ahead. I could only guess what those hot shots were thinking in their A-4 Skyhalks.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and I review my log book from time to time to that day where I wrote" Encountered Blue Angles ". I will always cherish those memories of my flying days but due to marriage and kids had to retire flying the big birds and now flying RC's that is just as fulfilling and a lot less expensive (so far) .

[RCjetdude]

What an awesome memory. Thanks for sharing that.

After looking at the part I made for the bottom of the tail cone awhile, I decided I didn't like it. Just looked too small (I do that often). So, I decided to re-do it. Instead I used a section of foam from an AGM-88 HARM missile off the Freewing 90mm F-16. I still used a small piece of 1/2" CPVC and some 1/8" ply for the disc on the back. Now it looks closer to the right size and shape.





After looking at the refueling probe I will be re-doing it as well.

I then replaced the main struts with a set of Stinger 90 Oleos. It requires drilling the strut to 5mm to fit the strut pin, shortening the strut pin a little and grinding new flats in it. I also used Stinger 90 main wheel axles and some nylon stand-offs I got from my local hardware store.



Notice also I filled in the weapons pylon locations. No ordnance for this bird.

For the nose strut support, I used the one for the F-14. I actually ordered two of them and I am glad I did. The clamp on the strut needs to rotate freely but was too small so I took the strut completely apart and chucked it in a hand drill. I then lightly clamped the drill in a vise and took the edge of a flat file to create a grove in the strut that would allow the clamp to fit properly. I had to glue two sections of the rail together to make it long enough and then cut the ends off the support arm and drilled them to fit a piece of CF rod. Once I determined how long it needed to be I then cut two pieces of aluminum tubing (one fit inside the other) and then CA'd it all together.





I still need to make the small cover or door for the support and of course the nose gear door.

I did a quick outline of the proposed main wheel door and I think it will work ok. It is further back than on the full size plane. Maybe the main struts are shorter to keep them from being so spindly or the mains are moved back a bit to improve weight distribution. I dunno...



TAFN

[RCjetdude]

I completed the radio installation so I could check my CG. I moved the connector board back under the battery tray along with the receiver and A3-L like I did with my Green Knights A-4 so that I could get the battery as far forward as possible. I installed a Roaring Top 5800 35C as far forward as it could go and had to remove a little foam from the hatch to get it to fit. Even so I had to add about 2 oz of lead to the nose to get it to balance at 185mm inverted with the gear down like on my other bird. The magnetic nose cone makes it realy easy to install nose weight if needed. At least if I were to add a heavier battery down the road there is plenty of room to slide it back. The reason for the additional nose weight is because of the heavier fan/motor and ESC. Speaking of which, after flashing the ESC to tha latest firmware I powered up the fan for the first time and it just doesn't seem like it is balanced properly. I purchased it assembled and balanced from the supplier but it is just not smooth and is also noisy. Not exactly what I was expecting so I have contacted the supplier about it. We shall see what they say. I does seem to have lots of power but is also pulling more current than what was indicated as well which would mean shorter flight times. I realize power and speed come at a price. Timing on the ESC is set to Auto and I tried it on low but it did not like that. I might try Medium and see what it does.

[EA-6B Geek]

What an awesome memory. Thanks for sharing that.

After looking at the part I made for the bottom of the tail cone awhile, I decided I didn't like it. Just looked too small (I do that often). So, I decided to re-do it. Instead I used a section of foam from an AGM-88 HARM missile off the Freewing 90mm F-16. I still used a small piece of 1/2" CPVC and some 1/8" ply for the disc on the back. Now it looks closer to the right size and shape.





After looking at the refueling probe I will be re-doing it as well.

I then replaced the main struts with a set of Stinger 90 Oleos. It requires drilling the strut to 5mm to fit the strut pin, shortening the strut pin a little and grinding new flats in it. I also used Stinger 90 main wheel axles and some nylon stand-offs I got from my local hardware store.



Notice also I filled in the weapons pylon locations. No ordnance for this bird.

For the nose strut support, I used the one for the F-14. I actually ordered two of them and I am glad I did. The clamp on the strut needs to rotate freely but was too small so I took the strut completely apart and chucked it in a hand drill. I then lightly clamped the drill in a vise and took the edge of a flat file to create a grove in the strut that would allow the clamp to fit properly. I had to glue two sections of the rail together to make it long enough and then cut the ends off the support arm and drilled them to fit a piece of CF rod. Once I determined how long it needed to be I then cut two pieces of aluminum tubing (one fit inside the other) and then CA'd it all together.





I still need to make the small cover or door for the support and of course the nose gear door.

I did a quick outline of the proposed main wheel door and I think it will work ok. It is further back than on the full size plane. Maybe the main struts are shorter to keep them from being so spindly or the mains are moved back a bit to improve weight distribution. I dunno...



TAFN

I'm enjoying this thread! Keep up the good work!

if I remember correctly, the A-4 main gear has an internal cable that shortens the overall length of the strut as it retracts. That may be why you are having to mount those gear doors farther forward than you'd like. Pretty sure the nose gear does this also. It was the same on the Prowler's main gear.

[RCjetdude]

Thank you sir. Yeah, the placement is what it is so I will just have to work with it. I trimmed the foam to prepare for building up the doors.

[RCjetdude]

I started making the first main gear cover which will become the gear doors. Had to remove a little more foam back around the retract mechanism first. I started by making a poster board template and once the shape was how I wanted it I made the piece from 1/32" ply. I then made a small bulkhead to go behind the door fairing on the wing.Then I built up the sides and bottom with 3/16" balsa. Once I get it to it's final shape I will cover it with some fiberglass cloth and finishing resin. Then I will cut it apart and install the hinges. That is the plan anyway.

[TiredIronGRB]

That's sick :Cool:

[seaviper]

Very nice

[EA-6B Geek]

You are killing me with this! Nice.

[RCjetdude]

Inside of the cover.

[ryramZ]

Wow! That's Dope Steve!