Flightline RC Tigercat F7F

[PappaBear]

I flew my Tigercat yesterday (Sunday) for the first time, and I just want to say what a delight is it is to fly. The handling qualities are really excellent, I couldn't fault the way it handled at all. The stall is very predictive with no tendency to show signs of dropping a wing.

I've only flown it the once so far, but it will loop and roll with plenty of power. Normal straight and level flight at less than half power is nice and it will fly circuits or figure of eights with no sign of height loss. I have tried the flaps as yet. I will explore those next time out. From what I have discovered today I would no hesitate in recommending this model to an intermediate pilot.

Excellent model, I like it.

Martin

[TiredIronGRB]

You can "Park" it with the flaps.

[downwindleg]

Hey all, just wondering if anyone has tried their luck with painting the plane black with the three coats of Minwax clear spray over it? Seems like I read something about this on RC Groups. I would love to do this plane in the colors you see on my avatar. I know that Alpha recommended against it because of the " gatoring"effect but since then there has been some talk about the offsetting effects of the triple clear coat. I would invite any input on this. Thanks, Brad

[70sflyer]

Hey all, just wondering if anyone has tried their luck with painting the plane black with the three coats of Minwax clear spray over it? Seems like I read something about this on RC Groups. I would love to do this plane in the colors you see on my avatar. I know that Alpha recommended against it because of the " gatoring"effect but since then there has been some talk about the offsetting effects of the triple clear coat. I would invite any input on this. Thanks, Brad

Brad,I just finished painting mine.It looks good.It went from a matte to a shiny.If you see any gatoring in yours before it will be there after you paint but no worse.I used Minwax Ploy Crylic,Water based clear gloss.I Put on 2 coats.Did not sand between coats as recommended.Will try to post pictures.Dean

[Grossman56]

Okay, just in case I missed posting this or you didn't get a chance to read it, Minwax is a good product, but Spar Varathane is a superior product . I've used both
and prefer this Varathane over Minwax, especially when covering a dark colored airplane.
Note: this product is designed for outside use with a UV protectant in it which is what you want.
Minwax will give you a decent coat but will yellow over time and does nothing to protect your airplane from the elements.
Now, having said that, NOTHING is going to stop the sun from doing it's thing, so the planes should be kept in the shade when not in the air.
At Least Varathane gives you something , Minwax does not. Besides, Varathane is an easier product to use, goes on better and take less coats to get the same results. And yes, you can use it over Minwax

Grossman56

[70sflyer]

Okay, just in case I missed posting this or you didn't get a chance to read it, Minwax is a good product, but Spar Varathane is a superior product . I've used both
and prefer this Varathane over Minwax, especially when covering a dark colored airplane.
Note: this product is designed for outside use with a UV protectant in it which is what you want.
Minwax will give you a decent coat but will yellow over time and does nothing to protect your airplane from the elements.
Now, having said that, NOTHING is going to stop the sun from doing it's thing, so the planes should be kept in the shade when not in the air.
At Least Varathane gives you something , Minwax does not. Besides, Varathane is an easier product to use, goes on better and take less coats to get the same results. And yes, you can use it over Minwax

Grossman56

Thanks for that Grossman,I have wanted to make mine a shiny before I bought it,and been researching it.I forgot about needing a UV protection.I will put a coat of Varathane on.Thanks

[wpmay]

Thanks for that Grossman,I have wanted to make mine a shiny before I bought it,and been researching it.I forgot about needing a UV protection.I will put a coat of Varathane on.Thanks

Just to be accurate, Minwax does make both a Helmsman and a Pro Series Spar Urethane that is indoor/outdoor, does contain UV protectants and comes in satin, semi-gloss, and gloss. Haven't used either the Varathane or Minwax so I have no idea how they compare but Minwax does make outdoor water based urethanes. I found the Pro Series on the Lowe's website and Helmsman on Home Depot. Comparing Minwax Polycrylic to Varathane is really apples to oranges.

Bill

[Grossman56]

Bill could very easily be right, I haven't found Minwax in anything else other than the indoor water based product, so couldn't say for sure on how well the others compare. I feel it's safe to say that, when looking for a decent product, go for the outdoor version, water based and one that provides a UV protectant. If anyone uses the products that Bill mentions, let us know what you think.

Grossman56

[wpmay]

Bill could very easily be right, I haven't found Minwax in anything else other than the indoor water based product, so couldn't say for sure on how well the others compare. I feel it's safe to say that, when looking for a decent product, go for the outdoor version, water based and one that provides a UV protectant. If anyone uses the products that Bill mentions, let us know what you think.

Grossman56

I agree. Since I haven't used the products I'd be interested in anyone's experience who decides to try one of the Minwax products (since we already know that the Varathane works well). Here are some links to the two Minwax products on the Minwax website:

https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/interior-exterior/minwax-water-based-helmsman-spar-urethane

https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/interior-exterior/minwax-pro-series-spar-urethane

Bill

[TiredIronGRB]

Thinking about running a set of 13.5" props on my Tigercat...they should be closer to scale from all the pictures I've seen on the full scale.

[OV10]

Thinking about running a set of 13.5" props on my Tigercat...they should be closer to scale from all the pictures I've seen on the full scale.

Closer but no scale cigar though TI, 15.6" is 1/10 scale(that Skyraider prop will work nicely ;)) cause the fullsize was 13'1" Ham "'paddle blade" that was also used on the F6F.

[TiredIronGRB]

The 13.5" will only have 1" of ground clearance :Scared:

[TiredIronGRB]

Still looks better...

[Grossman56]

It does look good TI

Grossman56

[Grossman56]

I agree. Since I haven't used the products I'd be interested in anyone's experience who decides to try one of the Minwax products (since we already know that the Varathane works well). Here are some links to the two Minwax products on the Minwax website:

https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/interior-exterior/minwax-water-based-helmsman-spar-urethane

https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/interior-exterior/minwax-pro-series-spar-urethane

Bill

I'll watch for that Bill, looks like a good product as well!

Grossman56

[downwindleg]

Brad,I just finished painting mine.It looks good.It went from a matte to a shiny.If you see any gatoring in yours before it will be there after you paint but no worse.I used Minwax Ploy Crylic,Water based clear gloss.I Put on 2 coats.Did not sand between coats as recommended.Will try to post pictures.Dean

Hey 70sflyer, just getting back to you. Thanks for the reply. To be clear, did you start out painting the plane black or was that the stock blue? If you painted it black, what did you use? Also, did you use another clear coat of something else with U V protectant in it after the first two poly crylic coats? As you might have guessed, I'm going to paint mine to match the one in my avatar picture. Thanks, Brad

[NorthernFlyer]

I know this is a Flight Line thread, but I am wondering if anyone on here has flown both the FMS F7F and the Flight Line version. If so, would you rate one higher than the other? They would both cost about the same to buy from Canada if I buy from Motion for the FL and direct from FMS.

[rifleman_btx]

If you fly off a grass field I would go with the fms due to the fact if you get it for the same price as this one, you also get the sprung struts for the price vs having to upgrade with the flight line model. Plus you can fly the fms with a single 6s vs 2 4s packs. To me value per dollar in your instance goes to the fms.

[NorthernFlyer]

Thanks Rifleman. They would be about the same if I included the upgrade for the Flight Line. So, basically both would be the same price with shock-absorbing trunnions. Would your opinion still be the same?
I have both 4S 3000s and 6S 5000s already because of other planes in my hangar.

[rifleman_btx]

Ah, I personally am going with the flight line. Mostly do to pricing and on the other note to that, the fact that fms had really peeved me with some of their decisions (mainly with the f6f cancellation). However that doesn't take away from performance. If you want more scale appearance out of the box, the fms has that hands down, especially with their gear setup. And every video and planes I've personally seen, the fms does handle wind alittle better (due to the extra size and weight). I guess my third thought would be why mess with an upgrade if you don't have to?