Official FlightLine RC 1600mm Spitfire Mk. IX Thread

[kallend]

Ok so now that I am part of the FL gang, here comes my first (out of many) question: I noticed that especially some years ago, people were struggling quite a bit with the blue box - burning the led's etc. Then I noticed that some of you are getting rid of the BB, straight out of the box, still today. Why exactly is that? I am back to RC after many years, so have no experience with such "aggregation" module.

I've not had any trouble with my "blue box" in over 6 years of flying my Spit.

[Evan D]

The original cubes did have some quality issues. The newer MCBe have proven much more reliable. I have maybe 30 (plus have had others I have sold) planes with the various blue boxes. I will admit I have bypassed some or even most functions on some of the but I've done so to get mixing I want like tailerons, full span flaps, and crow. I have never had a bad one. You mention LEDs, remember that these are 3V LEDs and can not be plugged directly into a servo outlet. Some other brands have a resistor at the LED so they can run of 4.8-5.5 or even 6V. FreeWing and Flight Line have the resistors to cut the voltage down to 3V inside the "blue box" or MCBe.

[Pavel_LKTO]

Gents, would some of you please take a photo of your blue box and how you have it all wired up? Mine seems pretty generic, having slots also for gear doors etc.

Mainly, I am wondering re. the wing lights, as the polarity on the BB seems to reverse from top to bottom slots (where the wing LEDs are supposed to go in). The manual is pretty unclear in this regard and I don’t want to burn them off upon the first start up.

Might be silly, but being rather safe than sorry here. Thanks!

[Evan D]

Markings are correct, all the + are in a line.

[Grossman56]

The online manual This is correct...
I should know, I edited it for online use.

Grossman56

[jvanantwerp]

I just received the 1600mm Spitfire and it looks great! However, apparently they no longer include extra sets of decals and there are decals already applied. I got a set with the markings I wanted (for a friend's Spit that he flew for No.133 squadron) but they won't look correct over the existing decals.

How do I remove the existing markings?

Thanks!
- John

[Evan D]

It’s nearly impossible to do so without harming the foam.

[f4u ausie]

Intrested in the cg u reguler spit pilots r flying.. mine flys rock solid,, not always, only occasionaly it noses over,, on landing... could it b a bit nose heavy?? Not sure how to do the inverted 45 up angle ,, thingy iv seen (check cg) my f4u never does this....... but was not sure i if landing gear positioning has any bearing

[Elbee]

I just received the 1600mm Spitfire and it looks great! However, apparently they no longer include extra sets of decals and there are decals already applied. I got a set with the markings I wanted (for a friend's Spit that he flew for No.133 squadron) but they won't look correct over the existing decals.

How do I remove the existing markings?

Thanks!
- John

John, Welcome to Hobby Squawk, Sir.

I believe you'll need to do some repainting.
Color matching can be done by taking pieces of the airframe to Home Depot to have those scanned.

Buy the color sample size of exterior latex.
Brushing these on works best, though you can airbrush if you get the mixture just right.

I brush paint in small areas, then mist water on the latex avoiding any runs and walk away for an hour, then repeat.
I use a high quality 2 inch wide artist brush, but I have used foam brushes with okay results.

Acrylic paints work quite well, especially for airbrushing.
Getting a color match with the OEM paint colors can be difficult unless you will be repainting the entire airframe.
Light sanding is a must over the existing decals, then primer.

Best, LB

[jvanantwerp]

John, Welcome to Hobby Squawk, Sir.

I believe you'll need to do some repainting.
Color matching can be done by taking pieces of the airframe to Home Depot to have those scanned.

Buy the color sample size of exterior latex.
Brushing these on works best, though you can airbrush if you get the mixture just right.

I brush paint in small areas, then mist water on the latex avoiding any runs and walk away for an hour, then repeat.
I use a high quality 2 inch wide artist brush, but I have used foam brushes with okay results.

Acrylic paints work quite well, especially for airbrushing.
Getting a color match with the OEM paint colors can be difficult unless you will be repainting the entire airframe.
Light sanding is a must over the existing decals, then primer.

Best, LB

Thanks!

[f4u ausie]

Been steeling her makeup again,,, object this time to accent panel lines etc also accents papas dots

[Elbee]

f4u ausie, Lookin' good.

You'e approach is a good one, just putting a little down at a time.

Most dirt and sun fade happens a little at at a time.

Also, less likely she'll notice any make-up missing.

Best LB

[bartje]

Intrested in the cg u reguler spit pilots r flying.. mine flys rock solid,, not always, only occasionaly it noses over,, on landing... could it b a bit nose heavy?? Not sure how to do the inverted 45 up angle ,, thingy iv seen (check cg) my f4u never does this....... but was not sure i if landing gear positioning has any bearing

CG at 95..100mm. I have been trying to make it fly with a much more forward CG, but that results in all sorts of unwanted behavior. Good thing it is built so tough! 😁

Instead of the inverted 45° angle, I use the opposite approach.
Trim for level flight first.
Dive at 45° without changing throttle settings from level flight.
If she pulls up, your CG is too far forward.
If she dives even more, your cg is too far backward.
If she maintains the 45° dive angle, your cg is neutral.

Good explanation can be found at https://gympiemodelflyers.wordpress....the-dive-test/

I tend to aim for "slightly nose heavy", so minimal pull out from the dive.
Nose over tendencies are aggravated by having flaps deployed, especially when combined with wet long uneven grass field and use of low rates.

[davjhedges]

Hi guys. hitherto I have always bought bind and flies .But I have just pulled the trigger and bought this warbird. Build went ok and I have used the blue box to wire up .My problem has arisen
in failure to calibrate the throttle on the rx to the esc. Despite pushing the gimbal to full throttle the esc plays its tune but it emits just a constant single beep .Not the dual beep I was hoping to hear
so I could calibrate the low throttle setting. My rx is a fully updated NX6. Tx is spektrum ar637t. At present only the throttle lead from the esc is plugged into the rx. Any help would be very welcome.
Best regards, David H.

[davjhedges]

Sorry about the rx tx confusion senior moment. use preview next time! DH.

[SanExup]

Apologies beforehand if you've done all this, but I say, plug all the servos back in. Make sure your bound and everything works. Go ahead and run through the forward programming, get the model setup the way you want it. Maybe leave the prop off. If you used a bind plug make sure thst is out. And make sure your throttle cut is off.

I will sometimes unplug and replug the battery to check the startup and bind one time before doing a esc calibration.

At this point, do the calibration process. Unplug, TX to full throttle, plug in thr plane, watch for the control surfaces to run through their initiation, once stopped throttle to zero. I think the beeps might be confusing the issue for you.

[davjhedges]

Thanks for replying SanExup .I think I have resolved the issue ,mainly by trial and error, hopefully the esc is calibrated properly , at least the motor spins up and down .
Looking forward to flying this bird in the Spring.
Regards,
DavidH.

[Turbinefancy]

Howdy gents,

I really enjoy flying my FL Spitfire. It flies like it’s on rails. Landing on paved surface without bouncing is a little tricky, but so rewarding when I get one just right. Sharing an aerobatics practice flight from the cockpit. Enjoy!

[Elbee]

Turbinefancy, simply brilliant, Sir. Best, LB

[Turbinefancy]

Elbee Thank you! Happy landings, TF