PATRNFLYR: I have been flying the Jet Legend F-35 for several years and there are other manufacturers making F-35's as well. My Der Jet F-35A has flown once, but I am not making any report until I have a few more flights under my belt with it as a few things need some adjustment and it's not fair to report on a single flight. I adjust one thing at a time and make a flight test and then repeat either with a further adjustment or a different adjustment. Normally it takes me a dozen flights or so to check out a new plane, and dial it in. The maiden flight required shop time for the adjustments requisite forcing only the single flight last weekend. We only get to fly Sunday's here in Hawaii at the MCBH which is our only asphalt runway.
The Marines have stood us down this weekend as they have an exercise, so possibly next weekend I will have flight number two and possibly more. For now suffice it to say this Der Jet F-35A is a great plane, and flies well so far. It isn't for the inexperienced modeler though, at least not yet. It will be a simple ARF assembly once the final production version is set though. The Der Jet Factory and its people are the best I have ever worked with and are fully supporting our efforts. Dave's weather in England will allow him into the air with his soon too, and the development will move even faster.
As far as manufacturers are concerned, this is not an easy plane to model with a large lifting body and long gear struts, and the gear doors are difficult too, but as I said there are at least 3 manufacturers out there making them now. BVM is not going to spend the R&D cash to develop anything new at this point given the state of the market, as regards US built models, and their future in it. Anton (Skymaster) would be a likely player, but he is going huge with the F-104 and the larger F-18 and F-16 now as that seems to be what sells best these days. Likai (Skymaster) is only one man and developing the molds and engineering the gear cannot be a short term thing if a model is to succeed and be feasible for the general public. Lastly the F-35 is not a good looking plane on the ground, at least as compared to the F-22 and the teen series fighters...and therefore further limits the market...not unlike the full scale plane! The marketplace for F-22's is also more limited than the teen series aircraft, just count the numbers at any jet event. Just like F-14's until Anton brought his out at Skymaster...
If you absolutely cannot wait a while for the test results on the Der Jet model, feel free to contact Mike Lin at Global Jet Club for a Jet Legend F-35. Personally I feel the Der Jet is light years better than the JL model, but that's just my opinion after owing and flying them both.
Len
Last edited by Len; 01-30-2016 at 04:46 PM.