lOOKS LIKE A NICE PLANE
...Oooops, not yellin........after my last arf experience........the rarebear from blundertigre,this plane looks soooo refreshing and clean. Back in the day, I may have charged someone a good 1500.00 for a build that looks this good. No joke.
It looks perfect so far. I havent really got into it yet, but I will post the progress and pics as I go so....wont yall get one and join me?
Hell yea Hell Cat! Yeeee Haw!!
d

Really nice dude , good luck keep us posted

nice bird! Look forward to your progress. Any idea on an engine for it?

Im using an MDS ,78
The whole setup will be straight forward, with conventional methods for everything about the plane. Ive read the book twice, and Im stripping the ole stuka of the radio and engine. That ole MDS runs like a kitten on spinach. Alot of folks dont like em, but alot of folks dont like alot of things so.........
.....itll be plenty of poop.
I'll be starting it tomorow night.
d

The retract system is finished.
Ya have to cut the rods, through the servo hole, and the position of the servo arm may be opposite to the pic in the book, depending on which way your transmitter switch is setup, and or servo reverse. Mine was opposite the manual. I will be replacing all those 3mm allen setscrews with 3mm socket head caps. You can torque those babys.
Eveything works fine, although it looks like rough feilds are out for this plane, with these retracts anyway.
I saw and add for robinaire retracts that look rock solid. Air I think.
Something to consider.
So in the pic you can see that the gear is too low for the door to line up correctly.
Seems like standard for chinese arfs. looks like you could bring em in some, but I personaly dont care to mess with it.
I'll leave em off for flyin.
The tires are exactly to my liking. Large, treaded, and light.
I'm starting the aileron installation tonight after the shop cools down, and if I aint worn out, Ill join the wing sections. I;ll be gluing as many ribs....... through the rib holes as I can, with medium C.A.
Looks like more hot glue in some places and c.a. in others ,but I want it rock solid for that carrier cartwheel it will eventualy partake in...[X(]
d

Bignasdy, that's great. I've had mine for over a week now but no time to put it together. You better take a very close look at the firewall. It's all hit and miss with the hot glue. I'm sure it wont hold up to an engine for very long at all. You would be well advised to re-inforce it with fiberglass cloth and resin. I was not too surprised when I took a look at it, typical H-9. Now who would have a more scale look tailwheel for this ? Any ideas ?. Also, brass tube barrels for the wing guns,painted gunmetal, maybe a pair of Robart struts too?. MM

I just finished a hangar 9 corsair and noticed the same thing with the retracts. The manual is backwards for setup! I tought it was just me. However, the rest of the kit was easily put togther. I agree about the firewall though. Do yourself a big favor and reinforce it. I noticed from your picture that it looks just like the Corsair and that firewall was pretty flimsy. I used epoxy and fiberglass tape back to the second former and for this to break the whole front from the cockpit forward will have to come off. I can't wait to see the finished product, looks like a good looking plane.

Tom

Got the wing done. All I need to do to it is seal the ailerons and that it. Took about 5 hours to do the wings. Alot of gluing was needed. I used med c.a. on the ribs as far into the tip as I could see.
Also, during the landing gear part, the supplied washers for the easy connectors were too big and the tiny clip would go right through the center hole. To remedy this, just dont use a washer, or do as I did and install the screw on kind.
That was the only problem....have good luck with the tiny clips!
LOL
I added some "toe in" by screwing in the ball link that keeps the wheels straight.
I left the wheel wells off for now, and may tape them in place,........I dunno yet.
While the wing was setting up, and in between the panel attachement phase, I painted the pilot and the "dummy engine" and installed it.
I trimmed the canopy, (but not totaly yet,) and also installed a HEAVY [X(] MDS .78 with an os 90fx pitts muffler from slimline. ..........I never mount an engine inverted,........never had any luck like that........but some will argue that engines dont care.......oh well to the techno weenies.........
.......and mounted it 45 degrees to the right. The whole engine is hidden, so the cowl wont have to be cut for the head. After its all finished, I'll probly cut, and open 4 cooling flaps on the cowl. Theres no way now for the hot air to escape the cowl, and that is the most important cooling issue.
Ive been eyeballing the tail, and may add tristock to the underside of the horizontal.
Just depends.
The firewall will also get a good going over, as well as fuel proofing the tank compartment.
I'll attach the canopy last.
So.............
d

Howdy, be sure to let us know how this thing flies. I too just bought one over the weekend. Have not had time to start yet. I have the new
Zenoah G-20 to put in it. Not sure if I will use it but I do want to use gas.

Looks great with the MDS.

Tim

bignasdy, I'm one of the thousands suckered into the TT Rare Bear and am really interested in the survivability of your Hellcat.

Your gear picture got my curiosity up so I found this picture from H9 and the gear doors aren't even meant to close up all the way! That's weak.

It's certainly a sharp version of the Hellcat and could be a decent replacement for the Bear.

Keep us all posted.

BTW, is there anyplace with a better deal than Chief or Horizon for $265?

Where to find a more scale tailwheel ? MM

I got mine for less than $250.00 after a little begging. You are very lucky, look at the wing to fusealage fit of mine. Also the cowling was wet when they wrapped it with tissue. I will be calling Horizon tomorrow morning.
I was really excited after seeing your post, so I ran down to the LHS and grabbed it up tonight. I did not see this stuff untill the initial inspection of all the parts at home.

motorman.....just take it all back.
I opened mine a the LHS and looked at all the plane. Mocked it up too.
Nothin wrong with mine.......the normal ARF glue jobs are needed, but my wing fit nice and so did everything else. The only thing I didnt like was ,...........well......I like everything almost.
I was shorted the throttle pushrod, and I have two small wheel collars that I have no Idea what they are for , but other than that...........no probs with hardware.
I dont like blind nuts for wing attachement, but I used them, and when they mess up, I'll pkug the holes and re tapp 1/4 20 .
Im using plastic screws anyway, in place of those heavy arse cap heads supplied.
I finished it tonight, and will take pics in the mornin when the sun comes up.
The only thing I didnt do by the book was engine mounting, and pushrod attachements.
I mounted the engine 45 degrees.
I used z bends on the interior rudder and ele. linkages instead of the quick clip supplied.
I also opend up a cooling fin on both sides, for hot air to escape. Ony the right one, directly aft of the cylinder head is operational.
I glued the entire fuse , and wing with thin ca, and med. c.a as needed.
My rudder is gonna need to be re hinged cause the top hinge is off center, to the left, and that makes it off in comparison to the bottom of the rudder. Dont know how I missed that. Good thing it aint glued, other than the torque rod.
My aileron rod holes are a little small and will be widened.
The battery Im using will be the ballance maker. 1800 mah 5 cell nicad.
I have not attached the wing to check the ballance because of wet glue issues tonight, but it feels like its gonna be right on. will do tomorow.
Yall Be sure to ballance wheels up.
Also add some toe in for ground handling.
Put the control horns directly over the torque rods. The third little screw will sit directly at the end of those rods, and with this setup, you will gain some strength.
I also sealed the control surfaces.
It appears to have about 2 degrees of down thrust, and 1.75 degrees right. Sounds good to me.
Love the fuel tank!
Nice canopy. Decent cowl and dummy engine.
The last arf I did...RB...........took 4 months to first flight! And it aint gonna fly.
The hellcat I got last week and its ready to test hop!
Good luck with getting your kit exchanged motorman........
keep us informed.
d

This is the only one around, and Horizon now has them back ordered. The dowels in the leading edge of the mid section line up fine, but the wing saddle is about 1/8" off. I should not as a assembler have to mod the wing saddle and buy a roll of covering to make it fit.
The cowling is a different story.
I am going to call Horizon now.

you dont mess with the saddle, you simply take a dremmel and lower the dowl holes....no biggie and routine in any aircraft project.
The manual will also tell you o do that.
d

Bignasdy,
I would have a frigin 1/2" slot long before the wing fit in there. I have never seen a ARF with this bad of a wing joint.
The holes and dowels appear to be in the correct location. If I slotted the hole to fit the dowel, the belly would be 1/4-3/8 beneeth the bottom of the fuse (like I said earlier, the profile of the saddle is incorrect).

How do you really know which is correct (saddle or dowel locations),since the incidence is not published.[sm=confused.gif] Hell, the spec's for the wing area and engine size are not even consistant from the manual to the box label.

If its that big a deal, get somethin else. Thats all I know to tell ya.
If you were here in Dallas, you could bring it by and Id take care of that problem....it really aint no big deal..... as a matter of fact , it dont matter how tall the holes are at all. But ya dont want them too low towards the ground. I just do a little at a time til the fit is right. And as far as wing specs go, unless your a paid pro flyer, you aint gonna notice any wing issues as far as incedence goes . And ifn ya did..........correct it.
I elongate dowl holes all the time for that perfect, bind free fit. Dont want any pressure on the wing or saddle. Nothing is pefect.....no matter what.
good luck, ..keep us up to date.

Bignasdy,
It's not that big of a deal. I just have a $250.00 airplane that fits like a total pos. Horizon is sendng a return tag as we speak. I will be looking at it closer tonight. It appers like the profile of the saddle is incorrect for about the first 1-1/2. As a matter a fact since you mentioned it ,I have flown pattern and am fussy about cobbled things. I would fix it correctly if Horizon would send me a roll of the lite blue ultracote, since I will have to put a strip on each side to overlap the saddle, and that way they would only have to replace the cowling. I will decide while I am waiting for the return tag.

wow.........what a POS!

In my case, the plane is ready to fly. Total time 24 hours.
All up dry weight....8 lbs even.
No additional weight was needed to ballance. The battery was moved forward just forward of the rec tray to acheive a perfect wheels up ballance point..
I placed it off to the left some, and that elliminated the need for lateral ballance weights.
The only mods I made was the engine mounting, a cooling exit, battery location, and drilled 4 holes, 2 forward, two aft in the belly pan, and ran med. C.A. around the pan to wing joint. That putty aint gonna hold the pan for long.
I dont know what else to tell yall other than I had no problems to speak of, and the plane looks great!
I'll be flying it as soon as I get a chance.
good luck to all!
d

I would highly recommend using bigger cowl mounting screws. The ones supplieed will not last long. As far as the belly pan I see no reason why the supplied attachment will not work. Good luck with your maiden flight.

Bignasdy: What engine and prop did you use? I just got mine this week, but no time to start. I'm using a Thunder Tiger Pro61. Should be plenty of power. Did you say the retracts are not any good for a grass field? Have you heard about replacing the wires with Robart 3/16" wires?

the cowl mounting screws are huge! Large enough in fact to add fuel line washers for vibration protection. I dont see any problem there at all or I would have mounted it differently.
The belly pan is attached with cauk! Glue it internaly or it will come off for sure!

Im using an MDS .78 with a three blade 13.8
Will probly go with a 12.6 2 blade for flying, depending on vertical performance.
d

I disagree with you. What experience do you have with the caulk? Four # 2x1/2" sheet metal screws are to small to last more than a few flights. I gurantee you will have a problem down the road. How many Hangar 9 warbirds have you built? I have built all but one of them and from my experience they will not hold up very long.

my experience with the cauk is, the chit already came loose!
DUH,,,,,,,,,,,,.[X(][X(][X(]
These are my takes on the plane...take it or leave it, but I dont care to argue with anyone so ........gawd.......and as for the cowl, the screws are fine if you know what your doing........ [&o][&o]
and ya dont build arfs..........you FIX them.
My experience is 38 years building, if its anyones biz.
d

bgulino
I fly mostly on a rough grass feild, and by the looks and feel of the retracts, the ball joint specificly, its clear that a rough hit can pop the link loose resulting in 90 degree rotation and a nose over. They look fine for paved runways. Ive never had a personal complaint about mechanical retracts, heck, I still have some from the 60s! LOL no kiddin
Anytime one has a paved runway, mechanicals are fine........that is.......if you know how to land.
Now....if yer one of those goofballs that has to walk out to the plane as its laying on its backside......well..........you make the call! LOLOL
That gives me a great idea........Im gonna have a new topic somewhere on here. Kinda like jeff foxworthy...."you know your an Idiot if".........
LOLOLROTFLMAO
.....if your seen stuffing model planes into the trash on sunday night ......LOL
I regularly pass by the local feilds and reap the hardware thats left in the trash with all the beer cans.
I fly during the week, and also when its too windy for the more common crasher type folks to be there to spoil the fun. Dont really care to see how bad they covered theyre "beautiful" plane, or overstuffed the engine compartment to make up for another shortcomming..........
.......Okay, let me get off of here.
I dont know how the retracts will perform til I get at least 20 flights on her. I'll be glad to share the experience then.
This plane is a typical arf that requires the same amount of after gluing youd do in your everyday scratch buid. If you can glue, and you can see, and you understand stress loads, you can make this plane as good as any other everyday flyer with little effort . At 8 lbs, I couldnt be happier, and hope the low weight helps the gear stay healthy.
take care
d