Warbirds-RC/HET-RC F-20 Tigershark
10-22-2005, 06:36 PM
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Warbirds-RC/HET-RC F-20 Tigershark
Well it looks like the new HET-RC F-20 Tigerskark should be shipping soon, so I wanted to give everyone a report on this ARF, which should be available from Mark at RT Models and Markos at Warbirds-RC.
To summarize, the model is a balsa and ply Minifan-480 sized ARF that comes pre-covered in either the standard gray military coloring or the Red/White Prototype model. It's very similar in design and construction to the HET-RC FA-18, but has several enhancements such as a 60mm exhaust port, thicker wing chord and huge battery compartment. Moreover, the model overpowers the FA-18 in size, coming in 8" longer at 46" and has a 32" wide wingspan. Even with it's huge size, mine weighed in at 33 oz without batteries, only 4oz more than the FA-18 and I even equipped it with a bigger power plant than the one in the FA-18!
The Nosecone and Tailcone are fiberglass and fit the model well. The ductwork is rolled paper but is nicely constructed all the way to the fan. However, the intake ports are flat as a pancake...something that should be addressed. The Ailerons and Elevator are pre-hinged and the access hatch for the fan area is on the bottom of the model between the rear of the wing and front of the horizontal Stab. The work area under the hatch is tighter than the FA-18 but still large enough to easily mount the fan with motor and ESC installed. Moreover, you only have a single elevator servo in the area, so it works out ok. Access to the clevis on the elevator is restricted and I didn't care for that, but you can work around this if necessary.
As a matter of fact, this is the second model they have made with a bolt on horizontal stab, but there is no hardwood reinforcement or stiffeners in the stab, so the bolts are only good for holding the elevator in place while epoxy used to hold it in place sets. Having a bolt on Stab though would give all kinds of access room to the fan area, so a mod to the stab is an option that should be considered. I do recommend a ply plate installed into the stab for the bolt area and front to rear ply stiffeners that would sit under each outer edge of the fuselage. I noticed that when bolting in the stab, it tended to bow and concave downwards, so front to rear stiffeners are a must. If it is glued, you need to pin the horizontal stab flush to the bottom of the fuselage to remove the bowing.
The stake at the bottom of the vertical stab is also a bit too long, but I let mine alone, although I did add some scale appearance to the front.
The cockpit and battery area is HUGE!!! Check the photo I have linked below comparing the F-20 to the FA-18; this model is almost twice as wide as the FA-18 making the battery area enormous. There is all kinds of room for batteries or a nose gear retract. Speaking of which, the wing chord came in at 3/4" thick from the inside of the top sheeting to the bottom edge of the wing at the root, making this a real candidate for retracts. As a matter of fact, I plan on getting a second model and installing them...finally a Minifan ARF model with room for retracts! The fitting should be fairly easy as a second spar can be added to the wing/fuselage and you can sandwich the retract between the two spars, placing the gear behind CG and the retract in a more scale like location in the wing, while distributing the stress to the wing and fuselage. I have a set of the Micro air Retracts from Larry that will fit perfect, so I just need another model.
Due to the size and higher drag of the model, I decided to go with a larger power plant. I had a Kontronik 480-33 in reserve but went with the HET-RC 2W-20 motor, Hacker Master 77 Opto, U-Bec and 4S1P Kokam 3200 Lipo pack. Initial readings came in at 696 watts with timing set for stock and it was drawing 48 amps. Power settled down to 46 amps and 660 watts after a short run and I have to tell you, with that much power and thrust, it was screaming to be hand launched; it may be a good candidate for hand launching with the larger power plant. Also, I can play with the timing and advance it a degree or three if I want to keep it in the 700 watt range , but that will be done after the first flights.
I did spend the last three weeks or so making a detailed cockpit and decals for both models. I was able to finally dress it up tonite and since I am still waiting on a pilot, I left the canopy off. There are some cool pilots coming out too, with full torsos and more, but I may mount the canopy until they show so we can test fly the model. We are hoping to fly it this weekend and I will make sure you get a flight report. With ailerons and big power plant, it should fly like the Sniper and look like the FA-18.
I will let Mark and Markos chime in on delivery and others on their supported products. That's it for now until we fly...I can't wait! Here are a few pics.
Cya,
Carl
To summarize, the model is a balsa and ply Minifan-480 sized ARF that comes pre-covered in either the standard gray military coloring or the Red/White Prototype model. It's very similar in design and construction to the HET-RC FA-18, but has several enhancements such as a 60mm exhaust port, thicker wing chord and huge battery compartment. Moreover, the model overpowers the FA-18 in size, coming in 8" longer at 46" and has a 32" wide wingspan. Even with it's huge size, mine weighed in at 33 oz without batteries, only 4oz more than the FA-18 and I even equipped it with a bigger power plant than the one in the FA-18!
The Nosecone and Tailcone are fiberglass and fit the model well. The ductwork is rolled paper but is nicely constructed all the way to the fan. However, the intake ports are flat as a pancake...something that should be addressed. The Ailerons and Elevator are pre-hinged and the access hatch for the fan area is on the bottom of the model between the rear of the wing and front of the horizontal Stab. The work area under the hatch is tighter than the FA-18 but still large enough to easily mount the fan with motor and ESC installed. Moreover, you only have a single elevator servo in the area, so it works out ok. Access to the clevis on the elevator is restricted and I didn't care for that, but you can work around this if necessary.
As a matter of fact, this is the second model they have made with a bolt on horizontal stab, but there is no hardwood reinforcement or stiffeners in the stab, so the bolts are only good for holding the elevator in place while epoxy used to hold it in place sets. Having a bolt on Stab though would give all kinds of access room to the fan area, so a mod to the stab is an option that should be considered. I do recommend a ply plate installed into the stab for the bolt area and front to rear ply stiffeners that would sit under each outer edge of the fuselage. I noticed that when bolting in the stab, it tended to bow and concave downwards, so front to rear stiffeners are a must. If it is glued, you need to pin the horizontal stab flush to the bottom of the fuselage to remove the bowing.
The stake at the bottom of the vertical stab is also a bit too long, but I let mine alone, although I did add some scale appearance to the front.
The cockpit and battery area is HUGE!!! Check the photo I have linked below comparing the F-20 to the FA-18; this model is almost twice as wide as the FA-18 making the battery area enormous. There is all kinds of room for batteries or a nose gear retract. Speaking of which, the wing chord came in at 3/4" thick from the inside of the top sheeting to the bottom edge of the wing at the root, making this a real candidate for retracts. As a matter of fact, I plan on getting a second model and installing them...finally a Minifan ARF model with room for retracts! The fitting should be fairly easy as a second spar can be added to the wing/fuselage and you can sandwich the retract between the two spars, placing the gear behind CG and the retract in a more scale like location in the wing, while distributing the stress to the wing and fuselage. I have a set of the Micro air Retracts from Larry that will fit perfect, so I just need another model.
Due to the size and higher drag of the model, I decided to go with a larger power plant. I had a Kontronik 480-33 in reserve but went with the HET-RC 2W-20 motor, Hacker Master 77 Opto, U-Bec and 4S1P Kokam 3200 Lipo pack. Initial readings came in at 696 watts with timing set for stock and it was drawing 48 amps. Power settled down to 46 amps and 660 watts after a short run and I have to tell you, with that much power and thrust, it was screaming to be hand launched; it may be a good candidate for hand launching with the larger power plant. Also, I can play with the timing and advance it a degree or three if I want to keep it in the 700 watt range , but that will be done after the first flights.
I did spend the last three weeks or so making a detailed cockpit and decals for both models. I was able to finally dress it up tonite and since I am still waiting on a pilot, I left the canopy off. There are some cool pilots coming out too, with full torsos and more, but I may mount the canopy until they show so we can test fly the model. We are hoping to fly it this weekend and I will make sure you get a flight report. With ailerons and big power plant, it should fly like the Sniper and look like the FA-18.
I will let Mark and Markos chime in on delivery and others on their supported products. That's it for now until we fly...I can't wait! Here are a few pics.
Cya,
Carl
07-31-2008, 09:50 PM
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RE: Warbirds-RC/HET-RC F-20 Tigershark
Last month sent them an email to enquire about shipping cost and they wrote back about 2-3 days later saying will check it out. However, till today I've not heard anything from them even when I sent them a couple more emails to ask about it. There was completely no reply whatsoever. I've ordered from them before and was good but this time round they suck rock bottom.[:'(]
Anyway, I've ordered the plane I wanted from elsewhere already.
Anyway, I've ordered the plane I wanted from elsewhere already.
08-04-2008, 06:53 AM
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RE: Warbirds-RC/HET-RC F-20 Tigershark
Astroboy...Markos goes out of his was to provide stellar customer service and there are threads throughout the forums on how the vendors and himself specifically have gone way above and beyond. Lavochkin's story is just one of them, as I have seen him replace entire kits due to mfgr defects and he took the hit, not them like they should've. His site store has been down a few weeks, which I believe was a courteous notification on his part. Knowing him like I do as well as his stellar service track record, I know that he has realitives overseas and wouldn't put it past something happening in that area.
You would be hard put to find anyone with a more giving passion for the hobby, as well a fantastic service history, so you may want to take a step back and re-visit your comments after doing history checks. Chances are, you'll realize that ther are only a select few vendors that are tops in products and service in our little niche of the hobby and Warbirds-RC is a leader. Chances are, rather than slam him, you would thank him for the hard work, valuable web information and passion he has to make everyone's experience a positive one in this hobby.
You would be hard put to find anyone with a more giving passion for the hobby, as well a fantastic service history, so you may want to take a step back and re-visit your comments after doing history checks. Chances are, you'll realize that ther are only a select few vendors that are tops in products and service in our little niche of the hobby and Warbirds-RC is a leader. Chances are, rather than slam him, you would thank him for the hard work, valuable web information and passion he has to make everyone's experience a positive one in this hobby.
08-08-2008, 12:44 AM
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RE: Warbirds-RC/HET-RC F-20 Tigershark
ORIGINAL: CTulanko
Astroboy...Markos goes out of his was to provide stellar customer service and there are threads throughout the forums on how the vendors and himself specifically have gone way above and beyond. Lavochkin's story is just one of them, as I have seen him replace entire kits due to mfgr defects and he took the hit, not them like they should've. His site store has been down a few weeks, which I believe was a courteous notification on his part. Knowing him like I do as well as his stellar service track record, I know that he has realitives overseas and wouldn't put it past something happening in that area.
You would be hard put to find anyone with a more giving passion for the hobby, as well a fantastic service history, so you may want to take a step back and re-visit your comments after doing history checks. Chances are, you'll realize that ther are only a select few vendors that are tops in products and service in our little niche of the hobby and Warbirds-RC is a leader. Chances are, rather than slam him, you would thank him for the hard work, valuable web information and passion he has to make everyone's experience a positive one in this hobby.
Astroboy...Markos goes out of his was to provide stellar customer service and there are threads throughout the forums on how the vendors and himself specifically have gone way above and beyond. Lavochkin's story is just one of them, as I have seen him replace entire kits due to mfgr defects and he took the hit, not them like they should've. His site store has been down a few weeks, which I believe was a courteous notification on his part. Knowing him like I do as well as his stellar service track record, I know that he has realitives overseas and wouldn't put it past something happening in that area.
You would be hard put to find anyone with a more giving passion for the hobby, as well a fantastic service history, so you may want to take a step back and re-visit your comments after doing history checks. Chances are, you'll realize that ther are only a select few vendors that are tops in products and service in our little niche of the hobby and Warbirds-RC is a leader. Chances are, rather than slam him, you would thank him for the hard work, valuable web information and passion he has to make everyone's experience a positive one in this hobby.
Well I've ordered from him twice before and yes it was prompt service. However, this time round, something is just not right. Even till today, I've not received any email replys from him. What do you think? There would be credit given if service was good but if otherwise shouldn't the same thing be said. Anyway, I am just stating how I feel even if it's stepping on people's toes.
Well I've already placed my order direct from RBCKits. No problems at all. End of story.
