rob737

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this one looks great!

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/f9f.htm

if anybody gets one, please let us know how you like it!

thanks! rob

BalsaBob

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Ordered mine a few days ago and it should arrive today or tomorrow. I will be putting it together as soon as I get it and should have it flying Sunday. The Hobby-Lobby stuff is usually pretty good so I am confident that it will be OK. The comparison bar is set pretty high though ..... as my Alpha Mig 15 is still one of the best flying little EDF's out there. I will post some Info Sunday night. Bob

tIANci

Bob ... I doubt you want to compare the Alfa MIG 15 with the Starmax Panther, your MIG will win hands down. I loved my Alfa MIG. But the Starmax F5E flies really well.

BalsaBob

My Feedback: (24)

Yes, you are right, I don't expect it will fly as fast as the Mig 15 ...... but I think the Panther will provide a new (fun) dimension of having wheels/landing gear. Something different ..... something that the Mig does not have ...... Bob

tIANci

Bob ... there is a resurgence of early year fighter jets, namely, the Panther. If they would only work on a MIG 17. I doubt I will dabble with this Panther, I already bought the F5E and the F4 Phantom. I call them good RC toys ... they are still slightly under powered with overheating ESCs. Well its warmer here so ... If I were to get one I would ditch the UC and find a nice grass field to fly at.

The Alfa MIG is something I would not mind getting again, just that the servo and wing installation is a slight pain. I love the OK Models MIG 15, have yet to move on mine. That is one plane you need to see for yourself!

rob737

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thanks for your replys, fellows! bob, i can't wait for your review and flight report! it looks great on the hl video, looking forward to your impressions of the jet. thanks again! rob

tIANci

Bet its a typical Starmax plane ... take 45 mins to build! My F5E took only like an hour max to get ready

BalsaBob

My Feedback: (24)

The Panther arrived today. Very nice looking ... the paint and markings are very will done. I am not a big fan of landing gear on small EDF's ... however the gear on this plane is very light, has solid mounts and has a low profile (drag should be minimal). I will try it with the gear. Will fly it Sunday and let you know.
Bob

rob737

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glad you like it, looking forward to your flight report! thanks again! rob

BalsaBob

My Feedback: (24)

Flew the Panther today. Excellent .... she's a keeper ! Was airborne in less than 30 feet (had a 10 mph headwind to help). Climb out (even at a fairly steep angle) was great. Plenty fast with the stock setup and it looks great in the air (those tip tanks look awesome).

I am not a big fan of landing gear on small EDF's, but the gear on the Panther does not really detract from its looks in the air (it has a low profile and the wheels are not that big). It was also nice to have a small EDF that you can taxi around. It's also nice to be able to takeoff from the ground without having to 'survive' a hand launch. I was tempted to take the gear off to see how much faster it would be without it .... but then I realized that hand launching it would be a bit of a challenge because the part of the fuse that you would normally hold/grab is sort of flat on the Panther (because of the air intake/ducting near the wing roots).

CG was right on without any additional weight anywhere. Only change from the stock setup I made was to swap the Y-harness out (for the aileron servos) to 2 seperate extensions to the receiver (2 seperate channels).

Very happy with it. Bob

rob737

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great report, thanks bob! looks like this plane is a winner. i have had two other edf jets, both were dismal performers. i spotted this one when it came out and had high hopes for it, especially since i have always liked the full scale panther. i bought two planes last month, and need to wait a couple of more days for a new credit card month (confuses my wife, at least briefly, if i spread the purchases around). but, i'll order mine soon. appreciate all of the posts and your comments on this plane! rob

whissel_blowa

Pity the intakes are soooo huge you can climb into them! So unscale looking. A mate got one and says it does fly very well, not quick though.

Better choice would be the LANDER F9F Panther, now this is a real jet! The factory fan is simply sensational straight out of the box, machined alloy housing, minifan copy rotor, good quality motor and they factory balance them extremely well, so far I have bench run 4 fans picked randomly out of boxes and they were all silky smooth. Also comes with factory retracts that are pre-installed, ok for hard surfaces, not the best for grass.

Mine runs 4000mah 4s1p on the 4 cell motor option, clocked at just over 100mph level and 118 downwind!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFrj5QGtOB0

BalsaBob

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Whissel Blowa, you're killing me by posting that video of that Lander F9F .... now I want one of those also ! !

No, the StarMax/Hobby Lobby F9F is not the rocket that the Lander is ... but for the $$$ and considering you can have it flying in about 2 hours .... its a lot of fun and it flies very well. Also, the 3S packs that fly it are pretty common (they're used in a lot of EDF's that size) and they are not that expensive.

Bob

jfcgnv

My Feedback: (1)

I got my Statmax F9F from China and have flown it twice. Great flyer right out of the box. I did have one problem and it was with the Fan blade. On the second flight it thru a blade. No damage to the A/C. The shop in China that sold it to me said that is a problem with the stock fan. He is sending me a replacement and an upgrade fan for the 64mm unit. Has any one had a simular problem with the Starmax F9F?

BalsaBob

My Feedback: (24)

Perhaps the one from Hobby Lobby has different components .... on the one I got (from Hobby Lobby) has the Hobby Lobby company logo on the box ? ? Bob

wabash

I can vouch for the authenticity of the markings on the Starmax F9F. I use to tape up the stencils for our squadron painter to paint those red lightning stripes. North Korea invaded South Korea on my birthday in 1950. I was in Reserve fighter squadron VF54L at NAS Los Alamitos, which met one weekend a month and flew F6F Hellcats. The squadron volunteered for active duty and was redesgnated VF781, nicknamed the Pacemakers, and we were issued F4U Corsairs, which were soon replaced by the Panther jets. On my next birthday, in 1951, I found myself on the USS Bon Homme Richard in Task Force 77 in the Sea of Japan off Korea. As an Aviation Structural Mechanic ("tinbender") , I put a lot of patches on F9Fs that had been damaged by enemy ground fire or the shipboard plane handlers. [img][/img]

Anyway, I have to have one of those Starmax "Pacemaker" Panthers! I'm presently flying an Easy Star and a Parikzone Corsair. I love the Easy Star, which is hopped up with an inrunner brushless and modified with spoilers, but the Corsair is just barely within my flying capability and my aging reflexes. The Panther will be my first EDF plane and will be a challenge, I'm sure, but I'm looking forward to it.

wabash

Actually the F9F air intakes were big enough to crawl into. Mechanics routinely crawled in to make adjustments...with the engine running!

rob737

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mr. wabash, thank you for your service to our country!

i just ordered my panther today.....thanks to all who replied to this thread......hope it keeps going!

rob

rob737

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well, guys.....my panther arrived just the other day. last night i got it built. very impressed so far! it went together in just a few minutes, fit and function was perfect. i ran up the fan briefly and the thrust just about blew over my christmas tree! beautiful scale appearence on this one, too. hoping to maiden later today, as long as the wind holds off. rob

BalsaBob

My Feedback: (24)

Good luck with the upcoming maiden flight Rob ... I think you are really going to enjoy this plane.

Flew mine without the landing gear today (used a dolly for launching) .... it was great. It flew faster and the low strafing runs looked great. Bob

rob737

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cool dolly, bob! i have never seen one of those used, will have to hunt around on youtube and find a video of that technique.

got two packs in with the new jet yesterday......easiest way to describe this jet: AWESOME!!!!!

what a beautiful flyer! so easy to fly, very similar to say a pz t28. tons of power, made easy takeoffs and landings on a baseball diamond. power was great in flight, too. she got up and away easially. flew circuits at just a touch over half-throttle. full power for great climbs and high speed passes. very stable, too. just a couple of clicks of trim and this plane was flying great hands-off. i think my long search for a good edf is over. i like this plane so much i might order another!

rob

MX240

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I ordered one of these today.
How long will a flight last with battery they send with the kit?

BalsaBob

My Feedback: (24)

I would estimate the stock 1300 battery lasts about 4.5 to 5 minutes (thats with varying throttle settings and certainly not flying at full throttle the entire time). I also use a 1600 mah battery (it fits in the compartment fine) and can get another minute or so. Bob

MX240

My Feedback: (4)

I haven't recieved the jet yet. I ordered it without the radio.....reciever....I think?? It sounds when I read their advertisment the servos are already in place? Is this right?
I have some micro-servos on hand if Hobby-Lobby dosen't included them.
I fly off a very nice grass field....but I plan to epoxy some kind of small skid in a grove into the foam for hand-hold to toss. Something like a popscicle stick with the front buried down in the foam that will skid through the grass without the landing gear.
Jim

BalsaBob

My Feedback: (24)

The servos are already installed. What I use on the bottom of my planes that I belly land ... are pieces/strips of the self-stick protective sheets that the RC car guys use on the bottom of their cars. I think this stuff might be made of mylar .... it is very strong ... I even belly land them on asphalt. Tower Hobbies has it (in the RC car section). It is made by Associated. Bob