I want a Phantom for 12 - 18lb thrust engines. So far I have found the JHH and Yellow kits. Are there any others suitable for that class of engine that I don't know of? A model up to about 22lbs fully fuelled would be suitable.

In choosing between the JHH and YA kits, does either have any clear advantages over the other, does any have disadvantages I should know of before makng a decision? I have seen mention of the YA kit's flaps causing blanking of the tailplane and the wing being a bit thin to get doors on the retracts, but does the JHH have the same problems too?

thanks,

H.

Can't believe no one has stepped in yet. YA is a very different beast than the JHH. I have seen both in the air and they both appear to be great flyers. However, a friend of mine just purchased a BVM F-4 and it is just out of this world, but I don't think an 18 pounder will do.

If I'm not mistaken, the JHH F-4 has a "build as required" type of instruction manual, where as the YA should be more thorough. A buddy of mine (jkirkon) is buidling a YA F-4 as we speak and he's loving it. If you go to my "My pimped YA Falcon" thread you will see some pics of the F-4 being built.

That's all I can say.

Earth worms, meal worms or tape worms? Anybody got a can-opener?

I don’t want personal opinions about the kits, or bland statements that one is better than the other because I doubt that there is a “better� one of the two. What I would like if anyone has experience of building either of these is plain technical facts e.g this kit has this and that kit has that, this kit has this problem and that kit has that problem. I can then choose one of them that better suits me, at least knowing what I am getting involved with.

I don't have the luxury of being able to look at the kits in a shop and I don't know anybody here who has either of them that I can talk to. I have to mail order one of them blind so any info from people who do have them will help.

Harry,

As David pointed out, I am building a Yellow F-4.....and loving it.
I have built quite a few Yellow kits, and am familiar with thier construction philosophy, so it is going together fairly easily, but that being said, they are rather simple to build anyway.
As far as any flaws with the kit.....none so far as I can find. It can be built as the instructions state with no mods, and you'll have a great flier.
This is actually my second YA F-4. The first I build many years ago, and lost when I got dumb thumbs in a low inverted pass. It was built as a one piece aircraft, wings not removeable, with flaps. It flew like a dream. Only 'bad tendancy' it had was it seemed to want to over rotate on t/o. Once I got on the learning curve, it was never a problem. Landings are slow, stable, and totally predictable. No suprises there.
The one I am currently building has scale ailerons, no flaps, and removeable wing. I really don't see the need to add flaps when building this as a ducted fan, as I am, so I left them out. I did cut out the flaps, and doweled them in place....just in case I decide to fit the flaps later. If you are going to turbinize this bird, I would install flaps...they will be helpful to slow it down with the added weight.

I have no experience with the JHH F4, so I can't speak for it. I do know that the Yellow is a nice, easy build, and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I have. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Currently, all my flying surfaces are glassed, primered, and waiting for wetsanding. I installed the inlets last night. Moving on to the nose gear bulkhead today. Almost done.
I will post some more pics once my camera charges.

Best regards,
Jeff

Hello Harry

I'm in the same boat as Jeff. This is my fourth Yellow kit, and my first F-4. I have no experience with the Jet Hanger kits.
The Yellow kits go together well, With parts and hatches that fit, and the other kits have flown well. They may not have every single bell and whistle, but the bang to buck ratio is good.

Good Luck!

Harry,

The "Can of Worms" joke was in reference to a similar thread that was on here a few years back. It got pretty heated, as some people tend to get really passionate about their toys (myself included...). You asked for a factual comparison, and I think I can give you some facts about the two, since I have, indeed, built both. Of course, it's no secret which one I like best, but facts are facts.

1. Fuselage: The JHH fuse is epoxy (which many prefer because you can use a wider variety of adhesives on it) while the Yellow is polyester. However, the Yellow has surface detail (panels, grills, etc.) while the JHH is smooth. The JHH is said to have nose options if you want to build different variants, whereas the Yellow is an E model only. The Yellow has precut and formed hatches whereas the JHH's hatches need to be cut and framed. The Yellow has a precut fiberglass canopy frame, whereas the JHH's canopy has to be cut out from the fuselage. The vertical stab (and rudder) is molded as an integral part of the fuse on the Yellow, while the vertical stab on the JHH is a supplied foam core.

2. Wing: The Yellow wing comes pre-sheeted, with the landing gear mounts installed, and the wheel wells and servo wells pre-routed. The JHH wing comes as a foam core for the inboard panel that requires the builder to cut and install landing gear plates and wheel wells before he sheets the wing himself. The outer panel is supplied as pieces of balsa wood that must be sanded to the shape of a wing panel with the supplied templates. The JHH wing is said to be more scale in its airfoil and lines, however that would end up depending on how well the builder carved/sanded the wing.

3. Price: The Yellow F-4 is $475, and the JHH F-4 is $550.

Now, I've got plenty of opinions to go along with those facts, but that's not what you asked for. If you really love to build, then you might enjoy the options available with the JHH kit more. My dad flew Marine Corps Phantoms, so I'm bummed that the Yellow is an Air Force variant. Otherwise, I hope these facts prove helpful.

Shaun,

Those are just the sort of hard facts I was hoping for, since I can't look into the boxes in the shop myself. Thank you very, very much.

Harry

Hi Harry
There is a company in Germany doing the F4 in 3 differant sizes, at the moment I can't recall the manufactures, I had the Yellow F4 which I sold on as I felt it was a bit small for the mw54. But It was a nice kit. I went for the Trim F86.
Tony

Already got that, it's an excellent model!

Both YA and JHH are a bit smaller than I would like, would prefer a fraction bigger, in the 15-20lb weight range. If you could find the contact for the German firm that might be a big help if they make one the right size. YA kit sounds good but I really do not want the E version, I want J, K or M that all have a J nose.

Tony, I think you are referring to this company: [link=http://Jetwelt.de]www.jetwelt.de[/link]

Thomas

Thank you Thomas. The size of their models is more what I want but unfortunately it is an E version and I really do not want that.

H

Hi
Yes you beat me to it Thomas, there the ones I mean.
Sorry Harry can't think of any more.
By the way got the hang of the Royal Evo.Well pleased.
Tony