Richard L.

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I received my F8F Navy Bearcat ARF from Dymond today. The ARF looks pretty good, and the glass work on the fuse is superb. For more info about this ARF, check out [link=http://www.rc-dymond.com/]Dymond Modelsports Ltd.[/link].

Richard L.

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Here is a shot showing the built-up rear stab and fully sheeted wing:

Richard L.

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The canopy is already painted:

Richard L.

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Side profile:

Richard L.

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The fully sheeted wing is designed to take mechanical retracts, and the Hobbico mechanicals drop right in:

Richard L.

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The tailwheel bracket has already been installed by the factory. The section that goes into the rudder is even pre-bent. Those who have assembled the H9 Corsair know making that 90-degree bend can be a real challenge.

Richard L.

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The wing has an almost symmetrical airfoil. There doesn't appear to be any wash-out at the wingtips.

JohnVH

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Awesome! I want one... Once its done, I may have to come to your field and check it out..

Keep the build going!
JV

Richard L.

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I got the wing joined with 45-minute epoxy.

I really hate it when ARF designer designs warbirds with puny little main wheels. The main wheels that come with this Bearcat are only 2-1/8" in diameter, and the plastic wheel well liners are only 2-1/2" in diameter. Scale wheel diameter is around 3-1/4". This might pose a problem for me as I fly off a grass runway. Unfortunately, there is no way to enlarge the wheel wells without cutting into a couple of ribs.

Big Daddy-RCU

My Feedback: (5)

The Bearcat looks like a nice ARF, its about time we start seeing more then just Mustangs from companys.
"RICH"-, How big around is the cowl would you say??
Do you think a .61FX with a pitts. would fit inside the cowl without having to cut a hole for the head??
Thanks for the info. and keep us posted..

hgiles

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Richard, what about the .60 size GP mechanicals? I was going to go with the stronger (I presume ) .60 GP mechanicals. Do you think the Hobbicos will be enough? My plane should be here today, but haven't yet ordered the retracts.

Looks great though! What kind of covering is on there? Ultracote or Monocote?

sbaugz

My Feedback: (37)

Thanks for the pics posting. Mine comes today UPS. Can't wait to get it now. I look forward to following your post for the build. Please post any tips or ideas you may have as you assemble.

Richard L.

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The cowl is pretty big. It's around 7-1/2" diameter at the rear and 5-3/4" diameter at the front. The distance from the firewall to the front of the drive washer is 118mm. A .61FX with a Pitts muffler would fit inside the cowl just fine.

Richard L.

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The .60 size GP mechanicals should also work. I plan to use them myself although I haven't ordered them yet. I don't like the Hobbicos because they have more play in them and they are heavier. The wing and tail feathers are covered with a plastic film covering similar to Ultracote. Mine got some wrinkles so I would need to pull out my heat gun and sealing iron.

Rckfish

My Feedback: (5)

Richard,
Thanks for posting the pics. I also wish they would design with the wheels a little close to scale size for grass field flying.
Mine should be in today or Monday. What engine are you guys looking at?
Paul

Richard L.

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I have a YS 63S coming, and I plan to mount it inverted. The YS 63S fits inside the smaller cowl of my Kyosho Zero, so it should also fit inside the cowl of this plane.

sbaugz

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I am trying to decide between my saito 82 mounted on its side or my tower .61 mounted inverted. with a pitts muffler. I am assuming the saito would require a large cut-out for the head but I will see once it arrives this afternoon. Can't wait for the big brown truck to come now.

Bama

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Richard,

Thanks for the pics. After seeing your pics, I decided that I had to have one. I still haven't decided on power for it yet. I have a TT .61 at home getting lonely, but I love those Saito 4-strokes. I'll probably go with a Saito, either the 72 or 82.

I have a ziroli Bearcat all ready to go, I am just waiting on my engine back from rcign. If I ever get the engine back I can test fly it. Here's a pic of my Ziroli.

Alan

bearcatf8

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I have a Thunder Tiger 54 four stroke new in the box[8D]

hgiles

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I have a Saito 56 to go in mine-- almost new. Has about 1/2 gallon of break-in through it.

sbaugz

My Feedback: (37)

Well, mine arrived today. Took a quick look at it during lunch break. Looks to be a pretty nice plane. Fiberglass is good quality. I am taking a look as I write this, at the instructions. Looks like something my 3 year old nephew drew up. Looks like I will follow my intuition more than the instructions. Also notice alot of references to an AT-6 in the instructions so I am assuming these instructions are modified from an existing AT-6 plane. I hope the CG is correct in these instructions.
Anyways, looks pretty straightforward. My saito 82 is going in this.

Richard L.

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The instructions manual leaves a lot to be desired. Fortunately I've put together quite a few warbird ARF's, so it's pretty straight forward. I wasn't sure about the control throws and the CG in the instructions also. I think I'm going to go ahead and enlarge the wheel well openings toward the belly pan for 3" diameter wheels. This would mean cutting into the rib above the belly pan and cutting a notch out of the belly pan.

Richard L.

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I was determined to put 3" wheels on this plane, so I drew a 3-3/8" diameter circle on a piece of thick paper using a compass and cut it out. I then put the circle over the factory wheel well and traced around the circumference with a marker.

Richard L.

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Here is a pic showing the size and location of the new wheel well:

Richard L.

My Feedback: (24)

I used an x-acto knife to cut away the excess wing sheeting and part of a rib to get a nice big wheel well: