F/A-18 Red Viper

[Flyboone]

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/images/st018.jpg (http://www.hobby-lobby.com/redviper.htm?c1=ezone&source=trd&kw=fa18)

ST018A F/A-18 "Red Viper" , RTF
ST018B F/A-18 "Red Viper" , ARF

37" long, 28" wingspan, 9-3/4" tall, ready to fly weight is 19-3/4 oz. Comes pre-painted in the colors of the "Diamondbacks" of VFA-102. Water slide decals already applied. Flies like a much larger jet and handles the wind well. The Ready-to-Fly (RTF) version comes complete with everything you need including a 72 MHz transmitter, 6-channel receiver, ducted fan unit, brushless motor, 25 Amp brushless speed controller, and an 18C 3 cell 1300 mAh Lipo battery pack. The Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) version comes with everything listed above except the transmitter and 6-channel receiver. The jet has plenty of power for rolls, loops, and inverted flight. Comes with steerable nose gear. Take-offs are short and landings are slow and easy. All electronics come pre-installed, no soldering required. Assembly takes about an hour to glue the wings, tail and nose to the fuselage with epoxy (order DEV205), screw the fixed main landing gear to the fuselage, install the servo horns to the ailerons and elevator, and connect the control linkages. Kit comes with illustrated instruction booklet. Recommended for intermediate pilots. Flight times of up to 6 minutes can be expected. Controls are Ailerons, Elevator, and Throttle.

For more information and to watch the video click HERE (www.hobby-lobby.com/redviper.htm?c1=ezone&source=trd&kw=fa18)

Use this thread to discuss any and all things related to F/A-18 Red Viper

[ColoradoPilot]

Sweet!

[Tommy D]

Nice model, any truth to a F-5 comming soon from the same man?

Thanks!

Tommy D

[Flyboone]

F-5??? What F-5??? I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of an F-5. ;) :D

Jason Cole

[locomoto]

Yeah, I've been waiting for the F-5 as well and I think it will have retracts either standard or as an option. Sorry to hijack the thread. :o

Dave :)

[vijaylucas]

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/images/st018.jpg (http://www.hobby-lobby.com/redviper.htm?c1=ezone&source=trd&kw=fa18)

ST018A F/A-18 "Red Viper" , RTF
ST018B F/A-18 "Red Viper" , ARF

37" long, 28" wingspan, 9-3/4" tall, ready to fly weight is 19-3/4 oz. Comes pre-painted in the colors of the "Diamondbacks" of VFA-102. Water slide decals already applied. Flies like a much larger jet and handles the wind well. The Ready-to-Fly (RTF) version comes complete with everything you need including a 72 MHz transmitter, 6-channel receiver, ducted fan unit, brushless ...


I have one of these and recently i posted how my first flight went, and i must say that this plane is awesome. I have the rtf version and i noticed a slight problem with the transmitter when i push the throttle stick the motor does not start till its almost half way up so instead of cutting off near min throttle on landings i have to keep the stick next to half the thr. Could you help me fix this? I cant get max power from the batteries cuz of this i guess. If i try an inside loop or what have you... im afraid it'll drop outta the sky.
Help!!

Vijay Lucas
_________________
DONT DRINK AND FLY!!!

[helipilot]

Hi Vijay,

Does your transmitter have a throttle trim on the side of it? If it is all the way up, then your starting point will be offset upon power up of the radio system. Slide it all the way down and then power the system back up to "reset" the throttle setpoint on the esc. Hope this helps you out!

Manish

[Straight Up]

So how about some more details about the plane? I know its size, and somewhat ambitious weight target. What size fan - probably a 70mm? I see it's included. I'm a bit sceptical about the performance given the 25A ESC - no more than 250W max input power on the small 3S battery (which is only rated to 18C!). Most DF jets have much more input power than this. Looks to be a foamy, which is OK and probably accounts for the low weight, but I'm sure it'd go a lot better from "winding up the watts"!

[helipilot]

I have mine completed and am waiting for the weather to clear for a maiden. I had to remove the fan unit on mine as the fan blades were striking the df housing. It's a simple removal and the way the fan unit is mounted made it very easy to re-install back into the fuse. So far from what I have heard of this jet everyone likes it a lot. You can fly it low and slow or crank it up.

Happy Landings

[VF84Sluggo]

I had to remove the fan unit on mine as the fan blades were striking the df housing. It's a simple removal and the way the fan unit is mounted made it very easy to re-install back into the fuse.
I just got my Viper and am in the assembly phase.

I noticed that under the ESC area there looks to be a "plug" about 3 or 4 inches square. Did you remove this section to get to the fan? I can't tell if this piece is glued in, or a friction fit that can be gently pried open.

Thanks!

[helipilot]

Hey Sluggo,

you need to remove the plastic straps holding the cover for the esc. This will give you access to the df unit which is in that block of foam. Yes, gentley pry it out. It will slide out very easy.

Good luck!!!

happy Landings :)

[VF84Sluggo]

Hey Sluggo,

you need to remove the plastic straps holding the cover for the esc. This will give you access to the df unit which is in that block of foam. Yes, gentley pry it out. It will slide out very easy.

Good luck!!!

happy Landings :)
Thanks much! Still waiting for good wx for the maiden.

[helipilot]

Hey Sluggo,

Im waiting for the weather too. Been cold, rainy, windy. But this weekend is looking good so maybe I can burn some holes in the sky with the F/A-18.

[VF84Sluggo]

Hey Sluggo,

Im waiting for the weather too. Been cold, rainy, windy. But this weekend is looking good so maybe I can burn some holes in the sky with the F/A-18.
We've had a stationary front hangin' out all week...windy, gusty :(

[Bill Lesko]

Any flight reports? I briefly maidened my friends and initially it was pretty difficult to control due to over controlling the ailerons when at WOT. Visibility was very poor so I got her down quickly. She seemed to handle a little better at slower speeds. I am a very experienced RC pilot. When I get mine I may start with reducing the aileron throws if it is possible. I would like to hear about anyone else's flight experience.

Bill

[VF84Sluggo]

Any flight reports? I briefly maidened my friends and initially it was pretty difficult to control due to over controlling the ailerons when at WOT. Visibility was very poor so I got her down quickly. She seemed to handle a little better at slower speeds. I am a very experienced RC pilot. When I get mine I may start with reducing the aileron throws if it is possible. I would like to hear about anyone else's flight experience.

Bill
Hoping to maiden mine any day now. I, too, have reduced the aileron throw as much as possible.

[blainej]

Any flight reports? I briefly maidened my friends and initially it was pretty difficult to control due to over controlling the ailerons when at WOT. Visibility was very poor so I got her down quickly. She seemed to handle a little better at slower speeds. I am a very experienced RC pilot. When I get mine I may start with reducing the aileron throws if it is possible. I would like to hear about anyone else's flight experience.

Bill


Bill, I had the same experience. Got three flights out of it before I crashed it-'bout got it glued back together. It is very hard to see in hazy skies and I think I'm going to reduce my aileron throws also. My fan is also hitting the inside of the housing. Also,the "instructions" suggested CG is way too far aft. I had to put both the batt and the RX in the aft compartment to make it balance where they suggested it- was lucky to get it on the ground in one piece after that take-off.

If you notice in the HL flight video their pilot flies it low and close so that he can tell how it's oriented. It does handle very well at low speeds, the landing on my second flight was perfect.

I'd have to rate my RC experience level as intermediate. I have alot of time with rudder/elev/throttle but not much with aileron.

The jet comes set up in mode 4, I set my jet up in mode 2. (elev and aileron on right stick, throttle and steering on left)

[gus1911]

I plan to buy one this afternoon at my LHS. About the CG mentioned above - they say if a plane is nose heavy it will fly. If it's tail heavy it will fly once. I can verify that as fact!

Has anyone determined where the ideal CG is?

[helipilot]

I just maidened my Viper jet. What an unbeleivable jet this is. Take-off was smooth, stable. I had to ad a litle elevator trim but that was it. Very nice and stable in the air with stock battery in the front compartment. I modified my Viper jet by adding one HS-55 servo for each aileron but that's it. Landings were a piece of cake. I came in with a couple ticks of throttle and it settled right on. Very good power as well. All throws were kept to a minimum and then slowly increase rates as I flew. All in all I love this jet. This jet flew quite fast but slowed down with no signs of tip stall. Love it!!!!

Did I mention how cool it looks in the air?

[KrazyXkyle]

Hey everybody, im new to the thread and looking to get into the r/c airplane scene. I used to race nitro trucks and buggies at a local track, so im not new to the R/c scene.

Im looking for a radio controlled airplane, and this one has caught my attention. Ive heard that flying an airplane can be quite difficult, if u dont know what u are doing. As for me, i know the basics of flying, from flight simulators and some video games. But those are all in first person

So i just ordered a flight simulator, which comes with a 4 or 6 channel controller in hopes that i will be trained by the time i break down and buy this f-18

So but i have a few questions about this RTF kit that im hoping u guys can answer.

1. Do you think that it is possible to be trained for this f-18 by using a flight simulator? or am i just waisting my time?

2. Does the RTF kit come with very detailed instructions? Ive never assembled an aircraft b4..

3. Does this kit require anything? The things that im expecting to buy are a 12v power supply, and the wing appoxy, and batteries.

4. How is the overall quality of this aircraft? good?

5. Is it a single fan or double?


6. does anyone have any other photos of this aircraft so i can get a better idea of what it looks like. ex. different angles, pictures of the controller it comes with.


Any help, or advice for that matter will be much appreciated!

thanks in advance

-Kyle-

[Dakrat]

KrazyXkyle,
I don't have this kit but I do have reservations to this being your "first" plane! If you read the earlier posts you will see that most of the guys were complaining that it has too much control! Not something that a beginner pilot wants in his first plane. Your have the right approach you are getting a sim, Great! I am self taught and that is how I learned, you will get great muscle memory for fly with one. This plane might make a great second or third plane for you. I suspect it will not take you long since you have driven RC cars but I think that you should jump over to the beginner’s forum and get some ideas for a first plane. (Slow stick, Estarter, Easystar)

Dak...

[KrazyXkyle]

hey thanks for the rapid reply. I live on a military base in italy, and im thinking there are some guys that fly around here, so maybe i can get some pointers from them. Ive been doing a lot of reading on this aircraft, and they are saying that it is a potentially fast jet, yet at the same time it can be flown at slow speeds without any eratic behavior, so im thinking that if once i get it in the air i will just take things slow and keep it at lower altitudes so if i do crash it it will not land to hard in the grass, and hopefully not break. I dont know, i can honestly say i have my mind and heart set on this plane =) lol

Is there a way to adjust the handling of the plane to decrease the throw on the ailerons without any major modifications?

[helipilot]

I do not recommend this plane for a first plane. I agree, a second or third but lean more towards 3rd plane. It is fast and you need to know how to manage the power at slower speeds. I would recommend a GWS E-Starter for your first plane and then move on from there. But certainly not a first plane. I have had some beginners who have had sim time and have done very well but on a trainer type airplane such as the E-Starter. Im flying mine and getting used to it's flying characteristics. Been flying for 25+ years and this jet is awsome! Get an e-Starter, learn the feel of the ailerons and then get some help when you go to fly this Jet.

[VF84Sluggo]

Is Hobby Lobby having a huge Viper sale to thin the inventory in preparation for a "new and improved" version? I've seen a "C" model Hornet on the StarMax website that is bigger in size and power than the current HL Viper.

[MGBGTRacer]

If you buy this as your first plane, you will end up disappointed. Trainers aren't as cool and manly, but getting some "pointers" from other people and some sim time isn't enough. It's experience that you need and you only get that from stick time. Sims are OK, but they are not a replacement for real flying.
If you decide to try the jet for a first plane, please at least take video. :)

[mike2663]

Just ordered mine, I was looking at the GP L-39 @ the LHS and they were going to make me a smoking deal but returned it. So I went the F-18 route. 183 to my door another 40 for a receiver for my DX7 and I'm in business. Not bad at all. Mike

[mike2663]

Quick question anyone know the dimensions of the battery bay? I'm sue the provided battery just wont get it so I'm looking to order some batteries that will do the job. Figured I'd get them ordered so when the plane arrives I wont have to wait. Thanks Mike

[Ted61]

Will it take of well trimmed grass???

[helipilot]

Mike,

Im not sure what you are referring to of the stock battery pack not getting it? My stock battery pack that came with mine does a better job than my expensive Thunder Power pack. Im impressed with the stock pack. after a few cycles it actually does a lot better too. But, get a second or even a third pack as this jet is addicting BIG TIME!!!!

[KrazyXkyle]

ok so i took everything u guys had to say into consideration when i baught the jet. But instead of gettin the f 18 i decided to get the f 15 through bananahobby.com because they were able to offer many pictures that i was actually able to tell the over all quality of the product i was buying. so but along with buying the f-15 i also bought a 2 channel rtf su-27 flanker double prop pusher jet, just so i can get my seat time in, along with the simulator. and i also bought a palm sized helicopter to terrorize my cats.lol.

http://www.bananahobby.com/1540.html

http://www.bananahobby.com/1030.html

http://www.bananahobby.com/1427.html


so im thinkin after mastering the simulator, then the su-27 pusher, then i will attempt to fly the f 15, im pretty confident i should be able to do so. thanks for all your guy's info.

~kyle~

[etheli]

Will it take of well trimmed grass???
Taking off from a grass runway is difficult at best -- on grass the jet bounces around a lot and has trouble reaching takeoff speed.

However, it goes up quite nicely via a hand launch -- you hit full throttle and give it a smooth toss (into the wind). Landing on a grass runway is fine, BTW, as long the runway isn't overly rough.

--ET

[etheli]

Quick question anyone know the dimensions of the battery bay? I'm sure the provided battery just wont get it so I'm looking to order some batteries that will do the job. Figured I'd get them ordered so when the plane arrives I wont have to wait. Thanks MikeThe compartment holds the stock 3S 1300mAH battery snugly, so it will need modification to fit larger batteries. Others (including myself) have done this without much trouble. One way is to open up the two compartments into one, like what this guy did (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8859283&postcount=113). What I did is to open up the foam inside of the compartment, so a 2100mAH battery can go up and in diagonally. To get good balance, a heavier battery will want to be up against the front of the forward compartment.

The Hobby Lobby "Pink Viper" and F/A-18 Hornet are virtually identical, so these threads on those planes have a lot of good info:

Hobby Lobby PINK VIPER Build/Mod Thread
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=824603

Hobby Lobby F/A-18 Hornet ARF Review
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=746975

I found the jet on the stock battery to be under-powered (perhaps because I've gotten used to the speed of my Stryker (http://www.etheli.com/Stryker/index.html)). So, the first thing I did was to run the jet on a 3S 2100mAH battery, which provided more run time. Next, I've put in a DonsRC Wicked EDF 4800kv motor (http://www.donsrc.com/cart/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=52) (mounted onto the stock fan unit) and a 40 amp speed controller (http://www.donsrc.com/cart/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=3), which gives it considerably more speed, but the current draw (topping out at 37 amps) is really too much for my 18C 3S 2100mAH batteries.

The next thing I'm going to try are 4S 2200mAH 25C batteries (http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?products_id=6174), which (from what I've heard (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9234043&postcount=22)) will really get this jet cruising. :]

--ET

[KrazyXkyle]

Ok, so i got an email back from the company i ordered my planes from saying that the f-15 was out of stock, so i switched it up to the f18 only its no the red viper or the blue angels, its a super hornet (black and silver) its pretty sweet lookin. http://www.bananahobby.com/1642.html

also instead of the little 2 channel i ended up getting a 4 channel trainer model.

[VF84Sluggo]

Taking off from a grass runway is difficult at best -- on grass the jet bounces around a lot and has trouble reaching takeoff speed.

However, it goes up quite nicely via a hand launch -- you hit full throttle and give it a smooth toss (into the wind). Landing on a grass runway is fine, BTW, as long the runway isn't overly rough.

--ET
I fly off of a golf course fairway, but the takeoff roll is still a good 30 yards. Sure is nice for landing, though.

[huggett]

Ok, so i got an email back from the company i ordered my planes from saying that the f-15 was out of stock, so i switched it up to the f18 only its no the red viper or the blue angels, its a super hornet (black and silver) its pretty sweet lookin. http://www.bananahobby.com/1642.html

also instead of the little 2 channel i ended up getting a 4 channel trainer model.

That f18 does look nice....Do you know who it's made by?

[GFBurke]

StarMax Hobby-Lobby one: Review almost done.

[chuck18]

HI
i was wondering whats the real deal in this f/a 18 viper is the C/G right in out of the box with stock equipment? i already know i have to slow down the alerions. to me
nose heavy is ok -just use a lil up elevator thanks -chuck18

[helipilot]

Mine was right on straight out of the box. I put the battery pack in the front most compartment. This plane flies great!!! Yes, reduce aileron throws way down for you rinitial flight. I have been dialing mine up a bit every flight and have it just about right. It does not tak emuch throw on aileron or elevator.
Sweet sweet flying jet!

Happy Landings :)

[GFBurke]

F18 Review is up!

Blog style (http://allthingsthatfly.blogspot.com/2008/06/hobby-lobby-fa-18-red-viper-jet.html)
PHP sytle (http://allthingsthatfly.com/Reviews.php)


I'll have vid up very soon.

[dilbur]

:confused: Guys I'm trying to assemble my F18 Viper and the instruction manual it came with is really very poorly written and extremely hard to follow if at all.

Do any of you have proper step by step assembly guide? I will also appreciate it if someone can send me pix of their own plane showing where all the pieces go............

Thanks.

Dilbur. :confused:

[etheli]

The blue F/A-18 Hornet is the same plane, just a different color, and the review has some build info:

Hobby Lobby F/A-18 Hornet ARF Review
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=746975

Same deal for the "pink" F/A-18 Viper:

Hobby Lobby PINK VIPER Build/Mod Thread
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=824603

--ET

[stuckolord]

hey guys i love the f/A-18 i just recieved mine the other day :)
i took it for a fly today, it was amazing, oh i do have a few coments about it though, i used the glue that was in the kit and found that it didnt feel strong enough, so i epoxied the whole thing, ah i also made a modification, i cut the tail rudders out and put hindges on them and conected them to the front wheel servo, its now able to do alot more stunts:D i know most people wouldnt bother about that. this is a freaking awsome plane to fly,:D it looks so agresive in the air, everyone at the airfield landed just to see it in the air, either that or they were expecting me to crash it haha:) ah i also had to mess around with the transmiter, open it up and changed a few setings, i swaped the accelerator over to the other side, im used to the accelertator being on the right. it was easy just a couple springs thats all,
ive been flying hellicopters for a bit. ive only been flying planes for about a month now, ah i showed it to all of the guys at the air field that i go too, their all going out and ordering their own now :D
err one more thing, im a bit courious about where to glue on the bombs? im wondering weather i should stick them between the back wheels or on the main wing :O can anyone give me a sugestion plz? :D im thinking of puting retracts in it so there is less drag, has anyone done this yet? is it atall posible? ah i fixed the problem with the fa/18 losing speed through tight turns, if u notice that the main wings flex a bit if u bend them with your hands, be that, you dont use to much presure, you will nitice that the airilons move when you bend them, i put some light pine doweling throught the centre of the main wings to try to reduce this drag afect, plus if you epoxy the main wings on this also helps too;)


http://www.hobby-lobby.com/images/st018.jpg (http://www.hobby-lobby.com/redviper.htm?c1=ezone&source=trd&kw=fa18)

ST018A F/A-18 "Red Viper" , RTF
ST018B F/A-18 "Red Viper" , ARF

37" long, 28" wingspan, 9-3/4" tall, ready to fly weight is 19-3/4 oz. Comes pre-painted in the colors of the "Diamondbacks" of VFA-102. Water slide decals already applied. Flies like a much larger jet and handles the wind well. The Ready-to-Fly (RTF) version comes complete with everything you need including a 72 MHz transmitter, 6-channel receiver, ducted fan unit, brushless motor, 25 Amp brushless speed controller, and an 18C 3 cell 1300 mAh Lipo battery pack. The Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) version comes with everything listed above except the transmitter and 6-channel receiver. The jet has plenty of power for rolls, loops, and inverted flight. Comes with steerable nose gear. Take-offs are short and landings are slow and easy. All electronics come pre-installed, no soldering required. Assembly takes about an hour to glue the wings, tail and nose to the fuselage with epoxy (order DEV205), screw the fixed main landing gear to the fuselage, install the servo horns to the ailerons and elevator, and connect the control linkages. Kit comes with illustrated instruction booklet. Recommended for intermediate pilots. Flight times of up to 6 minutes can be expected. Controls are Ailerons, Elevator, and Throttle.

For more information and to watch the video click HERE (www.hobby-lobby.com/redviper.htm?c1=ezone&source=trd&kw=fa18)

Use this thread to discuss any and all things related to F/A-18 Red Viper

[djmett55]

any mods to intake

[Navy_1]

Hello all,

I am glade you all like our paint job. We should of copied rited it. This jet is an F/A-18F
Belonging to VFA-102 the Diamondbacks (not a viper) we are very partial to that paint job. A/C 102 is no longer painted that way it was done for the 50th anniversary of the squadron we are flying a more traditional paint job now feel free to check out the real one at our site.


https://www.atsugi.navy.mil/vfa-102

[jlc1506]

Will this one go with my 20C's that I have already?

[starron1@bellsou]

does the new nose secton (ST0203) contain the nose wheel and batt box???

[etheli]

does the new nose secton (ST0203) contain the nose wheel and batt box???
No, the ST0203 ("Front Section Fuselage for Red Viper") is just the foam and the nose cone. I don't know if there's any way to get those other parts (other than to buy another whole kit).

--ET

[eschult]

Anyone using a 3s 2200 lipo?? I know it has been done but nobody has mentioned how it flies. Can you use the stock moto and esc???
Thanks,Eric