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Introduction
Budget RC has just created some of the fastest flat foam EPP jets on the market. With its low cost, high performance and impact resistance, this model has several advantages over more sculpted models. When powered by the "Ballistic" power package, this jet is some inexpensive, robust, high speed fun! The real F-18 was designed in the 1970s as a replacement for the Navy's F-4 Phantom carrier-based aircraft. It is an all weather attack / fighter aircraft that was designed around the principles of light weight, an easily maintained design and the ability to fill several combat roles. By the time it entered service in 1983, the F-18 was also eyed as a replacement for the aging and complex F-14 Tomcat. Since then, the Tomcat has been retired, and variants A , B, and C have been introduced with improvements in avionics and weaponry. Today, the F-18C serves as the Navy's primary all weather attack and fighter aircraft. It will be replaced over time by the F-22 Raptor, depending on current budget cuts. The role that most of us best know the F-18 in is the Navy Blue Angels airshow team. This model will be painted in the show colors.
Kit Contents
The Kit Contains:
The Kit Requires:
The kit comes in a plain plastic bag with a second bag inside to contain smaller parts. It's all EPP foam, so there's almost no chance of damage in shipping. The foam is very cleanly cut with very thin slots for the carbon reinforcement. One thing to watch however, is that you slide the wing halves out carefully; the carbon reinforcement slots cut almost all the way to the wingtips, and you can tear the wing apart. There are lots of carbon strips as well. Something I found myself having to decide early in the build was how it would look when finished. This is EPP, and it is a lot like a closed cell sponge in texture and feel. I was thinking of ways to try to make it into a "smooth" looking airplane, which not the intent of this kit. It is meant to go together quickly, go fast in the air and survive mild to moderate mishaps with the ground. After I got my head around the idea that this kit is for ease of assembly and all out flying fun, it was fun to build. Besides, at high speed who's gonna complain about the finish?
Assembly
The main instruction PDF is HERE at Budget RC's web site and shows what to glue together in what order. I studied it a while to "jigsaw" all the parts together before gluing.
I used the new 2oz. foam safe CA and kicker from Budget RC. It has a nice screw-on top with a pin inside that keeps the tip from setting up. This glue is medium viscosity, slow setting and formulated to stick better to EPP. You need to use most of the 2 oz. during the build to bridge the roughness between foam pieces and the foam to carbon bonds.
Gluing EPP
I started with a a flat surface covered with plastic to keep the glue from sticking and an open window for ventilation. Because EPP is rough, it leaves little gaps between pieces. If you use CA, you’ll have to bridge those gaps with glue and pressure. Foam to foam joints require a healthy bead of glue each, then careful alignment and pressure to hold a section together. With my OTHER hand (3 would be nice) I sprayed a small section of the joint with kicker (4 to 5 inches) and pressed together for 20 to 30 seconds. When that section was set, I moved down a bit and set the next section the same way. I flipped the joint over and filled the backside with CA. I wiped off excess with a paper towel, then set it with kicker. Too much glue wiped over the surface of the foam will create shiny spots that show under the paint. After the kicker had evaporated, I went back and filled the top joint with glue. Gluing carbon is similar. I coated both sides of the carbon, laid it in the slot and pushed down the foam and carbon to the tabletop. I pinched the joint together, applied kicker and held until set. I moved down the joint and set the next section the same way. When was finished, I flipped over the part and filled the slot with CA, smoothing it with a paper towel and setting it with kicker. I filled the top joint after the kicker had evaporated. Wing
I laid out the halves and laid down a bead on both pieces. I lined them up, pushed them together and sprayed kicker over a 4-6 inch section, following the gluing instructions above and filling both sides of the joint.
I got some plastic gloves on my hands to lay in the carbon strips and filled in both sides of the slot with CA.
I glued a carbon strip to the back edge of the tail where the elevons will hinge and put on the tail cones, centering them carefully because they help align the rudders later. Fuselage
I glued the carbon strips in the bottom of both the notches, sprayed kicker on one half and let it dry. I layed down the glue pattern on the other half, and carefully jointed the halves on a flat surface. I put a lot of hand pressure along the edges to seal them well.
Hinging the Elevons with Hot Melt Glue
The Miracle of the Hot Melt Hinge.See the video HERE . The hinges on this plane are made of Hot Melt glue. Whoever figured this out is just plain cool! The glue sits on top of the joint and bridges the tail to the elevon, and they work great!
Fuselage
I flipped the wing on its back and worked on a flat surface. I located and glued on the lower "box" sides perpendicular to the wing. I put the bottom plate into the tabs with the arrow pointing to the front and glued it in place. I added the wing struts using the precut slots, taking care to keep the wing flat as I glued in the struts, leaving a little of the rod extending up above the top of the wing (3-4mm, 1/16 in.+), and I put a drop of glue to bridge the carbon to the wing top. I created a kind of cap of glue to prevent pullout of the rod. I added a carbon strip to the back edge of the plate. I trial fit the fuselage, getting it all square and glued in the main fuselage after locking into the tabs.
I added the "exhausts" to the top and bottom of the rear fuse. The small go on top, and the large on the bottom and share the same alignment holes.
I glued the rudders in place on a slight tilt using epoxy. You could also use Hot Melt glue.
CompletionI went over the airframe with CA, paper towels and kicker to fill any gaps in joining surfaces and carbon strips.
My complete airframe weighed 4.4 oz.
Paint
You MUST SPRAY PAINT this model. The paint actually stiffens the foam without taking away from the bouncy qualities of EPP. You know the rules of applying thin, even coats to avoid weight build up? FORGET ALL THE RULES when spraying this model. You are going to empty most of an entire can at close range on the first coat! No kidding! You are going to soak this plane until it starts coming through the other side. Hold the nozzle about 3 inches from the foam, and start spraying. The EPP will soak it up like a sponge, because, well, it IS a sponge! Flip it over after a bit and see if paint is wicking through to the other surface. If it is, GOOD JOB! Keep shaking and spraying until one side is done, then flip it over and soak the other side. Hit the leading and trailing edges too. At finish, try to have a little left in the can for touchup after curing.
Curing
Set the plane of a flat surface outdoors, or in a garage with ventilation, and let it dry at least 24 hours (72 is better). After the main smell is gone, finish your trim painting or decoration. My plane weighed 5.8 oz. after drying and trim paint, or 1.4 oz. of total paint weight, and the foam was considerably stiffer afterward.
Radio Installation
CG is 3.25 inches back from the front edge of the bottom plate. I added 2 blobs of RC56 glue at the CG marks, and let it dry. It forms 2 dots you can feel with your fingers as you balance the plane each time you attach the battery. Lazertoyz.com TowerPro Servos
Lazertoyz.com provided the TowerPro Servos at 9.0g each. The gears seem very strong with a smooth throw in both directions. They have even endured a tail-first landing without damage. I used Hot Melt on the servo tabs. Build push rods from 1/16 carbon rod, music wire and thread following the Budget RC instructions. Smear a light coating of hot melt glue on the foam under the Velcro attachment for the battery to give it really good gripping power.
CompletionThis is a pusher, so I put the front of the prop toward the front of the plane! The motor mount has just been revamped to allow cooling air into the "back" of the motor slots, so be sure the motor lines up for that to happen. I attached the motor to the mount, glued in the mount with 5 minute epoxy, (you could use hot glue if you are quick).
Flying
BasicsTwo power packages were tested, and they differ greatly in performance. With the "Jet Pilot" power package and an APCe 5 x 5 prop it climbed out well, but responded a little sluggishly to controls. I had to fly at 3/4 to full throttle to get good penetration in the wind and more solid control for turns. Later I changed to an APC Sport 6 x 3 prop, and it flew with much more authority and better overall speed. Later, I switched to the new "Ballistic" Power package and an APC Sport 5.5 x 2.5 prop. The difference in performance was jaw dropping! The jet had unlimited vertical performance and a wicked howl with this combination.
Taking Off and Landing
Taking off is always one of two options of a hand launch: holding the top and using an underhanded toss or a very forward grip underneath with a pitch upward. The top grip is better for the Jet Pilot power package because it produces a flatter launch, but it puts your hand closer to the prop. I used almost full power and pitched it up at 20 to 30 degrees. It headed on up but gave me a couple of heartbeats to find the radio stick. If you have the "Ballistic" Power package you can grab forward of the bottom plate, give it 1/2 or better throttle and javelin launch it upward. Try not to go vertical, but the motor has plenty of push to move it upward. Landing is automatic; without power on it settles pretty rapidly. I pulled back power over the edge of the field, keeping the nose a little down then flared at 2 feet of altitude. It flattened or pitched up and "flop" onto the ground.... EPP, no damage!
Aerobatics/Special Flight Performance
With the 2212-06 "Jet Pilot" power package, the plane moves well, but not too fast. It responds moderately to controls and is not very quick to roll or loop. Rolls are slow and require elevator to keep the nose up. Loops are possible from level flight, but tend to corkscrew off if you are not dead flat when you start. Without rudder control, basic fighter moves are the RF-18's forte. It is fun to bring it down low and fast for flybys. With the 2212-5.5 "Ballistic" Power package, the jet comes to life with a vengeance. A 1600 mAh, 3S lipo of 25C capacity was used, along with an APC 5.5 x 2.5 Sport prop, and the thrust was huge. It accelerated straight up and performed very fast flybys. The sound is very aggressive at 29,000 to 30,000 RPM and very high pitched. With a higher pitched prop, greater speeds can be reached but with lesser vertical performance. Also, Amp draw should be watched with each prop because the motor will draw over 60 Amps which is well over the safe limit for continuous WOT flying. In fact, Budget RC recommends a 10 second rule for full throttle flying if you exceed 40 Amps with your prop; that is, 10 seconds full throttle, followed by 10 to 15 seconds of half throttle flying to cool the motor.
Winged Shadow Systems "How Fast"
WINGED SHADOW SYSTEMS "How Fast"
An airspeed sensor from:Winged Shadow Systems was taped to the wing to check both power packages for speed. This "How Fast" unit uses a Pitot Tube and pressure sensor to sense forward speed. The "How Fast" can also be powered by a spare channel on your Rx, and even reset for up to 9 speed readings in one flight, if you cycle the channel from one extreme to another (like a retract switch). You retrieve the readings with the "See How" unit, which reads and stores up to 10 readings. I used the optional battery board power supply with self contained switch, and glued them to a 1/16" ply plate, for taping to several airplanes. In this mode, the "How Fast" records the highest speed above 15 MPH since it was turned on, and only reports that one speed. You land, retrieve the speed with the "See How", or wave your finger over the sensor, and it blinks out a code of numbers that represent the speed. For instance, 6 blinks, pause, 4 blinks would equal 64 MPH. So, what did the "How Fast" find out? With the Jet Pilot power package, and 6 x 3 Sport prop, the jet averaged 60.5 MPH, straight and level. With the "Ballistic" Power package and 5.5 x 2.5 prop, the level speed was 70.2 MPH. A 30 degree dive yielded 81.1 MPH, and a straight down plunge gave 90.6 MPH, and a high stress pullout. The jet handled the pullout just fine, but I got pretty excited! I think higher speeds could be obtained with something in the 5 x 4 prop range, as long as you watch the amp draw.
Crash Testing
I didn't plan this, really! Even though EPP is built for impacts, no airplane should be expected to survive this kind of treatment. After the first video, I changed props, gave it full throttle and a toss and it headed out and stopped responding. It had time to roll over head down at about 30 degrees and hit at full throttle. I think there was an issue with my synthesized RX losing its lock on my transmitter after 10 -12 cycles of setup and flying. The plane looked terrible. The nose was off in 3 pieces, the plane felt "pulpy" back to the wing fairings, and it shredded the carbon skid at one point. I took it home and started bending the foam to find cracks and tears, filling them with medium CA (regular or foam safe). I held it straight and closed while I hit it with kicker, and let it set. I did all the big tears with medium and switched to thin CA for areas of loose foam. I soaked the separations, held it straight and used kicker. I had to add a bridge of carbon across the broken skid. The nose came out a little wonky, so I added a carbon strip down the side and pushed it flat against a plastic covered table. I finished by spraying a light coat of blue over the repaired areas. Time: about 30 minutes. The repair is tolerable, and if someone tells me it doesn't look good enough, I'll tell 'em, "You're standing too close!" Considering the speed at impact, this plane was back to flying condition quite quickly. EPP... the bright side of flexible foam!
Is This For a Beginner?
This is not a beginner airplane. It has to be flown at all times with quick reflexes to put it where you want it. It does not have any self righting tendencies like a trainer. If you can perform loops and rolls, and more importantly, put it right side up when needed, then you can fly this airplane. Flight Video
Note:The "Ballistic" Power package is the same as the "Extreem" Power package in the video title.
Conclusion
This is a fun build, and fun to fly. I would recommend the "Jet Pilot" power package as a minimum, with some experimentation with props to get the speed and thrust combination you find satisfying. I recommend the APC 6 x 3 Sport prop for good speed and decent vertical . The jet flies on the "heavy" side, meaning that you need to keep some speed for decent maneuvering. It gets sluggish at lower speeds, so keep it mostly flat for approaches to landing, or slower flybys. If you want a wild ride, get the "Ballistic" Power package, an APC Sport 5.5 x 2.5 prop, a 2000 mAh, 3S lipo at 20C, and hang on! With greater speed, rolls are better, and the elevator responds more quickly An unexpected benefit of the EPP construction is that it just about eliminates "hangar rash". I have casually sauntered over to the door, and stuck the tail into the door frame with authority a couple of times now, and there is no damage! I also transport the plane atop my lawn chair / charger / field box / whatever, and the plane is not dinged. I like that! If you are looking for a durable, fun flying plane that can be equipped for high performance and repaired pretty easily, take a look at Budget RC's RF-18. It will get your heart pumping!
Pluses:
Minus
Thank you for the in flight photos and video by Dave Pearcy, and video by Anita Pepper. It is nice to have talented friends! Last edited by Angela H; Jun 11, 2009 at 01:00 PM.. |
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Jun 03, 2009, 11:05 AM
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#2 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 232
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I've seen Tom fly this plane- it is insanely fast with the 'ballistic' power system. When I saw it fly was after the nasty crash and honestly, if it wasn't pointed out it was very difficult to see where the old damage was. If you have smart enough thumbs to fly it, this looks like it would be a lot of fun!
Patric |
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Jun 03, 2009, 01:05 PM
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#3 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 74
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Nice review but bad, Bad, BAD history.
The F-18 was originally designed in the 1970s as a competitor for the USAF's lightweight fighter competition. It was given the designation YF-17. That aircraft lost to the F-16 but found new life as a replacement for the A-7 Corsair II, not the F-4 Phantom. The current A/B/C/D Hornets will NOT be replaced by F-22 Raptors. The Raptor is a land-based air superiority fighter. The F-35C Lightning II is the Hornet's planned successor. |
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Jun 03, 2009, 01:19 PM
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#4 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Grapevine, Tx
Posts: 2,596
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Cool plane, I like it.
I wanted to ask you as to what paint you used on it? Thanks Last edited by earlwb; Jun 03, 2009 at 01:19 PM. Reason: typo |
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Jun 03, 2009, 02:27 PM
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#5 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Jackson, Michigan
Posts: 204
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[QUOTE=efd840]Nice review but bad, Bad, BAD history.
That will teach me to use more than one source! Thanks for the corrections. Tom |
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Jun 03, 2009, 02:30 PM
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#6 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Jackson, Michigan
Posts: 204
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Quote:
Tom |
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Jun 03, 2009, 02:36 PM
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#7 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Jackson, Michigan
Posts: 204
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Quote:
Tom |
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Jun 03, 2009, 05:30 PM
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#8 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Salisbury N.C.
Posts: 229
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Great job on the plane! That has to be the best looking EDF foamy I've ever seen.
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Jun 03, 2009, 05:44 PM
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#9 |
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CJ
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 1,039
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I would try an APC E 4.5x4.1 prop with the ballistic motor. You should see some impressive results with that. I'm running that on an Ammo 24-33-3500 kv inrunner on a Stryker and I've been impressed with the speed and thrust. On mine it's drawing 27 amps at full throttle.
This plane is quite a bit lighter and probably less draggy than a Stryker so it would do even better... |
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Jun 03, 2009, 06:03 PM
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#10 |
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Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,462
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the power plant for this kit seems to be a bit high priced, based on the <$50 price tag on the plane, and the listed all up cost of $130+
My experience in powering a foamy park jet is to use the following Motrolfly (or equivelant outrunner) 1700kv APC 5x4.5 for pure speed or a 6x5 for a good mix of lots of thrust and speed Turnigy Plush 25amp esc or equivelant Dualsky 25c 1300mAh 3s lipo. (a TP 1320 just doesn't have the necessary C rating to handle the full throttle loads for very long) |
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Jun 03, 2009, 07:02 PM
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#11 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Jackson, Michigan
Posts: 204
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Quote:
Tom |
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Jun 03, 2009, 07:21 PM
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#12 | |
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My God He Is
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: SLO, CA
Posts: 230
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Quote:
Nice plane! And yes, the f-22 is Air force not Navy. The f-35 will be a jsf. |
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Jun 03, 2009, 07:21 PM
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#13 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Jackson, Michigan
Posts: 204
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Quote:
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Jun 04, 2009, 11:30 AM
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#14 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Jackson, Michigan
Posts: 204
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Quote:
Yes, I will be much more careful in my background research from now on! Tom |
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Jun 04, 2009, 12:55 PM
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#15 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 99
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I have a whole pile of 1000mah Zippy 25c Constant 35c Burst batts just laying around, wasting away.
Would these work with the "ballistic" motor/esc? 1000mah 3S 25c/35c(burst) Weight: 86g Dimensions: 73x36x18mm |
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