Originally Posted by windrnone

Moving the COG helps, I only used a 1/4" foam spacer, low rates helped me, I also sleeved the control rods where they pushed thru the foam fuse, I feel that it made the elev action smoother.

Good tips! I'll give it a shot

Whats the best way to mount a ccd camera onto the Wildcat please?
-Where did you mount camera?
-How did you secure camera to Wildcat?
-Did you face camera horizontally forward or pointing down a bit to face the cowling?
-etc
many thanks

Originally Posted by Left Coast DJ

Interesting. One of my stabilizer fin's texture is bubbly and different from the rest of the plane. The fin also has a slight curve up to it. Does this mean it's a warp?

The word "bubbly" caught my eye. Sounds like it's been exposed to heat.

Foams that are injection molded from beads will show bumpiness in areas that get much on the north side of 250F. This often happens when someone tries to use a heat gun to reshape foam and gets too close. Perhaps your bird got left against a hot water pipe or something. (Boiling water or steam is a better way to heat foam for repairs.)

Originally Posted by headlessagain

Vids up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNCc-...ature=youtu.be
Andy

Nice Andy! Thanks Chris

Originally Posted by headlessagain

Did you use the "Thread tools", "Show attachments..." as this will just show photos etc. Once you find something of interest, just left click on the image and click on "(post/pic in the post" This should speed thing up.
I maidened my Wildcat yesterday evening. Put in some up trim and had a club member launch it for me. Climb out was near vertical so quickly took out the trim and trimmed her out. Happy with the flight characteristics but not as fast as I would have thought bearing mind my motor combo. Good vertical and plenty of thrust so was happy to do the 2nd launch myself. It's an awkward shape to hold being so bulbous. I ended up holding it in my right hand with my thumb on top of the wing & my fingers spread out underneath. A gentle shove and she was away. I don't know if my lipo was getting tired as the first flight ended with me landing dead stick in the outfield. At least it was into wind and no damage. I limited my 2nd flight to 4 mins which I think I can stretch to 5min with a bit of left stick restraint.
Can't post vid yet as WMM is on the blink. No video image in preview window!
Andy

Andy, I had to were my hand ends up for launch.
It is one of those things I do better when I do not think about it!
My purchase is pretty far back.
My thumb is just about on the elevator control rod, palm some what over
the last cooling hole. The fuse is a nice shape for me there.
Naturally some how a little arm motion levels the plane.
I really do not throw it, but some energy is imparted.
That energy has a little direction opposing motor torque.
Rarebear may be a flea on crack! Good luck Chris

Had to look! Da

Wait till I put a 4 cell in her! :-)

Originally Posted by Erasmas

The word "bubbly" caught my eye. Sounds like it's been exposed to heat.

Foams that are injection molded from beads will show bumpiness in areas that get much on the north side of 250F. This often happens when someone tries to use a heat gun to reshape foam and gets too close. Perhaps your bird got left against a hot water pipe or something. (Boiling water or steam is a better way to heat foam for repairs.)

I don't think heat is the issue. It's the foam, from the factory. It's Z-foam but it looks and feels very different from the P51 BL or even the Spitfire Mk 9. The horz stab feels really soft and the foam beads are large and bumpy.

The warping is common. Even the pictures on the Horizon website show hints of it.

This is not an illusiion from the angle of the shot. For some reason, the horz stab foam on the Wildcat is just not very stable. The stab develops an upward warp all on its own. Add paint like me and it gets worse. lol

Originally Posted by Erasmas

The word "bubbly" caught my eye. Sounds like it's been exposed to heat.

Foams that are injection molded from beads will show bumpiness in areas that get much on the north side of 250F. This often happens when someone tries to use a heat gun to reshape foam and gets too close. Perhaps your bird got left against a hot water pipe or something. (Boiling water or steam is a better way to heat foam for repairs.)

While I don't coddle my planes, I also try not to abuse them... at least when not flying ( ). I take my Wildcat to work with me a few times a week so I can put a few batteries through it at the park on my way home from work. Though I take the radio and batteries inside to my work, I leave the Wildcat in the car covered by a sheet. So it does get exposed to Southern California daytime heat.

However, if so, the "bubbling" and warping, I think, should be more uniform throughout the plane. Mine are limited to the left stab and ends right at the connection to the right one. And the slight upward warping looks exactly like in the plane Shunyata posted.

Originally Posted by shunyata

The warping is common.
For some reason, the horz stab foam on the Wildcat is just not very stable. The stab develops an upward warp all on its own.

Thanks very much for posting about the horizontal stab. I thought I was the only one with the problem. One side is ok, the other is flimsy, rough surface and warped.

I used Very hot water to fix the warp, which it did - but the material felt even weaker afterwards.

Reinforce it with some carbon fiber

I got my wildcat in my hands a few hours ago. I also had a warped horizontal stab. Fixed it with some hot steam though. What bothers me is that I got one with the plastic bell(I got an apprentice with a plastic motor also,and Horizon Hobby sent me a new one),just my luck, I always get old stock... How easy is it to crack?Should I search for a replacement immediately? I will not ask Horizon to send me another one, they helped so much that I feel bad asking them(except if it breaks in the first few flights...eventhough I doubt they will send me a new one..AGAIN!), so without changing the esc,what would be a cheap replacement(something from hobbyking maybe?)?

Wow, sorry to hear about all the warping guys. I got mine last year and it is STRAIGHT as an arrow. All surfaces. In fact, I was just comparing it to the HobbyKing P-51 Durafly model I received. Almost every surface on the Hobby King is warped. Very dissapointed when compared to the F4F.

Got some paint on her floats today. Thanks for all the paint recommendations!!! Worked out perfectly.

Originally Posted by HapG

Thanks very much for posting about the horizontal stab. I thought I was the only one with the problem. One side is ok, the other is flimsy, rough surface and warped.

I used Very hot water to fix the warp, which it did - but the material felt even weaker afterwards.

Yeah, I'm going to do what quitcherbitchen suggested, CF. Seems strong enough otherwise.

Even with the little problems with this bird, she's still one of my favorites, even just sitting there, waiting for me to take her out - which has been a while.

edit: Those floats look AWESOME!

Originally Posted by Skropi

A quick question guys. Is it needed to install skids so as to protect the aileron servos?How many of you went for that option? I am afraid my servos will not survive(I am getting the wildcat tomorrow!).

I had grass snag the control rod once and broke the servo arm. I made a small fin in front of each control rod to deflect the grass.