Thought I'd share my attempt at making a custom Habu... I've fiberglassed the wings and plan on doing the same to the horz stabs. I attached a rough scheme I developed based on the Jolly Roger F-14s and two pictures of what it currently looks like sprayed in the base colors. Any thoughts?

Edit: Note the (spektrum) airspeed tube mounted in the nose. Never used spektrum telemetry before, should be fun.

Eric

Eric,
That looks great!
Josh

Looks good Eric.
What have you done for flap and aileron hinges? live hinges?

Originally Posted by 172AMD

Looks good Eric.
What have you done for flap and aileron hinges? live hinges?

Thanks! Well, I used covering and hinged them like the factory did and then fiberglassed over them. Wasn't sure it would work, but it turned out just fine!

What are live hinges?

Eric

As for the ESC, I think there isn't a better deal than the Newmotors site. A new Ice or Ice Lite 100 goes for 80USD. Even the 120hv is "only" 140USD.
In the classifieds, they are usually more expensive.

Originally Posted by 420flyboy

Stuff it between the ducts , where they come together , the fan will pull air over it and keep it cool.
IMHO it's the air flow and that Dlux esc , I've used those with varying results , use nothing but castle now and haven't had one problem

The hobbywing 100A is a better esc if you are on a budget, than the dlux 100a .

Your HO has proven right on - flew the Habu again today with the same Dlux ESC and it went into LVC again after about two minutes despite very conservative throttle management, and the ESC was very hot after landing,. Replaced it on the next flight with the 85A stock ESC from my Freewing F-18, and it flew fine for three minutes with more aggressive throttle, and the ESC was only warm not hot after landing.

So, mystery solved - it's that damn Dlux ESC. Time to give back the F-18 its stock ESC and buy a Castle for the Habu.

Thanks again to everyone for all the help!

Kevin

Here's the thing with "100 amp" ESCs.....
The castle ICE 100 ESC's burst current is 170A.
The budget brands are all around 120A..
That's a HUGE difference.
The higher amp rating means the ESC will alway run cooler under all circumstances.
We put Castle ICE 100s in all our Habu32s. (100 or 120HV depending on the cell count) They are placed between where the ducts converge inside the cockpit. (some with the bulky plastic cover removed and the heat sinks expoxied together) This also eliminates the need for added battery wire length and the use of additional caps.
I have never had a problem the Castle ESCs in the 5 Habus that I've built.
They are all 150-160mph birds.

...........................................

Eric Clark,

Your jet looks great. My eyes are too old to detect orientaion of that color that blends into the sky. You might consider adding a wide yellow band to one wing if it's a problem at long distances. Just my .02$

Just checked my RTF weight with the seperate receiver pack & 6S 5000. It came in at 7.31 lbs. A touch heavy but I'll feel better this way after watching my flying buddy lose his foamy Habu due to ESC/BEC failure.

Originally Posted by gsm026

Just checked my RTF weight with the seperate receiver pack & 6S 5000. It came in at 7.31 lbs. A touch heavy but I'll feel better this way after watching my flying buddy lose his foamy Habu due to ESC/BEC failure.

It's worth the $20 to save a $1000 plane, that's a good return on investment by my math.

Thanks for all the great tips on the thrust tube. I'll get it taped up. Now just have to appropriate a spoon from my wife's kitchen!!

Originally Posted by jgalexander

Yep. Take a look here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...6#post23604959

Gary posted some pretty detailed pics for how to do it (love the spoon BTW).
-Josh

Originally Posted by DamonH

Yeah I have HS5085 all around (havent installed elevator servos yet). I was just asking cause he mentioned the mounting issue with the 85's being a single screw mount. Was wondering if there was a recommended servo with the dual screw mount.

The manual recommends the JR DS368 Premium Digital Servo. The mount is drilled for that servo. I'm going with the Hitec 5085, though, because that's what I had on hand.

Originally Posted by Sit-N-Fly

The manual recommends the JR DS368 Premium Digital Servo. The mount is drilled for that servo. I'm going with the Hitec 5085, though, because that's what I had on hand.

I had numerous flights on my Habu with HS82mgs all the way around EXCEPT the rudder...HS5085MG. I was at 8.25lbs on 8s but with nose door, tamjet trailing struts, brakes, TJ80....

Sold this plane RTF for 1200.00 after 100 flights with no issues. And the buyer is still flying her to this day.

I have built over 27 of these for Tamjet Customers...Ive used HS5085's, HS85mg's, JR servos, HS82mg's...it all in the setup...if you take your time all these will work.

The only small servo I used was a HS65 HB, yes not even metal geared, for the nose door. Work perfectly every time.

James
AKA...The habu master.

James
AKA...The habu master.


I thought Tam was the Master and you were the student? Has Tam elevated your Status James?

I remember the Seinfeld challenge where it was tough just being "master of your own domain",
Keep trying !

HW's Platinum PRO ESC range is made with some of the highest spec FET's and ancillary components available, their 100A ESC is rated 150A short term, IE 30 seconds, not burst, and I run the ESC at 100-110A constant while pulling on the inbuilt BEC with 7 servos.

The Platinum 150A opto is good for 220A short term, and is super tough. These ESC are used around the world by thousands of flyers, I have never had one issue with their product.