Small Scale Military Headquarters

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832485

spot on 1/18 (for A and B variants). Lines are good. Canopy is fairly dark but otherwise looks pretty good.

Here's a neat comparison of the three F-35 models:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... -specs.htm

Looks pretty cool.

Man, 4 years until this guy is ready? Wonder if they're getting the bugs out of the STOL one.

Yet BBI, 21st Century, etc. won't release an F-15, F-14, etc.---jets that have been flying for decades.

this is looking better......check out the new pics.

The new pics show a much lighter canopy. It looks far better, and the overall appearance of the plane looks fantastic. I may have to pick one of these up once they become available.

Now if someone would just build a good looking F-22 foamie in 1/18 scale. There are a few out there but their dimensions are a bit of a stretch for 1/18 scale. Close, but no cigar.

-Rob

i doubt there will be a well proportioned 1/18 scale r/c F-22. The problem is that the proportions of the real aircraft don't reduce well to make a good flying r/c model. This is not an uncommon problem with r/c planes.

If you look at the close to 1/18 r/c Raptors that are available, they all have overly large wings and vertical tail surfaces which are too small....adjustments to make the scale model handle better in flight.

Lots of r/c modern jets show various types of mis-proportioning for the same reasons. R/c SR'71's, F-117's etc will probably never be correctly proportioned.

aferguson wrote:Lots of r/c modern jets show various types of mis-proportioning for the same reasons. R/c SR'71's, F-117's etc will probably never be correctly proportioned.

I've noticed that. Kinda like the F-16 I have seen that looks like it has a set of wings from a U-2.

My guess is that the best proportioned foamies close to 1/18 scale would be the GWS A-10 and the Flying Styro A-10, simply because the full scale A-10 incorporates such large control surfaces and a low wing loading. These characteristics lend themselves well to R/C flight.

BTW aferg, how do you like your GWS Hog? I was toying around with getting one, but figured as soon as I did, 21C or bbi would announce they would be producing one. Now I feel we will be lucky to ever see any new 1/18 scale aircraft, and certainly not modern subjects.I like the Flying Styro A-10, but its a bit pricey, and I believe the GWS offering is a bit closer to 1/18 scale, no?

-Rob

The most scale r/c foamies are made by x-flight. They have a wide variety, some of which are 1/18 or pretty close. They are a bit cruder foam and require a bit more work to put together but have several jet subjects that are quite well proportioned.

http://www.x-flight.hk/e/shopentrance.asp


I haven't seen the Flying Styro A-10 in person but from all reports it's excellent, although the engine pods look too big to me. I don't think it's worth the extra cost over the GWS version, as long as you're prepared to do some extra work to fix the GWS up. The GWS version is virtually perfect 1/18. You'll need to add a GAU in the nose and wing pylons and ordnance (keep them light, the wings being foam will sag with too much weight). The Flying Styro version comes with the GAU, pylons and ordnance and is prepainted and has nice decals. So it's more ready made but you'll pay for the convenience....it's also a bit bigger, more like 1/17.

If you decide to go the GWS route try and find the slope glider version. It's exactly the same airframe but without most of the r/c gear and you can get them for around $30-$40. They come unpainted but do have stickers for markings.

I am at the point where i don't expect to ever see a 1/18 plane again (not really but that is the mind set i am going by) so anything i see in r/c that is close to 1/18 interests me. I have built up quite an air armada by now. 2xC-47's, Su-27, A-10, Do-217J, F-15, B-17, Waco glider, B-25, Beaufighter, A-7, a big honkin' Airbus 380 that i plan to convert to a 1/18 scale 737, and C-119. I also have a kit for a Lancaster that i may get around to actually building one day.

I'm eye balling a few others, including the F-35 and an x-flight Foxbat (although it's 1/20 scale).

Does the GWS A-10 glider include the engine pods? I assume it does, just minus the fans.

X-Flight does have a lot of cool stuff, I especially like their F-15, although I am unsure of its scale, and whether or not it is a C or E version. Did you get the Airbus from X-Flight? How close to 1/18 scale is it?

How do you like the A-7 and the Su-27 you have?

-Rob

Yes the GWS has the engine pods but they are hollow, so you'll need to come up with the guts for them.

If you want a really nice, exactly 1/18 F-15 then E-model is the way to go. It's a C variant and very nicely scale.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=788050

The A380 i got from X-Flight and is not even close to 1/18. I was originally going to use it as an underscale inflight refueling tanker for my F-16 but changed my mind and decided that with a bit of work it will make a very close to 1/18 Boeing 737.

My A-7 is from Flying Stryro. The fuselage is 1/20 and the wings are 1/18....it's also a 2 seat trainer. However, i display it with a pilot ejecting from it, which hides the fact that it's a 2 seater and the scale doesn't bother me. The foam is very nice and it comes pre-painted and with really nice decals. I got it off Ebay for $60 or so.

My Su-27 is from Art Tech...they're getting scarce now and pricier. I got it for about $200 shipped and sold the r/c gear for about $50. It's pretty good...the air intakes are too big but otherwise the lines are good. It's 1/19. Needs a good paint job and a scratchbuilt cockpit....quite an impressive beast.

I don't actually have any x-flight made aircraft yet (the airbus is retailed by them but they don't make it, so it doesn't count), because everything i wanted i was able to find by another manufacturer. I may well get their Tomcat as it is very scale and works out to 1/19. The Foxbat is the other one i may well get as i doubt they'll be another close to 1/18.

This is available for sale now if anyone is interested. Cheapest place i've found so far:

http://rcepower.com/index.php?main_...products_id=234

there are some pictures of the kit on the last page of the rcgroups thread:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832485

after seeing 'dogfights of the future' last night i have become more interested in getting an f-35. Did anyone buy one of these and if so, opinions?

Here's the best price i've found, for anyone thinking about getting one.

http://rc-castle.com/shop/product_info. ... cts_id=921