F-18C BLUE ANGELS by Jet Legend

[S.W.]

Hi all,

Just want to share a recently completed turbine jet build thread for a close friend of mine Dwayne (aka FONZ). This project started sometime back in December 2007 and completed around april 2008 and the jet had maiden beautifully on 10th May 2008 in Singapore. Yes it took me about 5 months because this jet's blue colour was too dark from the manufacturer, i had to mix new paint to make it look brighter, i was also doing other projects at the same time so hence the slow build. Well i'm not a fast builder anyway haha.

Maiden flight video at below :

http://www.rcuvideos.com/item/M29HLPS16BWQ142Q

That's Dwayne the FONZ with his super-DARK blue angels from Jet Legend, hated this colour...really wrong blue colour Haizzz!

Oh yah, this bird is powered by the JetCat Titan SE which produces 15.4 kg of thrust.

[S.W.]

After getting the new blue paint mixed and colour-matched, it's time to start painting the jet, first with yellow colour, then masked, then blue colour sprayed later. But before all this, i usually install the aileron and flap servos so after painting it looks moe natural. Fibre horns were used throughout...I use Aeropoxy 2-part glue for all surface adhesions. They are called Hysol 9462 by " LOCTITE" company.

[S.W.]

After installing all the aileron and flap servos, it's time to start masking up all the parts of the jet...

[S.W.]

Sprayed the yellow colour first....

[S.W.]

After the yellow had dried overnight, time to mask those yellow areas which must not be sprayed with blue colour...

After finished spraying the brighter blue colour, it was let to dry overnight and masking tape removed, it will then reveal the nice yellow inside...

To be continued...

[fuzzlee]

Hi S.W.!!
I followed this build thread on your homepage and love your work!!! I wish someday I get the chance to build a model turbine powered jet!! And hopefully it's mine!!! He he... By the way, is this F-18C still in production?? Coz the one by skymaster are no longer available...

Fuzz

[beatboxx]

wow s.w., i'm impressed. awesome job with the plane dude!

[S.W.]

Thanks fellas!

Fuzlee, Jet Legend still sells this hornet on their website. I think the cheapest with good hardware and landing gears and retracts. Skymaster is concentrating on their F-18F Super- Hornet, new manufacturing process called the ARF-Plus series, using their so-called kevlar live-hinge and lighter but stronger airframe. Rivets and panel lines everywhere, very nice!

Created 2 antaena fins for the top of the jet out of some birch ply, airbrushed it yellow, dremel some small incisions on the top and glue it with 30-minutes epoxy, let the epoxy dry and then touch it up again with airbrush to cover up the epoxy glue marks.

Last pic shows the rudder beacon lights being airbrushed red, notice the rubbery stuff around it? it's wet masking film, very good stuff, brush it on, dries in a minute and peels off easily leaving the red color on the beacon, just like facial mask like that haha!

All stuffs you see here are still not sprayed with clearcoat, hence the matt finish you see on the surface.

[S.W.]

Leading Edge Extension (LEX) strakes, two carbon rods epoxied inside the strake, then epoxied into the holes pre-drilled into position.

[S.W.]

When we got the jet, the only way to open the front canopy is thru a long wire to the back engine cover, quite rediculous really.

When you start a turbine jet, you would always want to start it with the back engine cover and front canopy cover off, so in case of any emergencies you can get to whatever that's inside the jet to shut it off or adjust something. but with the back engine cover covered, you would have to open it and pull another stupid wire just to open the front canopy. So i decided to make a new L-lever to open the front hatch independently, without having to go thru the stupid #$@! back hatch.