F6F Hellcat - Ryan Aircraft kit
This model was constructed from Jim Ryan's kit available
from his company Ryan Aircraft.
Jim sells his kits direct with
hand-cut
foam cores and excellent balsa selection. These are real builder's kits and not a beginner project.
Originally, I built this with a Speed 400 direct drive motor and Nicad batteries. It was hard to fly as it was pretty heavy and there was not a lot of
thrust. It resulted in a crash which damaged the model (mostly busting the motor mount and cracking the fuselage). It was so attractive that
I fixed it and displayed it on a shelf in my study.
I had a couple of nice Rimfire motors on the workbench, and I got to thinking about flying the Hellcat again
Right now, it has the following equipment:
Motor: Rimfire 28-30-950 kv
Prop: 9 x 6 electric
ESC: Castle Creations Phoenix 25
Battery: Thunderpower Prolite 1320 mAh 3 cell pack
Receiver: Spektrum AR6100e
Servos: Hitec HS-55 for the elevator and an HS-65MG for the ailerons
The airframe without any electronics or motor installed is 7.8 oz. Weight with equipment is 12.125 oz.
All up weight with a 3 cell lipo battery is 15.25. That is 3 oz. lighter than the old Speed 400/NiCad system.
Foam cores have been skinned here with 1/32" balsa and tips carved and sanded
The cowl is just a big black of balsa with the hole bored in it. You shape it and apply 1/32" plywood facing.
It is not as hard as it looks. Just take your time. Much sturdier than plastic would have been.
This is a Williams Brothers pilot. I added 1/2" of balsa to the bottom of the figure and sanded it to blend.
Otherwise, the bust would have been too short.
Finished Model
The model is covered with Oracover - the old kind. I miss it. The new stuff sags
almost as soon as it is applied.
The markings are cut from Monocote Trim Sheet material.
The markings replicate an F6F-5 on the
USS Ticonderoga in 1945.
GIF file used to print motor.
Original R/C and Motor setup
Spektrum and Brushless Setup
foam cores and excellent balsa selection. These are real builder's kits and not a beginner project.
Originally, I built this with a Speed 400 direct drive motor and Nicad batteries. It was hard to fly as it was pretty heavy and there was not a lot of
thrust. It resulted in a crash which damaged the model (mostly busting the motor mount and cracking the fuselage). It was so attractive that
I fixed it and displayed it on a shelf in my study.
I had a couple of nice Rimfire motors on the workbench, and I got to thinking about flying the Hellcat again
Right now, it has the following equipment:
Motor: Rimfire 28-30-950 kv
Prop: 9 x 6 electric
ESC: Castle Creations Phoenix 25
Battery: Thunderpower Prolite 1320 mAh 3 cell pack
Receiver: Spektrum AR6100e
Servos: Hitec HS-55 for the elevator and an HS-65MG for the ailerons
The airframe without any electronics or motor installed is 7.8 oz. Weight with equipment is 12.125 oz.
All up weight with a 3 cell lipo battery is 15.25. That is 3 oz. lighter than the old Speed 400/NiCad system.
Construction Photos
Foam cores have been skinned here with 1/32" balsa and tips carved and sanded
The cowl is just a big black of balsa with the hole bored in it. You shape it and apply 1/32" plywood facing.
It is not as hard as it looks. Just take your time. Much sturdier than plastic would have been.
This is a Williams Brothers pilot. I added 1/2" of balsa to the bottom of the figure and sanded it to blend.
Otherwise, the bust would have been too short.
Finished Model
The model is covered with Oracover - the old kind. I miss it. The new stuff sags
almost as soon as it is applied.
The markings are cut from Monocote Trim Sheet material.
The markings replicate an F6F-5 on the
USS Ticonderoga in 1945.
GIF file used to print motor.
Original R/C and Motor setup
Spektrum and Brushless Setup