Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
02-09-2009, 08:30 PM
#1
Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
This will be my build thread for the Fei Bao Rafale distributed by RC Jet Models.
In this build thread I will attempt to cover the building sequence and the modifications that I made during the assembly of this great model. Before starting the build I did quite a bit of research here on RCU by others who have built and flow the FB Rafale. In my research I discovered that there might be a need for adding extra hinges to the Elevons, so that will be covered. Additionally as no manual exists from the factory I used my builder’s discretion and have made some other changes in hopes that the Factory will adapt for future production models. I also offered to help Wagner of RC Jet Models produce a manual for this model and it is currently in the works, I hope to have the first draft complete within the month.
I starting working on this model a few months ago for a couple of evenings a week and have been photo documenting my work as I proceeded. I am not a speedster when it comes to building, I like to think about things and then draw them up in CAD and full scale drawings exist for parts that I created.
Drawings will include rudder servo installation, new elevon servo mounts and servo positioning options (I’m not a fan of servo covers with blisters), canard servo brace, steering servo/battery tray, ECU Mounting tray, receiver mounting tray, fuel tank trays and air tank mounting trays, balancing fixture and equipment tray layout with graphic overlays.
I realize that every builder has there own unique way of installing the equipment into their model, and I have gleaned allot of information reading the various RCU threads.
There are many thoughts and methods shared on these threads that are absolutely fantastic and I usually end up saying to myself why didn’t I think of that!
I’ll start off with photos of the completed model and then start posting my build sequence, once again this will be the "Fei Bao Rafale Build Thread"
In this build thread I will attempt to cover the building sequence and the modifications that I made during the assembly of this great model. Before starting the build I did quite a bit of research here on RCU by others who have built and flow the FB Rafale. In my research I discovered that there might be a need for adding extra hinges to the Elevons, so that will be covered. Additionally as no manual exists from the factory I used my builder’s discretion and have made some other changes in hopes that the Factory will adapt for future production models. I also offered to help Wagner of RC Jet Models produce a manual for this model and it is currently in the works, I hope to have the first draft complete within the month.
I starting working on this model a few months ago for a couple of evenings a week and have been photo documenting my work as I proceeded. I am not a speedster when it comes to building, I like to think about things and then draw them up in CAD and full scale drawings exist for parts that I created.
Drawings will include rudder servo installation, new elevon servo mounts and servo positioning options (I’m not a fan of servo covers with blisters), canard servo brace, steering servo/battery tray, ECU Mounting tray, receiver mounting tray, fuel tank trays and air tank mounting trays, balancing fixture and equipment tray layout with graphic overlays.
I realize that every builder has there own unique way of installing the equipment into their model, and I have gleaned allot of information reading the various RCU threads.
There are many thoughts and methods shared on these threads that are absolutely fantastic and I usually end up saying to myself why didn’t I think of that!
I’ll start off with photos of the completed model and then start posting my build sequence, once again this will be the "Fei Bao Rafale Build Thread"
02-09-2009, 08:55 PM
#6
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
I still have a few things to get done, like finish the pneumatic installation which includes the gear doors which were missing.
Wagner has a new set en-route to me from China and they are due this week.This was an ARF kit, future buyers will have the option to have the gear doors factory installed which is well worth the few extra dollars!
The goal is to have this done in time for FL Jets where it will be on display in Wagners tent.
I also want to make a fun scale cockpit; however I think this will have to wait until after FL Jets.
Wagner has a new set en-route to me from China and they are due this week.This was an ARF kit, future buyers will have the option to have the gear doors factory installed which is well worth the few extra dollars!
The goal is to have this done in time for FL Jets where it will be on display in Wagners tent.
I also want to make a fun scale cockpit; however I think this will have to wait until after FL Jets.
02-09-2009, 09:06 PM
#7
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
What is the opinion on painting the interior?
Is it worth the weight penalty?
This Bad boy weighs a tad over 26 Lbs at the moment Dry (with ordinance), and I need to install the gear doors and cylinders, I estimate it will about 30 lbs wet.
I don't plan on flying with the drop tanks, and lower missiles, I may leave on the tip missiles.
Is it worth the weight penalty?
This Bad boy weighs a tad over 26 Lbs at the moment Dry (with ordinance), and I need to install the gear doors and cylinders, I estimate it will about 30 lbs wet.
I don't plan on flying with the drop tanks, and lower missiles, I may leave on the tip missiles.
02-09-2009, 09:38 PM
#8
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RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
ORIGINAL: RCISFUN
What is the opinion on painting the interior?
Is it worth the weight penalty?
This Bad boy weighs a tad over 26 Lbs at the moment Dry (with ordinance), and I need to install the gear doors and cylinders, I estimate it will about 30 lbs wet.
I don't plan on flying with the drop tanks, and lower missiles, I may leave on the tip missiles.
What is the opinion on painting the interior?
Is it worth the weight penalty?
This Bad boy weighs a tad over 26 Lbs at the moment Dry (with ordinance), and I need to install the gear doors and cylinders, I estimate it will about 30 lbs wet.
I don't plan on flying with the drop tanks, and lower missiles, I may leave on the tip missiles.
02-09-2009, 10:00 PM
#9
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
Rudder servo installation:
I used a Hi-Tec 5245 MG servo; I started by locating the cutout on the bottom of the fin, and then made hardwood rails that would fit into the fin. I wanted a way to locate the hardwood rails so I decided to mock up a servo to use as locating jig.
I used a Hi-Tec 5245 MG servo; I started by locating the cutout on the bottom of the fin, and then made hardwood rails that would fit into the fin. I wanted a way to locate the hardwood rails so I decided to mock up a servo to use as locating jig.
02-09-2009, 10:54 PM
#12
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
ORIGINAL: RCISFUN
What is the opinion on painting the interior? Is it worth the weight penalty?
<snip>
I don't plan on flying with the drop tanks, and lower missiles, I may leave on the tip missiles.
What is the opinion on painting the interior? Is it worth the weight penalty?
<snip>
I don't plan on flying with the drop tanks, and lower missiles, I may leave on the tip missiles.
Looking good...keep it coming.
As for painting the interior, it sure does look good but I think that it's not worth the weight penalty. It's also a hassle.
I'm surprised that you don't want to fly with the drop tanks. They do an excellent job of protecting the wingtips; the fuselage mounted gear is great for ease of transport but the narrow stance makes the plane more likely to wingwalk. Some adhesive-backed charcoal-colored anti-skid pads from Home Depot can be prepainted to match and applied to the underside of the tanks. The stuff really holds up and can be pealed off and replaced if need be. In the event of a gear failure, it's alot easier to fix/paint a tank than the underside of the fuselage. Just a thought.
02-10-2009, 06:33 AM
#15
My Feedback: (3)
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
Rich,
this thread is a great idea. I have built my first FeiBao Rafale (sport version) and had lot of issues to solve along the way, but i have another Rafale (camo version) for which i would gladely follow your steps to build.
The sport version was also fitted with smoke system.... Awesome!!
Keep up the good work
this thread is a great idea. I have built my first FeiBao Rafale (sport version) and had lot of issues to solve along the way, but i have another Rafale (camo version) for which i would gladely follow your steps to build.
The sport version was also fitted with smoke system.... Awesome!!
Keep up the good work
02-10-2009, 07:01 AM
#16
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
Rich,
Looking good! I like all the "info" printed on your equipment tray. It also tells me you're getting older (like me) and have trouble remembering stuff
Looking forward to more reports.
Craig
PS: What's behind the purple curtain? I'm guessing it's the dining room table.
Looking good! I like all the "info" printed on your equipment tray. It also tells me you're getting older (like me) and have trouble remembering stuff
Looking forward to more reports.
Craig
PS: What's behind the purple curtain? I'm guessing it's the dining room table.
02-10-2009, 07:07 AM
#17
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
PS: What's behind the purple curtain? I'm guessing it's the dining room table.
Craig your close, it's a couch
I like all the "info" printed on your equipment tray. It also tells me you're getting older (like me) and have trouble remembering stuff
02-10-2009, 10:08 PM
#20
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
Elevons:
The following are photos of the stock servo location; the stock positions are located far back towards the trailing edge where the cord is narrow. This makes fitting a standard size servo impossible with the provided flat servo hatch cover as I wanted to use a HS 5955TG, during my search of other threads I did find a photo of a raised hatch that would allow the standard sized servo (Photo 5), you can see in photo 4 the back of the servo stick up beyond the top skin.
The following are photos of the stock servo location; the stock positions are located far back towards the trailing edge where the cord is narrow. This makes fitting a standard size servo impossible with the provided flat servo hatch cover as I wanted to use a HS 5955TG, during my search of other threads I did find a photo of a raised hatch that would allow the standard sized servo (Photo 5), you can see in photo 4 the back of the servo stick up beyond the top skin.
02-10-2009, 10:25 PM
#21
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
Elevon Servo hatch modifications
The following photos show the modifications that I made to allow for a standard servo and use the stock flat servo hatch cover; I drew up new formers in AutoCAD and made some trial fittings.
I decided to cut out the skins with the hatch openings and flip them 180 degrees in the wing panel. The new position allowed for a standard servo to sit within the confines of the wing cord. I used a razor saw to cut the panels out, after re-gluing the panels a fine panel line remained which I will paint in with a darker color to accent the line.
The following photos show the modifications that I made to allow for a standard servo and use the stock flat servo hatch cover; I drew up new formers in AutoCAD and made some trial fittings.
I decided to cut out the skins with the hatch openings and flip them 180 degrees in the wing panel. The new position allowed for a standard servo to sit within the confines of the wing cord. I used a razor saw to cut the panels out, after re-gluing the panels a fine panel line remained which I will paint in with a darker color to accent the line.
02-11-2009, 07:03 AM
#22
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
Elevon hinges:
As supplied by the factory each Elevon has three hinges, this has been reported as insufficient by others and it is recommended to add two more hinge points to each surface.
The Elevon itself is a hollow structure in the locations that require the additional hinge points, to remedy this situation I cut out two hard balsa formers for each location and epoxied into place. The reason for two parts was to be able to fit the part in the smallest hole possible for the hinge point, I applied epoxy liberally to each part and then slid down into the hole. After the epoxy was cured I then Dremeled the u shaped pockets and drilled the holes for the hing points.
The TE of the wing also did not have any area for the hing points to mate into, in the areas where I opened up the wing I was able to epoxy in some hard balsa blocks, in the other area in which is inaccessible a hard wood dowel can be used by drilling a clearance hole and epoxying into place making sure to use a liberal amount of epoxy to make a bond with the upper and lower wing skins.
The control horn location was marked on the surface and then cut with a Dremel cutoff wheel making sure that the leading edge material of the control surface was not cut into.
When mating the surface to the wing I used a drop of oil on the hing pin so any stray epoxy would not create a drag on the hinge operation.
As supplied by the factory each Elevon has three hinges, this has been reported as insufficient by others and it is recommended to add two more hinge points to each surface.
The Elevon itself is a hollow structure in the locations that require the additional hinge points, to remedy this situation I cut out two hard balsa formers for each location and epoxied into place. The reason for two parts was to be able to fit the part in the smallest hole possible for the hinge point, I applied epoxy liberally to each part and then slid down into the hole. After the epoxy was cured I then Dremeled the u shaped pockets and drilled the holes for the hing points.
The TE of the wing also did not have any area for the hing points to mate into, in the areas where I opened up the wing I was able to epoxy in some hard balsa blocks, in the other area in which is inaccessible a hard wood dowel can be used by drilling a clearance hole and epoxying into place making sure to use a liberal amount of epoxy to make a bond with the upper and lower wing skins.
The control horn location was marked on the surface and then cut with a Dremel cutoff wheel making sure that the leading edge material of the control surface was not cut into.
When mating the surface to the wing I used a drop of oil on the hing pin so any stray epoxy would not create a drag on the hinge operation.
02-11-2009, 10:09 AM
#24
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
Thanks Extra 300,
The hardest part of making this thread is trying to decide which photos to post...I must have taken close to 500 or so during the build
Maybe I just figured out why it takes me so long to complete a build
The hardest part of making this thread is trying to decide which photos to post...I must have taken close to 500 or so during the build
Maybe I just figured out why it takes me so long to complete a build
02-12-2009, 07:20 AM
#25
RE: Fei Bao / RC Jet Models Rafale Build Thread by RCISFUN
The next segment I would like to cover is the nose steering, the FB Rafale utilizes the traditional Pull-Pull cable system in which I am not a fan. I like to mount the servo directly to the retract strut like many other ARF offerings. However upon examination it looked like it was going to be a major undertaking, I don't believe there would have been enough room for the servo to swing up without hitting the cockpit tub floor. The stock servo position looks like it was intended for the front tray, this also looked like it was going to be troublesome as the cables would need to do a 180 degree turn to get to the servo. I did try this stock location however my fears were correct, it took a huge amount of torque to turn the nose strut with the cables routed in that manner, partly due to the stiff centering spring.
Preliminary checks of the CG indicated that I was going to need quite a bit of nose weight to balance the model, the nose cone section of the Rafale is bolted on so I had made an early decision that I would fabricate a battery tray to fit the nose cone and mount the batteries as far forward as possible. When it was discovered that the steering wasn't what I wanted I decided to design a combination battery tray and steering servo mount. With this method the steering cables make a straight run to the steering servo, the geometry is such that it take little effort to turn the nose strut other than overcoming the centering spring. Traditionally on a pull-pull system you must be concerned with cables getting tangled on the tiller arm, I was reading one of Maj. Woody's build threads and saw an ingenious way to overcome that issue, he used Du-Bro Heavy Duty E/Z connectors Cat No. 489 and rounded the one end so the cable could not get caught on an edge. The cable routing was accomplished by using the center sections of Nyrods as my cable guides. So on to the photos...
Preliminary checks of the CG indicated that I was going to need quite a bit of nose weight to balance the model, the nose cone section of the Rafale is bolted on so I had made an early decision that I would fabricate a battery tray to fit the nose cone and mount the batteries as far forward as possible. When it was discovered that the steering wasn't what I wanted I decided to design a combination battery tray and steering servo mount. With this method the steering cables make a straight run to the steering servo, the geometry is such that it take little effort to turn the nose strut other than overcoming the centering spring. Traditionally on a pull-pull system you must be concerned with cables getting tangled on the tiller arm, I was reading one of Maj. Woody's build threads and saw an ingenious way to overcome that issue, he used Du-Bro Heavy Duty E/Z connectors Cat No. 489 and rounded the one end so the cable could not get caught on an edge. The cable routing was accomplished by using the center sections of Nyrods as my cable guides. So on to the photos...