EFLITE F-86 ARF Build and Review

[ATIS]

EFLITE F-86 SABRE ARF BUILD AND REVIEW


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The EFlite F-86 comes very well packed in a decent sized box but dont worry, its will fit in the trunk of a Mustang so no wories getting in home, getting to the field safely might be a little more tricky!

Please note items in RED were added after examining the crash damage of my first F-86 along with new issues/tips from the second build.

Purchased From:
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Whats in the Box:

(1) F-86
(5) Push rods
(1) Fiberglass intake
(1) Mylar clear exhaust tube
(1) big bag of misc hardware


Whats not in the Box:

(1) EFlite Power 15 Inrunner (3200kv)
(1) EFlite 60 amp Pro ESC
(4) EFlite S75 servos
(1) MC35 servo
(1) 69mm Fan unit
(1) 4 or 6 channel RX (6ch if you want differential aelirons)
(1) TX
(1) 30c 4s 3200 lipo (a larger 4s 3300 turnigy will fit)
(1) Set of Deans or EC3 connectors
(2) 9 inch servo extensions
(1) Y harness (to link the rudder and steering servo's)
(1) Y harness (to link aileron servos if you dont use differential)
(1) Habu Pilot (if you want to add scale detail...he can be added later)

The Build:

Wing:

The first step is install the aileron servos. You will need to add servo extensions to both servos. I highly recommend that you use tape (I used hinge tape (see photo)) to secure the extension to the servo lead. Attach the string to the extension wires and then SLOWLY pull the wire through the wing to the opening at the wing root. This may take a little wiggling but take your time. Repeat for the other wing half. I DID NOT attach the string well on the first servo and ended up spending 30 minutes trying to get the servo extension through the wing. I resorted to the washer on string trick but had to fight to get that through as well.... be careful and take your time! I centered servos and epoxied them to the covers. This is different then the instructions but I didnt want to use the bubbled servo covers so I am taking my chances that the cover hatches will remain attached to the wings. If you do the same please remember you're taking a slight chance. The pict shows the correct servo mount.



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Next is to attach the wing halves to the fuse. The longer CF rod goes in the hole closest to the TE of the wing. Be sure to sand the fuse where the wing attaches, as epoxy doesnt stick well to smooth fiberglass. I used 12 minute epoxy but the instructions call for 15 minute. Be sure to put some epoxy on the ends of the CF rods so they will grab the inside of the wings. Use a low tack tape to hold the wings while the epoxy dries. I love the purple painters tape because it is very low tack and wont damage the plane and wont leave residue behind after being removed. You can get it at Lowes, Target or Walley World. The Blue painters tape has a little more grab and did start to pull the covering up.



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Let the wing halves dry for about 25 minutes...but no worries we can keep building.


Rudder and elevator:

This is very easy, just build the little elevator/horizontal stab jig they provide and then epoxy the two horizontal stabs halves together. I test fitted them and used low take tape to verify they fit correctly before I applied a thin coat of epoxy. Q-tips with the tip cut off work great for mixing epoxy and spreading it in thin coats...and they are cheap! Remember to add some weight to the top of the elevators while they site on the jig drying. I used 2 little bottles of testers paints. Once dry you need to slide the horizontal stab into the pocket, remember that the horizontal stab has annhiedrel so the tips need to sit higher then the center. Take all the measurements per the instructions and then carefully trace along the outer edges, remove the elevator and then cut the covering out of the center area staying back 2mm from your lines. Reinstall the horizontal stab and recheck all your measurements then use medium CA along the inside seam...going through the exhaust to gain access. Now you can attach the elevators to the horizontal stab. They use standard CA hinges but test fit them, one of mine didnt fit correctly as the slot for the hinge wasnt cut correctly.

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Now remove the rudder and the tape they used to hold it on. Locate the 3 pin hinges and you will need to cut 2 of them down. The picts in the book cover this well, however I had to cut both sides of the top and middle one to get them to fit correctly. Use epoxy to secure the hinges and make sure the one side is dry before you start the other. It takes a little work to get the rudder mounted to the vert stab but just take your time and slowly work the hinges into thier holes. I used a #11 blade to clean up the holes a little as the paint pooled a little in them.



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The fun part is locating the holes through the covering to mount the control horns, I rubbed the covering a little to try and get them to "pop" but really comes down to very close inspection and a little luck. I also did the aileron horns at this time. This is one part of the build I hated. I missed the holes on one of the ailerons so its off a little. You must remove some of the covering from under the horns or the CA wont hold! Also remember to cut down the pins a little or they will poke out the other side of the control surfaces.

Fuse:

Now the real fun begins, time to install servos and pushrods. This is straight forward but use the larger EZ connect for the elevator along with the MC35 servo. Use loctite on the push rod hold screws to prevent them from coming loose. The picture in the manual shows them using the second hole from the servo center on the rudder...DO NOT do this, use the third hole from the center of the servo and the second hole from the control surface on the rudder control horn. If you dont do this you wont get alot of throw with the rudder. Now its time to add the nose wheel. Install per the instructions and make sure you center your servo!! Connect the pushrod to the steering bar and the servo and lay the servo on the fuse bottom, trace it out and then sand along the outside of the trace line. Use 6 minute epoxy to secure the wooden servo holder to the fiberglass. Do not go easy on the epoxy as if this gives you can say good bye to your steering. I ran a line of epoxy around the outside of the "C" as well to make sure it stays put. Once dry you can secure the servo. Next install the RX and ESC as per the instructions. The farther forward the better as I had to add 1oz of lead to make CG even with my lipo all the way forward. That fan unit is a pig and it takes alot to over come her being back there.

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Intake tube is next on the list. Be sure to install the battery retention strap before you install the tube, there will be alot of little things to get hung up on under the tube so trying to feed it around it later is a pain. The smaller opening goes toward the front. Feed the tube into the rear compartment a little and then slide it forward making sure that the end lines up and the lip goes around the inner lip of the fuse. This is a nice touch and a great way of helping to seal the tube. Now drip a little thin CA over the screw holes for the fan unit and let dry. This will give the scres something to grab and strengthen the wood. Once dry, install the fan unit making sure it fits INSIDE the intake tube. Secure with 4 screws.



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Now its time to install the exhaust tube to the fan unit. I eye balled it and cut my open in the mylar tube for the wires to exit. The instructions give you a great tip on making and using a templete but it was midnight and I was too tired to care and just wanted to get it done. Once you get it cut its time to install the fan unit. Make sure you get the fan seated against the intake tube and then secure it wth 4 screws. Fold the exhaust tube in half (collapse one side down against the other side adn roll the outer edges up) and slide it into the exhaust. Once you get her around the fan housing you can trace the exhaust opening so you can remove the excess. Remove the exhaust tube, cut off the excess and reinstall. Use the supllied tape to secure it. Time to secure the belly hatch with the same tape. Also dont forget to add the 4 pieces of tape to the secure the exhaust cone to the fuse.

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TIP: I used a 18" ruler to help get the exhaust tube around the lower portion of the fan housing by sliding it up the exhaust.

MAIN LANDING GEAR AND CANOPY:

Now its time to add the main LG. Its straight forward and they secure with 2 screws per side. Remember the "spring loop" goes toward the rear. Make sure the wheels turn easily as mine were tight. I used a phillips screw driver to loose them up so they now spin easily on the axel. (I discovered this issue after examining my crashed F86 as the right wheel was locked to the axel and the other 2 were tight). I used the enitre strip of velcro for the lipo on top of the intake starting 1/4" from the LE of the battery bay. The cockpit floor is next, just cut along the lines...you are basically trimming about a 1/4" off each side and removing the front and rear flat sections. There will be alot of plastic left and you need that so you can tape it into the canopy so dont go crazy with the cutting!! Now use 6 pieces of tape to secure it to the canopy.



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Time to add what ever marking you choose! My daughter chose the sharks teeth so thats the direction I went.


Preflight:

Verify that all control surfaces move inthe correct direction and that all surfaces are flush. Double check your CG and go over the plane one last time. I set my CG to 145mm from the LE along the fuse.


Build Time:

Build time is 5-7 hours depending on your experience.

REPORT CARD:

Good:
- Covering had no wrickles
- Easy to follow instructions
- Awesome looking plane
- Larger battery area
- 3 different sets of nose art and squadron markings

Bad:
- Tight spaces to work within on some screws
- Hard to find the pre-drilled holes for the control horns
- Pilot not included
- Thin intake tube (my crash crushed mine and the weight of the battery on top of it doesnt help on hard stops)


FLIGHT REPORT:

Weather:

- 10-20 mph winds

Maiden:

Despite my better judgement I tried to maiden her in the wind. I never made it in the air. I lost control of her when I hit a big rock in the gravel parking lot and spun hard right and raced into a railroad tie...she's totaled. Ripped the right wing off (breaking both CF rods and sinking the LE root all the way to the middle of the wing cord) and crushed the nose and the inside fiberglass intake tube. Time to call the LHS tomorrow and see if they still have the other one they received on the shelf. I was going to try to take off from the grass, and now looking back I should have. I would have had more room to recover from the spin. Oh well, she sounded great and really got moving at 3/4 throttle and when I killed the throttle she did not slow down at all. She is going to be fast in the air.

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Maiden (2nd plane):

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Weather:

- Sunny
- Calm to 5 mph winds

I dont know where to begin, the plane not only looks great but man does she fly nice and the sound of the fan just adds to her aggressive looks!! This is the best sounding EDF I have ever owned or heard in person. The fans sound alone will put a smile on your face and have the crowds attention. Roll out is long, about 300 feet, with the last 200 feet being at WOT to gain speed and steering is responsive but not to touchy. Climb out is nice but not overly steep with a nice rotation that isnt jumpy or surprising when she reachs lift off speed. Once in the air your normal flying site is going to feel small. The F-86 may have the same set up as the Habu but the slick air foil and smaller package makes her faster and as such she gets small very fast. Rolls are beautiful. I added 10% differential and that keeps them axial but not drill bit style. On the suggested low rates the rolls are about 360* per second and high rates kick it up to about twice that. I used 20% Expo on low rate ailerons and 30% on highs. I didnt like the low rate setting for the elevator as it really felt like I had to pull the stick the extreme to get her to pull though the banking turns, especially at WOT. She slows down but mine felt like the controls got a little mushy at slower speeds so keep the speed up. I made the mistake of not starting my timer so I ended up with the LVC fan warning...and it wouldnt restart (I put 2920mah back into a 3200mah lipo) so I dead sticked her in. I had enough speed to make a 3/4 pass around the field and set up for the landing. She will glide in but not like the Habu. Touch down was a little fast on both my flights and resulted in a skip on each landing. The landing gear held up just fine.

Report Card:

ROG: Fairly easy, a little long but touchy on an uneven surface
Glide: Steeper then the Habu but not to steep
Rolls: Impressive and smooth
Loops: NA, had to much fun rolling and ran out of lipo
Speed: Fast, ~90mph LEVEL
Landing: A little hot but nothing crazy
Beginner EDF: No, maybe a second EDF or a first EDF for a pilot with fast wings or faster sport plane experience.



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Summary:

I go through cycles of the types of planes I fly and have or should I say, had, moved away from EDF's to wings but this plane will be with me every weekend at the field. I absolutely love the scale lines, fast speed, straight tracking and awesome sound. It required NO trimming to fly level and straight. This plane will not disappoint those that love the F-86 and want a great flying park jet but be warned, flying on a soccer field will leave you in a near constant banking turn to stay over it! EFlite has raised the bar once again with a very nice build and great attention to scale lines with a solid power system that performs as advertised. My only suggestion is to get a second lipo (and maybe move to a 35C lipo) so you dont have to wait around while the lipo charges.

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[flybye]

WOW, nice looking jet! Can't wait to see the video. Nice build as well.

[liquid1]

Sweeeeet. Yea im up in boone Nc for the weekend, and the winds are whooping up to 70mph
Wish i had a huge kite..look forward to the rest of your review this plane is a beauty..:clapping:

[Radioflyer]

Great Job on the review and build Bryan. I look forward to seeing to video:cool:

Keep your speed and fly her with confidence:cool:

Blessings on the maiden:thumbsup:

Jay

[rcdude07]

This might be a dumb question, but do the wings detach for storage and transport?

I also noticed you didn't mention anything about using silicone gel on the wing saddle. Flying nitros, we do this to help seal the gap between the saddle and wing to prevent exhaust residue from getting in the balsa. I think it'd be worth doing the same to prevent water moisture from entering.

[ATIS]

The wings do not detach. They plug into the side of the fuse so you have epoxy in the gap to hold them on.

[ATIS]

Maiden results posted, sorry no video, the camera guy hit pause before the good part.

[WJCJR1]

Bummed to hear you had a poor outting, doesn't happen often with you. I see the winds are predicted 20mph in your area, was it windy as heck when you tried to get her going?

Thanks for your effort, she does look like a great looking plane, I will eagerly await Part 2.

Wayne

[ATIS]

picts added...yep, windy as heck...10mpg with 15 mph gusts....but I wasnt worried as I waited for it to die down to take off and when the winds were blowing it was a headwind perfectly set up for landing.

[tkrahlin]

dag - that sux!

I've had my share of having to re-plane after a maiden and it can really take the starch out outta 'ya. On the bright side, each time for me has been a learning experience.

Gonna have to recruit about six of your friends and walk a FOD line ::tonguee:

[ATIS]

yep, but we pick up every rock there wont be a parking lot left! LOL

[flybye]

Sorry to see that Bryan, hope you get another one.

Was Tommy out this morning? Do you have his number?
Yours too if you could, I switched phones for work and did not write phone numbers down, and erased them.

[rcdude07]

Ouch. Bummer. But on the other hand, we've learned it's a fast bird that carries speed, so landing is going to be hot and a handful. Looks like it may be worth trying to add functional flaps.

[ATIS]

the wings are balsa so it would be some work...plus matching the covering and the added weight of servos. The ailerons are fairly big so I thought of making them flaperons.

[rcdude07]

the wings are balsa so it would be some work...plus matching the covering and the added weight of servos. The ailerons are fairly big so I thought of making them flaperons.


Yeah, I would seriously look into flaperons. At least the intake works since it picked up tons of rocks. You'll have to do a walk down for F.O.D. before each take off!!! :laughing:

[ATIS]

Actually the intake didnt pick up rocks, the nose wheel hit a rock and it turned her 90* while at 3/4 throttle and then the nose started to bounce around making it impossible to steer so I killed the throttle and tried to steer away from the railroad ties but she didnt slow down at all and went in.

[liquid1]

Yep the wind gust in NC have been crazy..Still in the Blue Ridge mtns and the winds have been 30mph and up..Maybe better luck soon..She sure looks great..:)

[ATIS]

Second build complete, I updated the review in RED with additional build info and tips to help others in the future.

[rcdude07]

:high five:

Woohoooo! Can't wait to hear about the maiden. I'm guessing just from the build report and the crash report, this may not be a good beginner EDF. Sounds like the Habu is a better choice to start with.....?

[ATIS]

The Habu is definately the better choice for a beginner EDF...she has a lower wing loading so she is more forgiving and land slower. The F-86 is going to land hot, the wings are just to small and the weight is to high for her to be a real floater plus being balsa and fiberglass the repairs are harder. I have dumped the Habu twice after hitting LVC and stalling trying to turn back into the field, no damage...plus we forgot to tie her down on the rack for the trip to SEFF and when we arrived (12 hours later) she was standing on her tail and fell out of the trailer when I opened the door...again no damage.

[tkrahlin]

The Habu is definately the better choice for a beginner EDF...she has a lower wing loading so she is more forgiving and land slower. The F-86 is going to land hot, the wings are just to small and the weight is to high for her to be a real floater plus being balsa and fiberglass the repairs are harder. I have dumped the Habu twice after hitting LVC and stalling trying to turn back into the field, no damage...plus we forgot to tie her down on the rack for the trip to SEFF and when we arrived (12 hours later) she was standing on her tail and fell out of the trailer when I opened the door...again no damage.

Thanks again Atis. Often times a great review serves to let users know when to wait on a purchase or start with something a little more forgiving.

Good Job!!

[ATIS]

review updated with flight pictures and video....hope you all enjoy her.

[Radioflyer]

Congrats on the re-maiden Bryan. You flew her very well! Is it that touchy on the steering when taking off? What suggestions would you have to someone about this plane about take off roll? She looks absolutely beautiful and you showed her off well:cool:

Blessings,

Jay

[ATIS]

The steering is only touchy do to the gravel. Its trying to steer me one way and I am trying to turn the other. A little expo on the rudder and dont over react should keep her straight. Also make sure you have the rudder and the nose wheel aligned perfectly.

[liquid1]

Great looking plane and review. The vids are great , the 86 has a mean sound..nice..:thumbsup:

[ATIS]

Thanks, I am hoping to get more video and pictures next weekend.

[flybye]

Wow, congrats on the maiden! Love this jet, getting it asap.
Do you think it could be hand launched, or better to keep the landing gear on.
Looks like you guys had a perfect day at creekside!
Well done,
Scott.

[ATIS]

Scott....NEGATIVE on the HL...its LG or bungee. She is way to heavy to HL so unless you have an Olympic Javalion (sp??) thrower you wont get enough airspeed to get on step. It took 300 plus feet to get her airbourne with the last 200 and some change being at WOT. She is definately up your alley for speed.

[ATIS]

So who is next to get one?? Scott I know your itching to get one you love speed and EDF's!!

[flybye]

Hey Bryan, yep I want one, but don't know yet as I don't have a good place to fly it.
I guess it depends if I join the flying club in town this summer.
I already have my AMA card.

[ATIS]

Scott, you might as well join the club, its more fun to fly with others.

[flybye]

Will do, no other choice if you want to fly anything bigger than micro around here.

[ATIS]

No school play grounds??

[flybye]

Not allowed to fly in parks in city, law for 4-5 years now.
I found a spot outside city limits that some guys go to fly at, but weather has only just begun to get nice so I might get out there more.

[ATIS]

Now that sucks!! Sorry to hear they locked the parks down. Have you thought of trying to start the AMA parkflyer program? You might be able to get access to a single park with the AMA's backing.

[ATIS]

My CG is at 145mm form the LE at the fuse but to improve the take off rotation and hopefully shorten the ROG I am going to move it back to 147mm and see what happens.

[ATIS]

I went to take the F-86 out to fly today and discovered that my left wing had come loose!! The epoxy gave and the wing slide off!! So no flying her today but double check all the epoxy joints and make sure you get all the paint off the fuse when attaching the wings.

[phantomphan]

I went to take the F-86 out to fly today and discovered that my left wing had come loose!! The epoxy gave and the wing slide off!! So no flying her today but double check all the epoxy joints and make sure you get all the paint off the fuse when attaching the wings.

Besides getting the paint off and scuffing the root area another thing that helps when bonding wings to fiberglass is to drill a few small holes (1/16in) in the fuse wing root. Then when you epoxy the wing on some of the resin will fill the holes and create little epoxy rivets.

Good luck with the repair.

[ATIS]

Nice tip. Going to have to try that.

[WJCJR1]

The Epoxy Rivet tip is great! Very good idea indeed.

Be certain when drilling the fiberglass you do not use excessive pressure and cause the bit to grab and pull itself through prematurely, this will instantly snap a crack into the fiberglass.

Wayne

[ATIS]

Understood...I would hate to rip the fuse up.