Habu 2 or Tomahawk Viper Jet edf

[flyeruk]

I know there are dedicated threads to the Habu 2 but i am looking for a answer to a question. I can only fly hand launch jets at my flying field and was wondering if the Habu 2 is suitable for hand launching? I have recently purchased a second hand Habu,the original one and can hand launch it.Im also looking at the Tomahawk Viper Jet.iI know the Viper can easily be hand launched,it has a wingspan of 1040mm,length 970mm and weighs 980g The Habu 2 has a wingspan of 920mm,length 1100mm and weighs 1470g.I dont really want to go down the bungee route if possable.

Has anybody have any experience of both of these jets and can give me some help in deciding?

One other point is,i fly alone alot and need to be able to launch myself.

[Bill_B]

No experience yet, but the cheapest I've found the foamie Viper Jet (kit only) is at Staufenbiel Modell in Germany and they ship to the UK post free too. Best of all you'll save about £40 over UK prices. Couple it up with a ChangeSun 10 blade 70mm EDF and 3000Kv motor off ebay and you've got a great combo which will give a thrust to weight ratio of over 1:1. The 10 (or 12) blade units sound far more a turbine than existing 3,4 or 5 blade units ever could. Check them out on You Tube and prepare to be impressed. Coincidentaly I've recently ordered a Viper Jet and 10 blade EDF unit so I should be able to give some feed back in a couple of weeks, weather permitting of course!

[flyeruk]

Thanks for the reply Bill. I have got a Dynam Meteor at the moment. Flying it stock on 3700 5s. Certainly goes.Im still looking at the Tomahawk viper jet. I will have a look at that site and could be pressing the buy button. I do have the fan,motor and esc from a Habu. Was wondering if that would go in the Vipet jet.

Having said that,what batteries would you be using on the change sun set up?I could be very tempted by that power system. Please let me know how yours goes.

[Bill_B]

The Viper requires a 69mm fan although a 70mm is close enough, but I'm not exactly sure what size the Habu unit is. Also, I'm planning to use some 3300 mAh 4s batteries that I already have with the CS fan to enable a decent current draw and flight time. The ESC will be a 100A unit from HobbyKing as the CS fan draws nearly 80A on 4s with the supplied 3000Kv motor.

[Bill_B]

Just a quick update; I ordered the Viper Jet on Monday this week from Staufenbiel, and it arrived at midday today. Excellent service! Now awaiting the fan unit from HongKong.

[flyeruk]

Thats what you call service. I will be ordering mine next monday. Whats the kit quality like?

[Bill_B]

Firstly, the kit came very well boxed with ''Vorsicht, glas'' (caution, glass) stickers on the outer packaging. As a consequence my delivery came totally undamaged, which is a pleasant change from what I usually receive from ParcelFarce et al. The kit quality easily matches that of Multiplex, the parts fit is extremely accurate and the airframe is larger than I thought. I'll post a photo later to shaow it's size compared to a Funjet. The intake ducts and jet pipe are super smooth so no need for mods, the canopy has a slight grey tint to it and the laser cut plywood parts literally drop out of their carrier. The hardware pack contains Multiplex horns (as used on the Funjet etc.), and the instruction manual is in German, but If you go on Al's Hobbies web site the English version can be viewed or downloaded as required.

I initially thought that the Viper jet was a bit expensive for a foamie, but if the size and quality are taken into account it's good value, especially if bought direct from Staufenbiel. BTW, it can be bought as an airframe only (my option), complete with a Wemotec fan, or even in black foam which is an option not available in the UK.

Edited By Bill_B on 30/01/2013 14:26:37

[Bill_B]

Tomahawk Viper Jet compared to Multiplex's  Funjet. The Viper is just hand assembled for this photo, such is the excellent fit of parts. 

Edited By Bill_B on 30/01/2013 14:59:10

[flyeruk]

I have found out that the motor,fan,esc and servos from the Habu,drop straight into the Viper Jet.The spec on Als hobbies for the Viper,recommend those exact items.As i have all of these sitting in the cupboard doing nothing,i will put them in the Viper for the time being. Will be ordering on monday.

[Bill_B]

That's a stroke of good fortune that the Habu unit is suitable. I'm still waiting delivery of the CS 10 blade unit before I can assemble any more of the model so progress is temporarily halted. BTW, don't forget that you'll need a servo reverser for one of the elevator servos, unless you already have opposite handed ones like the HK Stinger has.

For once I assembled the model exactly as per instructions (I normaly do my own thing) and I'm glad I did because one of the sprue offcuts is used for the rear of the canopy to aid retention. Left to my own devices I'd have already binned any offcuts of wood and foam and been up the proverbial creek etc. Note to self: Always follow the instructions, step by step!

[flyeruk]

Just a quick update. Just pushed the buy button for the Viper Jet

[flyeruk]

The Viper is on its way. I decided to order the Viper jet with the Dymond EDF69 with Himax 2818-3540 inrunner motor. If you purchase the edf with the airframe,instead of 49euros its only 10 euros.I dont know exactly what this combo is like,but for the price,couldnt turn it down.

Bill,can i ask you,what glue are you using for assembly?

[Bill_B]

I'm using Multiplex's Zacki and an accelerator as this adhesive has been specifically developed for Elapor which is essentially the same as EPO, Arcel, Solipor et al. It really is an excellent, if a tad dear, glue for these foams. If you didn't already know, foam safe Cyano is NOT suitable for EPO type foams as doesn't give such a strong bond.

I'm still waiting delivery of my fan unit so meantime I've painted the seats and coamings with artists acrylic paint as this really adheres well to EPO, and attached the instrument panels.. A jet pilot bust is in transit and I'll be painting the canopy frame later today. I don't think I'll be using all of the supplied decals, but will make up my own colour scheme from some self adhesive vinyl I have in the scrap box.

[Bill_B]

I've now painted the canopy frame and simply used matt white primer from my local motor factors to obtain a finish that now matches the foam. I think gloss white would be too much of a difference as the finish of the foam is more of a semi matt white. Once the pilot is installed I'll simply attach the canopy with UHU Por.

Edited By Bill_B on 05/02/2013 12:56:29

[flyeruk]

My Viper Jet arrived today. Ordered sunday night,on my door step at 11.45 am,and free postage.Just dry fitted tonight to see what it looks like. I really like this one.As Bill said,very good quality and all the parts are a very precise fit. I have also ordered some Zacki to put it together.

I am thinking of tinting the canopy right down,was wondering if the tint spray used on car tail lights would work as i have half a tin of it. Wouldnt also mind blacking the canopy right out,have to give it some thought.I think i am really going to enjoy this Jet.

 

 

Edited By flyeruk on 06/02/2013 20:02:33

[Bill_B]

Car light tinting paint works a treat as I've already used it on a previous model, but it took quite a bit of paint to build up to the required shade. At the risk of teaching you to suck eggs etc, paint it on the inside of the canopy for best results.

My pilot is now fitted and hopefully this morning I'll be able to retrieve the EDF unit from the postal depot. I missed the postman by 10 mins on Saturday, how annoying! I still haven't decided on a colour scheme, but there's plenty of inspiration out there on the Internet and it'll anyway take me quite a while to finish off the build as I'm now back at work for another stint of hideous shifts. Roll on retirement!

[flyeruk]

I have made the decision to do my own paint scheme. Well.not quite my own,its the HK Viper Jet yellow design.I have purchased some Multiplex multiprimer,Elapor paint and some Elapor clear silk finish.Hopefully,i will get started this weekend.

.

[Bill_B]

Good luck with the project, I'm interested to see how you get on with MPX's paint as I've yet to try it. The 10 blade EDF unit finally arrived and I've done a low power bench test. All that can be heard is the sound of high velocity air, not a hint of motor noise or other unsavoury sounds usually associated with EDFs. I'm now eager to install the unit into the airframe and try it again as the ducting and foam will undoubtedly change the sound somewhat.

[flyeruk]

Having a bit of a dilema regarding the colour scheme. I have now got all the materials to do the paint job,but doubting my painting abilities.I dont want to start painting and finding it not working out. I do like the decals supplied with the model so might just go with them. Decisions,decisions.

I have made the decision to go with the Habu motor/fan combo. I think i will keep the Dymond combo purchased with the Viper as a spare.All the servos are now installed and the motor will be in tomorrow as i have taken the day off work. Im going to fly it as light as possable on 4s them,depending how it goes,may swap out the esc for an 80a and try her on 5s.

I will post some pictures when i have made the final decision of the paint/decal situation.

[flyeruk]

The motor is now installed,wing on,and just need to set up throws etc. I had to trim the ply plates where the fan sits as it was just a little to big to just drop the Eflite fan in.I have not yet run the fan in the airframe yet,will now have to wait till the weekend.I have installed an AR 7000 Spektrum receiver and satellite and have put the 2 elevator and aileron servos on seperate channels. Saved having to use a reverser on the elevators.

I have decided to go with the standard decals for the time being,maybe have a go at spraying at a later date.

[flyeruk]

Just looking for a bit of advice regarding fitting decals. As you can see from the picture,the decals cover the wing,over the ailerons. What is the best way to apply them? Do i cut them or apply uncut?

Edited By flyeruk on 13/02/2013 20:47:52

[Bill_B]

They should be already pre cut and the best way to apply them is to set the control surfaces to neutral and then lay the decal in place. Once smoothed down and in place, simply cut the decal along the centre of the hinge line with a straight edge and fresh scalpel blade, and then smooth down into the wing/aileron or tail/elevator hinge line. It's easier to do than try to explain!

Here's a tip for you: If you use a covering iron with a cotton sock on a low temp. (#1 on the rotary scale), the decals can be gently "ironed" on and should never peel at the edges again.

Edited By Bill_B on 14/02/2013 14:02:26

[flyeruk]

Thanks for that Bill,i will give it a go at the weekend. Hows yours coming along?

[Bill_B]

Mines complete now apart from applying some sort of colour scheme. The AUW so far is 1200g with a 3300mAh 4s battery installed. I might use a combination of the decals supplied and Fablon, or I have even considered spray painting it with Multiplex's Elapor paints, not the cheapest of options!

One other point, I had to omit the front ring on the Change Sun fan unit as it stopped the wing from seating correctly on the fuselage. I guess this is because the Viperjet is designed for the slightly smaller 69mm unit.  A paltry 1mm seems to make a big difference in this case.

Edited By Bill_B on 14/02/2013 21:49:21

[flyeruk]

Have done some more work on her today. installed the receiver and esc,every thing is looking good. One small problem is that one of the grub screws from the the barrel on the control horn has gone missing. Hopefully its of a type and size my LMS will have,fingers crossed.Apart from that,just need to do some final checking and tinkering and she should be ready to maiden. Having said that,i think i will give it a few weeks until the ground dries out a bit more. I was flying my other EDFs on saturday and it just makes the airframe a bit grubby sliding along through the mush.

Another item i am considering is the lighting set for the Viper from Wemotec. Think it would finish her off nicely.