PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to add batteries, the price shown above is for a PAIR of batteries- yes, TWO batteries, not one.
Well, here I was with the calculator figuring out the relative sizes of all the Grumman planes we have now. I was hoping that this one was close to the same relative scale, like all the others- the LX F4F, the FMS F6F, and the Flightline F8F are all very close to the same scale- but this baby had to be different. To be the same relative scale as the Flightline F8F, this F7F would have to have a 1733mm wingspan. I don't think that would have fit in the box. Let's call this 1600mm version of the Tigercat BIG ENOUGH.
As far as fitting in your car, you'll probably have to take the wings off, unless you have a large SUV. The Flightline P-38 (also 1600mm wingspan) fits into the back of my RAV 4 nicely without any disassembly, but the fuselage on the F7F is too long to fit sideways, like the P-38 does. That said, I'd say it's worth the extra hassle to put the wings on each time you go somewhere to fly, since it's MAGNIFICENT. If you've never seen one of these babies in flight, I recommend this video on Yootoob to get you in the mood to buy the model. (If Stewart Dawson is reading this, can I trade jobs with you for a day? I'll give the plane back as soon as I clean up the inside… Check out the two fly-bys at about 5 minutes. WOW!!!)
This plane definitely fits onto my "I LOVE THIS PLANE" list, which is growing. We beefed the Flightline F7F up with our Killer Planes Carbon Fiber reinforcement, which is available for the F7F in SUPERMAX version only- it's the only version I recommend for these gorgeous planes. I want to keep mine in one gorgeous piece, so we reinforced it from nose to tail, and wingtip to wingtip. The wings and especially the horizontal tail in our version are FAR stronger than the factory version, as usual. We drill 3 rods right from the tip of each wing to the root, along with extra rods in the center part of the entire wing, and numerous rods back from the tip of each motor cowl. The huge tail on this plane got an additional 5mm tube going from side to side- about triple what we normally do. In the fuselage, we ran 4 rods back right from the very tip of the nose. If you have any "experience" with our reinforcement kits, you'll know what this does for you- it absolutely minimizes damages from nose in crashes, to the extent that you may only end up with some foam rash in the low and slow crashes that you may have seen breaking the noses right off planes like this. Not this one!
With our SUPERMAX kit installed, the plane weighs in at 10.4 pounds (about a pound heavier than the factory version) and the wide, thick airfoils generate that much lift at about 20 MPH, so this fat cat simply jumps into the air with no control inputs just a short way down the runway. It is a sight to behold, especially after you've carried the plane out to the field and you know how heavy it is. It's truly impressive to watch her go through the paces, performing aerobatics with ease, and staying well inside the "handleable" envelope even when doing severe yanking and banking, like combat style aerobatics. Landing is just as easy. It never ceases to amaze me when I get my hands on a plane this well designed, and I can do one smooth greased landing after another DEADSTICK- that's right, I drop my throttle to zero on approach and just glide in to a kiss-down landing every time.
You can hear both me and The Lovely Denise howling with joy while I sling this muscleplane around- it is a LOT of fun to fly!
For you detail lovers, the entire plane is really good looking from close up- it's like a gigantic scale display model that actually flies! The gear, with sequenced doors, is strong and flexible, the props and hubs are truly scale, and you even get the deafening guns that mount right outside the canopy with their muzzles in line with the pilot's head. (If you've ever stood next to the muzzle of a gun being fired, you'll have an idea of what it must have been like for the pilot to pull the trigger on those monsters. I wonder if any of them left the Navy with any hearing?) Anyway, this Flightline Model was licensed to MotionRC by Northrop-Grumman, the only foamie F7F to have that distinction. Pick one up today with our SUPERMAX reinforcement, and you'll be able to pull it out at a show in 40 years and listen to everybody say "Wow- you must have never flown that to still have it in that condition!"
The FlightLineRC F7F-3 Tigercat comes with quality electronics pre-installed, and every servo in the plane is a Digital Metal Gear servo. And you can actually see the running lights in the daytime. Wingtip navigation lights remain on, and the landing light only comes on when you lower the gear, just like the real thing. This big brawny baby is powered by a pair of 3748-600kv brushless motors with 3-blade 12x7 counter-rotating props and two 60A ESCs. The Tigercat uses the same propeller blades as the FlightLineRC P-38, Sea Fury, F8F-1 Bearcat, and Spitfire Mk. IX, so you can build up a hangar of great planes and only need a few extra prop blades to keep you going.
FEATURES:
INCLUDES:
REQUIRES:
Wingspan: 1600mm
Length: 1400mm
Flying Weight: 4100g with (2) 3300mAh 4s 35c batteries, 4660g with SUPERMAX Crashproofing installed
CG: 65-73mm from leading edge of wingroot
Power System: 3748-600Kv Brushless Outrunner Motor
ESC: (2) 60A Brushless ESCs (with Deans plugs)
Propellers: 12x7 3 Blade Propellers, counter-rotating
Landing Gear: Servoless retracts with metal trunions
Battery: Two 4s 3000mAh to 3600mAh batteries (not included)
Tx/Rx: 6 Channel Minimum (not included)
Controls: Aileron, Elevator, Throttle, Rudder, Landing Gear, Flaps (and lights)
Hinges: Nylon hinges all around
Material: EPO Foam with serious Carbon FIber reinforcement
Skill Level: Intermediate
We fly ours off pavement, and that's what I would recommend. Short grass will work, in a pinch.