For this January 2022 gathering we had fourteen (14) members & guests present, and several others who joined the meeting via ZOOM!

Expanding our meeting access and broadcast via ZOOM enabled us to get further F-16 Updates from Brandon Archer as well as a closer look at Roy Maynard's progress on his composite F-16 Sufa project developed by "Scale Jets" of Holland.

Brandon Archer updated us with his (2) E-flite F-16’s (newer model) with an 80 mm fan.  Here’s the rundown on the F-16's.

The camouflage version was the original of the two E-flite 80mm F-16’s he flew last year.  This one had a slight ground incident involving a curb which left the lower intake and front gear strut damaged.  After foam repair using lightweight foam filler from and several coats of Minwax poly acrylic to seal the

foam and a little metal work on the nose gear it was ready for paint.

Brandon used a desert camouflage scheme used at Nelis Air Force Base.  He also decided to up his skills and get back into the use of an airbrush for some of the detail work.  He bought an Avanti combo kit from harbor freight on sale for $99 mainly for the air pump in combination with an Awata high end air brush he’d bought but found the Avanti to work quite well!

For the majority of the paint Brandon used Rustoleum flat brown, he said, after 5 attempts with Rustoleum tan colored rattle cans I finally gave in and used 5 small cans of Tamiya wooden deck tan paint at $8 per small can. He used the airbrush for the edges of the brown and simply sprayed the paint into a cup and poured it into the airbrush to use.  Brandon did spray a flat white on the inside of the intake which really makes it pop as the full scale did.

Brandon used several Tamiya spray paints on the tail cone and then a black and brown thinned down wash for most of the weathering on the panel lines and high traffic areas.  From there he used Callie graphics which turn out great as usual.  Then he used a flat clear Tamiya spray to dull the glossy decals.  Out side of paint he only added the grey antenna on the bottom of the vertical stab and the “firey booty” center afterburner light.

Gooniac33 on YouTube, is a west coast EDF guru who hand makes a very bright center burner light unit and Brandon’s very impressed with the custom handmade components along 3D printed base.  It's a great add on in his opinion.  It is now the 3rd company he’s tried for afterburner lights.  Chris Wolff the RC Geek on YouTube also the son of the founder of jet hangar hobbies a manufacturer of composite jets that make another good unit.  But, Brandon feels this one was the brightest set ups out of the three that also does flicker as you go above 70% throttle then into a solid when increasing intensity up to full throttle.  He’s looking forward to seeing how much this will show in daylight.

Brandon’s original F-16 has over 50 flights on it.  Spektrum Avion ESC and has reverse thrust on a switch for short field landings!  Programs from the transmitter, SAFE, AS3X, lights, ordinance.  Brandon says high alpha flight is great!  Painted in Alabama Tuskegee paint scheme.  He gets 3 to 5 minute flights with a 6S 6500 mAh LiPo battery.

Roy Maynard presented his latest F-16i Sufa project from his shop via Zoom.  The membership was able to see his images and hear him very well over the giant flat screen monitor in the church.

The kit is a 1/5 scale F16i Sufa made by Scale-Jets in Holland.  Roy had originally planned to purchase an the F-15 kit from him but it is still in development after 5 years so he decided to go with the Sufa instead.

Roy is the first to own a Sufa kit in US. From time he switched his order to kit arrival was about 7 months. He says it’s absolutely the best quality kit he’s ever purchased.  Really love the Israeli Air Force colors. The enclosed picture is the scheme.  The radio control system will be JETI.

Roy has not picked a turbine engine yet but he is planning on a 250N unit.  Scale-Jets designs their kits to compete at Top Gun and Jet World Masters competitions.

The latter restricts dry weight to 20kg.  Roy figures his will be closer to 50 lbs.  He’s doubtful he will have it flying in 2022 but for sure in 2023.