Fly Fly Hobbies, a new company based in China, have produced a fine range of EDF jets for the average modeller who would like to try their hand at building and flying a jet model aircraft at the price range of a normal sports model.

One model which caught my eye, was a large foam 92mm EDF F86 Sabre jet, the great 1950’s fighter, which was rushed into production by the US Air force during the Korean War to overcome the threat from the Russian MIG 15, therefore, a quick phone call and with the help of Mr.Visa, a large box arrived at the front door with a large Chinese stamp on the side, ‘three day delivery all the way from China, not bad!’

On opening the box, I found all the parts nicely sealed in clear plastic bags, 8 page instruction booklet, a set of retracts, ‘Olegs and blocks come as standard with the kit,’ 92mm fan unit and three large sheets of decals with the numbers and graphics for the famous ‘Mig Killer’ a Sabre flown by Col John Glen, and also the first American to orbit the earth.

kit contents & decals which come with the standard kit

I decided to start the build, with the tail feathers, a simple process as the elevators are taped in place, however check these carefully to ensure a good seal.
Next, I installed the servos, with a small amount of glue and tape a small 9g servo was used for each elevator, with a short wire running to the control horn, check the travel of the control arm, I had to carve out a little foam on each side of the servo, to get a full throw on the elevator.

The next step was to build the fuselage, however before undertaking this, the fan unit needed to be assemble and the electrics sorted. First stage was to build the fan unit, which consists of four parts and install the motor.  I used the recommended B36, a 1600kv motor with a 5mm shaft, which should give a reasonable amount of thrust.

At this stage, make sure you check the clearance of the blades around the shroud, also check the balance of the fan blades i.e. mark one blade and spin the unit, if the blade stops at the same spot every time, then the unit my not be balanced. I use a little super glue on the blades to over come this problem.

Connect the whole system together and check that everything is working, and then mark the cables for easy reference later. I used an 85-amp speed controller and a 5 cell 3700 Flight power battery with 14 SWG 100amp cable for the connections between the battery and speed controller.
The fuselage consists of four parts, take the back section and run all the wire leads out as shown in the instructions. Next fit the clear plastic tube and glue into place, make sure you place this the right way round, there is a slight taper at the back of the tube, once complete, glue the sides together, making sure everything is straight and level.

The front half of the fuselage consists of two sections and a front air intake. Add the ply supports as per the instructions, next add the nose leg retract unit which holds the servo in place also. If you use this method for nose wheel steering, make sure the servo is metal geared, a standard servo will not work, as I found out on the first flight.

Once you install this unit , glue the airlines and cables to the sides of the air intake, a strip of tape over both will provide a smooth airflow over the cable. Glue the sides together and add the front ring, then add the small plastic cover, which protects the servo unit. The front and rear sections of the fuselage can now be joined, I used 5 min epoxy here, (high stress area). Cut out the canopy and add the pilot to the cockpit, then fit it to the model according to the manual.

To finish the fuselage, add the elevators, fin and install the fan unit, again check that everything is straight and level, also that any high stress areas are properly glued.

Now we come to the wings, which is a simple process of gluing the two wing sections together and installing the two plywood spars. The next step is to add the wooden supports for the retract units, I applied a little glass cloth around the supports to give them a little more strength, my landings are always a little heavy and it will help if you are flying off grass. Once the glue has dried, add the retract units, a little tip about the supplied units, before you install them, remove the piston from the cylinder and add a little grease around the rubber ‘O ring’, leave for about ten minutes, and then reassemble the unit, this process will help the rubber ‘O ring’ expand, therefore providing a better seal for the units and hopefully prevent air leakage while in operation.

Run the airlines along the grooved tracks and join together with a T connector (I find the metal connectors are better than the plastic connectors), then, add a quick connector to the other end of the T connector.

Next, add the servos and extension leads to the wing panels, again this process is explained in the manual. Once complete, add the underside wing sheets, a few drops of glue will hold these in place, I had to cut a little of the edges around the sheeting so that it would fit flat under the wing panels. The final step is to add the control horns and connect the push rods to the servos, make sure you check the tape hinges of the preinstalled control surfaces for a secure fit, I added a little extra tape to mine for better strength.

Fit the wings to the fuselage and check that all is straight and level according to the instructions, then add the two wing bolts and mounting plates.

Next apply the decals to the model, I used the main picture from the box for reference, also, I sprayed the decals with a little matt varnish and added a little weathering to the surfaces of the wings, she looked good, not bad for a foam model!

Before the maiden flight, I needed to check the C of G, now if you read the manual, you will find two different measurements on the wing on various diagrams, very confusing, however a quick e-mail to Scott Cuppello from BRC Hobbies (Scott has a great knowledge of EDF and a great guy to talk to!) and the problem was solved, Go with the leading edge measurement, those who have gone from the ‘front wing mount’ have reported it needing a fair amount of down trim.

The first flight took place on a slightly windy evening, however the wind was straight down the runway.  After checking that everything was working in the right direction and a range check completed, I pumped up the air retracts and cycled them a couple of times, however I noticed a small air leak in one of the air tubes, so the wheels would have to stay down for the first flight.

I taxied the Sabre out onto the middle of the runway and lined her up for take off, a quick check of the controls again and she was away, straight down the centre line on full power.

The Sabre rotated into a smooth climb and with only one click of up trim, she was flying straight and level into wind, then a smooth turn to the right and down the runway on a low pass, she looked great!! The model is not fast; ‘I knew there would be considerable drag with the drop tanks fitted and the wheels down,’ however the speed was very scale like. After a few more passes down the runway and a couple of rolls, it was time to land, so with a smooth turn onto finals, I cut the power by two thirds and the Sabre just floated into a gentle nose high landing with the back wheels touching down just before the nose wheel.

Conclusions: The Sabre is a joy to build and fly and I believe good value for money. The only down side to the kit was the retracts, they do work, but suffer from air leaks, however would I buy another Fly Fly kit? 'Yes Please' what's next FlyFly Hobbies?.