FTFC26: Build-ruary by Rara

[Rara]

FTFC26: Build-ruary by Rara
Build Skill: 3.7 Inconsistent
Pilot Skill: -7 Irresponsible

My good friend Lee at Windcatcher RC challenged me to build some 3D printed planes this winter, so I'm double-dipping and using them for this contest as well 😁


1. A-4 Skyhawk 70mm EDF - by Holomodels RC

A-4 Skyhawk REMAKE by HOLOMODELS RC (NO INFILL OR TRAVEL)

PLEASE LIKE AND/OR RATE-IF YOU FEEL I DESERVE IT! It helps others find my work. Follow me for future UPDATES and CREATIONS of mine! Comment and upload PICS and VIDEOS on RC-Groups HERE: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?4694245-3D-Printed-A-4-SKYHAWK-by-HOLOMODELS-RC DOWNLOAD PILOT...

cults3d.com

2. U-2 Dragon Lady 50mm EDF - by PTIKyle aka BuiltFast

U2 Dragon Lady 50mm

It was brought to my attention that the last two wing sections on the left side didn’t fit. I’ve uploaded those sections in the file section Extremely satisfied and happy with how well this model went during the design process, printing process and the building and flying. Even the CG was dead...

cults3d.com

3. Macross YF-19 twin 40mm EDF - by Sodys3D

Macross YF-19 Twin 40mm EDF Vector RC- Jet

Visit SODYs3D.com and FB-Group: sodys3d Back from the '80s - the YF-19 takes to our skies! 3D-printed, equipped with two 40mm EDFs and 2.5D vector thrust control! Not the easiest to fly, but an absolute stunner in the air. A truly special aircraft. It can be built with a fixed nozzle or with...

cults3d.com

*Delayed due to 3D printer issues*

4. F-35 80mm EDF - by PTIKyle aka BuiltFast

F-35 in 80 and 64mm

I'd say, five or six times I've become obsessed with a design where I need to fly it every chance I get. This is one of them. The biggest problem with the F35 is the high wing loading. They never fly really well in RC form. I have a 50mm version I made over a year ago that floats and flies...

cults3d.com

*Delayed due to 3D printer issues*

5. Mighty Mini SeaDuck - by Horseman3381

Plane - Mighty Mini Sea Duck

At Flite Fest 2019 there was a gentleman who was flying around a 60% Sea Duck he had built. He didn’t have plans for it and told me he had just printed out a set of scaled down plans and “winged it” as he was building. Ever since I saw it, I knew...

forum.flitetest.com

Added - 6. FT Duster - by Flite Test

FT Duster MKR2

The Flite Test store is the perfect place to find RC plane kits, DIY quadcopters and Flite Test apparel.

store.flitetest.com

 

[Rara]

FT-Build-Ruary: A-4 Skyhawk Build by Rara

1. I love the Skyhawk, or Scooter, always have. I went to college in Pensacola, FL, where the National Naval Aviation Museum is also located. I can't tell you how many Saturdays I spent walking around that museum, and my favorite spot of all was the Blue Angels Atrium. There is a photo attached, but just above you, they have 4 A-4s hanging in the classic Blue Angels diamond formation. its just awesome.

Model by HolomodelsRC along with their 64mm upgrade files

A-4 Skyhawk REMAKE by HOLOMODELS RC (NO INFILL OR TRAVEL)

PLEASE LIKE AND/OR RATE-IF YOU FEEL I DESERVE IT! It helps others find my work. Follow me for future UPDATES and CREATIONS of mine! Comment and upload PICS and VIDEOS on RC-Groups HERE: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?4694245-3D-Printed-A-4-SKYHAWK-by-HOLOMODELS-RC DOWNLOAD PILOT...

cults3d.com

64mm UPGRADE FILES for A-4 Skyhawk Remake by HOLOMODELS RC

UPGRADE FILES ONLY!!! **MAIN A-4 SKYHAWK FILES REQUIRED** Comment and upload PICS and VIDEOS on RC-Groups HERE: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?4694245-3D-Printed-A-4-SKYHAWK-by-HOLOMODELS-RC See Flight Video of 64mm Version HERE: https://youtu.be/fac8fjXf-Cs Playlist of versions...

cults3d.com

2. / 5. I started by scaling all the pieces up by 9.3% to fit a 70mm edf. I used the larger elevator model option, but I elected not to use the cheater hole model options for the better scale look, but I do expect to lose some thrust because of it. (I'll update this after the maiden)

All parts were printed in 3D LabPrint PolyLight LW-PLA (White, and Light gray), except control horns, and the canopy latch parts, which were Inland HS-PETG
Components used: (all sourced from WindcatcherRC as well as filament, thanks Lee!)
EDF - Xfly X7 Pro
ESC - ZTW Beatles 100A
3x Servos - Emax ES08MA II (plus extensions)
Rx - LemonRX 7-Ch Telemetry Stabilizer LM0086
Reinforcements used were all 1.8mm carbon tubes
And some graphics on the way from Callie's as well

Some of the reinforcement holes had to be reamed out a bit to cleanly fit the tubes, the LW-PLA sometimes isn't the cleanest printing stuff...
Pro tip #1 - I had to make my own reamer to get the long holes for the carbon tubes; I used some 1.5mm music wire, and pounded one end flat, and filed the edges to sharp corners at 1.8mm wide, worked brilliantly.
All LW-PLA parts were glued together with either Starbond CA, or Weld-On #4. Part alignment is incredibly easy with the CF tube reinforcements in place as well.
I did use PETG for the control horns and the canopy latch. Historically, I haven't been super happy with the bond strength of CA glue when putting PLA and PETG together, so Pro Tip #2: I tried some Weld-On #4 solvent glue (marketed for cast acrylics, and I had some on hand from a recent project) and I have to say I am very impressed, and it will be my go to from now on for PETG to LW-PLA. It also works very well for LW-PLA to itself, and PETG to itself.

I have to say I'm pretty impressed by this model. Its well thought out, prints very clean, especially after looking at some of the print setting used by the original maker. The detail looks nice, and it goes together pretty straightforward.
Build Difficulty - 3 Not simplistic, but very straightforward for anyone with 3D printing and RC model building experience.
Build Time - Not counting printing time, a semi-experienced builder with parts already prepped, could assemble this model in maybe 4 hours without any rush.

Flying weight w/out battery - 950g
Batteries planned - either 6S 2800mah at 383g or 6S 3600mah at 488g.
The Xfly is listed at 2650g of thrust, so with the lighter battery, I'm looking pretty close to 2:1 ratio.

As of the initial writing of this post (2/6/26) The airplane is completely assembled, and the only thing required still before maiden is the radio setup. And a livery to follow as well (I'll be shocked if you haven't figured out what that will be already...)
That said, with the weather we have been getting in Detroit, painting and maiden flights might be tough to get in time... we'lll have to see.

Update 4/11/26 - the finished A-4 build ended up winning 1st place in the 3D Printed category at the Toledo RC show this weekend!

 

[Rara]

FT-Build-Ruary: U-2 Dragon Lady Build by Rara

1. Who doesn't love a cool spy plane... Russians maybe? Plus the idea of an EDF glider seemed pretty fun too.

Model is by PTIKyle aka BuiltFast and was built basically as listed.
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/gadget/u2-dragon-lady-50mm

2. / 5. I've built several of Kyle's planes over the last few years, and they all consistently go together very quickly and without trouble, and tend to fly extremely well. They don't tend to be perfect to scale, but they look and fly great. This U-2 was no different on all counts. Printing takes quite awhile, as it does for anything, but generally Kyle's models print fairly cleanly with LW-PLA, about as clean as is reasonable without using vase mode. Make sure you've dialed in your printer settings for your filament.
The design uses a really simple and neat method for control surface hinges, where you print a sheet of TPU with only 2 layers, and cut it to fit for hinge material that glues into printed slots in the relevant parts. Dirt simple, and extremely reliable. I love these kinds of solutions.

All parts printed in Light Gray 3D LabPrint PolyLight LW-PLA except the control horns and hatch latch, which were done in generic white PETG
Lots of CA glue, though I did again use the Weld-On #4 to attach the control horns.
Components used: (mostly sourced from WindcatcherRC as well as filament, thanks Lee!)
EDF - Xfly X5 50mm
ESC - ZTW Beatles 60A
4x Servos - FliteTest branded 5g servos, salvaged from previous models (plus extensions)
generic servo reverser and Y-cable for Elevator servos to work with stabilizer in Rx
generic motor to esc cable extensions
Rx - LemonRX 7-Ch Telemetry Stabilizer LM0086
8mm Carbon Fiber Tube used as a wing spar as well

The only "gotchas" I noted when putting this one together are that the servo wiring requires some extra effort for routing. The elevator servos are kind of annoying, because you need extensions, but the connector at the extension *barely* can be forced through the turn in the rear fuse section. Not awful, just fiddly and annoying. Otherwise its pretty straightforward gluing of printed parts.

Finished weight without paint or battery - 749g with a planned battery at 214g
With such a large high aspect ratio wing, she should fly a lot longer than your average EDF.

As of 2/14/26 build is complete except radio programming, and painting.

 

[Rara]

FT-Build-Ruary: Macross YF-19 Build by Rara

Placeholder

As of 2/22 running way behind because of some printer issues, this one probably won't make builduary, but will be done before April, so I'll still update here for those interested.

 

[Rara]

FT-Build-Ruary: F-35 Lightning 2 Build by Rara

Placeholder
As of 2/22 running way behind because of some printer issues, but they appear to be resolved, and most of this big plane is printed already, so fingers crossed I can finish this one in the next week!
Added 2/28 - I was wrong last week, the issues were not resolved, and several of my longer prints are just not good enough to use... so this one is not going to be done for builduary either but I still need to finish before April, because this one, and several other of my 3D printed planes are planned to be on display at the Toledo swap meet and show in April...

 

[Rara]

FT-Build-Ruary: Mighty Mini SeaDuck Build by Rara

1. Man, I really love the FT SeaDuck. I've had 6 builds/major rebuilds of my "SeaDuck a'lOrange" over the years, 2 of which have been destroyed in FF combat. I think the FT SeaDuck just may be my favorite RC plane to fly and enjoy of all time. (I currently have well over 60 flyable aircraft in my "fleet" so this is not a flippant statement...)
I've seen a couple people flying a scaled down version at FF a few times, and have always meant to make my own. At the start of this builduary, I saw that Horseman3381 had released some nicely done plans for a 60% version awhile back, and I had to make one. Thanks Horseman!!!!

Plane - Mighty Mini Sea Duck

At Flite Fest 2019 there was a gentleman who was flying around a 60% Sea Duck he had built. He didn’t have plans for it and told me he had just printed out a set of scaled down plans and “winged it” as he was building. Ever since I saw it, I knew...

forum.flitetest.com

2. / 5. For the most part, this one builds very similar to the regular FT version, however, I made one significant mistake that led to an overall sloppier build than normal. I missed the part where he said it was sized for 3/16" foam board (0.1875") and I was using some old brown FT board I had stashed away (0.195"). It doesn't seem like much, but its just enough to cause some weird fitment issues along the way. So some extra trimming, and fudging of some fits was necessary. He has a pretty good explanation of the build in his resource page, so I'll focus on my changes. First, was I added (relatively) lots of CF reinforcement. I wanted this thing very stiff even if it got a little wet, as I do plan to fly it off water. I added multiple CF strips to both the wing and horizontal tail, as well as a 3mm CF tube to the leading edge of both as well. I tried to capture all of the CF locations in the attached pics. Electronics were all salvaged from previous FT-style builds and are listed below. I did use a 9g servo for the elevator, and mounted it under the horizontal stab, rather than inside the boom. This was done to shorten the rod, and reduce any lost travel there.
Lots of excess hot glue smeared wherever I could to seal edges, etc. to help with water proofing. It will get some tape on the bottom of the hull after paint, and I may paint much of the underside with thinned epoxy at some point, need to do some trials on foamboard with it first.

I intend to fly it with a 4S 2300 pack, but having trouble fitting it in the battery tray for now, lol, even after some cutting, so we may stick with a 1400mah 4S pack for now.

2x FT "F-pack" motor and esc combos. 2205 2300kV w/ 25A esc basically.
2x FT5G servos for the ailerons
1x Emax ES08III 9g size metal gear servo (I think these are actually 12g)
RX is a Radiomaster RM86 6-channel frsky protocol unit


Painting and Maiden are TBD as of 2/22, weather is still pretty cold and wet in MI.

 

[Proptastic]

FTFC26: Build-ruary by Rara
Build Skill: 3.7 Inconsistent
Pilot Skill: -7 Irresponsible

My good friend Lee at Windcatcher RC challenged me to build some 3D printed planes this winter, so I'm double-dipping and using them for this contest as well 😁


1. A-4 Skyhawk 70mm EDF - by Holomodels RC

A-4 Skyhawk REMAKE by HOLOMODELS RC (NO INFILL OR TRAVEL)

PLEASE LIKE AND/OR RATE-IF YOU FEEL I DESERVE IT! It helps others find my work. Follow me for future UPDATES and CREATIONS of mine! Comment and upload PICS and VIDEOS on RC-Groups HERE: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?4694245-3D-Printed-A-4-SKYHAWK-by-HOLOMODELS-RC DOWNLOAD PILOT...

cults3d.com

2. U-2 Dragon Lady 50mm EDF - by PTIKyle aka BuiltFast

U2 Dragon Lady 50mm

It was brought to my attention that the last two wing sections on the left side didn’t fit. I’ve uploaded those sections in the file section Extremely satisfied and happy with how well this model went during the design process, printing process and the building and flying. Even the CG was dead...

cults3d.com

3. Macross YF-19 twin 40mm EDF - by Sodys3D

Macross YF-19 Twin 40mm EDF Vector RC- Jet

Visit SODYs3D.com and FB-Group: sodys3d Back from the '80s - the YF-19 takes to our skies! 3D-printed, equipped with two 40mm EDFs and 2.5D vector thrust control! Not the easiest to fly, but an absolute stunner in the air. A truly special aircraft. It can be built with a fixed nozzle or with...

cults3d.com

4. F-35 80mm EDF - by PTIKyle aka BuiltFast
Link TBD

5. TBD - SeaDuck a l'Orange v7 maybe?

The Macross looks wicked

 

[RickHunter]

3. Macross YF-19 twin 40mm EDF - by Sodys3D

Macross YF-19 Twin 40mm EDF Vector RC- Jet

Visit SODYs3D.com and FB-Group: sodys3d Back from the '80s - the YF-19 takes to our skies! 3D-printed, equipped with two 40mm EDFs and 2.5D vector thrust control! Not the easiest to fly, but an absolute stunner in the air. A truly special aircraft. It can be built with a fixed nozzle or with...

cults3d.com

Wow!! 😱 Next time I do a 3d printed plane, this will be the one.

 

[Rara]

Wow!! 😱 Next time I do a 3d printed plane, this will be the one.

Yeah, I think this one is very likely to be one that looks much better than it flies... lol. I'd honestly rather to have found a good VF-1S, and by your username, probably you too lol.

 

[RickHunter]

1000%. I have two (non flying) models on my shelf. It was my favorite growing up. If anything it would make a good wall hanger.

 

[Rara]

Build Added!
FT-Build-Ruary: FT Duster Build by Rara

1. I was bummed because of my 3D printing delays, so I looked to my shelf of old un-built FT speed build kits, and there he was, looking up at me, all sad and dusty, was Dusty Crophopper. So I figured he knew a thing or two about crossing the finish line after having some issues...

2. / 5. Not a lot to add here for the build itself, its a pretty standard old school FT swappable power pack style build. maybe just a few comments, and notes on things I tweaked. First, I added some a carbon strip to the back of the stock spar and a tube in the leading edge. I pretty much always do that now. CF tubes and strips are so cheap from places like Windcatcher now, it makes it so easy to include them for a ton more strength with almost no weight or effort. And the one thing that bugs me most about a lot of the older swappables, is the open battery space where its only held on by velcro. I've had to land a few FT planes with the battery hanging loose over the years, and its not easy. So, I added a couple popsicle sticks to the inside of the power pod for support, and looped a velcro strap around to give a secondary retention method for the battery.
Side note, I also don't like the poster board sections from the old builds, the turtledecks and such. Mostly because I never got the hang of making them as nice as I would like...

Electronics were pulled from my stash of recovered bits from planes no longer with us...
4x 9gr style servos (I think all Emax ES908II in this case)
Generic 2212 1250kV motor, with Skywalker 30A esc
Radiomaster R84 Rx

Weather here in Detroit is better, but not enough to spray paint outside, so nothing is going to have any color for me this time unfortunately.
Maidens have a little higher possibility though, depends on how things look schedule wise tomorrow, and next saturday.

 

[RickHunter]

Looks great. I personally can't wait to fly the Duckling. Finally gonna get a calmer wind day tomorrow, so gonna do that and the radjet tomorrow. Sucks about your printer. Was looking forward to seeing the YF-19, but what can ya do.🤷‍♂️

 

[Rara]

Looks great. I personally can't to fly the Duckling. Finally gonna get a calmer wind day tomorrow, so gonna do that and the radjet tomorrow. Sucks about your printer. Was looking forward to seeing the YF-19, but what can ya do.🤷‍♂️

Printer is good now, I kept getting layer shifts, usually at the end of a 19 ish hour print unfortunately. Lots of wasted time and filament. Looks to be fixed now though. I'll still update these posts for the F-35 and YF-19. I promised a friend I would have them for display at the Toledo show in April, so they will get done sooner rather than later anyway.

 

[FoamyDM]

Time I hope we get to see this all done and prettied up.

 

[Jo's squadron]

FT-Build-Ruary: Mighty Mini SeaDuck Build by Rara

1. Man, I really love the FT SeaDuck. I've had 6 builds/major rebuilds of my "SeaDuck a'lOrange" over the years, 2 of which have been destroyed in FF combat. I think the FT SeaDuck just may be my favorite RC plane to fly and enjoy of all time. (I currently have well over 60 flyable aircraft in my "fleet" so this is not a flippant statement...)
I've seen a couple people flying a scaled down version at FF a few times, and have always meant to make my own. At the start of this builduary, I saw that Horseman3381 had released some nicely done plans for a 60% version awhile back, and I had to make one. Thanks Horseman!!!!

Plane - Mighty Mini Sea Duck

At Flite Fest 2019 there was a gentleman who was flying around a 60% Sea Duck he had built. He didn’t have plans for it and told me he had just printed out a set of scaled down plans and “winged it” as he was building. Ever since I saw it, I knew...

forum.flitetest.com

2. / 5. For the most part, this one builds very similar to the regular FT version, however, I made one significant mistake that led to an overall sloppier build than normal. I missed the part where he said it was sized for 3/16" foam board (0.1875") and I was using some old brown FT board I had stashed away (0.195"). It doesn't seem like much, but its just enough to cause some weird fitment issues along the way. So some extra trimming, and fudging of some fits was necessary. He has a pretty good explanation of the build in his resource page, so I'll focus on my changes. First, was I added (relatively) lots of CF reinforcement. I wanted this thing very stiff even if it got a little wet, as I do plan to fly it off water. I added multiple CF strips to both the wing and horizontal tail, as well as a 3mm CF tube to the leading edge of both as well. I tried to capture all of the CF locations in the attached pics. Electronics were all salvaged from previous FT-style builds and are listed below. I did use a 9g servo for the elevator, and mounted it under the horizontal stab, rather than inside the boom. This was done to shorten the rod, and reduce any lost travel there.
Lots of excess hot glue smeared wherever I could to seal edges, etc. to help with water proofing. It will get some tape on the bottom of the hull after paint, and I may paint much of the underside with thinned epoxy at some point, need to do some trials on foamboard with it first.

I intend to fly it with a 4S 2300 pack, but having trouble fitting it in the battery tray for now, lol, even after some cutting, so we may stick with a 1400mah 4S pack for now.

2x FT "F-pack" motor and esc combos. 2205 2300kV w/ 25A esc basically.
2x FT5G servos for the ailerons
1x Emax ES08III 9g size metal gear servo (I think these are actually 12g)
RX is a Radiomaster RM86 6-channel frsky protocol unit


Painting and Maiden are TBD as of 2/22, weather is still pretty cold and wet in MI.

WoW very clean build!