Well the jet bug has bit me again this year, and I've decided to get
myself another jet. After looking at many different types of jets, I
decided on the BVM Kingcat. I originally wanted to get myself another
scale jet, although the more I thought about it, the more I realized that
a scale jet would not be my best choice. However much I love scale jets,
the problem comes up as to where to fly it. In my area it is getting
difficult to find runways, which makes jet flying a little difficult.
Hence why one of the reasons I chose the Kingcat was that it is very grass
field friendly. That and I know they are probably one of the best flying
jets out there.
Nose cone
After opening the box from BVM, the
very first thing I noticed is the awesome quality that is apparent.
The instruction manual is nicely laid out with very clear and
concise directions. The kit is nicely packaged and everything is properly
labeled. Following the instructions as they are laid out, the first thing
that is called for is to install the nose cone. The installation is fairly
easy, and is done by fitting the ring, and gluing it in with some epoxy.
I'm using BVM aeropoxy for all the gluing. This is my first time using
this glue, and so far I have to say that I am very impressed with it. It
has the right consistency that is perfect for creating fillets, and
installing bulkheads. Here are a few pics of the nose ring Install:
Nose Wheel
The nose wheel needs to be
installed by first building the whole assembly, and then installing it
into the nose. BVM uses a unique system in that the whole assembly is
designed with break away plates in case of a hard landing. The plates are
made of carbon, and are replaceable if need be. The gear opening is not
cut out for you, and needs to be done. The actual location of the door is
already drawn out for you, and all you need to do it cut it out. I used
some tape and a dremel to cut out the door. Once the door is cut out, you
can then line up the whole retract assembly, make sure it is in the right
location, and glue it in. Here are a few pictures of the process:
Main Gear
The main gear assembly is again
installed on breakaway plates similar to the nose wheel. The plates are
then bolted and soft mounted into the fuse. As with the nose wheel, the
opening for the main gear assemblies need to be cut out. The difference is
that you don't actually use the existing cut out as a door. The kit uses
pre supplied door plates that cover the gear opening. Here are some pics
of the process:
Here are some shots of the gear and strut covers:
Servo Installation
The next phase of the
build is to install all the servos in the control surfaces. BVM gives you
a list of servos to use, and suggest JR8411's all around. I decided to go
with JR 8611a's instead. They are a tad bigger, and fit a little tighter,
but have much more torque. I will still use JR 8411's in the rudder as it
is a bit tighter in there, and makes for a neater installation. All the
control surface servos, are installed in a similar manner, other than the
flaps. They are all installed with L brackets, screwed to a maple block,
that is glued into the flying surface. The flaps are installed with L
brackets as well, but to a piece of plywood that is glued into it's proper
position. The over all process is not difficult, but takes a fair amount
of time. Here are a few pics on the install:
Stab:
Booms:
Wings:
Attaching the wings:
Now that the wings, booms, and stabs are
complete, the next step is to connect the wings with the booms and the
fuse. The wings are basically supported by two wings tubes, and then
fastened with a carbon blade to the fuse. The process is not to
complicated, but takes a little time to get straight. Here are a few pics:
Main Fuel Cells:
The main cells are made of Kevlar, and need to
be assembled. Each cell comes in two pieces and needs to be epoxied
together. In this process I used a little more glue than normal, as I
wanted to make sure I had a good bond. I've seen these types of fuel cells
split before, and wanted to be sure.
Cockpit:
I decided to go for a more scale cockpit as the stock
cockpit that comes with the Kingcat is just a blacked out canopy section.
I always felt that a pilot and cockpit add that little bit of realism when
it comes to models. BVM offers a mildly detailed cockpit set, which I
decided to purchase and use. I painted it up with Tamiya model paints.
Here are a few pics of the process:
Turbine:
My Artes Rhino finally arrived, and is now installed.
The installation is pretty straight forward. You are supplied with 2
carbon plates and some aluminum blocks for the mount. The mount is made
for a Jetcat mount, so I had to make my own mount out of some aluminum
stock in order to fit it properly. It wasn't to difficult, but took a
little time. Once the motor is installed, you need to drill a hole in the
rear of the fuse to pass all the plumbing and wiring of the turbine. I
used some black fuel tubing to make a grommet for the hole. Here are a few
pics:
Smoke Tank:
I needed to fit a smoke tank into the Kingcat. The
only good spot I could see was just in behind the main tanks. There is
enough room in there to install a 1 liter tank. I think that will be
enough smoke oil to put on a decent enough display during a flight. Here
are a few pics of the install:
Component tray and air tanks:
The final phases are to install
all the air tanks and components. In order to try and keep things neat and
in order, it took a bit of time to calculate the best location for all the
different parts. A drawing does come with the plans to give you an idea on
how BVM set up their component tray, although I modified it a little for
my particular set up. I'm using a JR 1222 receiver, with four remotes,
powered by 2-A123 2300 mah packs. The ECU will be powered by a Spektrum
4000 mah LIPO. The smoke pump is a Tamjet smoke systems. All the air
equipment is from BVM. I'm using a Smooth Stop 2 brake valve, and a BVM
main retract valve. I'm also using a Tamjet failsafe system on the
retracts. I've decided to try a gyro on the Kingcat, and have it coupled
to my steering. Here are a few pics of the tray and components:
Final assembly:
The Kingcat is now finally put together and
ready to go. Here are the final pics of it all put together:
I will be posting some flight info, once I get a chance to fly it!
Check back for further updates!
