F-100D Super Sabre – Up close with Matt Balazs’s scaled-out jet

The first U.S. Air Force plane able to supersonic velocity at degree flight, the North American F-100 made its mark on aviation historical past. Matt Balazs constructed his 1/4.75-scale model from the CARF-Models composite package and has impressed spectators at occasions like Top Gun, the place he just lately positioned third with the mannequin within the Pro Jet class. I used to be lucky to catch up with Matt to study extra about this stunning—and quick!—mannequin.

Matt pushes his CARF-Models F-100D again after an excellent flight at Top Gun. With an general size of 11.8 toes and an 8.2-inch wingspan, it’s large!

Model Airplane News: How lengthy have you ever been into RC airplanes, and the way lengthy have you ever been flying in scale competitors? Any vital people who influenced or helped you alongside the way in which?
Matt Balazs: I really began flying once I was 5, so I’ve been in RC for 42 years now. I acquired into it due to my dad, who began taking me to the flying area once I was simply three years outdated. I grew up flying sample and IMAC, and round 2010 I began desirous to undergo my bucket record of airplanes. I constructed and flew a CARF Gee Bee, then a jet about six or seven years in the past. And then I actually acquired into scale airplanes! Guys like Pete Goldsmith and Sean McHale had been blissful to assist and supply me steering alongside the way in which. When you go to jet or scale occasions, that’s the place all of the outdated sample guys are actually. The scale aspect is the actual modeling a part of it.

The last phases of ending the small print of the mannequin. Most of the nomenclature and markings are paint, the small nomenclature is dry rub, and the squadron brand is a water slide.

MAN: How lengthy did it take to construct and element your jet?
MB: Probably six months. It is a CARF airplane, so quite a lot of the constructing—hinges, horns, and so forth.—is already accomplished. The construction is there; you do the turbine and radio set up after which the “cake adorning,” the ending and scale particulars.
It’s attention-grabbing to notice that this CARF F-100 has had two lives. At first it was a very scale, difficult, and heavy mannequin—73 to 77 kilos. CARF redid it, and I constructed the primary V2 prototype mannequin. Fully fueled and with drop tanks, it weighs simply 60 kilos—12 to fifteen kilos lighter than CARF’s first model F-100.

MAN: Tell us concerning the scale scheme and the full-scale plane on which it’s primarily based. Where did you get the documentation?
MB: I’ve the unique artist rendering for this plane, which went into service in 1956 in France with the forty eighth Tactical Fighter Wing, 492nd Tactical Fighter Squadron in Chaumont. Different coloration stripes represented the totally different fighter wings. I picked this coloration scheme as a result of it wasn’t well-known and likewise one thing I may see within the sky, and I assumed it regarded actually good on the airplane.

The again half of the fuselage. The high hatch offers easy accessibility to the turbine and afterburner gentle system and the numerous particulars that make the mannequin correct.

Right out of the field from CARF-Models. You can see the extent of prefabrication, with gear doorways hinged and set appropriately. Matt’s mannequin included the non-obligatory velocity brake put in.

MAN: How did you create the aluminum end to appear to be separate panels? What concerning the particulars and nomenclature?
MB: Because the airplane is kind of constructed, I needed to indicate how you might make it look actually scale with out having to color your entire airframe. It is available in a silver end, so I checked out photographs of full-size, silver F-100s to see the grain of the aluminum, or which panels regarded “totally different.” I taped off the panels and rubbed a 380-grit scuff pad in several orientations on totally different panels. The weathering is the place this methodology pops: Using a black oil paint from Michael’s, I wiped within the path that water would have flowed. The streaking will get into the scuff marks and finally ends up wanting like panels! So many of the silver on the airplane is simply the unique base coat. Then on a pair sections, just like the wing, I used a platinum paint to make it brighter. I painted a number of panels on the highest of the fuselage platinum as effectively (these had been panels that had been serviced and brought on/off and cleaned extra).

The paint, stencils, and waterslide decals are from Tailor Made Decals in Germany. I despatched them photographs of the airplane and so they matched it up and made customized paint and decals for it. Most of the nomenclature is paint, and the squadron brand is a waterslide decal. I used some small dry-rubs as effectively. When I used turpentine to take off a number of the oil paint I used for weathering, I seen that it made a number of the dry rubs look deteriorated, in order that helped with getting older. Sean McHale was a very large assist right here as effectively.

The first elements becoming. Sitting on a 6-foot desk, this jet takes up quite a lot of house within the store. Everything match collectively completely.

The white base coloration has been utilized to the tail, and now hours of striping begins. A constructing laser helps to maintain the strains straight.

The wingtip stripes are full: white, then blue, and the ultimate skinny black stripes. On the forefront and heart of the wing, Matt utilized platinum paint to provide the end a vivid aluminum look.

MAN: You energy your F-100D with a KingTech K235. Were that engine and its parts a simple match?
MB: It dropped proper in; that turbine is a good mixture with the airplane. It has labored flawlessly for about 150 flights, from Florida to Maine with no issues in any respect.

MAN: Your mannequin has retractable gear and velocity brakes. Can you inform us extra about these? Any different particular options?
MB: I exploit the CARF struts, with Electron motorized touchdown gear. The velocity brakes are an possibility for the package, and so they use electrical linear actuators. They are actually efficient. Everything on this airplane is servo pushed or electrical; it’s actually upkeep free.
I additionally added an afterburner package gentle system from uniLIGHT. This low-heat LED has three rings. This winter, I’m going so as to add the remainder of the uniLIGHT lighting system into the airplane.

MAN: Do the drop tanks in your F-100D have an effect on its flight efficiency?
MB: I exploit the non-obligatory, non-functional drop tanks from CARF. Without the drop tanks, the airplane is fairly slippery. It’s quick—simply 175mph!—and takes some time to decelerate. With the drop tanks, the jet flies far more scale-like. At full throttle, it’s barely 150mph. The tanks make it simpler to fly at small fields.

MAN: You fly with a PowerBox Core radio, proper? Any particular options of the PowerBox you utilize with the F-100D to make setup or flying simpler?
MB: Yes, I fly with the Core and two PBR-26D receivers, and I exploit a Royal with an iGyro for energy administration. I exploit all JR servos. With the Royal I’ve GPS 3, which manages the achieve primarily based on velocity so I don’t have to run a number of achieve settings. It turns the achieve down the quicker I am going and actually makes the airplane really feel locked in, from takeoff to touchdown, so I can give attention to flying. The Core’s telemetry warns me if the receiver batteries are taking place, if the turbine is getting scorching., and so forth. The Core radio makes difficult airplanes not practically as dangerous to fly.

MAN: Speaking of flying, how does the F-100D carry out? Also, inform us about your scale competitors flight routine and the strikes you assume greatest present the mannequin’s skill.
MB: The F-100D flies even higher than I’d have anticipated it to! It has efficiency that’s between a sport jet and a scale jet. Because it’s lighter, it can actually decelerate to land, however at velocity it flies straight as an arrow. It’s a fairly trustworthy airplane. There’s a lot sweep within the wings it settles proper in for touchdown. It rolls actually, very well, so I love to do four-point rolls and gradual rolls. It’s low upkeep and sits on the proper angle when it flies, it appears “proper,” is straightforward to fly on the proper velocity, and it appears scale within the air.

The full-size F-100 had a titanium pores and skin on the again of the fuselage that will rapidly turn into discolored and, over time, flip blue/purple from the warmth of the jet engine.

To simulate this on the mannequin, Matt airbrushed platinum, clear amber, blue, and purple to create a practical “scorching part.” The left picture is naked, the suitable picture appears well-used.

The non-obligatory cockpit package is put in utilizing magnets so it’s straightforward to entry the onboard electronics. The extremely detailed package additionally consists of the ejection seat. Matt used a jet pilot from Warbirdpilots.com to complete the cockpit.

MAN: Thank you for sharing the way you created this gorgeous jet, Matt. We sit up for seeing you and your F-100D on the flightline once more quickly!

By Debra Cleghorn
Photos by Matt Balazs & David Hart (capturedfromthehart.com)