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FMS 1700mm F7F TigercatScale detail in an all-foam twin that is sure to impressBy John Reid Photos By CheRyl VomaCka maltby

FMS spent two years developing and testing this outstanding and unique RC aircraft. Constructed out of foam, the Tigercat has outstanding detail including panel and rivet lines, cockpit and pilot, machine guns, working landing lights, removable tank, and detailed retractable landing gear. The best part is that all this detail and construction comes out of the box with a great deal of the work already done at the factory. The parts list is rather small for a plane of this size. The fuselage comes assembled with the rudder attached. The right and left wing panels have all the servos and wires routed as do the two horizontal stabilizers. The nacelles have the motors and speed controls connected and installed. You’ll need to assemble the 3-blade props and add some small details. All the hardware that you need is in the hardware bag, and the massive decal sheet includes four different Tigercat schemes: “King of the Cats,” “Bad Kitty,” “Here Kitty Kitty,” and “Big Bossman.” All I needed to add was a transmitter, receiver, and 6S 5000mAh 45C LiPo battery pack. This aircraft can be assembled by anyone, but because it is a twin and does require some flying skills, I recommend it for intermediate to experienced pilots.

This is an easy-To-assemble plane, and when iT is all done, i had a greaT-looking Twin fighTer wiTh loTs of scale deTail. besT of all, iT is a docile-

flying Twin, which makes iT easy for piloTs To enjoy Their Time aT The field.

A t A G l A n c e

Model 1700mm F7F tigercat

Manufacturer FMs (fmsmodel.com)

distriButor horizon hobby (horizon

hobby.com)

Wingspan 66.9 in.

pilot skill level Intermediate

asseMBly tiMe 30 to 45 minutes

radio req’d 6-channel

poWer req’d 6s 5000mAh LiPo

price $549.99

W h A t W e l i k e

+ Lotsofscaledetail

+ Quickbuild

+ Solidflightperformance

+ It’satwin!

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UniqUe FeatUreSThe first thing I was impressed with was the foam insert that holds all the aircraft parts inside the box to prevent any damage to the model. You could tell someone put quite a bit of thought into that, and once I had all the parts removed, you could see why they protected it so well. The overall detail molded into the foam was impressive. Everything was hinged, and all the servos and

pushrods were installed and connected. The flaps and landing lights were also installed and ready to go. Everything was connected to the FMS programmer/connection box, which has six clearly marked extension plugs for the receiver. Assembly started with the nacelles being bolted onto the wings after making the con­nection to the motor/speed control to the plugs sticking out of the wing halves. Each wing half slides onto the wing tube, and it is bolted to the fuselage using four bolts on the bottom. All the wing servos are connected by a nice molded­in multiconnector mounted at the base of the wing half, and they pair up with their mates molded into the fuselage. The nose cone is glued on using foam­safe CA. Because the retracts aren’t yet down, I assembled the props but did not install them. The horizontal stabilizers are also installed on two rods and bolted to the fuselage after you connect the servos to the appropriate plugs at the end of the fuselage. From here, I deviated a little from the instruc tions to install my radio so that I could lower the landing gear before adding the drop tank. Installing my receiver was just a simple matter of plugging the well­marked extension plugs into the match ing channels. The large battery was easy to fit into the compartment

B o t t o m l i n e

Thisisaneasy-to-assembleplane,andwhenitisalldone,Ihadagreat-lookingtwinfighterwithlotsofscaledetail.Bestofall,itisadocile-flyingtwin,whichmakesiteasyforpilotstoenjoytheirtimeatthefield.Ifyouarethinkingofgivingatwin-engineaircraftatryandwantsomethingthatlookssharp,thentheFMS1700mmTigercatisyourplane.J

designed for it, which was accessible from the top of the aircraft. Once I was able to lower the gear, I was impressed by the detail of the struts and landing wells. It was now easy to install the rest of the scale parts, which only took a few minutes. I left off the props until I was done programming all the control throws and made sure the motors were turning the correct way. The last thing to do was to pick out the decals that I wanted to use and apply them to the aircraft, and this took the most time of the assembly. But once I was done, I sat back and admired this nice­looking aircraft. It was now time for a trip to the flying field.

in the airWe had a nice, calm windless morning for our first flight with the Tigercat. Our runway is hard­packed dirt, and the Tigercat’s ground control was outstanding (as it would also be on concrete and short grass). I took off without flaps, and the model flew smoothly and required little correction to keep it on line. In the air, it needed only a little trimming for the ’Cat to track straight and true. Flying this bird is like flying a cross between a pattern aircraft and a low­wing trainer. Even at slow speeds, there is complete control, with all input response to the different

control surfaces. I kept the first flight at a little less than five minutes, and that time came up quickly; before I knew it, I was setting up on final. Landing was uneventful, and the Tigercat touched down perfectly. This plane is truly one of the easiest twin­engine aircraft to fly. If you can fly a low­wing trainer, then you can fly this bird.

General FliGht PerFormanceStability: This plane is solid, with and without the flaps down. Flying at a little less than half throttle, it was stable. It was easy to feel comfortable with bringing it down close to the ground for the photo pass. Tracking: It tracks like a pattern plane—smooth and straight. Once you have your flightline set, there is very little correction that needs to be done to keep it on its path. Aerobatics: While not an aerobatic plane (although it flies like one), it can do evasive

maneuvers such as loops and rolls. The best part is that there is plenty of power to do any combination of those two maneuvers. Glide and stall performance: This was a solid plane to bring in for a landing, even at some very slow speeds. Once the flaps come down, the Tigercat can slow to just about a crawl.

Pilot DebrieFinGFirst and foremost, this is a nice scale airplane, and when flown like that, it looks great in the sky. The sound of those two 3­blade props when the motors are opened up and the plane is making a low pass will provide enough inspiration for the pilot to do it over and over again; it is very nice. I would not recommend flying at full throttle with the belly tank on; the wind resistance will separate it from the connector. The flight performance is great and just another one of the features that adds to this outstanding model.

The “Bad Kitty” BackstoryTheGrummanAircraftEngineeringCorporationsawthejetagecomingandstartedproducingtheF9FPantherjetin1947.ButwiththeTigercat,Grummanwasnotreadytogiveuponpiston-driveninnovation.ThecompanygavetheUnitedStatesNavynotjustitsfirsttwin-enginefighterbutalsoafighterthatcouldlaunchandlandfromMidwaycarriers.Grummandeliveredaplanepoweredbya2800HPPratt&Whitneyengine,andatthetime,itoutperformedallexistingfighters.TheTigercatwasbig,butitcompactedneatlywithretract-ablewings,wheels,andnoselandinggear.Itcouldtakeoffquicklywith3,000poundsofweaponry,four20mmcannons,andfour.50-calibermachineguns,anditcouldreachspeedsof450mph. “BadKitty”flewforonly46hoursandthenwenttotheinfamousLitchfield“graveyard”inArizona,wheremostoftheTigercatssatwaitingforthescrapper.SisQFlyingServicepurchased“BadKitty”andafewother’Catsrelativelyinexpensivelyandthenfitthemwithbellytanksthatheldfireretardant.Afterwinningthe1962U.S.ForestServicecompetition,SisQsenttheplanestoOregonandCalifornia.“BadKitty”sawmorethan1,300hoursasafirefighter. “BadKitty”istodayoneoftherarestwarbirdsonrecord,asfewerthan20TigercatsweresalvagedfromLitchfieldand,todate,onlysixareinflyingcondition.TheHistoricFlightFoundationacquired“BadKitty”in2003andgavetheplanewhatitdeserved:afullrestoration.

G e A r U s e d

radio spektrum DX18 w/ AR9020

(spektrumrc.com); servos installed

Motor 4250-KV440x2 w/ 60A speed

control (included)

props two 14x8 3-blade (included)

BatteryVenom 22.2V 5000mAh 50C

(venompower.com)

One of many accessories that add to the look of this plane, the drop tank is included and simply slides onto the belly rack. Don’t fly at full power with this tank on as the wind resistance will automatically release the tank from the body.

The scale detail in the landing gear and tires adds to the look and feel of the Tigercat. The plane also has a realistic slow retract and synchronized bay-door closing.

The roomy hatch cover uses a sliding-latch system for easy removal and installation. To reattach the hatch, just push it down until you hear the click.

The guns are attached to bolts that allow you to screw them in, so they have a nice tight fit. They are easy to remove, so they don’t break off during transportation.