“I bought a Panther in 12 2013. I've been flying the dickens out of it and take it to the field nearly every trip. Had two bad crashes. The first crash was either a push rod clevis pin failureor a glue joint failure on 1/2 of the horizontal stabilizer, happened Jan 1st at the freeze fly in front of everybody. Pretty busted up but after getting over the initial trauma I got to work gluing and it went back together nicely. Seems like if you let them sit for a day or two the foam tries to go back to it's original form. Second crash I believe was caused by the elevator servo plug pulling out of the receiver, the plug was slightly damaged in crash no 1. Crash two was severe but after sitting for a few days and massaging the foam with a little heat it is back together again flying good. Last fix I used white Gorilla glue and I am highly impressed by how well it works with the foam. Soon after crash two I thought Panther 1 was done so I ordered Panther No. 2 which as it turned out, is still in the box. I'm relatively new to foam planes and jets but once you learn how the fix them you will find it is quite easy in most cases.Major factors for success include: Constant inspection, remove paint before gluing joints(Panther horizontal stabilizers are tough to get paint out but do it using tape), secure the battery, you do not want it moving in flight, use thread locker on metal to metal screws and nuts, use firm sections of silicon fuel tube for clevis keepers, the stock ones are marginal.I hand launch overhand with my index finger against the rearskid, works like a charm. 1800 battery fits perfect - push all the way to the front of the nose. Make sure that the EDF unit cover has does not deform the shroud causing a blade strike. I used sticky sandpaper on a can to get a good fit for the shroud.Great jet just look for anything that could go wrong and fix it so it is a sound machine If you have relatively fast plane experience you can fly this jet.Panther 2 is still in the box so if I do crash again I won't be Pantherless!”
“Got mine in record time (as always) had it assembled in about an hour including balancing I set my CG at 1 1/2 back using an 1800ma 3s all the way forward and 50% expo all around.A few clicks of down trim and away we went.the 64mm has great power and landing was perfect.I always use landing gear as we have a 400' x150' asphalt runway.a deffinate must for your hanger”
“Received mine on the 17th had it assembled in about an hour.the build was super easy.I opted for the optional retracts because we have a 400' asphalt runway at our club.so I mostly fly there.I balanced mine at 1.5 back from the wings leading edge using a 1800 3 cell a few clicks of down trim and It flew great and due to the straight wing slows nicely for landing.Another MRC WINNER THANKS GUYS I'll be back”
“This jet builds quick and fly's well. Paint is also applied well. You will need to clean the paint off the areas that are glued as they are well covered in paint. I purchased the landing gear because I like to video my flights and like to watch my landings on asphalt instead of belly landing on grass. My only MINOR complaint is installing the gear. After you pop the cover plates off to expose the openings for the gear, there are gaps where the paint gets removed so you have to paint that. I have ordered a ton of planes from MotionRc and have been very pleased with these guys. I get my orders fast and in excellent condition. This is my primary RC shop.”
“I was coming in for a landing when their was another plane coming in from the wrong direction. I was the good guy and took a nose dive into the ground. Should have hit him but I didn't. To much damage to fix and it was such a good flying plane that I purchased another one from MotionRC. Can't beat the shipping cost and the Thank you note with you purchase.”
“Bought this jet last summer. Sorry it took so long to write a review. This is one of the best jets I flew. She flies like she is on rails and rarely had to add any trim. Flies great fast or slow and easy to see in the air. CG was a bit off, but reviewing the posts here helped. Also recommend having clean foam when gluing. Motion RC has been outstanding and is my hobby store of choice. I also bought the optional gear. Looks really cool taking off and landing with the gear. If you buy the gear, you will have a hard time getting bigger batteries in the bay. I would fly with 1600 and 2200 batteries. After a hard landing one day, the gear broke off so I reverted back to hand launching. I also kept the plastic covers on the gear bays so she looked like she did out of the box. Last weekend took her to the field and on the second flight, hand launched her into the ground. She was was not fixable after that. She will be missed. Hmm, maybe get another one?”
“Went together easy with no surprises ... Including the optional landing gears. Flies nice and comes back to earth with no surprises. Fly time is relatively short and it behaves like a small plane. I like it and a fun alternative to my larger planes.”
“My 4th Motion RC Product all FMS Warbirds, 800 and 1400mm Props, First EDF for me, Build was easy, great quality for the price, cant beat it. First flight flew it stock on 3s 2650mah packs I already had, get a good 5+ minutes with throttle management. I had a 2200 4s pack and tried it in stock config and got much better performance and speed, but was concerned about the ESC as that will over drive current. Mod time! Bought from FMS the 4S 64mm motor and esc package available on the other EDF Jets on motion.com in the spare parts sectionfrom the F22 (2836-3500KV motor, 40 Amp ESC). Needed to mod the wood tray, actually cut the tray out to fit a 4S 3300 pack, snugly fits no problem, I used some spare foam to wedge in compartment or secure Cg. Was concerned about weight cg very far fwd, but again it handles this weight well, a few clicks of up elev after a hand launch, and believe me, this jet is unleashed, for $100 bucks and another $50 for upgraded motor/ESC WOW. This jet approaches 100mph and has nearly unlimited climb, with a 3300 4S pack and 8-10 minutes flight time, and with lighter 2200 4S pack has unlimited vertical, but only about 4-6 minutes flying time.Landing requires a tad more finess as its very nose heavy with the big packs, so some power on landing is required. Overall you can't beat the price quality and service with spare parts availablility,great jet to mod - all 4S motor and ESC just drop in Gonna get one for my buddie so we can fly formations or dog fight!”
