“Overall this is a very nice airplane. The quality of the foam is great. I maidened it yesterday and I had it balanced exactly the way it required (so I thought) and it was extremely tail heavy. I was able to save it a little (so damage). But do yourself a favor a little nose heavy to compensate. One thing I was not happy about was the decals flew right off once I had hi throttle going. Was not very happy about that. Maybe stronger adhesive. Nevertheless it is a winner.”
“Motion RC provides the best customer care possible. I had trouble with the aileron servos and MRC replaced quickly. The plane is really tail heavy and required 2-oz. of nose weight to get the recommended CG. After the first flight, I added another 1/4 oz (2-oz total) with a 3700 65 C battery. I used an EZ balancer machine for the CG and it was right on and flew without issues. This plane does not fly well with the slightest variation in CG. Make it nose heavy to be on the safe side. If you are having issues with the decal sticking, use a Micro set solution, applied lightly to the decal area and let dry before applying the decals. Or you may apply the solution before it dries, which enables moving the decals if need be. A small bottle of Micro set goes a long ways. This is really a good flying plane when the CG is set correctly.”
“I give this model 4 stars. I can't go 5 stars for two reasons. The installed rudder servo was bad. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't. I took it out and discovered that when the servo was turned each way to the full amount it would lock up. It would not go back the other way. I had to jiggle it sometimes for 15 seconds or so before it would unlock. I think I solved the problem by reducing the end points of that channel using the radio programming from 100% to 50% servo travel. I haven't test flown it since the programming. Of course, MRC was out of stock on a replacement servo. The only other disappointment was the role rate of the plane. It is too slow for my liking. I have it at maximum throws but it is pretty slow. Now, the good part. It has plenty of power with stock motor and prop. That 4 blade prop really looks good. The plane looks good in the air. With or without flaps the plane is so easy to land. Those who have trouble landing their planes will like this one. The retracts have worked perfectly so far. The wide stance of the landing gear makes takeoffs and landings easy to control. There is a good selection of decals that come with the plane. They are easy to install. Overall, I am satisfied with the model. It is stable and quite easy to fly.”
“Flying Weight 1550g / 54oz: mine cane in at 55 3/4 oz WITHOUT battery pack. Even with smaller than suggested battery pack (8 oz 4S 2200 mAh 25C), mine weighs 63 3/4 oz ready to fly. That is my biggest disappointment, the only other being small wheels which require extremely short grass or paved runways. It is a nice flyer tho, stable at all speeds, performance deserving of a Bearcat, REALLY nice looking, and decal options is a huge plus. I would consider a second one, which I would repaint yellow and finish as Beetle Bomb (the 5th Blue Angel way back when). I would recommend to others, but I sure wish they were more honest about Flying Weight.”
“I pre-ordered this plane as soon as it was opened, and received it October 31st. The instruction manual was very straightforward, and the plane went together in a little under an hour (if you get the PNP version, you skip most of the steps in the manual as everything is already installed). Fit and finish of this plane are fantastic, no issues whatsoever during the assembly. The included blue Control Box is a smart idea. It helps reduce the number connections, and gets rid of the rats nest of wires.CG is per the manual. And since the main landing gear are forward of the CG, this plane does not have a tendency to nose over like most warbirds. I currently use two lipos for this bird; an Admiral 4S 4000 40C, and a Zippy Compact 4S 6200 40C. The Zippy is 6 ounces heavier than the Admiral, but it will allow a perfect CG pushed all the way forward. However, I have found that there is not a significant shift in CG using these two packs, and the plane seem well tolerant of a slight aft CG. On the 6200 I can get an easy 12 minutes of flight time, and 10 minutes with the 4000, and still come in at 3.79v per cell (30%). And I think she actually flies better at the higher weight of the 6200.So far I have seven flights over 2 days. On the maiden flight, I was comfortable with the plane after only 30 seconds of flight. She was rock solid and did not require a single click of trim (a first for me). She will perform all standard maneuvers with ease, and inverted flight required only very slight down elevator to hold level. Speed is not blazing fast, but she is no slouch. And slow flight is amazing. Full flaps into the wind and she slows to walking pace. Stalls and straight forward with just a small nose down, nothing dramatic, and she does not drop a wing.I did mine in the Blue Angels scheme, and adding a few coats of Minwax Water-based Polycrylic really shined up the paint. The plane comes in a matte finish, so if you're doing a military unit version, the finish needs nothing done to it.The only negative thing I can say about this plane is it doesn't have a retractable tail wheel. However, at this size and price point, it is not something you would normally expect. However, I managed to get my hands on a Dynam Hellcat tail retracts and will install it. And since the Control Box has 3 connections for landing gear, it will not require any Y connectors to hook up.”
“This is one beautiful bird. As mentioned, it had to tell it is foam. I took my time building this one after watching the build video. I wish this one had navigation lights. Otherwise, the only issue I have with the pane is the very tight fit for both the wings and stab. I made slight modification in the fuse to accommodate a gyro by gluing a small piece of plywood behind the battery compartment. The receiver and gyro fit the plywood. I used the @45 decal set. Now, this takes some time; however, it is worth it. Using a Admiral 3600 pro battery and a EZ balance machine, I still had to add some nose weight. The CG is right own now. The 4-stars reflect replacing one of the wing servos (chatter). I am really pleased with this one.”
“Received my Bearcat from Motion with no damage whatsoever I followed the build video and she went together with no problems at all. I did my maiden with the low settings in the manual. She was very touchy on the ailerons and elevators. The flap settings were perfect It's a fast flying really great plane and I'm enjoying it very much”
“MotionRC and Flightline have really put together an excellent line of scale warbirds. The F8F Bearcat is just another fine example. The biggest thing I would like to point out is the build. Four screws, plug in the wiring, slap on some decals, set the control surfaces and you are off to the field. Of course that is over simplifying the build but it took no more than two beers to have my plane ready to go. The maiden flight was uneventful. Had to trim slightly but the Bearcat flew totally scale. If you are looking for speed I would suggest the upgrade kit for this plane. With the wide landing gear landings are a breeze. The only negative thing is the decal set. The small decals are a total pain to get off the sheet and apply. For me this was true for the Spitfire and P-38 also. Something for flightline to work on.I would totally recommend the F8F Bearcat for any pilot looking for a nicely detailed warbird that is easy to build and fly.”
