Fantastic F-84 ‘Flash

Fantastic F-84 ‘Flash

This 9-foot-long F-84F Thunderflash is Brian O’Meara’s latest creation, and it’s the only RC model F-84F flying in the world! Brian spent two years building the jet from a made-to-order Phantasy in Blue kit from the Netherlands and modeled it after Foto Fanny, a photo-reconn aircraft that had six cameras in its nose. The model is powered by a Jetcat 200 turbine and controlled by a Futaba 18MZ.  It’s covered in Flite Metal and is dressed in Klass Kote paint, ProMark nose art and is equipped with smoke, navigation lights and a pop-up canopy. Brian adds, “The center of gravity is about an inch forward of the other, sweptwing version of the F-84.  Found this out the hard way.  The air intake is huge and very thick airfoil so the center of lift moved forward. The plane flies fantastic. Next time I will have the main gear doors installed, as I was not sure if the gear would go up with the Glennis wheels.  Davinci Machining made me new brake pads that actually will slow the plane on landing.” Thanks to Dan St. John for the great photos!

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Updated: July 16, 2015 — 3:45 PM

10 Comments

  1. VERY NICE Photos and incredible job, time well spent. Is there a video of this sweet lady in flight? I am dying to see.

  2. Small point……..the model is actually an Republic RF-84F Thunderflash, the photo recce variant of the well-known F-84F Thunderstreak. I’m looking forward to seeing it, in person, at Brian’s upcoming “Warbirds Over the Rockies” event. Colorful model!

  3. Stories like this keep me in RC flying. Thanks.

  4. Another small (perhaps not so small) is that the airplane is not an F-84F. The “F” model had swept wings and the intake for the engine was at the the front of the airplane (ala the F-86) rather than in the wing roots. This airplane is a model of the “A” through “E” variants….
    I’m sure that Brian’s documentation will confirm this…

  5. I correct myself… I believe that the plane is an “A” model as the “B” through “E” also had the inlet in the nose… If I’m not mistaken, only the “A” had the wing root intakes..

  6. It’s an RF-84F.

  7. I stand corrected… Rich, above, correctly identifies the airplane as an RF-84F Thunderflash…. Quite correct…. It is in fact not an “A”… Apparently they had to use the original “A” Model intakes and nose to make room for the eight or so cameras that they stuffed into it…. Beautifully modeled….

  8. As an ex Republic Aviation Corp engineer I believe that this aircraft is an RF-84F. The F-84F was the swept wing version of the earlier F-84A model. The F-84F was then highly modified into the RF-84F design. Fantastic model!

  9. The pilot figure in the model appears to be a wee bit too small.

  10. I was fortunate enough to see this plane fly, just East 10 miles or so outside of Fort Collins Colorado at the Love-Air field. It I didn’t know any better the picture looks to be from that field.

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