Specifications:
Name: FunJet
Manufacturer: Multiplex
Type of product: Model Kit
Airplane type: High speed jet
For: Intermediate to advanced pilots
Flying weight: 620 g
Length: 750 mm (28.75”)
Wingspan: 795 mm (31.5”)
Wing area: 15 dm² (233 sq. in.)
Wing loading: ~41 g/dm²
Prop: 4.75*4.75”
Motor: 300 W 28 mm Brushless inrunner
Servos: 2 ~9g servos
CG: 30 mm from the leading edge of the wing
First impressions:
-Wow, this thing is small! was the first thing I found myself thinking when unpacking the kit. The second thing I noticed, was the low part count. Excellent! Few pieces equals a fast build.
The build:
This was the easiest Multiplex build I’ve done yet. There are no tricky parts. The only thing you do is smack on the wings with reinforcement, mount the fins and a few small items and you’re done. Just follow the excellent manual and you will be done before you know it. I finished the build in under two and a half hours. (I made a time-lapse video of the build which you can find later in this review, and in my YouTube-section.)
The engineers at Multiplex have though about everything it seems. The motor mount has a built in thrust line scale on the bottom indicating the number of degrees the motor is pointing up or down making it very easy to adjust. Also the CG is marked out with two “bumps” on the underside of the wings, making it easy to get spot on every time.
Installing the electronics is also easy as the whole fuselage is hollow. There is more room in the FunJet than the TwinStar and EasyStar put together! I like that a lot since I’m into FPV flying.
This is the power setup I ended up using:
Motor: Warp 4 3-turn 2580kV
ESC: Mystery 40A
Battery: 3s OEM 25-35C 2200mAh LiPo
Servos: 2 x Hitec HS-65HB
Prop: 6*4 / 5.5*4.5 / 5.25*4.75
Power: [email protected] – 22000RPM (6*4 prop) – 1000 g thrust – 134 km/h
—.—[email protected] – 22800RPM (5.5*4.5) – 760 g thrust .- 156 km/h
—-.–[email protected] – 23000RPM (5.25*4.75) – 660 g thrust – 166 km/h
All up weight: 575 grams
I use all three different props depending on what I want to do. When I fly FPV I use the 6*4 to get additional thrust and when flying normally I use either the 5.5*4.5 or the 5.25*4.75 depending on my mood.
Flying:
Launching the FunJet can be a little tricky at first. Due to the short wingspan and powerful motor, it wants to torqueroll to the left when you throw it. Give it 3/4-throttle and chuck it at an 20° upwards angle and be prepared to give some right aileron and you’ll be fine.
The FunJet is fast and very maneuverable. The roll rate with the suggested control travels is plenty fast and loops are tight. The controls feels precise and crisp, and it tracks so well! It feels like it’s on rails. One thing that surprised me was how well it flew at low speeds as well. It’s gentle and smooth when you cruise around at low speed, and then you can punch the throttle and Mr Hyde is released.
When you stall the FunJet you won’t get a nasty surprise unlike similar “jets”. It’s very predictable both before and during the stall, with a fast recovery.
The FunJet seems to be immune to wind. The first time I was going to fly it in the wind I was a bit anxious about how it was going to handle, but as soon as I lunched it, I forgot all about the wind. It doesn’t get thrown around by the wind nearly as much as I had anticipated. A very nice surprise.
Landing:
Landing is a piece of cake. Since the FunJet slows down nicely, you simply glide it in and put it down. No need for a long runway for this model.
Here is a video with a time-lapse of the build and the maiden flight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdJdwQY4MLU
The FunJet as a FPV platform:
The FunJet is an excellent FPV platform. It’s got loads of space in the fuselage, no prop in the front that obscures the view and the wings are located far back, again allowing an unobscured view. It also flies great despite the 100 grams of extra weight added by the FPV gear.
I only use a pan servo on my FPV FunJet and I feel no need for a tilt servo, unlike on the TwinStar or the EasyStar where it felt crippling not having it. This makes for a very simple setup, since this is a 3 channel airplane to start with, you have the rudder stick free, which you now can use to control the pan servo. This means you won’t need a complicated head tracker or a lot of extra channels. The FunJet is also easy to transport, since it’s so small. And when you get to the field you simply plug in the battery and fly. No need to screw on wings, hooking up a bunch of cables, fixing with a head tracker or anything like that. Its simple setup gives it enormous bang for the buck.
The flight style with the FPV FunJet is quite different to the TwinStar or EasyStar, where you cruise around looking at things from above quite relaxed. With the FunJet you blaze around, doing rolls, loops, low flying, speed runs and climbing to altitude in seconds. This is also the reason why there is no need for tilting the camera. But you have to be much more “awake” when piloting the FunJet. It’s an awesome experience.
I use 30% expo on the roll and 20% on the elevator to make it a little smoother around mid stick.
Conclusion:
This is an excellent airplane! It looks superb and the flight characteristics are very good which makes it a joy to fly. The Elapor foam makes it crash resilient and easy to repair, when you confuse the ground for the sky. The build is fast and easy. It’s easy to land. All this makes it the perfect airplane for those of you who want to try speed flying or just want a fun and thrilling airplane. It’s also an excellent FPV platform, with loads of space in the fuselage. It’s no beginners plane, though.
Congratulations Multiplex, to yet another excellent airplane!
