Inside F5J 2.9m

Unfortunately I am only able to give a 3 star review as one sheet of balsa for the fuselage was badly warped in both dimensions.
I released the fuselage from the sheet balsa and weighted it down overnight and the warps appeared to come out although I was concerned that upon construction the fuselage may not be true. I reported the matter to Neil at Hyperflight and continued the build.
Unfortunately the fuselage did run out at the tail by about 5mm. Neil’s identified that a twist would be induced in the fuselage if one side was warped and advised to pack the leading edge of the tailplane and use elevator to trim out in flight. I have spent a lot of time levelling the tailplane bed and sanding the fuselage sheeting.
Time will tell how successful this build has been but I am reasonably confident it will be fine for my purposes. I decided to proceed with the build as I do not plan on using the plane for competition.
Otherwise the quality of the kit is superb. When building the tailplane the laser cutting was superb and the pieces fitted together with absolute precision. I have yet to start the wing construction.
The delivery of the order was rapid and Neil has been very helpful and responded to my emails with his advice very promptly.

Unfortunately I am only able to give a 3 star review as one sheet of balsa for the fuselage was badly warped in both dimensions.
I released the fuselage from the sheet balsa and weighted it down overnight and the warps appeared to come out although I was concerned that upon construction the fuselage may not be true. I reported the matter to Neil at Hyperflight and continued the build.
Unfortunately the fuselage did run out at the tail by about 5mm. Neil’s identified that a twist would be induced in the fuselage if one side was warped and advised to pack the leading edge of the tailplane and use elevator to trim out in flight. I have spent a lot of time levelling the tailplane bed and sanding the fuselage sheeting.
Time will tell how successful this build has been but I am reasonably confident it will be fine for my purposes. I decided to proceed with the build as I do not plan on using the plane for competition.
Otherwise the quality of the kit is superb. When building the tailplane the laser cutting was superb and the pieces fitted together with absolute precision. I have yet to start the wing construction.
The delivery of the order was rapid and Neil has been very helpful and responded to my emails with his advice very promptly.

Analyzed the plan and the quality of the parts, and it seemed very good, with light balsa wood. Will be a pleasant assembly.

I haven’t started building yet but went through the kit and looked over all the pieces and what great quality I found there. Organized well that it received no damage in shipping. Plans are large and easy to read. Can’t wait to get it in the air

The kit arrived very quickly and was double boxed. Whilst I don't intend building this immediately as I have other projects on the go, I have checked everything is present, and it is. I have to say the quality of the wood and cnc work is outstanding. Prior to the purchase I rang Neil with a few questions and his knowledge and customer service were/are again outstanding. I would highly recommend doing business with Neil/Hyperflight. As previously mentioned in reviews the instructions are in German, however this is not a problem as there is a link in the product description above with comprehensive build instructions. I am really looking forward to building this kit.

As always hugely impressed by a prompt delivery (from proper non shadow stock)…it’s been a while since I built someone else’s kit as I have my own cnc gear and usually do my own…I’ve been in this hobby for way too long and seen many kits over my years but this has to be the best. The quality and selection of wood is exemplary and the fit and finish of the laser cutting is incredible…it’s going together well and quickly and I look forward to guiding through some thermals very soon…

This is my first glider kit for many years. I have not started building this model yet, but so far I am very impressed. The service from Hyperflight was excellent (arrived very quickly), and as for the kit, well, I was totally blown away by the superb quality of the parts and the drawing. Really looking forward to building this.

Been away from modeling for about 21 years and wanted to get back into it. Wow what a kit, it's the most precise piece of engineering. If you're worried about time to build a kit don't be. This plane goes together in a couple of nights with immense satisfaction. I am currently installing electrics and will fly soon. From everything ive read and seen they fly great. Everything that Neil supplies fitted perfectly. Great product, great service and a gorgeous looking plane. Zero regrets on this purchase.

Haven't had a chance to start building the Inside F5J yet, but my first impressions are very good. The parts and materials all seem very high quality, and I was amazed to see that the flaps and ailerons are made from a single piece of wood, with the bevels already cut and all excess wood milled away.
I was also pleasantly surprised that the kit got to me, here on the US west coast (California) in only 3 days!

When I received the kit from Neil, I was impressed with the packaging it came in. Because I ordered some other items with it, the sturdy outer box was perfectly sized as a carrier and storage box for the completed wing sections.

The laser-cutting was good and it allowed a relatively quick build. However, the cutting was not perfect. There is a slight bevel to the edges of cut pieces. Squaring up edges was required with a few parts (e.g. wing trailing edge strips) to ensure they would not sit tilted on the building surface.

The quality of the wood in the kit was good. Strips were straight and sheets were flat with the exception of one badly warped ply sheet and one twisted flap.

I added fibreglass to the bottom of the forward fuselage for rough landings. Also on a small section of the rear fuselage to strengthen the area where the notch for the elevator tie bar goes as this area was a common site of failure for some other flyers.

I installed a flight controller and GPS for return-to-home capability running iNav. I am sure we have all experienced those moments of terror that ensued when we looked away from the aircraft for a moment and then were not able to locate it again for an uncomfortably long period of time! The automation is there as a backup only and not used in normal flying.

List of components installed:
- Motor: AXI 2217/20 Long V2 (840kV)
- Spinner: GM F5J 36mm
- Prop: 12x6 carbon prop
- ESC: Holybro Tekko32 35A BLHeli_32
- Flight controller: Matek F722-WPX
- GPS: BN-220
- RX: TBS Crossfire Nano Rx (915Mhz)
- Servos: EMAX ES3552 (x6), JX PDI-DHV26MG (x2)
- Battery: 3S/1300mAh

Flight weight: ~1160g

I have been flying the Inside F5J for the last four months and I find that handling is predictable with no unexpected, bad characteristics. However, it is probably best in lighter and less gusty wind conditions. This can be expected from the light wing loading. The wing construction gives it good torsional stiffness. But the wings on mine did flutter the one time I inadvertently got it going too fast in a dive.

Overall, this is an excellent model and a lower-cost option for those that want to try thermal flying with 3-metre class motor glider.

excellent kit , I have already built the inside f5j great flyer, and now looking forward to flying with the extra control surfaces

Very pleased with quality of kitset. Delivery timely in fact quicker than expected to NZ.

Have not built the Inside F5J yet but opening the box the packaging is very good and the quality of the parts and the plans is impressive. I think I will enjoy putting this together. Thank you Hyperflight.

I had a spare A20 Hacker motor and 30a esc and looked round for something to fit them in that involved a bit of building. It soon became clear that the Inside could fit the bill but I also fancied a carbon boom/pod fuselage as I liked the look of the AVA Pro-e.

I contacted Neil and thanks to his excellent advice, I now have an Inside f5j married to a carbon pod/boom fuz. Regarding the Inside, the plan was informative, well drawn and the laser cut parts so precise that it it was a joy to build. Similarly, the appropriateness and quality of the fuselage parts/servos provided by Neil were first class. I am very grateful to Neil/Hyperflight as his advice and ability to supply quality components was key the the successful completion of my project.

Thanks again for the excellent service. This the second purchase as I also purchased the Foxtrott both kits look quality. At the moment I already have build on otherwise would get stuck in on one of these.
I already have a tired full house so will probably start with the Foxtrott.

not a lot that that has not been said already best kit I have ever built in fact its the second one I bought

Great kit went together very well, using a AXI 2217/16 motor running a 11 x 6 folding prop, flys great still getting it right. First flight used a 2S 1300 battery but not enough power so now using a 3S 1300 - too much power. Can't believe how fast it got to Australia, what a good firm to get the kit from.

This is my first F5J model.

Delivery to Melbourne, Australia was fantastic and very well packaged.
Arrived in only 6 days. Excellent service. Thankyou Hyperflight.

I took my time with this build as we were in Covid lock-down here in Melbourne.
This was the first time I've ever built a model from kit form.
Went together very well and the English instructions were spot-on.

I made a larger (longer) battery hatch than what was supplied and I've found this extra access to the fuse to be very handy. Would highly recommend doing the same if you're considering this plane.

The construction was excellent. All parts fitted together perfectly.
I used PVA glue on most balsa to balsa or ply joins as I feel as though the bond is better. Otherwise CA everywhere else worked well.

Covering the model went well, despite this being my first ever attempt at building a model. I opted to hinge the wing control surfaces with traditional pinned hinges. This didn't work so well for me and I wish I had followed the instructions and used the covering film as the hinge. Would have made final set-up of the wing much easier.

I used the recommended Hacker motor, ESC and prop.
Works very well. Also used Hitec servo's throughout.

I'm using an FRSky Taranis X9D+ SE 2019 transmitter as my Futaba T10J TX just couldn't cope with the programming & channels.
Learning the Taranis X9D+ has been a challenge, but got it all working in the end.
If I had extra $ then I would prefer either a Futaba or Jeti alternative.

First flight went okay, but some adjustments were required to the wing control surfaces. Again, the result may have been better if I had followed the instructions and used the covering film as the hinges rather than opting for pinned hinges.

After adjustments were made, the plane has flown perfectly.
I have really enjoyed flying this model. I'm still getting used to the amount of rudder input required, but that's the nature of these larger F5J models (I have flown mostly F3A pattern in the past, so this is totally different).

This plane was a pleasure to build and it's a pleasure to fly.
I plan on entering into F5J competitions at my local club and this plane looks to be quite capable.

Overall I can recommend this plane to anyone looking for a good F5J model. If this is your first F5J model then I would suggest looking more closely at the "Introduction F5J" as the lesser amount of wing control surfaces will make final set-up much less complicated.

What more can I add to the current reviews other than to say they are right, this is an excellent kit. Some of my experiences are on my build blog at
https://www.modelflying.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=149776

Neil our service is flat out amazing. Ordered kit on 11/11/2020 received it on 11/16/2020 in the AM ! that's here in the US.
The kit quality is 5 stars + .
Can,t wait to start as my Winters build project.
Thanks for the great service and selection of quality kits and products!

Ordered online the Inside F5J from the good people at Hyperflight. I did ok in our club comps with a much lesser capable or quality Glider last year. Wanted to be more competitive this year, so the German designed Inside F5J was orderd from the good people at Hyperflight. Arrived by post within 5 days well packaged and safe. Surprisingly small box for such a large model and very very light. All materials were extremely good quality and the laser cutting superb, best i,ve seen for many years. The contained Instruction booklet is in German as is the parts list, however the English version of the instructions can be found online easily enough. Lots of color photos and simple step by step explanations. The build for me was very straight forward, big jigsaw puzzle quite a rapid build with Cyano glue.
Fuselage: Make sure you keep everything square and true, i used extra large modeling pins over the plan to keep the fuselage square while building and gluing it. some sort of home build jig would be even better.
Wings: These go together simply and quickly directly over the plan, use acetate or polyethylene sheet over the plan to protect it, stops your wood sticking to and damaging the paper plan (Plan is superb very clear, understandable and in color). Pin the wing trailing edges down while building keeps it all true. Easy peaszy. It builds up so quickly. I had to read instructions, check the plan several times to make sure i had the wing joiners the the right way up and right round and a left and right sets. Same applies with the Servo wing mounts. I did get one servo mount the wrong way round (Doooh) managed to debond and re-glue. Take your time on this bit, get it right.
Issues: the electric wiring connectors for the wing servos were not inclded in the kit. I could find the 8 pin center blocks in UK easily enough, but not the square 5 pin ones for the wing middle section and tips. Had to order them from https://www.hoelleinshop.com/ Stecker 5-polig, gerade, # 86221 , # 787028 they arrived from Germany in 3 days ......ordered a couple of spares, just in case... you may find alternatives that would work.
Film covering was ordered from Hyperflight as i liked there color choice for the model and they had the Oracover light in stock.
Electrics: Used the advertised Hacker A20-22L 11x6 prop, 40A ESC i have a range of batteries to try from 1000Mah up to 1800Mah. The Turnigy 1800Mah does fiit in, but will be a balancing trick weight wise. I used Corona 8 x DS843MG Digital Servos as advertised, amazing tiny bit of digital servo, so tiny but have over 4kg pull and metal geared. The Servos must be small to fit in the wing think they are max 9mm deep. Finding a reasonably priced 38mm folding prop spinner with a 3mm shaft drive took some searching around, eventually found one.
Will be using the FrSky GRX8 receiver as it has the Altimeter and Vario, Telemetry and RSSI sensors built in initially linging the mid wing and tip ailerons with a Y Lead. I wil have the option of linking the the two Flaps the same way. Eventually perhaps fit a second receiver to split every thing up again to single channels. My problem is the GRX8 has only got 8 channels, im also fitting a stabilizer, the ESC motor uses another so only leaves 6 channels for the remaining 8 Servos. Also want the crow braking facility. Lots of options to trial.
Overall very happy with the Kit quality and its build. Only a bit of soldering and covering to finish. Obviously the price the kit is sold at it the kit only. B the time you have your motor, Mini Digital MG servos, battery covering etc the overall price will be almost double that, however you will have an extremely light weight, high quality electric, nearly 3m span electric glider that was a real pleasure to build. Gets my thumbs up. Very satisfied.

Kit arrived safe. Looks great it hasn’t been opened it’s on its way to my home in Australia
Service was great no issues at all

Kit arrived safe. Looks great it hasn’t been opened it’s on its way to my home in Australia
Service was great no issues at all

the kit is excellent, almost a jigsaw puzzle of a build, everything slots in where it should and fits almost perfectly, the only downside is that you have to print your own manual off unless your fluent in german, care has to be taken to ensure the fuselage stays straight, if you own a Jig this is not a problem, but the shear length of the fus will cause you a problem if your not careful, ailerons can also twist when covering if your over keen with the heat shrink, other than that it was a pleasure to build. flying wise it very simple and responds well to thermals and sink !! did suffer from wing flutter whilst trying to get out of thermal even with full crow, personally i would have liked another carbon spar in there. but keep the speed down to where it should be and you will be fine. overall a bargain and a great aircraft

As usual, Hyperfight had my kit at my door within two days of making the order.I've just built an Andreas and an Andreas Electro and like these other German kits, the laser cutting and wood choice looks superb. The Inside even has a decent English set of instructions available online too! I'm looking forwards to the build.

This is more of a neal review, i have bought 3 gliders from neal and i live in Australia they have all arived quicker than any parts that i order from australia ( i do live in darwin NT ).i have only opened the box but the lazer cutting is immaculate and the timber is spot on and straight.

This is the second half of my review. As stated before, I have used 3mm nylon bolts to secure the fin/rudder, which works - passing through one side of the fuselage, through the fin, and into a captive nut in the other side. I decided against making each wing in 3 parts and feel that was a good choice. Be very careful with aligning the wing joiners, as one of my wingtips was at the right dihedral angle but the root ribs were not perfectly parallel when assembled. I was able to very carefully bend the piano wire a degree or two and it’s now a perfect fit. Thanks to other reviewers I was able to avoid the mis-aligned fuselage that was a problem for some. Corona DS843MG were fitted in the wings and seem a quality servo. Bags of space in the nose for radio and flight battery, which was used to adjust the C of G.
Yesterday was cold, sunny and still so was ideal for maiden flight. Test glide from the hand went about 40 to 50 metres first time - wow. Next was another glide launch and gentle power on, which resulted in a 45 degree climb out. At present I’m on a 980kv motor on 2s battery driving a 12 x 6 prop as I plan to mainly use this as a Slope soarer for very light days. After more use I may go to 3s and/or a 1200kv motor. Overall a fantastic quality kit and terrific light wind performance - I just hope that the flaps are effective to bring it down!

The balsa wood and laser cuts are top quality same a presentation , coloured plans... A joy to watch.The cardboard box is not top, could be buch better, arrived with a puncture that didnt affect the wood. Im actually finishing a 5 meters Minimoa, my next bulding will be the Inside-F5J that Im almost sure will be a pleasure.
Hyperflight was quick in delivery, top service, will buy again.

HyperFlight Comment:
We have recently improved our boxes, so there is even less chance of damage now.
Also note this customer is in Argentina so the box did go half way round the world.

Soundly packaged and swiftly supplied.(Standard, first rate, Hyperflight service).

An excellent kit with clean laser cutting of well selected materials.
Still in the building phase so no flying comments; spent a little time considering wing washout as none is specified by angle adjustment of the wing panels. Concluded from review of other builders on rcgroups that none is needed beyond that built in by planform, tip plate, and possible section change along the wing span.
My only minor gripe would be that the instructions supplied are in German - although it is easy enough to find the translated version on line, - but it runs to rather a lot of pages to print if you want hardcopy.

Bought to replace very old rudder/elevator model. Superb quality materials and beautifully laser cut. Very simple and quick build but enjoyable nonetheless. Decided to go for the removable tail to minimise transport damage. When I came to fit the fin, I realised that with two nylon bolts straight through the fuselage and fin I could modify to make the fin removable as well. Just about to start the wing construction and am considering whether the outer panels could be made in two halves as lightweight wings with dihedral are always tricky to transport. Planning to fit Corona DS843MG servos. Can’t wait to get it in the air

Can not review because have not got the package since 6/25/2018.

Top quality materials, assembly over the plan on the building board is very quick, very small inconsistency between the plan and the interlocking parts, particularly wing rib spacings. I replaced the wingtip alignment dowel which is shown as steel, with a wooden dowel. The wingtip retaining clips have been discarded in favour of R clips inserted through 2mm holes drilled through these dowels(Modelfixings).The fuselage builds straight and true over the plan, however care is needed when covering to ensure that the film is shrunk evenly both sides and top and bottom, otherwise the very light structure will twist.The wing is much more rigid. CG is correct as per instructions, and flying is straightforward. Good performance, not a cheap kit, but a quality build and nice to fly .

This model is very well constructed and I am pleased with the fast delivery

This is a quality kit. All parts are well--marked and arranged logically on the supplied balsa and ply sheets. Absolutely perfect laser cutting. I've only just started the build, but I don't see how this a/c won't just fall together and fly itself.

I am very satisfied - fast delivery, high quality kit. I'm sure the model will fly great. I Immediately started assembling. :)

I am so pleased with my Inside F5J. It is really cheap and flies superbly. Running 6 servos independently in the wing and only a 3s 1300mAh battery. I regularly get >30 minute flights from flat field. 40 minutes the other day and had to force her out the thermal. Everyone at the field likes this model and have been around gliders for years. Very pleased and well worth the money and building effort. Would buy again.

The Inside F5J is a great kit to build and for the most part is user friendly. All parts are well labeled, laser cut and fit together like a watch. Having built two of them I can say that the only difficulty I had was trying to keep the long fuselage straight and true while building. It is very difficult to get it rite the first time and you don't get a second try. Be sure you build over the plans and pin down as you go. I found it easer to sheet the top of the fuse first while having pinned the bottom to the plans.

The Inside is a beautifully manufactured kit. All parts are excellently laser cut and the balsa is also excellent, and so are the plans and instructions.
Will start building soon and look forward to an easy and straight forward building process.

Ordered this from Neil and it was shipped the next day. Very good service. I am still building the kit, so I can only comment on the box contents. Wood selection is good. Laser cutting is excellent. Parts fit is excellent. I am using the English version of the instructions and it has been very clear. Lots of photos help, too.
I would recommend this kit as an excellent build project and considering the comments posted on RC Groups, it should fly well.
Overall, two thumbs up! or five stars, or whatever.

The kit is easy to assemble and every part fits very precise. Not completed yet but it builds fast. Just download the English manual and there are loads of info on the web on this model.