A classic aircraft made in new molds and with new features, starting from Oct 1st, 2023

General Information

One of the most successful Sport Jets ever got a makeover. CARF-Models is bringing this great flying plane back, made in brand new molds. Lots of design improvements have been incorporated, such as a new, much more efficient and easier to do turbine instllation, a new, beautiful shiny kevlar fuel tank and gear mounts in wing and fuselage which are finally perfeclty adjusted to the Electron ER40 gear we supply as an accessory item.  Of course, just as always, ARF and painted in the molds. 

The Viper is a highly prefabricated kit, truly ARF and well engineered. It has proven for many years to be a robust jet, competing at the highest level in aerobatic contests around the world. Besides the new features, it still incorporates the below: 

• 2 part fuselage, which can be permanently glued or removably bolted together.
• Removable fin with the rudder being attached with a steel hinge pin
• Composite wing with straight wing tips, ailerons and huge flaps on elastic hinges
• Large stab with readily installed and aligned stab tube, elevator elastic flap
• Huge canopy with components for a vacuum formed cockpit included, providing the option to make a very detailed scale cockpit with aftermarket parts
• Landing gear mounts adjusted for the commonly used Electron ER-40 gear
• Painted in the mold in standard schemes, color swaps or fully customized

All new is the design of the thrust tube and engine mount, which allows a very easy engine installation without having to drill holes in the wooden mounting rails. T-Nuts are already installed and the engine gets bolted to the carbon tabs while outside the model. it comes even with a wooden jig to drill the holes for the engine mount perfectly aligned. The most efficient intake lip design is replacing the bell mouth.

Structual Components

The fuselage is separated right where the inlets hide the joint. It can be permanently glued or remain to be joined with 4 bolts. All structural components, as well as the stab and fin joiner sleeves, are glued in the mold for perfect allignment and structural integrity.

The wings have a well thought out spar and rib inlay. The gear mount, now perfectly adjusted for Electron ER-40 retract units, is very well integrated into this structure. Elastic flap hinges are built in flaps and ailerons.

The horizontal stab is very large, that's why also this component needs considerable interal reinforcement. The removable fin features a hidden linkage and control horn.

Fuel Tank

A new 4 liter fuel tank is optionally availalbe as an accessory. It's made in new molds, shiny from the outside, featuring our new tank fittings for clunk and vent line. It does NOT include a UAT (hopper tank) anymore because there are too many different systems available and preferred by our customers. New mounts with a milled wood foam structure and carbon tubes are included in the tank set. 

Retract

From now on we only provide the Electron ER-40 retract set for our Viperjet. It is perfectly suited for the weight of the plane. After all the mounting hardware in the plane has been adjusted for the use of Electron ER-40 gear units, installation is now as easy as anyone could imagine. Nosewheel steering is now done with a servo mounted to the strut, elminating all external linkages. For the main struts and wheels the cutouts are already pre-made in the wings. Bolting the new Electron gear into the new kit is a matter of minutes... 

We strongly recommend to use this landing gear, as it is designed for the purpose and will give you hassle free installation and operation. 

Cockpit Kit

Admitted, not a superscale cockpit. But hey, everybody knows that a superscale cockpit is always and expensive and heavy project. Our philosophy at CARF is to provide a good looking, light weight cockpit which makes the plane look good on the ground and in the air. Therfore, we opted to install the 4 elements (2 seats and 2 dash boards) separately, using only Velcro for a very quick installation and removal. Supports and mounts are glued into the front fuselage permanently, where they do not interfere with other equipment.

Included Hardware

As usual, CARF only provides high quality hardware with any of their kits. There is no exception for the Viper. Complete and well prepared all bolts, nuts, ball links and linkages are included. Two equipment trays, designed to be installed and removed with little effort, and other wooden parts are CNC milled plywood, some carbon fibre reinforced. We want to make sure that our Viper is a joy to build, and fly. Good hardware is a key factor for successful operation. Please note that the contents of the hardware kit have been adjusted to the new 2023 version. 

Flying Performance

Flying the ViperJet is a great experience. Here nothing has changed  from the old kit to the new. Great slow flight characteristics and still the plane is capable of fast fly bys straight like an arrow. Neutral roll performance and strong enough to survive snaprolls, too. The ground handling is great due to the wide trailing link gear, and the wheels are large enough to handle well on grass runways. Yes, there are quite some Vipers out there. But this new CARF-Viperjet is best quality kit, backed by the CARF spare parts policy and after sales service.

So, if you are shopping for a Viper in the 160-180 N engine class, consider the all new CARF ViperJet MK2 is your best choice.