F-16XL for 50mm EDF — Build Guide

At a glance

• Difficulty: Beginner to build, intermediate to fly
• Wingspan: 550 mm (21.7")
• Length: 864 mm (34.0")
• Flying weight: 650–750 g (1.4–1.7 lb)

Overview

Thank you for purchasing a model by Lofted Aero! 3D printed aircraft are an exciting new segment of the hobby, and we've got no shortage of ideas for new designs. Your support helps us make those reality.

The F-16XL is an exciting EDF jet designed to be quick and economical to build without sacrificing design details or scale looks. It delivers impressive performance and handling, and its unmistakable cranked-delta wing provides excellent high-alpha capability.

Skill meter

Build: With a simple design and low parts count, this build is just about as easy as it gets! It is well suited to be an R/C pilot's first transition into 3D printed models.

Flight: This model has good handling characteristics and a stable delta wing planform. But it's still a fast, nimble jet that is best flown by pilots of intermediate skill or above.

Specifications

Spec	Value
Wingspan	550mm (21.7")
Length	864mm (34.0")
Wing Area	15.5dm2 (1.67ft2)
Print Weight	~315g
Flying Weight	650-750g
Wing Loading	42-48g/dm2 (14-16oz/ft2)
Airfoil	PW-75 modified

Recommended equipment

The following hardware & electronics are required to complete the F-16XL. In addition, you'll need some CA glue and activator, your R/C transmitter and receiver, and a LiPo battery charger.

Power system & avionics

Item	Details
EDF	XFly 50mm EDF for 4S
ESC	40A ESC or Similar
Battery	4S 1300 – 1800mAh LiPo (a 4S 1550mAh pack is a good fit)
Servos	9g Metal Gear (only 2x required)

Filament

Good filament matters more here than on most prints. The materials below have been tested with our filament and process settings and produce good results. Alternate options are listed as well, though weight and durability may vary.

Use	Filament	Amount
LW-PLAAirframe skins — wings, tail and fuselage.	3DLabPrint PolyLight or ColorFabb LW-PLA or Bambu PLA Aero	~253 g
PLAStructure, accessories, and thin-wall airframes.	3DLabPrint PolyAir or eSun PLA+ or Bambu PLA Tough+	~47 g
Alternate material options
LW-ASA replaces LW-PLAHeat and UV resistant. Needs a heated enclosure and the 0.20mm LW-ASA profiles — see Profiles used by this model.	ColorFabb LW-ASA or Bambu ASA Aero	—
PETG replaces PLAHigher heat tolerance. Same process profile — load your slicer's own PETG filament preset.	Bambu PETG Basic or Hatchbox PETG	—

Hardware & structure

Item	Details
Wing Spar Tube	Carbon Fiber 6mm x 4mm x 400mm Tube (only 1x required)
Pushrods	1.2mm Pushrods with Linkage Stoppers (only 2x required)
Fan and Hatch Mounting Screws	#2 x 3/8" Tapping Screws (or equivalent, only 4x required)
Canopy Latch	Pen spring (available here)

Printing thin-wall models

Desktop 3D printers are perfectly capable of producing great-flying R/C models durable enough to withstand hangar rash and general use. However, aircraft designs contain a unique mix of thin surfaces and intricate solid supports that require some practice to print perfectly. Keep the following tips in mind when printing your model.

Slicing the project files

The model download includes .3MF project files for both Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer – modern, free, and open source slicers with wide support for popular printers and the ability to utilize multiple plates and varying settings within a single project. These project files include print settings tailored to the model as well as filament settings with adjusted temperature and retractions. The provided settings have been tested to suit a wide range of printers – in most cases, no changes should be necessary aside from choosing your printer.

Open the folder for the slicer you're running. The two sets are equivalent and the workflow is the same in both, but each is written in its own slicer's settings dialect, so they aren't interchangeable.

The process and filament presets these projects use are our own. You don't need them to print – the project files already carry the settings – but importing them once from the Print Settings page keeps them in your slicer for future projects, and that page explains what each one is for.

Generic example screenshots

These happen to show the LW-PLA profiles being picked. The profiles this model uses are listed just below.

Profiles used by this model

Project file	Process profile	Filament profile
LW-PLA Parts	Lofted Aero 0.28mm LW-PLABambu Studio OrcaSlicer	Lofted Aero Tuned Generic Foaming LW-PLABambu Studio OrcaSlicer
PLA Parts	Your slicer's own 0.20mm Standard	Lofted Aero Tuned Generic PLABambu Studio OrcaSlicer

Hardware parts like latches, trays, mounts and gear ride your slicer's own stock profile, which is already matched to your printer.

Printing the airframe in LW-ASA instead? Substitute Lofted Aero 0.20mm LW-ASA for the LW-PLA process profile, with either the Bambu ASA Aero or ColorFabb LW-ASA filament profile from the Print Settings page. LW-ASA needs a heated enclosure. Everything else in the table is unchanged.

Modifiers and per-object settings

Both slicers allow per-object modifications to slicing settings, and this method is used heavily in the provided .3MF files. Where a part needs extra perimeters, different infill, or a relocated seam, that's applied as a per-object modifier on top of the profile rather than as a separate profile. When making settings changes, be mindful of these per-object settings as well as any other modifiers applied to each part. Switch the Process panel from Global to Objects to see every part in the project, the settings overridden on it, and any modifier volumes attached to it.

(example screenshot shown – may not represent this model)

Mirrored parts

You'll notice that the included STL files often contain parts for only one side of symmetrical components like wings, tail surfaces, and landing gear. Don't worry – you can simply mirror these parts in your slicer to produce the other side. When using the included .3MF project files, this mirroring has already been done.

Other printing options

If you'd rather configure and slice the STL files yourself with the software and method of your choice, refer to the print table below for the profile and modifiers applied to each part.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Retraction should be just enough to prevent stringing between features
• Extra length on restart should be just enough to prevent sparse extrusion at layer start
• Extrusion ratio should be adjusted until print weight equals the suggested part weight

Print table

Reference print profiles, per-part modifiers, and weights for each part.

Part	Weight	Print Profile	Modifiers
LW-PLA
Wing L1A & R1A	15g each	Lofted Aero 0.28mm LW-PLA0.28mm Height 0.42mm Extrusion Width 1 Perimeter 3 Top / 3 Bottom Layers 2D Lattice @ 4% Back Seam Classic Wall Generator 238°C Nozzle / 56°C Bed	—
Wing L1B & R1B	16.5g
Wing L2 & R2	11.5g each
Elevon L1 & R1	2.7g each		6 Bottom Layers
Elevon L2 & R2	2.2g each
Elevon L3 & R3	3.3g each		—
Vertical Tail	14g
Fuselage 1	4g	Lofted Aero 0.28mm LW-PLA0.28mm Height 0.42mm Extrusion Width 1 Perimeter 3 Top / 3 Bottom Layers 2D Lattice @ 4% Back Seam Classic Wall Generator 238°C Nozzle / 56°C BedModifiers on every part in this group:Cubic Infill	Vertical Shell: Critical Only
Fuselage 2	13.5g		—
Fuselage 3	38g
Fuselage 4	45g
Fuselage 5	32g
Fuselage 6L & 6R	1.5g each
Fan Hatch 1	3g		Cube Modifier with Localized 25% Fill
Fan Hatch 2	3g
Canopy 1	7g
Canopy 2	5g		Vertical Shell: All
Total LW-PLA	253g
PLA
Wingtip Rails	3.6g each	Your slicer's own 0.20mm Standard0.20mm Height 0.42mm Extrusion Width 2 Perimeters 5 Top / 3 Bottom Layers 15% Infill (Grid in Bambu Studio, Cross Hatch in OrcaSlicer) Aligned Seam Classic Wall Generator 210°C Nozzle / 60°C Bed	1 Perimeter 4 Top Layers
Elevon Joiners	0.4g each		100% Fill
Battery Tray	10g		4 Top Layers
Inlet Lip	4g		1 Perimeter 10% Fill Grid Infill 3 Top Layers 2 Bottom Layers
Cheater Inlet	3g		—
Hatch Latch	3.7g		100% Fill
Fan Hatch Tabs	0.5g each
Fan Mount Tabs	0.6g each
Belly Skids	3.2g each		4 Perimeters 100% Fill
Nozzle	10g		1 Perimeter 0% Fill 4 Top Layers Back Seam
Total PLA	47g

Joining parts

Unless otherwise specified, medium CA and activator are recommended for joining printed parts. In addition, many joints use ~18mm lengths of 1.75mm PLA filament for alignment. Preparing a handful of these ahead of time can help speed up the build.

Fuselage assembly

1. Using CA and filament alignment guides, glue fuselage sections 4 and 5 together.

   

   

2. Insert a pen spring and the hatch latch into its slot in section 4. Then, glue sections 4 and 3 together.

   

   

3. Glue fuselage sections 2 and then 1 to the joined assembly, using filament alignment guides as needed.

   

   

   

4. Prepare the fan area by gluing in the PLA fan mount and hatch mount tabs. Don't worry about orientation – they are symmetrical.

   

5. Glue the auxiliary inlet cover to the underside of the fuselage.

   

6. Attach the PLA inlet lip and belly rails. The forward edges of the belly rails are angled backwards.

   

   

   

7. Join the two halves of the fan hatch cover.

   

8. Join the two halves of the canopy.

   

9. Attach the nozzle, which self-aligns using a keyed slot feature.

   

10. Install the left and right fuselage section 6 pieces to complete the fuselage assembly.

    

    

Wing assembly

1. Glue wing sections 1A and 1B together. Standing them up on a flat surface can help ensure the root remains flush.

   

2. Using a piece of filament and the 6mm carbon spar for alignment, glue wing section 2 to section 1B. Be careful not to get any glue on the spar itself.

   

   

3. Prepare the inboard elevons by gluing elevon sections 1 and 2 together. You can use a piece of filament as an alignment aid if you'd like – just be careful not to accidentally glue it in.

   

4. Glue the elevon joiner into elevon section 2. It is keyed such that it maintains a fixed orientation.

   

5. Insert the inboard elevon and joiner through the hole in wing section 2. Then, glue elevon section 3 to the protruding half of the joiner. Be sure not to accidentally glue the joiner to the wing – the elevon should pivot freely.

   

   

6. Thread a long length of PLA filament through the elevon to act as a hinge. Leave some excess on both ends for now.

   

7. Glue the tip rails onto the wingtips, capturing the filament hinge rod. Repeat all steps in this section with the opposite wing.

   

Assembly and electronics installation

1. Slide the 6mm x 4mm x 400mm carbon fiber spar tube into its slot in the fuselage.

   

2. Dry fit a wing onto the spar tube while inserting the filament hinge rod into its pocket in the fuselage. If there is excess filament, gently pull it out from the wingtip.

   

3. Join the wings to the fuselage with CA.

   

4. Ensure that the filament hinge rods are pushed all the way into the fuselage, then trim the excess flush with the wingtips.

   

5. Prepare and center two servos and arms. Fit the linkage connector of your choice.

   

6. Install the servos into their pockets with double-sided servo tape. We recommend spreading some UHU or other contact-cement type adhesive onto the interior of the pockets first, then allowing it to get tacky before sticking the servos into place. This helps the servo tape adhere to the LW-PLA. Connect the linkage rods to the servos and elevons.

   

   

7. Prepare the fan and ESC. Test the fan to ensure it rotates in the correct direction before installing.

   

8. Feed the ESC and wiring into the channel within the fuselage. The ESC will slide quite far forward towards the canopy opening area.

   

9. Install the fan and secure it with two self-tapping screws. Make sure that the wiring rests securely in place under the fan.

   

10. Install the fan hatch and secure it with two more self-tapping screws.

    

11. Install your receiver in the cabin area. Slide one or more battery straps under the battery tray insert and then glue it into position in the fuselage. (Prototype pictured has different battery tray)

    

12. Now that the model doesn't need to be upside down anymore, it's a good time to glue on the vertical stabilizer. Assembly is complete!

    

Pre-flight setup

The recommended CG is marked with grooves on the underside of the wings.

The neutral elevon position for the recommended CG positions the root trailing edges of the elevons at or slightly above the lower edge of the fairing structure on the aft fuselage.

Adjust control deflections using the suggested throws below. Dual rates are optional depending on your preferences.

Suggested control throws

Flight Control	Travel	Exponential
Aileron	15 mm up / 15 mm down	40-60%
Elevator	20-30 mm up / 15-20 mm down	20-30%

Congratulations - you're ready to fly!

Contact us

Have a question, issue, or just a cool idea for the next aircraft we should model? Drop us an email at: info@loftedaero.com