by sunny on February 20, 2010
Do you have a special place in your heart for the planes of the swingin '40s? If you do, the Hangar 9 Toledo Special should make a perfect center of attraction while you play some gravelly Count Basie recordings on your iPod.
A forgiving plane, it's designed to let you enjoy a fun afternoon flight without demanding high skill. Despite the 1940s body, it does more than deliver smooth flights - it can handle a decent range of sport aerobatics too. Assembly is barely a challenge if you're moderately familiar with RCs (it's got bolt-on rudder and stabilizer), but beginners shouldn't have a difficult time either.
The Toledo Special is a 40-size plane that brings a definite vintage look, harkening back to the "Golden Age" (you know, when accidents were probably more common) of aviation. Body is constructed out of balsa and plywood, then covered with Ultracote to recreate that nostalgia-inducing color scheme. It has a high-wing layout that allows you to insert a visible pilot in the cabin. Features include a 2-piece wing, pre-hinged control surfaces, pre-painted fiberglass wheel pants and motor cowling, and a battery hatch.
Optimized for electric power, the plane is available with an E-Flite Power 46 brushless motor (with a Thunder Power 4S 3850mAh V2 battery recommended). We flew this model out and managed flight times of around 10 to 13 minutes. This isn't a super-slow crawl either - we were going moderate on power, but also did some vertical lines and a few aerial stunts. If you prefer a gas guzzler, though, you can also get it with a two or four-stroke glow engine.
All in all, the Hangar 9 Toledo Special is a satisfying plane. While it won't be my first choice for a sport aerobatic showdown, it's a very capable model with killer looks that's just impossible not to notice.
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 69.5 in (1765.3mm)
- Overall Length: 50.8 in (1290.75mm)
- Wing Area: 702.8 sq in (45.3 sq dm)
- Flying Weight: 6.25lbs
- Engine Size: Glow 2-cycle .40-.46, 4-cycle .56-.72
- Motor Size: E-Flite® Power 46 Outrunner
- Radio: Minimum 4-channel
- Servos: 5 standard servos (4 for EP option)
by sunny on February 19, 2010
Just released last January, the Kyosho Airium Piper J3 Cub sounds like a great choice for anyone in search of an RC plane that's ready to fly. With nearly all parts fully assembled, you can take it to flight shortly after opening the box.
Kyosho claims you might mistake it for a display plane, though I wouldn't go that far. As far as desktop display models, I've seen way better. It's not exactly "stunning," as they like to claim, but it does look nice up in the air on some of the videos the company posted. Scale is very well-done, though, managing to capture the lines of the real plane accurately.
The Airium Piper J3 Cub uses the same lightweight design as Kyosho's micro-sized MINIUM series, which combines a lightweight body with a 5g KS-21 servo and styrene fuselage. Slow flights can go up to twelve minutes long (one of the longest for similarly-sized planes), courtesy of the optimal lift provided by the lack of heft.
It runs using a factory-installed AF400 BLS B/07/15 (29mm) brushless motor with Sky Victory ESC, which delivers the thrust directly to the propeller (direct drive). On high speeds, the plane can manage a variety of stunts, including loops and inverted flight. Notable features include a pre-decorated body, a hatch under the fuselage (for easy battery changes) and KT-21 transmitter.
Designed for casual hobbyists and novices looking to enjoy a plane-like flight experience, the Kyosho Airium Piper J3 Cub makes taking to the air easy. Just add batteries and you're set.
Specifications:
- Width: 524mm
- Length: 700mm
- Weight: 200g
- Wing Area: 8.15dm2
- Wing Load: 24.5g/dm2
- Wing Type: Clark Y
- Motor/Engine: AF400 BLS
- Radio: 2.4 Ghz
by sunny on February 6, 2010
Electrify calls the VFO (Vertical Flying Object) Sport/3D a part-plane and part-heli aerobat. I'll add part-space shuttle to that, since the thing looks like it came straight out of NASA's garage. Basically, it takes off vertically like a rocket, hovers overhead like a chopper and runs like a plane. Oh yeah, it performs aerial tricks like a military jet out of Top Gun too.
Sure, a foam plane isn't as intimidating as a fully-decked, large electric aircraft. Good luck finding anything that can deliver anything half this fun at $49.99, though. Who says economical materials and components can't deliver hair-raising thrills?
The Electrifly VFO boasts "amazing lift and superb stability", letting you run races, hover on spot and perform exhibitions without flinching - an absolute all-in-one RC plane. They promise 3D stunts galore, from harriers to prop hangs to backflips and more.
Using finished foam parts and carbon-fiber bracing, the design isn't only lightweight but durable too. The structure has been kept as simple as possible, making the aircraft's assembly quick and painless. It comes with servo cutouts, easy to use pushrods and a RimFire300 outrunner motor.
According to Electrify, the VFO Sport/3D EP ARF can take its vertical-flying, 3D-stunting, hover-spying talents both indoors and out (the latter, only during calm weather, of course). It sounds like a downright amazing park / indoor flyer - one I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of in the future.
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 26.5 in (675 mm)
- Wing Area: 382 in² (24.6 dm²)
- Weight: 9-10 oz (255-285 g)
- Wing Loading: 3.4-3.8 oz/ft² (10-12 g/dm²)
- Length: 29.5 in (750 mm)
- Requires: 6-channel radio w/4 micro servos & elevon mixing (min), 300-size brushless outrunner motor, 12A brushless 3ESC (min) & 11.1V 300mAh LiPo battery.
More info and video here
