Wow! VTOL is the coolest! I served in a Marine Harrier Squadron in the 70’s, and nothing gets me as excited as a quality VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing)machine. This model does it all. It hovers well, it transitions well, and it is easy to fly in forward flight. It not only looks good, but it flies great too. I have flown all the ‘pogo-style’ look-a-likes, and the Hyper Taxi has by far the best performance. I attribute these great flight characteristics to the new AS3X stabilization system.

If you’re a modeler into the Cub-types and enjoy slow, gentle aerobatics and really cool slow fly-bys and touch and goes, this model will please you. The few annoying building alterations that must be made are worth the time spent, and other than those things, the model is a very good value for the dollars spent.

The Hansa-Brandenburg is, by far, one of the most unusual looking subjects I have ever seen as an RC model and one that I suspect will not be seen at your local flying site very often. With its banana-shaped fuselage, lack of vertical stabilizer, inverted rudder, exposed cylinders and complex under carriage supporting either skis or floats, it is clearly a one-of-a-kind that will surely attract attention wherever it is flown. As far as the kit is concerned, Maxford USA has done a nice job bringing this unusual plane to RC’ers in the form of a well made, quality ARF.

The Calypso is a very forgiving powered glider. It is great as a first electric sailplane but by adding flaps and using a programmable transmitter, the Calypso can be capable of many advanced maneuvers and keep experienced glider pilots happy. The brushless power system and folding prop have a ton of power and get the aircraft up to altitude quickly so you can enjoy seeking out those thermals.

RC Guys, located in Brantford, Ontario produces several good looking giant scale airplane kits. Their latest offering is a ¼ scale ARF model of the Piper Cherokee PA-28. The two place version, the PA-28 was introduced in 1964 as a two place variant designed for primary flight training. The RC Guys Cherokee is built from laser cut balsa and light plywood and features a fiberglass cowl and tail cone, carbon wing and stab tubes, and a nicely molded canopy/hatch cover.

The China Model Production Tiger Moth was fun to assemble and looked good when completed. The exposed pull-pull cables for the tail feathers look cool and not something you see on a lot of airplanes. With two one-piece wings, wire rigging and some 22 nuts and bolts to install, assembly at the field is not easy. However, the Moth is compact enough to fit in my SUV fully assembled so I avoid having to deal with field assembly. Besides, I'm ready to get it airborne as soon as I arrive.

By Kevin Siemonsen Photos by Walter Sidas         AT A GLANCE MANUFACTURER: Parkzone DISTRIBUTOR: Horizon Hobby TYPE: Micro Parkzone Corsair F4U Scale Warbird RTF FOR: Intermediate Sport Pilots PRICE: $xxx ASSEMBLY Included in the box …

Flyzone’s Fw 190 Tx-R is made from AeroCell™ foam, which is crash-tough, very light and quite durable. The scale-like features are outstanding and really enhance the model’s authentic warbird appearance. The longest procedure in the assembly process is charging the battery. All you need to do is pick up an AnyLink external 2.4GHz radio adapter and link your existing Tx to the model’s Tactic 2.4GHz SLT™ 7-channel Rx. Keep in mind that your Tx has to be one of the 40 on the AnyLink’s compatibility list. Overall, the Focke-Wulf is the perfect size to keep in the car and fly whenever the opportunity arises. It is definitely high on the fun-factor list.

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Whether you want a great looking race type model for sport flying, or you want to take on the challenges of pylon racing, the E-Flite Shoestring is a great way to go! The looks and styling of the Shoestring is modern by anyone’s standards, and when you experience the solid handling of this model, you can’t help but to feel the adrenaline rush of flying a race plane.