Bonus Content

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.

The TBM Bendix Special is one of the coolest looking sport planes I have seen in a long time. Its colorful trim scheme and unique, retro look of the 1930s gives it a lot of eye appeal. I was very pleased with this plane and was anxious to get it airborne as soon as it was assembled. I was not disappointed as it flew superbly without any bad tendencies. Two things I would suggest to improve the product would be the inclusion of a spinner and the addition of radio installation instructions.

If you are into scale sport models, that are quick to assemble, then this is for you. It is loaded with scale details such as a simulated instrument panel, working lights, fully-functional scale landing gear, flaps with scale-looking hinges, and working wing tip, strobe, landing and top beacon lights. When I starting flying RC models in the late 70’s, you would be laughed off the field with a foam ARF airplane, but now with this kind of quality, and so much scale detail, it’s hard for me to justify spending hundreds of hours scratch building a model. This Cessna 182 looks great, can have you in the air in just a couple of hours, and is a really fun airplane to fly.

The Christen Eagle from Hangar 9 is a great performer from start to finish. The assembly is very straight forward with little to no modifications needed and is a beautiful airplane both on the ground and in the air. It is small enough to fit in most vehicles fully assembled but does have a very easy wing removal system designed by Hangar 9 that cuts assembly at the field to minutes if necessary.

The Hobby Club Mini TopSky is a 1 meter (39 inches) discus launch glider. It features an immaculately constructed, completely bagged fiberglass wing with a blue foam core and top, bottom and leading edge carbon fiber spars, spiral wound tail boom and pre-molded equipment pod. It uses a small D/HLG glider specific Mark Drela designed AG03 airfoil throughout the length of the wing. It also comes with a complete hardware set including correctly sized servos for installation into the equipment pod. The tail sections and launch peg are also customizable to suit your needs and flying style. The model is suitable for all DLG situations in 0 to 10 MPH of wind and gives some great flying characteristics suitable for high and low lift situations.

The World Models Piper Pawnee with its iconic canopy and top-side wing struts lets you bring a not so common model to your flying field. While I liked the way the many parts were packaged and identified, I found the high parts count to require more assembly time than the average ARF. Having said that, overall, I was pleased with the construction, quality of the materials used, finished look of the plane and I am perfectly happy with the way it flew. The Toughlon heat-shrink covering was wrinkle-free when I opened the box and has stayed that way ever since. I would have liked a top hatch for increased access to the internal equipment and ease of field assembly, but have decided that the few extra minutes needed for assembly at the field are a small price to pay once I saw this neat plane in the sky.

The Southeast Electric Flight Festival (SEFF)has become the premier electric RC event in the world. For many pilots it is the ‘must-attend’ event each year and this year was no different as over 400 pilots gathered at Mac Hodges field outside Americus, Georgia for a week of electric RC flying. SEFF is more than just a big fun-fly event; it is also a true social event where a person can have just as much fun behind the flight line as they do on it.

I have had nothing but good things to say about Hangar 9 products over the years and the 35% Extra 300 is no different. The quality, fit and finish is superb. Flight performance is all that and more. It’s a new favorite that I can’t wait to get more time on. It was my first opportunity to run a DA 120 and I am still smiling.

The Canadair CL-415 commonly called the Scooper was the first model in a series of firefighting flying boat amphibious aircraft built by Canadian Air and later Bombardier.  The CL-415 is a twin engine, high-dash wing aircraft designed to …