Parkzone ICON A5

The ParkZone Icon A5 is an authentic, licensed reproduction of a soon to be in production amphibious aircraft designed by the Icon Aircraft Company. Though there is but a single full size prototype aircraft going through its final flight testing, ParkZone worked out an agreement with Icon that enabled them to use original design documents to come up with their Z Foam based model. With everything required to operate from either water or land based sites included in the box, the unique appearance of this latest offering from ParkZone is only surpassed by its operational versatility.

AT A GLANCE

MANUFACTURER: ParkZone

MODEL NAME: Icon A5

DISTRIBUTOR: Horizon Hobby

TYPE: Scale General Aviation ~ BNF

FOR: Intermediate Pilots

PRICE: $279.99

ASSEMBLY

Though most of us gather our glue collections when undertaking the assembly of a new model, the ParkZone Icon A5 will require you to reach for but one solitary screwdriver. If you plan to conduct your maiden flights off of water, you will need to use that screwdriver to insert and tighten a total of twelve small screws. Two of these (3x16mm) will hold the wing halves in place after attaching them to the fuselage via the wing spar/joiner, two (3x22mm) will anchor the horizontal stabilizer/elevator halves in place and the final eight will be used to install small plastic covers over the cutouts that are used for attaching the fixed tricycle landing gear. Opt for land based operations and you will face installing the same number of required fasteners less one, though the tricycle gear will get installed instead of the gear covers. Either option will require but a scant ten minutes of assembly time. The nose gear includes a bell crank and push rod, in order to mechanically link the nose steering to the rudder servo horn. The three bladed propeller is attached in a conventional manner. A detailed blow-up style drawing clearly illustrates the order of assembly of the prop and spinner components.

The Spektrum AR600 receiver is located to the aft of the battery compartment, accessed by removing the magnetically retained large canopy hatch cover. ParkZone includes a convenience bind cable, already installed, to facilitate easier installation of a bind plug when binding the Icon to your transmitter. This short servo extension routes the bind plug connection forward to a spot that is much more accessible.

Explicit instructions on connecting the clevises to the control horns are included in the assembly manual. The level of detail is such that the manual even tells you which hole each clevis should be connected to on each and every horn. Adhering to these recommendations will get you very close to the recommended throws for all control surfaces, with recommendations made for both low and high throws for all surfaces. The assembly manual blesses the adjustment of these components for even further increased throws on subsequent flights, so as to suit individual tastes and flying styles. ParkZone factory installs a set of headlight lenses in the forward section of the Icon fuselage. The lights are optional and will also require the purchase of a lighting controller. A black foam display cradle is also included in the box. This ParkZone model is attractive enough that many may just take the hint and proudly display it on a table or shelf while in-between flying sessions.

 

 

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