This. Also don’t use the black foam board just because you went to 3 different stores and that’s all they had. You can’t fly the plane farther than 30 feet without losing orientation. Ask me how I know lol
If you really like a plane, it's sometimes better to just buy a second one rather than worrying about the availability of expensive replacement parts. After you wreck the first plane, it becomes your replacement parts for the second. Total expense works out about the same. 🙂
Back when I did buy new planes I used to obsess over learning as much as I could before I pulled the trigger. Mostly due to having super limited funds for it. It was mostly over the anxiety of whether this plane was easy enough for me to fly than anything.
A couple of things. 1-spare parts can sometimes be 3D printed. I put my model for for the hobby king P51 Galloping Ghost up on Cults for free. 2-stickers can look great on foamies if painted with clear polycrylic. Helps keep the paint on too.
Yea, as you were saying, E-elite and Hobbyzone have updated the timber so many times. I was originally going to buy the Timber turbo. But when I did some research and found the weight? It was 2 pounds heavier than the previous model. Always do your research!
Having learned to build and fly through Flite Test, I am well able to fly just about anything and manually correct it's cg or crooked build mid-air. When I build them myself, I have plenty of time to check and re-check everything, so I pretty much stick to those now, going forward. Plus, I'm out of space for planes I don't love.
Buying used often means buying overweight. Repairs almost always add weight; a plane with lots of hours on it usually has additional CA, epoxy, stiffeners, splints, and other stuff that leads to the same thing as eating at McDonald's.
In my experience (scale airplanes) paint is usually indispensable. Have you ever seen anyone sticker-coat a B-17? If all you're after is a foamie to beat around the sky like a bush plane, go for white with stickers and have fun. But those of us who want scale recreations to fly and cover in sweet sweet Callie Graphics, paint is absolutely necessary, and I wouldn't regard it as a sign that an airplane "sucks"
Good and important one! 👌🏼 Buying from someone experienced that doesn’t sounds like a car seller is also better as from one unknown that has a lot of junk. $9 for a cheap plastic geared Amazon servo is quite a lot! 😅
It's the better way for serious flying. Foam is some kind of (high quality) fast food. There is nothing better to learn than foam though, most beginner crashes can be fixed right in the field with some CA. With wood? Yeah that's 10 hours in the shop for you, often recreating half of it from scratch.
I've owned like 3 different MPX Funrays which has about a 7 feet wingspan. the first one was PNP, had all the electronics minus the battery and receiver, weighed like 2500 grams fully loaded, the 2nd about 2200 grams, and the last one I decided to go kitbuild and managed to reduce the weight to 1800 grams. that's just under 4 pounds. when the first weight 5.5. such a big difference in weight makes a hige difference in it's ability to stay airborne for longer without needing to use the motor.
If you have the chance when buying a used plane. See if you can test the servos there because I had planes with all bad servos that needed to be replaced.
#4. One of my swap meet planes is a Sig "Blue Star" I got excited that it was balsa and resembled a 4-star. However, the motor is woefully underpowered and the components are all set for 2S.
I really wish ALL the manufacturer’s would offer their airplanes in plane white. No decals, or paint. As an option. Most of these airplanes these days look like something straight out of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Absolutely ridiculous. Let us paint em ourselves. That and the landing gear on all the E Flite timber’s,other than the UMX models need to be positioned a few inches more forward of the C/G and are way too narrow. They’re all, always dropping a wing, then nosing over. Good video brother.
Pro tip on the paint: Take your dinged up part into the paint shop at a Lowe's and have them mix up a computer color matched sample jar of latex paint. Costs under $4 and will keep your foam bird looking nice.
5:57, this is why I'm so excited to fly my UMX Conscendo, I adored my Conscendo Advance for 5 years, until the esc died mid air, but above all else, I just always wanted it to get lighter and stronger/stiffer. This UMX version, which I just got my hands on and haven't flown yet, seems to be exactly that, same power as the Advance, just smaller and lighter, and seemingly way more well engineered, the Advance had some issues to say the least, and out of the box the UMX feels absolutely solid. My only worry is that it's a V1 plane technically, however I'm really hoping the UMX version essentially functions as the 4th Conscendo, and they've taken what they learned on the last 3, and not made the same mistakes on the UMX.
It's so funny that you jump right on to the Freedom Fox and the Draco. I have both and I gotta say that you are right on the money with the Freedom Fox. Out of the box, it was dog sh*t to fly and the stock motor & ESC were garbage. The landing gear is made out of dry pasta and barely held in place. The paint flecks off of it if you so much as touch it and it's stall characteristics are abrupt and nearly unpredictable. Also I nearly forgot about the tires; they are made of the worst imaginable foam for tires. I skinned mine with liquid electrial tape and they are much better now. Once you put the extra money into replacing the motor and ESC, it flies much better. I've also added a reinforcement plate to the landing gear, but the single biggest upgrade I made to the Freedom Fox is adding vortex generators to the wings. MASSIVE UPGRADE!! I can now no longer stall the wing. The elevator now loses effectiveness well before the wings let go. Draco on the other hand... That one is a chunky b**ch. It flies very scale in that you fly it the way you would fly a real aircraft. It's not a stunt plane, so aerobatics are off the table, but I do really enjoy flying it. I replaced the main tires with DuBro inflatable tires and made my own custom hubs with bearings in them. The tires soak up a ton of energy when landing, so as of yet, I have not bent the landing gear. The only "problem" I have had with Draco as of yet is knocking off a few of the scale antennas. Draco gets an 8/10 from me. It took a bit of work to get it to where my standards are, but it's a great scale plane out of the box. I love my Draco! Freedom Fox gets a 2/10 from me. I needed to do some CAD work and replace major components to get it to fly nicely. This one is shelved.
Yes, I have the second version of the Freedom Fox and with the addition of an inexpensive flight stabilizer/receiver, it flies great. But you are right about the landing gear, it is poorly designed and needs modifications to work properly. You would think coming from Flite Test Guys, it would be more durable. These are all good valid points made in the video that new folks to the hobby should review. Also, join a local club, the guys there will help new folks stay away from RC planes and brands that are a waste of money.
For a used plane, has it been crashed, and if so, how good were the repairs? If something was repaired poorly, it might not fly quite right, even if the original design was good. Same advice applies to any other modifications the previous owners made- converting an older nitro or gas design to electric, for example, might end up changing the aircraft enough to cause problems. For older balsa planes covered in whatever-coat, pay attention to the condition of the covering. Even if it's an unassembled ARF that's been sitting in a box for the past 20 years, the covering may still be falling off due to age. Especially any pinstriping. Well used nitro powered models are at even higher risk, as the oil will soak into everything and loosen up adhesive. Occasionally, especially in the used market, you'll run across a model from a brand you've never even heard of before. While there are certainly some gems in the rough out there, there's just as many duds. If you can't find any information at all from a quick google search, it's probably best to run- if you do buy it, know that it's a gamble. Sometimes, that craigslist find you thought was too good of a deal to pass up was actually anything but- you may have gotten 7 aircraft at a unit cost of $14.29 per, but only 4 of them are even worth repairing back to flying shape and of those, none of them are particularly pretty or well-flying. You would have been better off spending that $100 on one better-quality used model or down payment on a new one. This last one probably doesn't need saying- but don't buy a flitetest style model used. Foamboard and hotglue planes are cheap and fun, but they also only really last for a few sessions of flying before the material gets ragged and the repairs pile up. Plus, the electronics people use on them are often just as disposable, so buying one used is most certainly a waste of money. Similar advice applies to things like lightweight 3d profile foamies which won't ever fly quite right after one good bonk.
All valid points! With all the hoopla about the Timber you guys do, I’m surprised you haven’t done anything with the Eflite Valiant. It’s a way better airplane.
My timber had the slats on it. I am stuck STOL, and before learning how slow is too slow, there was a basketful of replacement landing gear. Even though I got to where the gear lasted longer, there were broken and discarded slats. Relearn to touchdown faster. I left the floats on this year. Not just because of landings, but somewhat.
I am a master mechanic who bought a Timber X. I spent a good bit of fun time using my skills and knowledge repairing and redesigning the stupid stuff. Even if the stupid stuff sort of worked I fix it so to not have to look at it. I didn’t sell it, I gave it away because I am a fair and honest man.
Excellent video. I HATED my Freedom Fox until I accepted it wasn't a STOL airplane. Now that I fly it as a sport aerobatic plane, it is a lot of fun. But, it was definitely marketed wrong.
I've been using a soft foam glider with motor and radio that I fitted . If the plane breaks, it was only $ 10 . Then, just a little time to refit the good bits and set up again.
I picked up a Timber from a friend's estate. Never flown but after about 10 or so flights the aileron horns became so loose that the flutter almost broke the wings. My first foamie will be my last. I have gone back to my 22 year old Kadet Sr.
It's high time for E-Flite to do a V2 of the TT Evo. The overheating ESC issue, crappy front motor mount setup, and wimpy landing suspension needs to be addressed. The ESC should be placed further forward in assembly, an upgraded cowel needs to be designed for better air flow, and the current TTE landing gear springs need to be replaced with the Twinber landing springs setup. The 850mm Pitts has landing gear issues as well, the axles aren't secure at all.
I'm not very well versed on all the RC planes out there, so thanks for the heads up on the Conscendo. I want that one, or a similar sport glider for my next bird.
The best plane I’ve owned for durability, sports flying, and just pure pleasure is my HK Avios Grand Tundra.. I’d buy two more if they became available again 😊
Don't think you missed anything. And it was a blast from the way back past seeing the Senior Telemaster (I learned to fly on one I build in the early 2000s...I miss it.). I have the Turbo Timber Evolution. It's my first foamy. I was away from RC for about 9 years. I "have" been able to fly it...and it's a decent plane (I haven't had to replace the springs yet). I have transitioned to "all electric" as I was one of those who would spend way to many hours at the field (in the way back past) trying to get the nitro engine (always 2 strokes) to run consistently. Thanks as always for an interesting, entertaining, and useful video. (And for convincing me I probably shouldn't go out an buy the scale Kitfox...I love scale btw).
Back in the day I flew my dad's Senior Telemaster often. Kudos learning on a plane that needed both aileron and rudder control to fly. I took about an 8-year break from the hobby to, then came back big time. Around 2014 I got a fantastic deal on 4 F3A 50e size electric planes and have not used nitro since.
To fix the gear springs issue on the timber, as suggested by another subscriber in your timber evo review, just cut the extension limitor off and the springs will never break again, the only downside to this is that they will allow the gear to move waaay more = a hard landing will probably make the fuselage belly touch the ground
It's like you looked in my hangar. Draco: I hate to love it, but love to hate it. OG Timber: Still the best. Conscendo Advanced: My peaceful Zen flyer.
🛑🛑 Wow!! I did the hobby for 15 years. I built MANY planes; both Scratch and Stick Kits. I’ve gotta say, if you showed up at the field I belonged to, back in the day; with Foam Prebuilt Planes ( 🗑️)…most guys just started laughing and walked away. 😂 Gone are the days of Stick Built Kits, Mono-Coat, and Pride as to what you bring to the field. 😂🤣😆😅💯
I bought a model Cessna Cardinal. It was very easy to take off. But, it had no ailerons. To land and fly it was so clumsy. It turned me off to the RC Plane hobby. Get the right plane. A bad one could ruin your outlook on the hobby and even close it. I will never forget that Cessna Cardinal. I must have replaced the wings over ten times. Often, I had to land it at while it was banking because of no ailerons. That is why I went through so many wings.
Guys... More balsa/composite, less foam guerilla content! Another thing to look on used model is how the plane is inside, in terms of cleaning and tidiness
I havet to add, that the transparent parts of the stickers of my Aeroscout turned yellow by now so thats something to be aware of with stickers. Also, you know those 10 servos for 20 bucks packs from Amazon? Not a single servo of those failed for me, contrary to branded ones (e.g. spectrum 8g servos or Traxxas car servos)
The Hexatronic 9g servos are astoundingly good, I have about two dozen in service along with a couple of the metal gear versions. I'm going to spring for Emax or KST in anything that cost more than $200 or so though.
I brought a timber evolution and I really like it but brittle, so I used clear tape on surfaces and got to hot glue the corner of the wing and hot glue balsa wood and hot glue to strengthen the fuselage, 😅😅😅 but fly great and more sturdier 😊
You know the planes and RC cars are bad when 30 creators get them on the same day and post a video at the same time. They praise it as if it is made of gold all so they can continue to get free ones. FMS and Banggood are notorious for sending them to every creator with over 1k subscribers. It's crazy how naive people are buying these products, complaining, then buying the next one in line hoping the creators have become ethical this time around. I can name a bunch, but I won't. I'm sure you can name a bunch too. The best part is they name a bunch of things they like about it. And a few things they dislike. Like, the radio uses too many batteries, and instructions are black and white. I wish the wing was yellow, not white, or it was missing a staple in the parts bag. The best dislike, I had to mount the tire on the wheel with my own glue. Something irrelevant to the RC plane or RC car's performance. 😂😂
The Draco was a beautiful static model - I wish they released a less super scale wooden model. Such a disappointing release though the challenge of landing it stol is fun for skilled pilots.
3:51- to be fair, we don't ALL fly our foamies as hard as you guys do! Just watching that bushflyer RV-8 video.... OF COURSE the paint is gonna flake when the foam has to flex like that. Many stickers bubble or ripple when exposed to a sunny day so I'm not sure paint is such a bad thing for many of us.
Not sure which video you're referencing - the only RV-8 we've bush flown didn't have paint. It was bare foam with stickers that have never bubbled or rippled.
@@TailHeavyProductionsThe RV-8 bush conversion video. That's my point; If it DID have paint the paint would have chipped and flaked just like you're describing here. For those of us who enjoy gentle scale flight, the paint naturally lasts longer. I've had experience with stickers that make me feel pretty much opposite to you guys.
@@greenseaships Try opening and closing a canopy latch with your fingers on a painted plane and see how long the paint sticks to the foam around it. It doesn't. This is regardless of how scale you fly your airplanes. To each their own. No paint = no flake away. Thanks for watching!
@@TailHeavyProductions It seems like 1-inch pink/blue foam may have different qualities from the foam in the planes you fly. I haven't really experienced this. What kind of foam does E-flite/Flex/FMS typically use?
I stll fondly remember a friend of mine in the 70s who "inherited" a crash from his older brother, spent a few months rebuilding it, getting off the ground and losing some commands, basically it became a crash again. Undaunted, he rebuilt it, as a low wing for good measure, and we took it flying on a beautiful day, it got airborne, porpoised a few times, and suddenly went straight vertical. And kept going. A lovely windstill day, we saw it climb with no rudder or elevator command, then the engine stopped, and it gracefully turned over and came down again. Ed didn't know why command had failed but I saw two patches of heat shrink skin superglued to control horns with no screws in them... Anyhow, he salvaged the motor and electronics, and set fire to the rest. 😹 Ed had - briefly - three other model aircraft in the time I knew him, I have no idea how many afterwards, but I heard that he got his private pilot's license when he was in his mid 20s...
I heard one guy on youtube saying that the conscendo evolution is too heavy and doesn't fly well. I decided to ignore him and buy it anyway. after assembling it, I said: damn, why it's so heavy? BUT IT FLIES GREAT. By following hawks I've managed to have some lift on a thermal even with the biggest battery that you can fit in it. One day i was flying with the smallest battery and than my transmitter broke. the plane without the motor flew in circle for a whole minute and then crash into a bush without big damages. I was very lucky but I think that all my other planes would have crashed badly in a similar situation.
“Not being straight” (the airplane) was the part I couldn’t get past. I laughed and laughed because my significant other thinks me and my friends are “crooked” because we get to and fly models together. 😅
the FT Freedom Fox V1 is to expensive for the quality you get. Tires are bad foam rubber, the motor is to weak, the flight characteristcs are disappointing as well. I had one landing where the Prop hit the Gras and immediately the ESC caught fire. I have other planes where this happened, but I have to say, I never before and after had an ESC going up in smoke at all. Rather go with Tundra 2 from Hobby King, or FMS Piper PA-18 much more fun and better performance as well as durability at a lower price.
This video is “muy bueno!” You guys are really the best! I drank the Draco juice and bought one. It is still in the box after 3 years. The plane I fly regularly is a FunCub XL I picked up used at the hobby shop. I’m not the best pilot and do a lot of backyard flying and that FunCub always puts a smile on my face. I had looked into the Freedom Fox and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t more popular as a stol plane. Now thanks to Tail Heavy I know! Thanks for the awesome content and honest, spot on info! 👍🏻👍🏻
always good information! thank you for that! I do have a question? a good plane for a beginner BUT!!! then easily available in the Netherlands? Healthy and Friendly Greetings from the Rotterdam area! Rob
Hey Tailheavy, I was wondering if you have any suggestions on a good second plane with more than a 5 minute flight time that you can "fly outside the box" with, any thoughts?
To make a case for your point . Let`s look at the Avios mig 15 . Cheap ass plastic geared servos all the way around , landing gear that didn`t work , fire starter esc , and a crap and weak motor , God what junk . What the hell was Avios thinking when they released that thing . When that piece of crap came out , man was I glad I held off buying one . Instead of fixing it`s problems , they offered it in airframe only condition for three hundred dollars . What a burn . That`s why I`ve avoided Avios planes like a ten cent hot dog . Thanks for this video . A guy can sure get burned if he isn`t careful .
An STOL foamy? Drop flying ice chests.The longer you fly ‘em, the more you’ll agree. No absolutes but yeah, mostly. If that’s the only thing to buy, build one. Learn about differential drag when lowering an aileron and high speed stalls. Aerodynamics is what it should be about and balsa planes don’t need replacement parts either. It’s actually possible to build them.
We fly coolers, wood, and everything in between - and have for years. For legit bush flying (aka literally in the woods), we stick with what's light, floaty, and takes a beating, which is why we love the foam FunCub. We have an identical sized airplane that's kit-built balsa that's the same weight and just as floaty, but it won't take the same abuse *since* it's balsa. That's why we stick to foam for true RC bush flying shenanigans. It really isn't all black and white. Foam airplanes can teach you about differential ailerons and dropping a wing from flying uncoordinated and/or loading up the wing in the same way balsa would. Thanks for watching!
@@TailHeavyProductions perhaps, but it really boils down to availability of whatever is out there and even kits now are on the endangered species list.
Excellent post, especially about the presenter clowns that rave on the web to get a free airplane.. I got stung on one of those by a well known husband and wife team but it was a cheapie so the price of tuition was pretty low but I was not impressed.. FWIW: Been flyin' RC since 1968.. Overall? Things have really gotten better, laser cut kits are amazing and reliability is now pretty much a given.. (I have had ONE radio failure in 25 years and that was my fault !) Lazy in my old age ? I guess but 90% the scale ARFS are wonderful, especially the mini/micro stuff with systems that we only dreamed about in the 70's.. Blessings to all.. 😊
Yes, bottom loaders suck but another grievance from Horizon Hobby is the habit of discontinuing "great" models. I own several and fly them as if made of gold because when they are gone, they are gone. Jim
The Bushwhacker is by far my all-time favorite. I owned one for years. Of course it had three different wings, two sets of empenage, three different motors, and three iterations of landing gear, but the fuselage was original. I will build another when I retire my Crack Pitts.
I have had MUCH better luck keeping balsa airplanes flying than foamies.i am still flying my sig somethin extra with a used OS fx46 engine for 4 years now. I bought a timber x last summer and it lasted about 3 weeks.....
My Timber X never flew right. I tried everything. Finally decided to gut it and modify with impunity. It's kinda OK now with a 1507 motor, homemade gear made of 1.8 music wire, and an FPV cam strapped to the top of the wing. It's still sucks, but is not entirely useless.
Something I would recommend. Does your airplane look cool? Cuz everyone is different and if your airplane doesn’t inspire you to fly, you probably won’t fly it.
never had a problem with a multiplex model with original power setup, they might be boring, but never problematic, and will happily endorse them to beginners
@@TailHeavyProductions no - multiplex, the company that makes the funcub, during the last 20 years i have tested ..... maybe 25 different mpx models, only one was a bit disapointing
@@polaritDK Ah, your comment was worded in a way that I thought you were referencing something in our video. I agree that I have never had a problem with any Multiplex planes aside from the PC-6. Love their models. Wish they weren't so marked up in the US.
Draco is a Fun Plane to FLY... but you must FLY IT!!! it was sold as "its great STOL plane for in-experienced".. I watched countless chop the throttle to land it and it would slam down (due to fore mentioned weight) and pound the OVER RATED landing gear.
You guys are always right and thx. And the Turbo Timber Evolution is my favs still and I’ve had to cut the retainers on the landing gear springs and it works as good as the Twin Timber. And the motor mount sucked 1st time it broke and now I 3d print a new one. Now it’s the most durable plane I have…
Which rc plane would you recommend for a beginner? Preferably a tail dragger that costs100-250 CAD? I have bought myself many of those small ones that are controlled by the propellers but I find they are getting very boring and too easy to fly now.
I might be old-school, but most of this stuff is part of this hobby. If a motor mount breaks, just make a new one. I've had many planes that kept flying way past their expiry date and were held together by more epoxy than the original airframe. And if there's a poor factory design that's destined to break, don't keep buying the same part, just make something that actually works. But again, I'm probably the minority at this point with my DIY mindset.
4:56 Try drilling a hole in a Cessna 172 in exactly that spot. You'll have to pay for a new strut. Any idea why aviation engineers go to school first? You never drill holes in airplane parts! That includes RC ones, accidents are never fun. This drilling is more than stupid. Why did nobody yell at him?!
Thankfully these are RC planes which are much more forgiving to modifications and don’t require the extensive flight testing and engineering data with said mods that full scale planes do. That specific shot already had a hole there for a strut clip to mount it in place that wasn’t drilled wide enough from the factory. We’re happy to report no aircraft or lives were lost as a result of drilling the hole out larger. 😁
All good advice. I have the version 2 of the Freewing Avanti S and it is improved, but I’m still flying V1. I also purchased V2 of E- flight Cessna 150T and it is awesome.
My buyers tip is to call the dollar store to make sure they have foam board before you make the drive out :-)
😂😂😂 but there’s a bit of charm driving around to every Dollar Tree you know on the chance they have foam
I like this tip. I've built 17 planes for a few dollars each in foam board. Can't beat how much fun you'll have and what you'll learn for the money.
This. Also don’t use the black foam board just because you went to 3 different stores and that’s all they had. You can’t fly the plane farther than 30 feet without losing orientation. Ask me how I know lol
Valid point.
69
If you really like a plane, it's sometimes better to just buy a second one rather than worrying about the availability of expensive replacement parts. After you wreck the first plane, it becomes your replacement parts for the second. Total expense works out about the same. 🙂
Yes, totally agree. Got a second Ripmax Phase 5e in the loft....
An f-22 and a f-15 eagle
Yep, I've done the same.
My second Sport Cub...Third motor😮
Back when I did buy new planes I used to obsess over learning as much as I could before I pulled the trigger. Mostly due to having super limited funds for it. It was mostly over the anxiety of whether this plane was easy enough for me to fly than anything.
A couple of things. 1-spare parts can sometimes be 3D printed. I put my model for for the hobby king P51 Galloping Ghost up on Cults for free. 2-stickers can look great on foamies if painted with clear polycrylic. Helps keep the paint on too.
Free or 2 bucks?
@@sammy_1_1 free. Search Galloping Ghost. It is the one painted yellow silver and black in the picture
Yea, as you were saying, E-elite and Hobbyzone have updated the timber so many times. I was originally going to buy the Timber turbo. But when I did some research and found the weight? It was 2 pounds heavier than the previous model. Always do your research!
Having learned to build and fly through Flite Test, I am well able to fly just about anything and manually correct it's cg or crooked build mid-air. When I build them myself, I have plenty of time to check and re-check everything, so I pretty much stick to those now, going forward. Plus, I'm out of space for planes I don't love.
Buying used often means buying overweight. Repairs almost always add weight; a plane with lots of hours on it usually has additional CA, epoxy, stiffeners, splints, and other stuff that leads to the same thing as eating at McDonald's.
In my experience (scale airplanes) paint is usually indispensable. Have you ever seen anyone sticker-coat a B-17? If all you're after is a foamie to beat around the sky like a bush plane, go for white with stickers and have fun. But those of us who want scale recreations to fly and cover in sweet sweet Callie Graphics, paint is absolutely necessary, and I wouldn't regard it as a sign that an airplane "sucks"
Good and important one! 👌🏼 Buying from someone experienced that doesn’t sounds like a car seller is also better as from one unknown that has a lot of junk. $9 for a cheap plastic geared Amazon servo is quite a lot! 😅
I have gradually been adding balsa planes to my fleet. They seem abnormally light for their size and often fly longer than foam due to this.
It's the better way for serious flying. Foam is some kind of (high quality) fast food.
There is nothing better to learn than foam though, most beginner crashes can be fixed right in the field with some CA. With wood? Yeah that's 10 hours in the shop for you, often recreating half of it from scratch.
I've owned like 3 different MPX Funrays which has about a 7 feet wingspan.
the first one was PNP, had all the electronics minus the battery and receiver, weighed like 2500 grams fully loaded, the 2nd about 2200 grams, and the last one I decided to go kitbuild and managed to reduce the weight to 1800 grams.
that's just under 4 pounds. when the first weight 5.5. such a big difference in weight makes a hige difference in it's ability to stay airborne for longer without needing to use the motor.
If you have the chance when buying a used plane. See if you can test the servos there because I had planes with all bad servos that needed to be replaced.
#4. One of my swap meet planes is a Sig "Blue Star" I got excited that it was balsa and resembled a 4-star. However, the motor is woefully underpowered and the components are all set for 2S.
9:10 Not being straight, The airplane 😂🤣😂🤣
I really wish ALL the manufacturer’s would offer their airplanes in plane white. No decals, or paint. As an option. Most of these airplanes these days look like something straight out of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Absolutely ridiculous. Let us paint em ourselves. That and the landing gear on all the E Flite timber’s,other than the UMX models need to be positioned a few inches more forward of the C/G and are way too narrow. They’re all, always dropping a wing, then nosing over. Good video brother.
Can you make a video with recommendations for what to buy next for different skill levels?
As a full scale busbpilot, the efl draco is definitely a bushplane. On the more scale side of things.
How do you know someone's a pilot? 😝
Pro tip on the paint: Take your dinged up part into the paint shop at a Lowe's and have them mix up a computer color matched sample jar of latex paint. Costs under $4 and will keep your foam bird looking nice.
For sure! Guilty of walking into Home Depot with an 8 foot 737 foam fuselage to do this exact mission. LOL.
5:57, this is why I'm so excited to fly my UMX Conscendo, I adored my Conscendo Advance for 5 years, until the esc died mid air, but above all else, I just always wanted it to get lighter and stronger/stiffer. This UMX version, which I just got my hands on and haven't flown yet, seems to be exactly that, same power as the Advance, just smaller and lighter, and seemingly way more well engineered, the Advance had some issues to say the least, and out of the box the UMX feels absolutely solid. My only worry is that it's a V1 plane technically, however I'm really hoping the UMX version essentially functions as the 4th Conscendo, and they've taken what they learned on the last 3, and not made the same mistakes on the UMX.
Guys at my club love it! Good luck and enjoy!
It's so funny that you jump right on to the Freedom Fox and the Draco.
I have both and I gotta say that you are right on the money with the Freedom Fox. Out of the box, it was dog sh*t to fly and the stock motor & ESC were garbage. The landing gear is made out of dry pasta and barely held in place. The paint flecks off of it if you so much as touch it and it's stall characteristics are abrupt and nearly unpredictable. Also I nearly forgot about the tires; they are made of the worst imaginable foam for tires. I skinned mine with liquid electrial tape and they are much better now.
Once you put the extra money into replacing the motor and ESC, it flies much better. I've also added a reinforcement plate to the landing gear, but the single biggest upgrade I made to the Freedom Fox is adding vortex generators to the wings. MASSIVE UPGRADE!! I can now no longer stall the wing. The elevator now loses effectiveness well before the wings let go.
Draco on the other hand... That one is a chunky b**ch. It flies very scale in that you fly it the way you would fly a real aircraft. It's not a stunt plane, so aerobatics are off the table, but I do really enjoy flying it. I replaced the main tires with DuBro inflatable tires and made my own custom hubs with bearings in them. The tires soak up a ton of energy when landing, so as of yet, I have not bent the landing gear. The only "problem" I have had with Draco as of yet is knocking off a few of the scale antennas.
Draco gets an 8/10 from me. It took a bit of work to get it to where my standards are, but it's a great scale plane out of the box. I love my Draco!
Freedom Fox gets a 2/10 from me. I needed to do some CAD work and replace major components to get it to fly nicely. This one is shelved.
6:39- An ALASKA 737! Does the battery hatch suddenly pop out during flight?
Yes, I have the second version of the Freedom Fox and with the addition of an inexpensive flight stabilizer/receiver, it flies great. But you are right about the landing gear, it is poorly designed and needs modifications to work properly. You would think coming from Flite Test Guys, it would be more durable. These are all good valid points made in the video that new folks to the hobby should review. Also, join a local club, the guys there will help new folks stay away from RC planes and brands that are a waste of money.
For a used plane, has it been crashed, and if so, how good were the repairs? If something was repaired poorly, it might not fly quite right, even if the original design was good. Same advice applies to any other modifications the previous owners made- converting an older nitro or gas design to electric, for example, might end up changing the aircraft enough to cause problems.
For older balsa planes covered in whatever-coat, pay attention to the condition of the covering. Even if it's an unassembled ARF that's been sitting in a box for the past 20 years, the covering may still be falling off due to age. Especially any pinstriping. Well used nitro powered models are at even higher risk, as the oil will soak into everything and loosen up adhesive.
Occasionally, especially in the used market, you'll run across a model from a brand you've never even heard of before. While there are certainly some gems in the rough out there, there's just as many duds. If you can't find any information at all from a quick google search, it's probably best to run- if you do buy it, know that it's a gamble.
Sometimes, that craigslist find you thought was too good of a deal to pass up was actually anything but- you may have gotten 7 aircraft at a unit cost of $14.29 per, but only 4 of them are even worth repairing back to flying shape and of those, none of them are particularly pretty or well-flying. You would have been better off spending that $100 on one better-quality used model or down payment on a new one.
This last one probably doesn't need saying- but don't buy a flitetest style model used. Foamboard and hotglue planes are cheap and fun, but they also only really last for a few sessions of flying before the material gets ragged and the repairs pile up. Plus, the electronics people use on them are often just as disposable, so buying one used is most certainly a waste of money. Similar advice applies to things like lightweight 3d profile foamies which won't ever fly quite right after one good bonk.
All valid points! With all the hoopla about the Timber you guys do, I’m surprised you haven’t done anything with the Eflite Valiant. It’s a way better airplane.
Turbo Timber Evo landing gear springs - Remove the inner spring limiters (cut with wire cutters) and I haven't replaced springs since.
My timber had the slats on it. I am stuck STOL, and before learning how slow is too slow, there was a basketful of replacement landing gear. Even though I got to where the gear lasted longer, there were broken and discarded slats. Relearn to touchdown faster. I left the floats on this year. Not just because of landings, but somewhat.
I am a master mechanic who bought a Timber X. I spent a good bit of fun time using my skills and knowledge repairing and redesigning the stupid stuff. Even if the stupid stuff sort of worked I fix it so to not have to look at it. I didn’t sell it, I gave it away because I am a fair and honest man.
Excellent video. I HATED my Freedom Fox until I accepted it wasn't a STOL airplane. Now that I fly it as a sport aerobatic plane, it is a lot of fun. But, it was definitely marketed wrong.
I've been using a soft foam glider with motor and radio that I fitted .
If the plane breaks, it was only $ 10 . Then, just a little time to refit the good bits and set up again.
Bring back the Dural gear for the Timbers and spek low bounce wheels. Did that on an old bush plane it works ok.
I picked up a Timber from a friend's estate. Never flown but after about 10 or so flights the aileron horns became so loose that the flutter almost broke the wings. My first foamie will be my last. I have gone back to my 22 year old Kadet Sr.
It's high time for E-Flite to do a V2 of the TT Evo. The overheating ESC issue, crappy front motor mount setup, and wimpy landing suspension needs to be addressed. The ESC should be placed further forward in assembly, an upgraded cowel needs to be designed for better air flow, and the current TTE landing gear springs need to be replaced with the Twinber landing springs setup. The 850mm Pitts has landing gear issues as well, the axles aren't secure at all.
I'm not very well versed on all the RC planes out there, so thanks for the heads up on the Conscendo. I want that one, or a similar sport glider for my next bird.
The best plane I’ve owned for durability, sports flying, and just pure pleasure is my HK Avios Grand Tundra.. I’d buy two more if they became available again 😊
Wait, who should I be buying servos from? finding 9g metal gear servos is impossible aside from some emax knockoffs so I'm all ears for new sources.
I think I'm going to try the BMS-373mg from Blue Bird Servos USA, it looks like a really good option.
Don't think you missed anything. And it was a blast from the way back past seeing the Senior Telemaster (I learned to fly on one I build in the early 2000s...I miss it.). I have the Turbo Timber Evolution. It's my first foamy. I was away from RC for about 9 years. I "have" been able to fly it...and it's a decent plane (I haven't had to replace the springs yet). I have transitioned to "all electric" as I was one of those who would spend way to many hours at the field (in the way back past) trying to get the nitro engine (always 2 strokes) to run consistently. Thanks as always for an interesting, entertaining, and useful video. (And for convincing me I probably shouldn't go out an buy the scale Kitfox...I love scale btw).
Back in the day I flew my dad's Senior Telemaster often. Kudos learning on a plane that needed both aileron and rudder control to fly. I took about an 8-year break from the hobby to, then came back big time. Around 2014 I got a fantastic deal on 4 F3A 50e size electric planes and have not used nitro since.
To fix the gear springs issue on the timber, as suggested by another subscriber in your timber evo review, just cut the extension limitor off and the springs will never break again, the only downside to this is that they will allow the gear to move waaay more = a hard landing will probably make the fuselage belly touch the ground
I have done this on all my Timbers. I had the original Gen 1 and flew it for years. It still had the original springs when I finally retired it.
@@TheCasualPilot great idea
It's like you looked in my hangar. Draco: I hate to love it, but love to hate it. OG Timber: Still the best. Conscendo Advanced: My peaceful Zen flyer.
hey man, nice vid! loved all the balsa talk haha made me feel at home!
the next timber should come with shocks instead of springs! I installed shocks on mine and the landings are delicious and buttery.
You can put the twinber gear on the TTE as an exact fit.
Dude is tied to the chair getting smacked around:
"TELL ME WHERE THE FUNCUB IS!" 😂🤣
🛑🛑 Wow!!
I did the hobby for 15 years. I built MANY planes; both Scratch and Stick Kits.
I’ve gotta say, if you showed up at the field I belonged to, back in the day; with Foam Prebuilt Planes ( 🗑️)…most guys just started laughing and walked away. 😂
Gone are the days of Stick Built Kits, Mono-Coat, and Pride as to what you bring to the field.
😂🤣😆😅💯
I don't miss them at all.
I like flying better than repairing all the time.
I bought a model Cessna Cardinal. It was very easy to take off. But, it had no ailerons. To land and fly it was so clumsy. It turned me off to the RC Plane hobby. Get the right plane. A bad one could ruin your outlook on the hobby and even close it. I will never forget that Cessna Cardinal. I must have replaced the wings over ten times. Often, I had to land it at while it was banking because of no ailerons. That is why I went through so many wings.
Guys... More balsa/composite, less foam guerilla content!
Another thing to look on used model is how the plane is inside, in terms of cleaning and tidiness
I havet to add, that the transparent parts of the stickers of my Aeroscout turned yellow by now so thats something to be aware of with stickers. Also, you know those 10 servos for 20 bucks packs from Amazon? Not a single servo of those failed for me, contrary to branded ones (e.g. spectrum 8g servos or Traxxas car servos)
The Hexatronic 9g servos are astoundingly good, I have about two dozen in service along with a couple of the metal gear versions. I'm going to spring for Emax or KST in anything that cost more than $200 or so though.
I brought a timber evolution and I really like it but brittle, so I used clear tape on surfaces and got to hot glue the corner of the wing and hot glue balsa wood and hot glue to strengthen the fuselage, 😅😅😅 but fly great and more sturdier 😊
Hot glue and packing tape, the savior of the hobby 😁
You know the planes and RC cars are bad when 30 creators get them on the same day and post a video at the same time. They praise it as if it is made of gold all so they can continue to get free ones. FMS and Banggood are notorious for sending them to every creator with over 1k subscribers. It's crazy how naive people are buying these products, complaining, then buying the next one in line hoping the creators have become ethical this time around. I can name a bunch, but I won't. I'm sure you can name a bunch too. The best part is they name a bunch of things they like about it. And a few things they dislike. Like, the radio uses too many batteries, and instructions are black and white. I wish the wing was yellow, not white, or it was missing a staple in the parts bag. The best dislike, I had to mount the tire on the wheel with my own glue. Something irrelevant to the RC plane or RC car's performance. 😂😂
I would think ja plane made of gold flies like...well a hunk of gold XD
The Draco was a beautiful static model - I wish they released a less super scale wooden model. Such a disappointing release though the challenge of landing it stol is fun for skilled pilots.
thinking about getting a carbon cub rtf instead of a sport cub s2. Good choice? Bad choice? Kinks?
I love the way to check linkage and push rods😂😂😂😂😂 thank you.
8:44 You put Loctite on a bolt or clevis before you assemble it, not afterwards. 🙄
3:51- to be fair, we don't ALL fly our foamies as hard as you guys do! Just watching that bushflyer RV-8 video.... OF COURSE the paint is gonna flake when the foam has to flex like that. Many stickers bubble or ripple when exposed to a sunny day so I'm not sure paint is such a bad thing for many of us.
Not sure which video you're referencing - the only RV-8 we've bush flown didn't have paint. It was bare foam with stickers that have never bubbled or rippled.
@@TailHeavyProductionsThe RV-8 bush conversion video. That's my point; If it DID have paint the paint would have chipped and flaked just like you're describing here. For those of us who enjoy gentle scale flight, the paint naturally lasts longer. I've had experience with stickers that make me feel pretty much opposite to you guys.
@@greenseaships Try opening and closing a canopy latch with your fingers on a painted plane and see how long the paint sticks to the foam around it. It doesn't. This is regardless of how scale you fly your airplanes. To each their own. No paint = no flake away. Thanks for watching!
@@TailHeavyProductions It seems like 1-inch pink/blue foam may have different qualities from the foam in the planes you fly. I haven't really experienced this. What kind of foam does E-flite/Flex/FMS typically use?
@@greenseaships Tail heavy is right, paint on foam does not last unless you absolutely baby it
Thanks for the awesome content!👍😊
Good to hear all of that. I think my first plane will be hand made, due to need of making special deliveries
lol V1.... new Caddx X goggles... total BOMB... I planned to hang back 3 months but still has serious issues so went DJI lol
Thank you!!! Finally! The arrows marlin. Waiting on parts since august 23? NO SHORTAGE ISSUE. makes nice dust collector, but the sale is extended. SMH
So, how do I know what “version” a plane is ? Are they supposed to be version numbered like! 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, etc ?
I stll fondly remember a friend of mine in the 70s who "inherited" a crash from his older brother, spent a few months rebuilding it, getting off the ground and losing some commands, basically it became a crash again. Undaunted, he rebuilt it, as a low wing for good measure, and we took it flying on a beautiful day, it got airborne, porpoised a few times, and suddenly went straight vertical. And kept going. A lovely windstill day, we saw it climb with no rudder or elevator command, then the engine stopped, and it gracefully turned over and came down again. Ed didn't know why command had failed but I saw two patches of heat shrink skin superglued to control horns with no screws in them... Anyhow, he salvaged the motor and electronics, and set fire to the rest. 😹 Ed had - briefly - three other model aircraft in the time I knew him, I have no idea how many afterwards, but I heard that he got his private pilot's license when he was in his mid 20s...
I heard one guy on youtube saying that the conscendo evolution is too heavy and doesn't fly well. I decided to ignore him and buy it anyway. after assembling it, I said: damn, why it's so heavy? BUT IT FLIES GREAT. By following hawks I've managed to have some lift on a thermal even with the biggest battery that you can fit in it. One day i was flying with the smallest battery and than my transmitter broke. the plane without the motor flew in circle for a whole minute and then crash into a bush without big damages. I was very lucky but I think that all my other planes would have crashed badly in a similar situation.
“Not being straight” (the airplane) was the part I couldn’t get past. I laughed and laughed because my significant other thinks me and my friends are “crooked” because we get to and fly models together. 😅
Ha Ha 😂 I have freedom fox and Draco in my hanger. Freedom fox is a handful just like a full size fox .
Haven't flown Draco.
the FT Freedom Fox V1 is to expensive for the quality you get. Tires are bad foam rubber, the motor is to weak, the flight characteristcs are disappointing as well. I had one landing where the Prop hit the Gras and immediately the ESC caught fire. I have other planes where this happened, but I have to say, I never before and after had an ESC going up in smoke at all.
Rather go with Tundra 2 from Hobby King, or FMS Piper PA-18 much more fun and better performance as well as durability at a lower price.
This video is “muy bueno!” You guys are really the best! I drank the Draco juice and bought one. It is still in the box after 3 years. The plane I fly regularly is a FunCub XL I picked up used at the hobby shop. I’m not the best pilot and do a lot of backyard flying and that FunCub always puts a smile on my face. I had looked into the Freedom Fox and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t more popular as a stol plane. Now thanks to Tail Heavy I know! Thanks for the awesome content and honest, spot on info! 👍🏻👍🏻
always good information! thank you for that!
I do have a question? a good plane for a beginner BUT!!!
then easily available in the Netherlands?
Healthy and Friendly Greetings from the Rotterdam area!
Rob
Better to build your own I feinted when i saw the almost $1000 AUD price tag for essentially a beer cooler with a motor and some cheap servos
Hey Tailheavy, I was wondering if you have any suggestions on a good second plane with more than a 5 minute flight time that you can "fly outside the box" with, any thoughts?
Fun Cub NG if budget isn't a constraint or the 1300mm FMS Cub. 👍
@@TailHeavyProductions Thanks, I will look into them!
To make a case for your point . Let`s look at the Avios mig 15 . Cheap ass plastic geared servos all the way around , landing gear that didn`t work , fire starter esc , and a crap and weak motor , God what junk . What the hell was Avios thinking when they released that thing . When that piece of crap came out , man was I glad I held off buying one . Instead of fixing it`s problems , they offered it in airframe only condition for three hundred dollars . What a burn . That`s why I`ve avoided Avios planes like a ten cent hot dog . Thanks for this video . A guy can sure get burned if he isn`t careful .
Perfect! Very important tips for beginners!
An STOL foamy? Drop flying ice chests.The longer you fly ‘em, the more you’ll agree. No absolutes but yeah, mostly. If that’s the only thing to buy, build one. Learn about differential drag when lowering an aileron and high speed stalls. Aerodynamics is what it should be about and balsa planes don’t need replacement parts either. It’s actually possible to build them.
We fly coolers, wood, and everything in between - and have for years. For legit bush flying (aka literally in the woods), we stick with what's light, floaty, and takes a beating, which is why we love the foam FunCub. We have an identical sized airplane that's kit-built balsa that's the same weight and just as floaty, but it won't take the same abuse *since* it's balsa. That's why we stick to foam for true RC bush flying shenanigans. It really isn't all black and white. Foam airplanes can teach you about differential ailerons and dropping a wing from flying uncoordinated and/or loading up the wing in the same way balsa would. Thanks for watching!
@@TailHeavyProductions perhaps, but it really boils down to availability of whatever is out there and even kits now are on the endangered species list.
I can't fly or land or make modifications myself... so i think i will complain about the airplane... yeah that's the ticket.. it's the planes fault
Interesting if true.
It’s like the Bison a grate plane from motion,but grate if only you tune it up for you. Then it’s a grate plane. Love the plane with out the slats .
I have a small number of planes that fly really well, always. So why do i gravitate to the others?
Excellent post, especially about the presenter clowns that rave on the web to get a free airplane.. I got stung on one of those by a well known husband and wife team but it was a cheapie so the price of tuition was pretty low but I was not impressed.. FWIW: Been flyin' RC since 1968.. Overall? Things have really gotten better, laser cut kits are amazing and reliability is now pretty much a given.. (I have had ONE radio failure in 25 years and that was my fault !) Lazy in my old age ? I guess but 90% the scale ARFS are wonderful, especially the mini/micro stuff with systems that we only dreamed about in the 70's.. Blessings to all.. 😊
Yes, bottom loaders suck but another grievance from Horizon Hobby is the habit of discontinuing "great" models. I own several and fly them as if made of gold because when they are gone, they are gone. Jim
I almost bit on the Freedom Fox. Josh was so excited about it! I'm glad I waited. My FT Bushwacker flies circles around it!
The Bushwhacker is by far my all-time favorite. I owned one for years. Of course it had three different wings, two sets of empenage, three different motors, and three iterations of landing gear, but the fuselage was original. I will build another when I retire my Crack Pitts.
I have had MUCH better luck keeping balsa airplanes flying than foamies.i am still flying my sig somethin extra with a used OS fx46 engine for 4 years now. I bought a timber x last summer and it lasted about 3 weeks.....
My Timber X never flew right. I tried everything. Finally decided to gut it and modify with impunity. It's kinda OK now with a 1507 motor, homemade gear made of 1.8 music wire, and an FPV cam strapped to the top of the wing. It's still sucks, but is not entirely useless.
Something I would recommend. Does your airplane look cool? Cuz everyone is different and if your airplane doesn’t inspire you to fly, you probably won’t fly it.
How about a new timber with 3 motors and smaller aileron surfaces?
I'm sticking to foam board.
Never any issues with spare parts.
Rarely too heavy.
Anything wrong with it is my fault.
Two words (or 4 combo'd together?) FliteTest or Scratchbulit RCG .
I am glad you didn’t talk about my mother this time. 😇
:laughs while hot gluing Home depot foam to make another flying wing with whatever garbage I have lying around:
never had a problem with a multiplex model with original power setup, they might be boring, but never problematic, and will happily endorse them to beginners
Not sure which model you're referencing - did you mean the Flite Test one?
@@TailHeavyProductions no - multiplex, the company that makes the funcub,
during the last 20 years i have tested ..... maybe 25 different mpx models, only one was a bit disapointing
@@polaritDK Ah, your comment was worded in a way that I thought you were referencing something in our video. I agree that I have never had a problem with any Multiplex planes aside from the PC-6. Love their models. Wish they weren't so marked up in the US.
Great information, as always!
Draco is a Fun Plane to FLY... but you must FLY IT!!! it was sold as "its great STOL plane for in-experienced".. I watched countless chop the throttle to land it and it would slam down (due to fore mentioned weight) and pound the OVER RATED landing gear.
My esc also busted it needs airflow in the freedom fox 😊
I have a Conscendo, and I love it.
We love the original! 👍
Guys at my field are LOVING the UMX version and having a ball with it...
Tell you what, the UMX Turbo Timber Evo is awesome. Don't know about the full size but the UMX is really, really good!!!
It sure is, so long as the servos don’t lock out on ya!
@@TailHeavyProductionsI heard about this and set all travels to 97%. Haven't had an issue.
You guys are always right and thx.
And the Turbo Timber Evolution is my favs still and I’ve had to cut the retainers on the landing gear springs and it works as good as the Twin Timber. And the motor mount sucked 1st time it broke and now I 3d print a new one. Now it’s the most durable plane I have…
Which rc plane would you recommend for a beginner? Preferably a tail dragger that costs100-250 CAD? I have bought myself many of those small ones that are controlled by the propellers but I find they are getting very boring and too easy to fly now.
A lot of people flying them also suck at flying them.
Can you make a review of HOBBYZONE Aeroscout?
I might be old-school, but most of this stuff is part of this hobby. If a motor mount breaks, just make a new one. I've had many planes that kept flying way past their expiry date and were held together by more epoxy than the original airframe. And if there's a poor factory design that's destined to break, don't keep buying the same part, just make something that actually works. But again, I'm probably the minority at this point with my DIY mindset.
6:16 Butter landing 🛬
The HobbyZone Super Cub was discontinued because it was TOO GOOD
4:56 Try drilling a hole in a Cessna 172 in exactly that spot. You'll have to pay for a new strut. Any idea why aviation engineers go to school first? You never drill holes in airplane parts! That includes RC ones, accidents are never fun. This drilling is more than stupid. Why did nobody yell at him?!
Thankfully these are RC planes which are much more forgiving to modifications and don’t require the extensive flight testing and engineering data with said mods that full scale planes do. That specific shot already had a hole there for a strut clip to mount it in place that wasn’t drilled wide enough from the factory. We’re happy to report no aircraft or lives were lost as a result of drilling the hole out larger. 😁
All good advice. I have the version 2 of the Freewing Avanti S and it is improved, but I’m still flying V1. I also purchased V2 of E- flight Cessna 150T and it is awesome.
Holy crap this was amazing and spot on!🎉❤🎉
Bad mouthing my planes!