Monthly Archives: February 2014

Recently on the Modelflight Blog, we have been talking about the new 4WD versions of already-popular ECX RC cars. From the ECX Torment to the Circuit RC truck, these new, upgraded-drivetrain vehicles are some of the most popular new products to emerge from the 2014 Nuremberg Toy Fair. Today, we wanted to focus on one of these new ECX trucks, the 4WD Ruckus RC monster truck, an update of the original Ruckus RC truck.

The original Ruckus was a dream-come-true for many; a gutsy RC monster truck that could easily be driven by beginners. The new 2014 Ruckus RC truck maintains that strong

On the occasion of our second Indoor flying night at the Netball Stadium at Mile End, where those interested ONLY pay ten dollars if they fly, there was just a slight improvement in numbers and with their executive at the stadium raising our rental a wee bit, we really do need a more lively response to our flying numbers. For those who were not able to be there, I must tell you that we had  the entire stadium at our disposal and what a difference it makes, rather than being pinned down on one of the lesser courts.

I open this month's episode with a picture of two very important people in today's Modelling World. On the left of the picture is one of Australia's leading and most  capable model builders, who is also the brains behind the model hovercraft building campaign, Bob McEwin, and on the right of the picture, a gentleman who is known to most, if not all of you, as the Managing Director of Model Flight, Michael O'Reilly.

When the Blade 350 QX was announced in July 2013, it was a significant development for RC quadcopters. With its multiple flight modes and ability to carry a camera, the 350 QX was one of the most exciting releases last year. Today, we wanted to talk about the new 350 QX AP Combo from Blade. This combo package takes the original 350 QX to a new level. In this aerial photography (AP) version, you will receive an E-Flite C-Go 1 camera with your purchase. This 1080P/30 camera offers a 720/30 video downlink to supported mobile devices, using a 5.8GHz WiFi connection. It should be noted that this camera can also be purchased separately on Modelflight, so if you already own a Blade 350 QX, it will be a great choice for your quadcopter. In addition to the camera, the AP Combo comes

The February Indoor meeting at ETSA Park, Adelaide was well attended now that the temperatures have dropped from the 42C we experienced last month. There were a decent number of quadcopters flying including the new Prime RC Micro MQ4D baby quad that Mike flew:

Alan and Bob had their hovercrafts skimming the surface and Robert had his very new Blade 180QX taking aerial footage of the action.

If you can't get enough of RC monster trucks, this new release from Losi is guaranteed to impress. The new Losi LST XXL 2 builds upon the original LST XXL monster truck by adding some hard-hitting new features. At the core of this ready-to-run truck is a .31 cubic inch gasoline engine, designed to give you top-notch speeds across nearly any surface. This engine has great fuel economy, so your run times will be fantastic. Additionally, this RC monster truck comes with a roto-start tool, allowing you to easily start the engine up and hit the terrain

For the professional model pilot, the news does not get better than this. Building upon the solid foundation set by the original DX18 transmitter, Spektrum will be upgrading this class-leading RC radio in 2014. The new Spektrum DX18 comes with everything you require for high level control, and then some.

For example, the new DX18 comes with programmable voice alerts. Originally introduced with the DX9 transmitter (and recently added to the

The original Spektrum DX6i RC radio has long been the popular choice among pilots and we are pleased to announce that this great transmitter is going to be upgraded. The new Spektrum DX6 has been launched and it offers many exciting features. The first one worth mentioning is customisable voice alerts. First introduced with the Spektrum DX9, these voice alerts are a groundbreaking feature for a 6-channel transmitter. The new DX6 radio will allow you to keep track of important functions without taking your eyes off your model. You can program these voice alerts to call out the flight mode you have chosen or report telemetry information on demand. If an alarm goes off while flying, you will not have to look at the transmitter

The recent Nuremberg Toy Fair 2014 introduced an outstanding range of new RC products. Beyond the physical RC cars, planes and helicopters, though, there was one new addition in the virtual RC world. Runtime released Version 5 of their flagship Phoenix Flight Simulator. This is an exciting release for all RC pilots. Runtime have always been renowned for their high quality and realistic simulation programs and Phoenix Version 5 builds on this solid foundation.

Some of the innovative new features in this version include the ability to create your own models. You can import 3D geometry definitions from almost any 3D design program and fly them within the many landscapes that come with the Phoenix software. You can even share these new designs online. Additionally, Runtime have updated

We are very excited to announce that JR will be releasing a new 700-size RC helicopter. The JR Forza 700 promises to be an exciting new addition to the range of helicopters at Modelflight. This new Forza has a boom and torque tube and is very lightweight. JR have designed this new model with a short mast for extreme 3D performance. The main blade grips and centre hub are also designed to be heavy duty.

The frame of this remote control helicopter is similar to that seen in the JR Forza

There is exciting news for RC helicopter fans with the announcement of the JR Forza 450EX 2014. As the name suggests, this is an update of the original Forza 450, which was JR's first 450-size helicopter. The key feature of this new Forza is that it is designed to accomodate a 6-cell (6S) LiPo battery. This is going to be quite a power boost. The original Forza could fit a 3-cell (3S) 2200-2500mAh LiPo battery, so the new EX version is going to deliver excellent performance.