Product Reviews
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June 04, 2019 18
No matter what area of the hobby you’re into, you are no doubt going to come across times where you will require a charger, so it’s important you understand the process and how best to pick one. What we're going to do today is take you through a range of our Ultra Power chargers, show you how they work and why you would choose one over another.
Ultra Power UP616 Charger & Discharger
Let's start out with the most basic and simple charger that we offer – the UP616 from Ultra Power, which is not only super handy but also compact and lightweight. This is a charger that
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May 23, 2019 32
Way back in 2009 Horizon Hobby introduced their first electric powered glider, the ParkZone Radian which was a huge success by any measure. This simple 2 metre, 3 channel foam glider was quick to assemble, light and soared in the weakest of thermals. What more could a budding RC Glider pilot ask for?
Owing some of its design cues to the 1974 Hobie Hawk with an elliptical wing plan form and elliptical dihedral, the Radian has a distinctive look in the sky. Tens of thousands of RC pilots have enjoyed the easy flying characteristics and great soaring abilities of the Radian.
RC glider clubs all over the world hold one model competitions for the Radian including the Southern Soaring League in Adelaide. Up to 20 pilots launch their models on the sound of the hooter and climb under power to 100 metres where the motor is turned off. The task is to fly
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March 26, 2019 17
A modern day classic
The Phoenix Models Scanner 46 size ARF model hit Australian shores in early 1998. It was the brainchild of the late Tony Farnan and Phoenix Models who saw the need for a ‘second’ model for the beginner to transition to once they achieved solo status. The Scanner was awarded the Best Hobby Product of the Year at the 1998 ATA Toy and Hobby Fair and since then thousands of MAAA modellers have successfully flown a Scanner.
This low wing model features a thick airfoil, parallel chord and a long tail moment which makes for very forgiving flight characteristics. It has proven to be an ideal model for the new flier who wants to graduate to something that is a bit more agile than the typical high wing trainer. Coupled with an OS 46 engine it makes for a great flying sport
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June 17, 2015 5
First-Person View (FPV) technology significantly developed in the remote control world. RC FPV is becoming more commonplace as new products are released, ranging from drones to model planes. In this blog post, we will be covering some of the recent RC models with FPV cameras, beginning with one of the original pioneers.
E-Flite FPV Vapor
The release of the FPV Vapor was a game-changer for RC planes. Now you had the opportunity to view your flight in real-time from the perspective of the cockpit. Even after all these months, the Vapor still remains popular. It is so easy to
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January 16, 2015 3
Yuneec Q500 Reviews
Two of our staff members, Mike and Matt, were fortunate enough to fly the new Yuneec Q500 drone the other day. We spoke to them shortly after their flights to get their thoughts. Here is what they had to say:
"This mid-size quadcopter is really solid in the air. Having tested it in gusty winds up to 25km/h, we were really happy with the ability of the Q500 to maintain its position and height. Challenging conditions and it performed brilliantly. And the video recorded on the CGO2-GB in these choppy conditions was outstanding. That gimbal works very well."
- Mike
"The Yuneec Q500 Typhoon is an incredibly stable platform with flight control features comparable to commercial multirotors worth thousands. The 3-axis gimbal and advanced flight controller produce stable and high quality imagery even in strong winds. Its large battery capacity gives more than
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October 17, 2014 16
The Best RC Planes for Beginners
Remote control (RC) planes are tonnes of fun for young and old, but finding a suitable model for beginners is not always easy. If you are thinking about getting started with RC planes, or know someone who is, we hope this blog post will be a useful guide in helping you find a suitable trainer plane. We have listed our Top 5 RC planes for beginners; focusing on models that are easy-to-use and will give you a solid foundation to move up to more advanced levels as your skills develop. Let's start this list with the HobbyZone Duet.
Number 5 - The HobbyZone Duet RC Plane
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October 13, 2014 13
What's the only thing better than a high performance RC car? Drifting one! If you love to conquer corners, Modelflight has a great range of remote control cars designed especially for you. In this blog post, we will be looking at our Top 5 RC drift cars.
Number 5 - Vaterra 2015 Ford Mustang
This car is pure muscle. The 2015 Mustang is underpinned by Vaterra's durable V100-S chassis and comes with shaft-driven 4WD, making it ideal for on-road drifting. With its Dynamite power system, you will be able to approach turns with great speed and control. Coming ready-to-run with
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October 03, 2014 18
The Striking E-Flite Clipped Wing J3 Cub
Aerobatic skill and great scale design - the Clipped Wing J-3 Cub 250 is an exciting new release from E-Flite. You may already be familiar with E-Flite's original J-3 Cub. This one is slightly smaller, but still has much to offer. It is constructed from balsa and plywood, which gives you a lightweight, yet durable structure. As you would have noticed, the Cub comes with a bright Hangar 9 UltraCote ParkLite trim scheme, which really makes this model a stand-out. E-Flite have also ensured that the proportions of the model accurately reflect that of the full-size Piper Cub. While we are on the topic of scale, we should note the great details of this plane. For example, it comes with a painted cowling featuring engine detail. There are also exposed cylinder heads which allow for better cooling, in addition to air intakes on the
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September 30, 2014 23
The Majestic Hangar 9 Super Cub
Of all the model planes that we have discussed on the Modelflight blog, this one has got to be the largest, and arguably the most iconic! The Hangar 9 Super Cub is a 1/4-scale plane with excellent details. It is modelled on the Piper PA-18 Cub, the adventurous aircraft originally created in 1949. Staying true to its roots, Hangar 9 have accurately recreated this plane with several features that we would like to outline.
To begin with, every line and curve on this model is an authentic replication of the full-size aircraft. The shape of the fillet where the fuselage and vertical stab meet has also been recreated. Additionally, the Super Cub comes with fully-functional flaps and cockpit door. These flaps will allow you to perform short-field takeoffs and landings with ease. Assisting you in these endeavours is a scale landing gear
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September 29, 2014 12
Blade have always been known for producing high quality RC helicopters. While the majority of these models come ready-to-fly (RTF), today we wanted to look at two new helis at the opposite end of the spectrum. The 600 X and 550 X kits are great for pilots who want to build a heli to their own specifications. The great thing about these kits, though, is that they give you a very solid foundation for building this dream machine. Let's look at each kit in turn.
Blade 550 X
The 550 X is one of three helicopters to be found in Blade's Pro Series range. It is no surprise, therefore, that this model has been designed for peak performance. It comes with an E-Flite Heli 550-sized brushless motor. This 1360Kv outrunner gives you the power you need for extreme aerobatic performance. This is coupled with a 10-amp BEC, also from E-Flite. As for the rest, that's entirely up to you! You have the opportunity to add your own transmitter, receiver and other components to create a 550 X of your own. Once these components have been added, you can experience all that Blade has to offer. This helicopter has many appealing design features. For example, the flybarless head comes with direct-to-swash functionality and main frames made from carbon fibre. The head block is also made from carbon fibre and the swashplate is CNC-machined aluminium. It's these attributes that make the 550 X a true performer in the air.
Blade 600 X
If you are looking for something even larger, the Blade 600 X kit is a great choice. This helicopter comes with the same frame and rotor head used in the aforementioned 550 X, but is equipped with an E-Flite 700-size brushless motor. Blade have also equipped this model with 600mm Revolution main blades from carbon fibre. You will also receive 95mm Revolution tail blades. This is a great base upon which you can complete the 600 X. Some of its other features include triple ball bearing support with a 10mm steel main shaft and an integrated bearing block servo mount. The 600 X is, ultimately, one of Blade's finest. We hope this blog post has given you a taste of these exciting new RC helicopters. Be sure to stay tuned for new releases from Blade. Until then, the sky's the limit!