When I first saw this plane I was really excited, a good looking modern military twin turboprop cargo plane. Then E-Flite released the video and they were touting it as a twin aerobatics machine. They were flying it more like a Pitts o Edge than a big ol twin engine cargo plane. To add to my concern, the plane is priced north of $350 and doesn't include retracts.
But still, it looks like a C-27J Spartan, so since I like pretty much anything scale, or scale"ish" I decided to give it a shot.
I got one of the first BNF models available thanks to my LHS being on some Horizon Hobby early bird program.
As you'd expect from E-Flite, the plane is well packed and mine was damage free. The plane goes together in about half an hour, if you are slow. It is a fairly big and bulky plane, and, to me, has the look of a C-27J. However, E-Flite has taken some liberties to make the plane more desirable to aerobatic enthusiasts.
The leading edge of the outer portion of the wings are extended and include vortex generators. All of the control surfaces are way oversize and the model includes a neat connecting system so you can tailor the flap/aileron arrangement to your taste in flying, to include eliminating the flaps and having the aileron the full width of the wing.
The plane is equipped with two 650Kv motors and can be flown on three or four cell batteries. It also comes with a pair of counter rotating scimitar five blade props.
The model also includes a servo operated rear cargo ramp, so you can drop stuff from the plane if you like.
But still, it looks like a C-27J Spartan, so since I like pretty much anything scale, or scale"ish" I decided to give it a shot.
I got one of the first BNF models available thanks to my LHS being on some Horizon Hobby early bird program.
As you'd expect from E-Flite, the plane is well packed and mine was damage free. The plane goes together in about half an hour, if you are slow. It is a fairly big and bulky plane, and, to me, has the look of a C-27J. However, E-Flite has taken some liberties to make the plane more desirable to aerobatic enthusiasts.
The leading edge of the outer portion of the wings are extended and include vortex generators. All of the control surfaces are way oversize and the model includes a neat connecting system so you can tailor the flap/aileron arrangement to your taste in flying, to include eliminating the flaps and having the aileron the full width of the wing.
The plane is equipped with two 650Kv motors and can be flown on three or four cell batteries. It also comes with a pair of counter rotating scimitar five blade props.
The model also includes a servo operated rear cargo ramp, so you can drop stuff from the plane if you like.
To their credit, the guys at E-Flite have stated that this is not a scale model of a cargo plane, it just happens to share the appearance of one.
With that in mind, I figured with a little extra paint and decals, it can be made to look like a Spartan, at least from a few feet;-)
After a foam shattering set back a couple of weeks ago that was my fault, I picked up another plane and finally got in the air today. I'm happy to report that this is a very good flying plane. I am not a big aerobatics enthusiast, so I will leave that evaluation for someone else, but as a scale like twin it is very smooth and presents well in the air. I am flying mine with Admiral 3600 four cell batteries and after 7 minutes of mixed throttle flying I still show 55% left. The twin 650 Kv motors have way more power than needed for scale flying, but power is one of those things that is better to have and not need, than need and not have.
The paint scheme E-Flite chose is actually a "one of" scheme on a C-130, celebrating 50 years of service with the Coast Guard. It translates well to this airframe and looks good against about any sky.
So while I wish it had retracts and was just a little more scale oriented, overall I have to say E-Flite will probably have a hit on their hands.
With that in mind, I figured with a little extra paint and decals, it can be made to look like a Spartan, at least from a few feet;-)
After a foam shattering set back a couple of weeks ago that was my fault, I picked up another plane and finally got in the air today. I'm happy to report that this is a very good flying plane. I am not a big aerobatics enthusiast, so I will leave that evaluation for someone else, but as a scale like twin it is very smooth and presents well in the air. I am flying mine with Admiral 3600 four cell batteries and after 7 minutes of mixed throttle flying I still show 55% left. The twin 650 Kv motors have way more power than needed for scale flying, but power is one of those things that is better to have and not need, than need and not have.
The paint scheme E-Flite chose is actually a "one of" scheme on a C-130, celebrating 50 years of service with the Coast Guard. It translates well to this airframe and looks good against about any sky.
So while I wish it had retracts and was just a little more scale oriented, overall I have to say E-Flite will probably have a hit on their hands.
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