Tiny Trainer Price

[Chillmonge]

I've been recommended the tiny trainer for my first plane. People are saying it's inexpensive, but when I look on the flight test store, it's about $320 for the kit, electronics, controller, and glue gun. Is there a cheaper way to make and fly the plane?

Thanks

 

[JasonK]

see my signature for getting in around $200. you can go even cheaper if you cut the plans out yourself and part out the electronics and have basic supplies (exacto knife, hot glue, etc).

looking at that listing... you could get it down to about $150 by cutting it all out yourself and parting out the electronics/power pack. The TX/RX is about as cheap as you would want to go and any reasonable battery won't get much cheaper. I am not sure on charger options any cheaper then that, I ended up actually getting something more expensive then that as my main charger.

 

[GrizWiz]

You can get the starter pack on the stem site for much less. You will need to get a battery, charger, transmitter, and receiver

 

[Flyingshark]

I've been recommended the tiny trainer for my first plane. People are saying it's inexpensive, but when I look on the flight test store, it's about $320 for the kit, electronics, controller, and glue gun. Is there a cheaper way to make and fly the plane?

Thanks

Remember, the transmitter and glue gun are always going to be part of the "setup cost" for lack of a better term. You won't need to buy a new transmitter and glue gun for each plane.

In terms of actual cost-saving measures, you can buy sheets of foam board and cut it out yourself. It would cost more in the short term to buy utility blades and raw foam board and cut it out yourself, but you could get way more planes out of a $50 box of foam board than from a single $20 pre-made Speed Build Kit. This route would also leave you in a better position to make a new wing if you crashed and broke it, or any other part of the plane.

The transmitter is a place where you have a large range of options that also vary a lot in price. The DXe/DXs that I think FliteTest recommends is an okay starting point, but you can get a better transmitter for the same price or even for less.

 

[Chillmonge]

I'm confused, should I buy foam and electronics separately and build my own, or should I buy the starter kit. Also what type of hot glue gun do I need. The one at my house is only 10w

 

[AussieBison]

For beginners, I would recommend buying everything separately to keep the cost down. Once you're confident about the hobby and flying, you can always upgrade. (maybe sell your beginner gears, or lend it to your friends if they ever feel like entering this hobby).

Electronics:
FlySky FS-i6X TX / RX (55 USD)
2212 1000KV + 30A ESC combo (15 USD) - I know tiny trainer has smaller motor recommendation, but I don't see any issues using this battery (it would just be a tad bit heavier)
Four 9G servos - (10 USD)
Battery - $ depends on what battery you get and where you get it from

Building Material:
Dollar Tree Foam Board - 5 sheets (5 USD)
Bbq skewers / popsicle stick / tape / cutter etc misc. - (10 USD)

Any hot glue gun would be fine for starters, so long as it melts glue with enough temp.

It'd be around 100USD excluding charger / battery & hot glue gun / sticks.

 

[tesseract]

I'm confused, should I buy foam and electronics separately and build my own, or should I buy the starter kit. Also what type of hot glue gun do I need. The one at my house is only 10w

Starter kit electronics are the same as buying them separately. You don't need the starter kit. You can just get the electronics and speedbuild kit separately, that's about $90, and there's one Tactic transmitter that is $60 from FT. Then the Tactic receiver is about $30, Lipo is $15, the charger I use is about $10. Total is $205, 125 bucks saved.

 

[Chillmonge]

The things I'm still not sure about are how many of each part I need and what parts I need.
I want the recommended parts but I also don't know how many parts I need. I don't want to annoy anyone but I'm still really confused.

 

[tesseract]

Any hot glue gun would be fine for starters

@Chillmonge I use a cheapo $5 low temp glue gun which has served me well.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FIJPPN4/?tag=lstir-20

 

[AussieBison]

@Chillmonge I use a cheapo $5 low temp glue gun which has served me well.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FIJPPN4/?tag=lstir-20

haha I use the same brand glue gun, it's a dual temp one - it was I think 14/15 CAD.

 

[tesseract]

here's a pic if you want. It's good for small-medium hands like mine.
Also if you'd prefer to skip the Speed Build kit, you can get Ross foam board from amazon, and a craft knife. that way you can save money and foam.

 

[tesseract]

haha I use the same brand glue gun, it's a dual temp one - it was I think 14/15 CAD.

yeah, Adtech seems to be one of the leading gluegun brands

 

[Flyingshark]

I'm confused, should I buy foam and electronics separately and build my own, or should I buy the starter kit. Also what type of hot glue gun do I need. The one at my house is only 10w

10 watts is a low temperature glue gun. I like to use a 200 watt one, specifically, the Ad-Tech Pro 200. It costs less than $50. I think you could probably use the one you already have.

For buying a speed build kit vs scratch building your first plane, both are options. I enjoy scratch building, but using a speed build kit can save on time, and ensure that all the parts are cut out correctly.

Buying a FliteTest Power Pack will get you most of the electronics you need, without needing to worry about soldering connectors or checking compatibility. It will be a bit more expensive than buying the cheapest options individually, but they are good quality parts. You'd still need to decide on a receiver, because that depends on the transmitter you buy.

If @JasonK 's "getting started cheap" guide is any indication, this is an extremely competitive option to @PlanesAndThings 's recommendations, and it reduces the risk of buying the wrong parts.

 

[tesseract]

@Chillmonge
Actually when I said you can get Ross board from amazon, you cant for some reason. I know you can get it fro walmart though>

 

[tesseract]

@Flyingshark Yeah his tx looks better than the one I suggested, but it is more confusing. Thats basically the only difference.
@Chillmonge its up to you if you want to use the tx I suggested, which is 35 dollars (hehe, price reduced so much since the time I bought it) or @JasonK 's.

 

[Flyingshark]

@Flyingshark Yeah his tx looks better than the one I suggested, but it is more confusing. Thats basically the only difference.
@Chillmonge its up to you if you want to use the tx I suggested, which is 35 dollars (hehe, price reduced so much since the time I bought it) or @JasonK 's.

The benefit of a "more confusing" transmitter is that you can do basic stuff and more advanced things with it as you progress in the hobby.

If you buy the Absolute Ultra-Cheapest-Option™, you would need an entirely new transmitter to have more than 4 channels and do custom mixing, differential thrust, etc. (These features are not necessary for a Tiny Trainer.)

In the end, the difference is $20.

 

[Chillmonge]

This is what my cart looks like.

Am I picking good parts, and what transmitter should I get?

 

[Monte.C]

The receiver is a good start if you're getting a Spektrum transmitter. Others here might suggest something else. (And might have very good suggestions.)
Personally I would say you don't need to get into the Aura5 yet. Most of us learn to fly on our own without any flight controller/stabilizer, and setting it up might be just as hard as just learning to fly.

 

[JasonK]

note: the Aura 5 does _not_ work with that receiver, you need a serial receiver to work with the aura.

 

[JasonK]

I'm confused, should I buy foam and electronics separately and build my own, or should I buy the starter kit. Also what type of hot glue gun do I need. The one at my house is only 10w

you asked how you could get started cheaper then what you were doing, and yes, you can get cheaper by doing more of it yourself.

if it is your first plane, the speed build kit and FT power pack would be a good way of making sure you have all the correct equipment to build the plane (that will get you everything but the hotglue, glue gun, tape, TX/RX, Battery, battery charger).


So... what should you do? that depends on your willingness to 'figure it out' yourself, how much you want to spend, etc.