bigdano711
Active member
Well, I have egg all over my face when it comes to Volantex. I saw their cheap RTF's, which actually fly pretty good based on the videos I've seen, and wrote them off. I finally started looking at HobbyKing.com and what planes they offer in PNF and found this little beauty. I've been wondering where the plastic fuselage has gone, and now I've re-discovered it!!
My very first plane came from Tower Hobbies roughly 20 years ago. I told my ex-wife to get me the P-51 and instead she got me this trainer style high foam wing rubber-banded to a plastic fuselage. I was bummed, but only slightly, still totally excited to fly no matter what it was.
I folded that foam wing and learned about re-enforcing with a spar. Took out the horrible brick that was acting as esc/rx/servos and installed proper electronics. As I dug into the plane, the design was actually quite astounding with a nice plastic deck that I cut squares into for mounting servos and a firewall/motor mount that accepted a brushless motor with very little modification AND it had built-in down/right thrust. Then balsa ARF's took over, I got into glow and didn't look back at electric for a while. Eventually, life events happened and RC was shelved for years.
About 4 years ago, I dipped my toe back in when I bought the HobbyZone Carbon Cub S+ 1.3 sold by Horizon Hobby. Great Cub and I still have it to this day. I just installed flaps and can't wait to test them out.
Since then, I've often thought back on that little plastic fused first plane and wish I still had it. I wondered why no manufacturer has re-done it. Like I said, I folded that wing from a good altitude and it just twirled in and landed on it belly, no damage at all to the fuse. Piled it in hard nose first, barely put a crinkle in the plastic that I was able to pull out and smooth by hand.
This will be my next plane.
My very first plane came from Tower Hobbies roughly 20 years ago. I told my ex-wife to get me the P-51 and instead she got me this trainer style high foam wing rubber-banded to a plastic fuselage. I was bummed, but only slightly, still totally excited to fly no matter what it was.
I folded that foam wing and learned about re-enforcing with a spar. Took out the horrible brick that was acting as esc/rx/servos and installed proper electronics. As I dug into the plane, the design was actually quite astounding with a nice plastic deck that I cut squares into for mounting servos and a firewall/motor mount that accepted a brushless motor with very little modification AND it had built-in down/right thrust. Then balsa ARF's took over, I got into glow and didn't look back at electric for a while. Eventually, life events happened and RC was shelved for years.
About 4 years ago, I dipped my toe back in when I bought the HobbyZone Carbon Cub S+ 1.3 sold by Horizon Hobby. Great Cub and I still have it to this day. I just installed flaps and can't wait to test them out.
Since then, I've often thought back on that little plastic fused first plane and wish I still had it. I wondered why no manufacturer has re-done it. Like I said, I folded that wing from a good altitude and it just twirled in and landed on it belly, no damage at all to the fuse. Piled it in hard nose first, barely put a crinkle in the plastic that I was able to pull out and smooth by hand.
This will be my next plane.
