Disclaimer - Gearbest gave me this plane to review for them. I made no promises for a positive review, and specifically told them that I wouldn't post anything until I had a chance to actually fly it. Better late than never, I finally got it in the air today, so here's my review.
The short version of the review: for $50 and a little tinkering it's a really decent deal to get somebody new to flying into the hobby. I say "a little tinkering" because even though this is a "ready to fly" plane it really ISN'T RTF for everybody. I'll explain below.
This is the basic package, a high-wing pusher, similar in design to the Cloud Surfer or Bixler, but smaller. It includes a 3 channel transmitter with trim, high/low rates, and LCD display. Transmitter feel is about what you'd expect for a kit at this price. Nothing fancy, but it works.
Before I forget, CLICK HERE for the link to the Gearbest page for this plane. You'll notice some differences between what they show and what I got. more on that below as well... By the way, clicking that link lets them know people are reading this review, which helps me fulfill my obligation to them.
I got home from work and found a very well-wrapped and undamaged box waiting for me. I figured Hobby King finally learned how to ship packages, but didn't remember using DHL shipping from them recently. Turns out it wasn't a HK package after all!
Inside was the Sky-King with absolutely no damage at all to the box or contents. I'll give them an A+ for packaging - hopefully they do that for ALL packages being sent, and not just ones being sent for review.
I'm not sure why this plane is recommended for 14+. Also, the "Everything you need to fly in one box" is not quite accurate. You do need to supply the AA batteries for the transmitter, and if your country doesn't use 220VAC outlets you're also going to have issues.
Inside the box, again everything in perfect condition. Hobby King should take notes.
The instructions were more comprehensive than many larger/more expensive kits I've purchased. Half English, half Chinese. English translations were about average, but there were plenty of pictures. I looked for the CoG location and threw the instructions back in the box.
Again, the transmitter was decent for the price of this kit. I haven't been able to test the range yet since my flight time has been on days that were really too windy for this plane and I didn't want to lose it. But for the smallish size of the plane you really won't want to fly too far away so range probably won't be an issue.
The components are all laid out. note that it comes with a standard removable canopy and also a much smaller piece that is designed to give you an easy spot to mount a small camera. I haven't tried that, and probably won't. The wings also have aileron markings, so it may be somewhat easy to turn this into a 4 channel plane by using a couple 5 gram servos. As a 3 channel setup it uses throttle/elevator/rudder, and the rudder is set up on what for North America is usually the aileron channel (right stick). Left stick only controls the throttle, and for me this works fine with no learning curve.
Here's where we run into problems. Two of 'em, in fact. First, the power adapter is designed for 220VAC and will not work with the 110VAC power in North America. I could purchase a plug adapter for a few dollars, or I could re-wire the adapter with a plug we use, but I shouldn't have to do that! It's supposed to be RTF and it isn't. I went back and forth with "Amy" at Gearbest a few times, and it sounds like they do not understand/know/care about this issue. If the power adapter had an output of 12VDC it wouldn't be a big deal for me to just use my own power supply to charge the battery, but it's output is 10VDC. While 12VDC going into the little balance charger may work, I certainly don't want to risk a fire by using the wrong voltage. Also note that the 300mAh 2 cell pack uses a regular balance plug, but the main lead plug is not a common plug like the mini JST. This means I can't simply charge the pack on my other chargers. Instead of screwing around trying to make their charger work, I carefully replaced their plug with a mini JST and threw their charger away.
The bottom of the fuselage includes a skid to protect it - a nice feature if you're going to be landing on a hard surface.
Control surface throws were OK, but I moved the pushrods to the inner holes to give me longer throws. Low rates are now probably decent for calmer days while high rates were needed to keep control in the heavier winds I had today.
Here is the "fixed" battery problem. These 300mAh packs just barely fit deep into the nose of the plane. I may be able to get a similar sized battery from HK or other sources with the mini JST ends already installed. Gearbest also sells stock replacements on their website for a decent price.
I also had to tweak the elevator pushrod a bit since there was too much slop. The fix was ultra fast and cheap. All I did was take a small zip tie and cut it to about 3/4" long. The long end was thrown away and I cut the slot open so it could fit over the pushrod. This was then pushed into the side of the fuselage with a tiny drop of glue. Now the pushrod is much more secure in both directions and doesn't deflect. In theory this should give me better control.
Back from the maiden flight next to my 1/4 scale Cub. I'm tempted to get a couple Sky-Kings and mount them under the Cub's wings to be dropped in flight!
As mentioned, I gave it the maiden flight today. Winds were around 10 MPH, too fast for this little plane, but it was sunny and above freezing, and I've put off flying it long enough. In the hands of a novice it would have hit the ground quickly as it is a little tail heavy and the UP elevator control is a little touchy. When winds are more friendly I'll put a penny in the nose with the battery to see if that helps the balance issue. The rudder does a decent job turning the plane, even with the strong winds. On a calm day low rates should work, but I kept them on high just to make sure I was able to turn. When winds are calm I'm going to have my son, my dad, and a friend of mine try it out. My dad is already hooked on RC planes and should have no problem. We'll see how the other two handle it!
Here are my final thoughts on this kit. For the price it's decent. However, Gearbest needs to get their act together and either include a power adapter for the charger or at least note on their website that one is needed. The pushrod fix was cheap and easy, but somebody new to the hobby wouldn't necessarily be able to identify the problem or how to fix it. But to me, the biggest problem is the Gearbest website and what I consider deceptive advertising. Go back to THIS LINK again and notice the pictures they show indicate the plane has lights. It doesn't come with them, and when I brought that up with "Amy" she suggested I buy that version for myself as it would be fun. Well, no, that's not happening, maybe they should just fix their description. Also notice they don't give any easy links to get additional batteries or the power adapter they sell. This is just plain dumb, in my opinion. Make it EASY for people to buy the upgrades and you'll sell more of them! They must have missed that day in Marketing 101.
With my rants and annoyances out of the way, I'll again say that this plane would be good for somebody who has a mentor in the hobby, but NOT for somebody with no safety net. I'd have no problems handing this over to my son to fly, or friends who want to try flying. For the price I wouldn't care if it were to get damaged during the learning process, and the electronics could easily be salvaged for other future projects.
The short version of the review: for $50 and a little tinkering it's a really decent deal to get somebody new to flying into the hobby. I say "a little tinkering" because even though this is a "ready to fly" plane it really ISN'T RTF for everybody. I'll explain below.
This is the basic package, a high-wing pusher, similar in design to the Cloud Surfer or Bixler, but smaller. It includes a 3 channel transmitter with trim, high/low rates, and LCD display. Transmitter feel is about what you'd expect for a kit at this price. Nothing fancy, but it works.
Before I forget, CLICK HERE for the link to the Gearbest page for this plane. You'll notice some differences between what they show and what I got. more on that below as well... By the way, clicking that link lets them know people are reading this review, which helps me fulfill my obligation to them.
I got home from work and found a very well-wrapped and undamaged box waiting for me. I figured Hobby King finally learned how to ship packages, but didn't remember using DHL shipping from them recently. Turns out it wasn't a HK package after all!
Inside was the Sky-King with absolutely no damage at all to the box or contents. I'll give them an A+ for packaging - hopefully they do that for ALL packages being sent, and not just ones being sent for review.
I'm not sure why this plane is recommended for 14+. Also, the "Everything you need to fly in one box" is not quite accurate. You do need to supply the AA batteries for the transmitter, and if your country doesn't use 220VAC outlets you're also going to have issues.
Inside the box, again everything in perfect condition. Hobby King should take notes.
The instructions were more comprehensive than many larger/more expensive kits I've purchased. Half English, half Chinese. English translations were about average, but there were plenty of pictures. I looked for the CoG location and threw the instructions back in the box.
Again, the transmitter was decent for the price of this kit. I haven't been able to test the range yet since my flight time has been on days that were really too windy for this plane and I didn't want to lose it. But for the smallish size of the plane you really won't want to fly too far away so range probably won't be an issue.
The components are all laid out. note that it comes with a standard removable canopy and also a much smaller piece that is designed to give you an easy spot to mount a small camera. I haven't tried that, and probably won't. The wings also have aileron markings, so it may be somewhat easy to turn this into a 4 channel plane by using a couple 5 gram servos. As a 3 channel setup it uses throttle/elevator/rudder, and the rudder is set up on what for North America is usually the aileron channel (right stick). Left stick only controls the throttle, and for me this works fine with no learning curve.
Here's where we run into problems. Two of 'em, in fact. First, the power adapter is designed for 220VAC and will not work with the 110VAC power in North America. I could purchase a plug adapter for a few dollars, or I could re-wire the adapter with a plug we use, but I shouldn't have to do that! It's supposed to be RTF and it isn't. I went back and forth with "Amy" at Gearbest a few times, and it sounds like they do not understand/know/care about this issue. If the power adapter had an output of 12VDC it wouldn't be a big deal for me to just use my own power supply to charge the battery, but it's output is 10VDC. While 12VDC going into the little balance charger may work, I certainly don't want to risk a fire by using the wrong voltage. Also note that the 300mAh 2 cell pack uses a regular balance plug, but the main lead plug is not a common plug like the mini JST. This means I can't simply charge the pack on my other chargers. Instead of screwing around trying to make their charger work, I carefully replaced their plug with a mini JST and threw their charger away.
The bottom of the fuselage includes a skid to protect it - a nice feature if you're going to be landing on a hard surface.
Control surface throws were OK, but I moved the pushrods to the inner holes to give me longer throws. Low rates are now probably decent for calmer days while high rates were needed to keep control in the heavier winds I had today.
Here is the "fixed" battery problem. These 300mAh packs just barely fit deep into the nose of the plane. I may be able to get a similar sized battery from HK or other sources with the mini JST ends already installed. Gearbest also sells stock replacements on their website for a decent price.
I also had to tweak the elevator pushrod a bit since there was too much slop. The fix was ultra fast and cheap. All I did was take a small zip tie and cut it to about 3/4" long. The long end was thrown away and I cut the slot open so it could fit over the pushrod. This was then pushed into the side of the fuselage with a tiny drop of glue. Now the pushrod is much more secure in both directions and doesn't deflect. In theory this should give me better control.
Back from the maiden flight next to my 1/4 scale Cub. I'm tempted to get a couple Sky-Kings and mount them under the Cub's wings to be dropped in flight!
As mentioned, I gave it the maiden flight today. Winds were around 10 MPH, too fast for this little plane, but it was sunny and above freezing, and I've put off flying it long enough. In the hands of a novice it would have hit the ground quickly as it is a little tail heavy and the UP elevator control is a little touchy. When winds are more friendly I'll put a penny in the nose with the battery to see if that helps the balance issue. The rudder does a decent job turning the plane, even with the strong winds. On a calm day low rates should work, but I kept them on high just to make sure I was able to turn. When winds are calm I'm going to have my son, my dad, and a friend of mine try it out. My dad is already hooked on RC planes and should have no problem. We'll see how the other two handle it!
Here are my final thoughts on this kit. For the price it's decent. However, Gearbest needs to get their act together and either include a power adapter for the charger or at least note on their website that one is needed. The pushrod fix was cheap and easy, but somebody new to the hobby wouldn't necessarily be able to identify the problem or how to fix it. But to me, the biggest problem is the Gearbest website and what I consider deceptive advertising. Go back to THIS LINK again and notice the pictures they show indicate the plane has lights. It doesn't come with them, and when I brought that up with "Amy" she suggested I buy that version for myself as it would be fun. Well, no, that's not happening, maybe they should just fix their description. Also notice they don't give any easy links to get additional batteries or the power adapter they sell. This is just plain dumb, in my opinion. Make it EASY for people to buy the upgrades and you'll sell more of them! They must have missed that day in Marketing 101.
With my rants and annoyances out of the way, I'll again say that this plane would be good for somebody who has a mentor in the hobby, but NOT for somebody with no safety net. I'd have no problems handing this over to my son to fly, or friends who want to try flying. For the price I wouldn't care if it were to get damaged during the learning process, and the electronics could easily be salvaged for other future projects.
