As some of you already know I was asked by Gearbest if I wanted to review one of their products. Their associate suggested three planes to choose from. Since I have only flown a fixed wing once (buddy boxed with Josh at FliteFest 2015), the decision to go for a classic trainer style design was easy (star ;-)).
So I'm going to get a WLtoys F959 Sky King - a clone of the classic EasyStar design just like the Bixler's for example. A perfect trainer for an absolute beginner like me.
I have yet to receive the package, but I thought I'd post some of my first thoughts and information I got from their shop.
Disclaimer: I am getting this product for free to do a review. The URLs contain a marker that allows Gearbest to see how much "reach" my post gets and wether I might get another product for review.
It's available in two versions:
Orange: http://www.gearbest.com/rc-airplane...source=forum&utm_medium=Amy&utm_campaign=balu
Blue: http://www.gearbest.com/rc-airplane...source=forum&utm_medium=Amy&utm_campaign=balu
I do like the colorbalu blue a lot more, but the orange version was available in the European warehouse, so I decided to ask for that instead.
Specs:
Channels: 3 (throttle, elevator, rudder)
Available colors: orange, blue
Transmitter: 2.4 GHz; Mode 2; 4 channels; 200 m range; (dual rates? FlySky?)
Motor: N60, brushed
Material: EPP foam
Flying time: 15 minutes
Charging: 30-40 minutes
Batteries: 7.4V (2S) 300mAh LiPo (included), 6 x 1.5 V AAA (not included)
Dimensions: 750 mm wingspan x 565 mm length x 135 mm height
Weight: 58 g
Prop: folding (size unknown)
The RTF kit includes the fuselage, wings, wing stiffener, transmitter, LiPo, balance charger, power adapter and a Chinese + English user manual
The first thing I noticed is the price: $50 to $55 for a beginner plane, ready to fly? That makes me wonder about the quality of the overall package, but I like to be surprised. I also noticed that the blue model is only available in China, while you can get the orange model in a European warehouse (which I think is in the UK) too which might make it easier and probably faster to get for us Europeans.
The plane is advertised for beginner and intermediate pilots and to be flown in- and outdoors. So I'm expecting it to be able to fly pretty slow.
What I'm not really fond of is the English product description on Gearbest.com. For that you have to remember that Gearbest is not an RC store. They sell a lot of cheap gadgets and gizmos for everyone. That and being based in China might explain why they are not using the "lingo" we are used to as RC hobbyists.
There are a few examples, but I really like the "Function" part of their specs. According to that, the plane has the functions: "Forward, backward, up, down, left, right"... My first thought was: "duh, it better do all that" before it took me a second to realize that going "backward" might get interesting...
Because of that I don't think I'm going to like the English manual either. But who reads those anyway (besides me?).
I'm also a little irritated by the "false advertising" on the product page. It shows the plane with lights under the wings. I know there's a version out there with that feature, but GearBest does not sell it as far as I know. If the 200 m range of the transmitter is "long distance" might be a discussion topic too...
Pros:
Cons:
Todo:
So I'm going to get a WLtoys F959 Sky King - a clone of the classic EasyStar design just like the Bixler's for example. A perfect trainer for an absolute beginner like me.
![WLtoys F959 Sky King.jpg WLtoys F959 Sky King.jpg](https://ftforumx2.s3.amazonaws.com/2016/01/118400_66800d83714c1952d82d50b9a70a8358_thumb.jpg)
I have yet to receive the package, but I thought I'd post some of my first thoughts and information I got from their shop.
Disclaimer: I am getting this product for free to do a review. The URLs contain a marker that allows Gearbest to see how much "reach" my post gets and wether I might get another product for review.
It's available in two versions:
Orange: http://www.gearbest.com/rc-airplane...source=forum&utm_medium=Amy&utm_campaign=balu
Blue: http://www.gearbest.com/rc-airplane...source=forum&utm_medium=Amy&utm_campaign=balu
I do like the color
Specs:
Channels: 3 (throttle, elevator, rudder)
Available colors: orange, blue
Transmitter: 2.4 GHz; Mode 2; 4 channels; 200 m range; (dual rates? FlySky?)
Motor: N60, brushed
Material: EPP foam
Flying time: 15 minutes
Charging: 30-40 minutes
Batteries: 7.4V (2S) 300mAh LiPo (included), 6 x 1.5 V AAA (not included)
Dimensions: 750 mm wingspan x 565 mm length x 135 mm height
Weight: 58 g
Prop: folding (size unknown)
The RTF kit includes the fuselage, wings, wing stiffener, transmitter, LiPo, balance charger, power adapter and a Chinese + English user manual
The first thing I noticed is the price: $50 to $55 for a beginner plane, ready to fly? That makes me wonder about the quality of the overall package, but I like to be surprised. I also noticed that the blue model is only available in China, while you can get the orange model in a European warehouse (which I think is in the UK) too which might make it easier and probably faster to get for us Europeans.
The plane is advertised for beginner and intermediate pilots and to be flown in- and outdoors. So I'm expecting it to be able to fly pretty slow.
What I'm not really fond of is the English product description on Gearbest.com. For that you have to remember that Gearbest is not an RC store. They sell a lot of cheap gadgets and gizmos for everyone. That and being based in China might explain why they are not using the "lingo" we are used to as RC hobbyists.
There are a few examples, but I really like the "Function" part of their specs. According to that, the plane has the functions: "Forward, backward, up, down, left, right"... My first thought was: "duh, it better do all that" before it took me a second to realize that going "backward" might get interesting...
Because of that I don't think I'm going to like the English manual either. But who reads those anyway (besides me?).
I'm also a little irritated by the "false advertising" on the product page. It shows the plane with lights under the wings. I know there's a version out there with that feature, but GearBest does not sell it as far as I know. If the 200 m range of the transmitter is "long distance" might be a discussion topic too...
Pros:
- EasyStar clone
- slow beginner aircraft
- standard brushed N60 motor, used on many micro helis and available as replacement part
- cheap
Cons:
- bad product description
- cheap
Todo:
- The pictures show an FPV nose, so it might be possible to add a micro video transmitter and fly it FPV.
- The transmitter seems to be capable of dual rates.
- WLtoys transmitters are known to speak the "FlySky" protocol. That might allow me to use a FlySky module in my Taranis and control the plane with a "big" transmitter.
- I'd like to add a LiPo alarm if there's enough space in the cockpit.
- Fly...
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