mikeDPP

Hey everyone:

I wanted to move up from slow flyers to a Zagi or one of the many Zagi-like planes. In a couple of hours on the internet, I have found references to the following electric foam wing flyers: Zagi 400X, FMA Razor (discontinued), Wedgie, Taipan, Combat Wings XE2, Wing Warrior eSlayer, Windrider Electric Bee, Pro Jeti, Vector 400, etc...

Which one is the best? I was surprised that I didn't see any information or comparisons of most of these planes. Is it because the Zagi is really better than the rest or they have done a better job capturing the market? Does anyone have any input on this issue? Has anyone actually compared these aircraft against each other?

Please help,

Mike

ElectriFan-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Unless someone is absolutely crazy about flying wings and wants to have them all, it's quite unlikely that one can comment on all with authority.

Let me throw in another excellent flying wing - Unicorn. It's not released yet (s/b soon), has been developed by a local flyer and flies very well. I have the Zagi but when I saw the Unicorn fly, I just had to have it and probably even sell the Zagi. I got a 'beta' kit and have to cover it now. I am sure there are other wings out there that have not been mentioned in your list.

With regard to the intent of your post, there is no 'best' model IMO. Each one has its own characteristics and once this has been defined for a model, one makes a decision on whether one wants it. If one has enough cash flow or really really wants it, it will eventually join the fleet. At least that's been my experience.

mpj220

No longer support RCU

latch66

Boy, have you asked a Question!

I'll only comment on what I own.

All are good and have their strengths and weekness:

Projeti: Decent speed on standard "can" motor. The most "fragile" of the bunch. GREAT speed on a brushless setup. You must purchase seperately the ESC, Receiver, servos, and etc. Can be difficult to hand launch.

FMA Razor 400: Easy to build. Tough to destroy. Not enough speed for my taste. Not the cleanest of airfoils. Back when it was available, it could be purchased with just about eveything you needed (battery, servos, receiver, esc). In this form, it came with an OK battery, decent servos, a GREAT Receiver!, and a good ESC. This one is the easiest to hand launch.

Wedgie: Decent speed on a standard "can" motor. Flies best when kept as light as possible. Again, You must purchase seperately the ESC, Receiver, servos, and etc. Not as tough IMO as the Zagi and FMA Razor, but not too shabby either. Can be difficult to hand launch.

Zagi: OK on standard "can" motor. Not enough speed for my taste. Tough to Destroy. Able to carry a battery of reasonable size to garantee a decent flight. Does good on Brushless setup. Comes with an OK ESC, and a good battery. You must purchase the rest seperately. Learning the hand launch method for the Zagi can seem difficult at first, but it really isn't that hard to master, and is the best way to hand launch this thing.

IMHO if this is your first flying wing, you will do the best with the Zagi.

I hope this helps. Good Luck.

mikeDPP

Thanks for the constructive information guys. I obviously do realize that no one will actually own all of these planes. I am looking for what ever information you may have regarding comparisons of these various aircraft. My list was just some examples of planes that I found, please let me know about other wing-type aifcraft.

Thanks,

Mike

latch66

Probably the best all around flying wing website is:

www.yourzagi.com

Matt has done a great job with this site, and it includes information on several different types of flying wings.

Texan

My Feedback: (10)

I have a Zagi 400x with speed 400 and one with the Astro 20 brushless. They both fly very well but the brushless is hard to beat for power! I have not tried any other foam wings but the Zagi sure is a blast to fly. I made some of the mods found on the previously mentioned website ... they all worked out very well.

TX

stregaracer007

You should make your choice based on what your looking for i.e. price, building ease, flying ease, high speed, aerobatics, etc.

I've got two of the planes you mentioned: Projeti and Zagi 400x.

I have more power setup in the Projeti (10cells w/long black can) vs Zagi (stock 400X setup: 8 cell and Sp400) and will make my comments based on the above.

Flight times for the above setups are about the same 8-10mins.

They are two completely different airplanes both building and flying.

The Projeti went together in about 1/2 the time compared to Zagi. I hate the Zagi's packing tape for covering. It doesn't look as good and is a pain to put on.

I think both are easy to launch.

I think the Zagi400X is slightly harder to launch because its heavier, and I use a different launch style, so I have to throw it harder. The way I launch is: power off, grip the plane from the trailing edge directly underneath the motor using two fingers above the wing (one on either side of the fuse), two below and my pinkie is not touching the plane. I take two steps and throw it like a baseball, then power up and fly away.

The Projeti has two nice finger holes to grip and I launch it with power on. The only thing you need to be aware of is presetting the elevators with a little up as in the instructions. There's a little wedge on the top wing to show you the proper amount of up. I have a JR10X and I use the flap switch for controling this setting. Some guys just use the elevator trim.

The Projeti is easily faster and more aerobatic. The rolls are axial whereas the Zagi rolls aren't as clean. I think this has a lot two do with the power to weight ratio.

Up to this point, it sounds like all Projeti, but the biggest advantage for the Zagi is durability. You can pound it into the ground and it takes a huge beating. I've seen brushless Zagi plow into the ground full speed and they are up again flying the next day. The Projeti on the otherhand will explode like confetti. (That hasn't happen to mine, but I have seen it and its not a pretty site).

So bottom line, if your an accomplished pilot you'll love the Projeti. If not you should go with the Zagi or something else that's more survivable.

Strega

Texan

My Feedback: (10)

A typical Zagi pre-launch "pose"

2thelmt

How about something different than what eveyone else has?
I have been following this new plane "Bird of Pray"-although I don't own one, it sounds like it out performs the zagi in many areas. I will be ordering one soon hopefully. Check it out.

Ian

mikeDPP

Ian:

Actually, I live in the same town as Justin who make the Bird of Prey. I see him flying it almost every week. It seems to have its limitations just like anything else. I am not sold on it yet. Iam considering it though.

Mike

Birdofprey

Mike,
you are welcome to fly my planes any time.
see you soon.
Justin

mikeDPP

Justin:

I will call you tonight.

Mike

seanreit

My Feedback: (60)

see www.reitmeyer.com/planes/wedgie you'll love what I put together.

mikeDPP

Very nice indeed.

Mike

ActionCommander

:sunsmiley
The all EPP Unicorn electric powered flying wing is currently on sale...

$50.00 Core kit (includes all hardware, 2 tape rolls, detail film)
$135.00 Full Fit (everything except the radio system)

Best thing is FREE shipping for a limited time. This brings the effective price of the core kit to about $40.00 if comparing it to other mail order sites.

Product ships within 2 days.

http://www.unicornwings.net

seanreit

My Feedback: (60)

We flew the wedgie on the Brushless. We don't have access to a gun yet, however, we were out flying with Turbines and everybody stopped and watched this thing. It was awesome. Fastest flying wing we've ever seen.

Big_3Dan

Has anyone tried using a glow engine on a zagi? Say like 25 norvel or the like?

seanreit

My Feedback: (60)

We got a gun on it, it's running about 105 to 110. We have added weight becuase of the carbon fiber. Not sure that really matters, however it might be a drag issue. We've got some turbine jet meets coming up, so it's not a high priority like it was. In a few weeks we'll probably clip the wings and see what happens. We've done glow Zagis, they never perform like you would hope they would. We're getting RPM's nearing 20,000 on our brushless setup on a 5.2x5.2 prop. Best we could do with norvels was 17k on a 6 3 or 6 4 can't remember for sure. Throw in the weigt for fuel etc and it just wasn't the same. We're funded very well for the "average" RC guy. We even tried a .10 OS. It's just not the same. Stick with electrics if you can afford the front end cost. By the way, on our test runs with stock 400 motor, we found the wedgie to be a far better performing wing than the ZAGI. Although woudn't consider it an entry level wing for anyone. We used stock CG on all runs and worked out well for us.