The
Hobbico
Select Scale Super Cub is a great rendition of one of general aviations
most recognizable airplanes in a RTF brushless powered package.
Recently,
Mike
Buzzeo (MinnFlyer) reviewed the Rx-R
version and gave it high marks
so when the opportunity came up to
review the RTF version I did not spend anytime signing up for the task.
The RTF version of the Super Cub comes bundled with a Tactic
TTX404 2.4GHz 4 Channel transmitter and a TR624 2.4GHz receiver. The
airframe is advertised as ready to fly (though there is some minimal
assembly involved) and comes complete all the required servos, motor
and
esc pre-installed. To top things off, a 1300mAh 3S LiPo
battery
and AC/DC LiPo charger is also included.
Made
from light, tough AeroCell - the advanced foam durable
enough to stand up to everyday use and abuse.
The
landing gear features a working suspension that absorbs
shocks for smoother landings.
Molded
wing ribs have the appearance of fabric stretched
across them, just like the full-size Cub.
Detailed
dash panel adds even more realism.
Steerable
tail wheel improves ground handling.
Items needed to complete
None
The
Super Cub
arrived in a double boxed package with each component individually
wrapped and taped. I did have some minor shipping damage where
the
horizontal stab was a little bowed and the canopy glass seemed to have
been knocked in by a box moving inside the shipping box. Overall, the
contents were in good shape. Inside the box, you will find the
fuselage, the wing and stabilizers, the landing gear set, wing struts,
the Tactic transmitter (and batteries) along with the required Lipo
battery and charger.
The
RTF version
comes with e 6 channel Tactic receiver already wired up and loosely
located in the airframe. This will be attached to the fuselage in the
assembly process. The battery hatch is at the bottom front of the
airframe and makes a nice seal when engaged. The ailerons are
controlled using a single pre-installed servo. I especially like
the way that the ailerons are mounted to the wing where there
is little to no gap and no visible bevels. The Wing includes
detailed ribs to give the effect of cloth being stretched over the
ribs.
The horizontal and vertical stabilizer look like they simply bolt in to
the fuselage.
The
Super Cub also has a detailed dash that is visible through the side
windows. Removing the 4 screws that hold the cowl in place, the motor
and ESC become
visible. Note the weights that have already been added by the factory.
The backplate on the motor shaft is a tight fit through the cowl
opening but it does pass through with a little bit of force. If you pay
close attention to the horizontal and vertical stabs, there seems to
be
some locations where support or flying wires could be added. There was
no mention of adding anything like this in the manual but I thought
this was interesting.
One
of the most
noticeable features of the Super Cub is the replica landing gear with
working suspension. Included in the RTF version is the TTX404 2.4GHz
transmitter which comes complete with the required 4x"AA" batteries.
Additionally, a 1300mAh 3S LiPo battery is provided along with a LiPo
charger. Everything you need to fly is included in the box and
assembling this Super Cub should not take more than the time it takes
to charge the battery so lets get to it.
The
manual that
is included with the Super Cub provides detailed instructions for
assembly and setup of the airframe. I can imagine that a beginner would
find the information contained in the manual invaluable where a more
experienced modeler could use it as a reference. The assembly of the
Super Cub is actually quite straight forward that most modelers may not
even have to refer to the manual.
The
assembly
starts by installing the landing gear on to the fuselage. There is two
small screws that have to be backed out to allow the landing gear to be
inserted in the grooves on the bottom of the fuselage. Once the landing
gear is inserted, these screws can be loosely put back in place as they
have to be removed in later steps to install the wing supports. Once
both pieces have been installed, they are connected by inserting the
suspension string in a plastic retainer and tightening a screw.
The
bottom of
the suspension springs are then attached to the fuselage using two
screws and the landing gear is complete. The completed landing gear
looks very sharp. Once the landing gear was on the airframe, I had to
test it out by applying some pressure from the top to see how the
suspension worked and I can say it is simple but effective and should
provide enough spring to absorb any force from those rough landings.
The
assembly
continues by installing the vertical and horizontal stabilizer. The
manual recommends that you flex the elevator a couple of times before
making the connection to the push rod and inserting it in the frame.
The
fuselage has guide tubes already installed. Installation is a
simple matter of inserting the push rod though the guide tubes and
latching the stabilizer on to the fuselage.
The
vertical
stab is
installed in a similar fashion as the horizontal stab. The supplied
push rods are first
installed in the rudder clevis then inserted through the guide tubes.
The tail wheel horn is inserted in the groove on the rudder and the
complete assembly simply clicks in place over the stabilizer. Once the
rudder is positioned properly, it is held in place by inserting a screw
in the bottom of the rudder where it locks the tail wheel and thus the
rudder in place.
Once
both stabs
have been installed, I powered up the radio system to center the servos
and made the connections using the already attached ez-connectors. I
used a drop of locktite on each screw to make sure I would not have to
re-visit this step in the field. The receiver already had a 6" servo
extender connected to the aileron port ready to accept the servo lead
that needs to be connected from the wing. The wing is installed by
hooking two latches in the back and sliding it in place.
Once
the servo
is connected and the wing installed, a single screw is used to lock it
in place.
The hole that
is used to install the wing screw is the covered using a mock antenna
by simply sliding it in place. With the wing in place, the wing
supports can be installed. The wing supports attach to the fuselage in
the same location as the landing gear.
The
supports are
then screwed in the wing using four screws on each side. You will have
to flex the wing a little to align the screws during the installation
of the second strut. With everything in place, all that is left is to
attach the propeller and foam spinner and the Super Cub is ready to go.
I
am normally not a big fan of the bundled transmitter and receiver
packages that come with RTF airframes but Tactic 2.4GHz is a
different story. One of the biggest features that the Super
Cub has going for it is that it has ailerons which is often
rare for a model in this category. Additionally, the fact that
it is a 2.4GHz system should eliminate the all too often problem
that we see with beginners coming out to the field with their
new airplanes and inadvertently turning on their radio
causing problems with flyers who are still using FM.
As far as features go, the TTX404 is a simple but effective
radio. It does not provide dual rates or exponential but it
does provide a nifty wireless trainer feature along with the
capability to do elevon and V-tail mixing. To enabling and disabling
of these features are not very intuitive though as there are
no separate switches to control them. They are activated by
powering on the transmitter with the sticks in their bottom
outside corner positions. The Transmitter does provide some
feedback as to which mode its in by audible beeps when powered
on which is handy. The transmitter also provides hard switches
to reverse all channels along with digital trims for the elevator,
aileron and rudder channels.
As far as the setup goes with the Super Cub, I did not have
to do anything in terms of centering servos or reversing channels
as the system seemed to be already binded and setup from the
factory. The receiver does have a separate bind switch which
is a great feature as you dont have to deal with bind plugs
which are too often easily lost. Even without dual rates or
exponential control, this transmitter and receiver combination
would allow for the successful control of most entry level airframes
that do not require these features. I also look forward to trying
out the wireless trainer feature to introduce some of my 'reluctant'
buddies to the hobby as soon as I get my hands on another TTX404.
For additional information on the TTX404, also refer to the
recent review
posted by Mike Buzzeo.
Features:
Digital trims and servo reversing
on all channels (except throttle)
Compact, lightweight TR624
receiver
Power LED and low voltage
alarm
Adjustable stick lengths
Specs:
Channels: 4
Frequencies: 2.403-2.480 GHz
Modulation: FHSS
Input Power: 4xAA
Output Power: < 0.1W
Power-On Indicator: Red LED
with low battery indication
Audible tones: low-voltage
alarm, digital trims, receiver mode
The
maiden flight of the Super Cub happened to land on a nice
but gusty day in Houston. I was initially about to decide
that it was too windy to fly the little electric until I decided
to just go for it and I am glad I did. I set the Super Cub
down on the runway and made sure all the surfaces were moving
as expected and spun up the motor and applied about 3/4 throttle.
The tail lifted off almost immediately and the Super Cub was
airborne within a couple of feet. I was surprised at how quickly
the Cub took to the air.
Once airborne, I did not have to adjust any trims on any of
the surfaces as the Super Cub flew straight and true right
right out of the hole. I took the Super Cub a couple of mistakes
high and began experimenting with its flight characteristics.
As expected, the Super Cub exhibited very scale like and relaxed
flight characteristics. I noticed that turns can be made by
simply banking and yanking but look a lot prettier if coordinated
with a little rudder. Even with the wind and gusty weather
conditions, the Super Cub did quite well thought the gusts
would want to throw the airframe around quite a bit.
I performed a couple of touch and gos to get familiar with
the glide characteristics of the Super Cub and can report
that it is a very forgiving airframe what is easy to land
but likes to come in with a little bit of power on the final
leg. Once I was about 20-30 feet from the touchdown point,
I could cut the throttle and glide in the rest of the way
and apply a little throttle to flare at the last moment for
nice 3-point landings. If you do mess up your landing by coming
down too hard, the suspension on the gear does a good job
of absorbing some of the force away but come down too hard
and the cub will definitely bounce and possibly scrape a wing.
Speaking of scraping wings, I did happen to scrape a wing
and cartwheel due to a cross wind landing and wish that the
designers had put some hard formed plastic on the wingtips
as the contact with the asphalt did rip out some foam from
the wingtips which was almost impossible to glue back together.
The following weekend we took the Cub out to the field again
but this time the weather was perfectly calm. This gave me
the opportunity to compare the flight characteristics of the
Cub in both conditions and I would recommend flying the Cub
in calmer conditions to enjoy its relaxed flight characteristics
and scale looks.
As far as aerobatics go, the Super Cub is not a very capable
airframe but neither is the full scale Super Cub so this is
not a real concern for me. I was able to perform loops, rolls
and inverted flight quite easily though. Inverted flight required
a good amount of down elevator to be applied. The roll rate
of the Super Cub is quite slow and if you apply some down
elevator while inverted, the rolls seem to look a little better
rather than just going full stick left or right and waiting
for the cub to respond. The Super Cub is also capable of stall
turns and if you are lucky a short tail slide. But again,
aerobatics is not what the Super Cub is not meant for.
For me the most enjoyable aspect of flying the Super Cub was
to watch it perform low and slow flybys where everyone at
the field could admire the great scale looks the FlyZone
Select Scale Super Cub has to offer.
Overall
I think the FlyZone Select Scale Super Cub RTF is a package
with a lot to offer. The fact that it comes bundled with
a good transmitter and receiver is an added bonus alongside
its great looks and flight characteristics. The provided
battery gave me around 8-10 minutes of comfortable flight
time. I think this RTF would make a great second airplane.
With the right instructor, and using the wireless trainer
feature that the TTX404 allows for, it could even be your
first airframe but just be careful as it does not have self
righting characteristics that a full on trainer would have.
I
really enjoyed doing this review of the Super Cub and the
time I had with it at the flying field. It is truly a nice
flying airframe that begs to be flown low and slow so that
onlookers can admire the nice scale looks that it has to
offer. But lay on the throttle and the Super Cub can deliver
a taste of its wild side as well. I plan to keep this airframe
and get another TTX404 to use as a wireless trainer so that
I can entice my 'non-RC' friends to get hands on experience
with the great looks and flight characteristics that the
Super Cub has to offer.
Distributed
by: Great Planes
Model Distributors.
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826-9021 www.greatplanes.com
The comments, observations and conclusions made in this review are solely with respect to the particular item the editor reviewed and may not apply generally to similar products by the manufacturer. We cannot be responsible for any manufacturer defects in workmanship or other deficiencies in products like the one featured in the review.
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