Whats a good(cheap) way to get into 3D foamies. I have a 4 channel, and a good bit of flying experience. Being a teenager, i have a limited budget. I dont really want to build one out of fan fold foam. The plane doesn't have to be very high performance, but i would like something that i could hover with. It doesn't have to be brushless either. I do not have a li-po charger now but i could get one. Right now i have a few 7 cell 730 mah nimh packs. I have heard that foamies fly decently on a geared 280 or 370 and a 7 cell pack.

But, is something like a Flatout and a lipo battery the best way to go? I noticed the recomended battery for the flatouts was a 350? mah lipo which i know would give very limited flight times. thanks for your help, i just want to get into the 3d world right, but inexpensively. Sorry for typos, tired.

I can hover anything on FMS 8 with no problem, and i have 2 other sport planes.

What 4ch radio do you have and how much are you willing to spend?

Futaba Skysport 4, i do not want to spend over the low 200$ range. Mowing lawns in the hot florida summer sun is not fun.

Well the Parkzone Typhoon is $219 and comes with everything you need. It is not available until late July.

Thanks for the recomendation. Looks like a nice plane. I would rather keep my own radio gear though and buy an ARF. I probably cant go wrong with a shockflyer right?

OK.....here it comes......

a brushed setup will work.... BUT... you won't be happy...... at least not for 3D... park flyer around a ball field? Sure...but 3D? Naw... like I said it will work...but not well......

Well, just found a $30 brushless on hobby lobby and the greatplanes brushless esc would probably work great for it. Thats a $60 brushless system, WOW. I understand i will have less flight time and less performance due to weight with a Nimh battery. Is it totally not going to work if i use a Nimh? With the brushless system and 7cell 730 nimh, what kinds of flight times will i get? thanks

Hobby Lobby's little $19.00 foamy with the $29.00 Esky Outrunner is a great deal. It flies great. You will still need three micro servoes (around $29.00) and a speed control, around $50.00, and probably a micor reciever and battery if you don't have them already, but it's otherwise a nice little combo.

Regards,
Lee Snover

How do you think that Hobby Lobby setup will run on Nimh batteries?

personally, I wouldn't waste my time.... your battery will weigh about as much as the rest of the plane.....

a good lipo of the size needed can be bought for well under $50


Oh..and the Hobby Lobby plane is very nice.. I like mine, but I am using a Hacker A20 motor

How bout a GP Yak 55? Looks like a nice plane. Remember i'm looking for a first 3D plane and not a competition winner. I could get the plane/servos/lipo/charger for about $200 from tower or local guy. I do have another, very important question. Will i be able to fly it without dual rates? I dont have really "dumb thumbs". I have a very light touch when flying and i only input what's needed. I just have so many questions and so little time, wanna get this baby before summer's gone.

Nevermind about the GP yak. It+battery is $90. The hobby lobby yak with brushless motor+battery is $90. If i bought the GP 8 amp ESC, it's the same price as a 20A brushed esc for the GP yak and it would eat more power. The Hobby lobby yak would be lighter, higher performance, for same price or cheaper.

slopilot,
go check out troybuiltmodels.com

Gene has a pretty good plane for under $40 that will work with a regular speed 400 brushed motor.

You can at least fly that around until you make the move to brushless.

IMO though, you really should just start out with a brushless motor since the cheaper brushed motor speed controls will not work with brushless motors, and you'd have to buy a brushless speed control.

Gene's site also has a lot of good info, check it out.

slopilot..

Here is a list of equipment that I would recommend for someone on a budget.

One BP-21 brushless motor from www.balsapr.com = $26 bucks or so
One 16-18amp brushless ESC from www.balsapr.com = $39
Thunderpower 2cell 7.4V 730mah lipo. (Ive found these as low as $27)
Some Lipo charger....I recommend the Triton, but its pricey.
One Bluebird 4ch micro reciever from www.balsapr.com ($19.99)
Three Bluebird BMS-306BB servos from www.balsapr.com($16.99 each)

This set-up will work great on shockflyers, it should fly the flatouts around fairly well too, although you might need a 3cell for them. The BP-21 brushless motor puts out about 11oz of thrust on a 2cell, and a whopping 21oz of thrust on a 3cell.

Thats the cheapest brushless/lipo combo Ive found.

I own three of the BP-21 motors, and use them all the time. They arent as pretty as a Axi or rimfire, but they run great and are REALLY cheap.

Ill be honest with you, I wouldnt waste my time with brushed motors and NiCd's or NiMH. Its just too heavy, and doesnt perform well. Save your money and get a good brushless set-up. You'll be glad you did.

Ahh geez man....just cut your foamies out of fan fold and concentrate your money on the electronics. I know you said you didn't want to cut one out but it's not that hard. Plus, the dollars you save will allow you to get good quality flight gear that will last from plane to plane. The airframes on foamies don't last that long anyway. For 200 bucks you can get close to everything you need for a nice brushless setup. It may take a little more but not much. I wouldn't spend my dollars on mass produced foamy airframes that you're probably gonna dork anyway. A good site that is chock full of info about foamies and motor battery combos as well as having downloadable plans is 3Dfoamy.com Their planes are getting a little too complex for my taste but the info is there.

I've decided on the Esky brushless motor, because i cant really beat $30 for a brushless. I think it is supposed to draw 10 amps max, could i use the GreatPlanes 8 amp esc with it?

I still have one big question too. Will i be able to use a regular 4 channel without dual rates? I dont ever overcontrol or anything, but i just dont know. thanks again

I would go with the highest capacity ESC I could afford. That way if you do eventually have the funds to buy a hotter motor you won't be replacing your ESC as well. My foamy setup is as follows... Himaxx 2015-4100, GWS D ratio gear box, Castle Creations Phoenix 25 amp speed control, Kokam 1500mah 11.1volt pack, Hitec electron receiver and 4 HS 55 servos. That may be a little pricey for your needs but I shopped around and was right in the 250.00 range when all was said and done. Of course that's not counting a charger. I've got a Triton but there are cheaper ones out there. You're already cutting some dollars off what I spent because of the price of the motor you chose and you won't need but 3 servos. I'm assuming you are going to run a single aileron servo with a 4 channel radio of course.
BTW there are some great deals out there on motor/esc combos if you look. I like to deal with www.allerc.com myself but there are plenty of others.

Ok, great advice, i'll take it into consideration.

Yes your radio will work...it would be easier with low rates and expo, but it can work.... foamies are VERY twitchy

Thanks for the help guys, I'm ordering it today.