Hello,

I have a Magnum 91 XLS 4 stroke engine, and I need an scale aerobatic plane as my fourth plane.
May be I'm being greedy but I want the plane to be nice scale looking, aerobatic enough for me to
try all moves except 3D and durable.
2 major candidates are VectorFlight Extra or Sukhoi OR Greatplanes Shoestring.
They are both under $200 and scale look. I know they both fly nice but I don't know which one is more
aerobatic or durable.
Please give me a feedback or advice.
Thanks.

Jake.

jrotor

The Extra and Sukhoi are aerobatic designs, the Shoestring is a racer, but I suspect the Shoestring may be a somewhat more aerobatic design than full out racer. "Aerobatic" and "durable" don't usually go together, as the lighter weight construction needed for good aerobatic performance doesn't withstand the harsher treatment that trainers and stick type designs can tolerate. Of the examples you have named, the VectorFlight uses a sheeted foam wing and from the reports I have seen here on RCU, people have good things to say about the wing strenghth and durability. You might do a search on VectorFlight for comments of actual users.

More aerobatic and durable? I have owned both a GP Shoestring and a VF Edge. The VF plane beats the GP plane for both any way you slice it. The Shoestring is an amazing plane to fly, and the assembly is easy. However, it is fragile in the undercarraige area. Once broken, it can be a pain to get back to par. On the other hand, the VF planes are build like tanks, but without the associated weight. The foam core wings are light and strong, and the fuses are built to amazing quality standards. I would also say the hardware for the VF planes far outclasses that of the GP package. That covers durability pretty well, let's move on to the fun part, aerobatics.

The VF planes are obviously based on scale representations of aerobatic planes. The GP Shoestring is a pylon racer. The Extras and Sukhois are designed for the advanced aerobatic maneuvers. The GP will turn on a dime at break-neck speed, but is not built for such maneuvers. I wouldn't hesitate to own either one again in the future, but for the reasons mentioned, the VF planes emerge victrious.

I appreciate your feddback.
However, more feedback are welcome !!

You can not go wrong with VectorFlight. Their planes are a work of art. Their service is the best I have delt with.

VectorFlight is AWESOME

Forgot to mention if you are fairly new, their planes are pretty easy to put together and like me you can watch the build thread and pick up all kinds of hints and tips.