Currently I have a trainer and an extra 300 in my hanger. I am still learning to fly and I think that the extra is way out of my league and will be for quite awhile. I was thinking about buying another plane that would be more of a begginer/itermediate level. I came across modeltechs J-3 cub and from what I see I like it. I would have to sell the extra to make the purchase of the cub. I just want to get a feel from everyone what they think of the cub before I do anything.

I guess I'm not really interested in doing alot of over the top acrobatics, I want more of a lazy day enjoy the sport kind of plane. Would the cub be stable enough to train with as well, or is it more intermediate??

Here is a link to the cub I'm talking about:

[link=http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/123664.asp]J-3 Cub[/link]

That's a pretty small cub, what size is your trainer?

And no, Cubs are not usually recommended for training on. It can be done of course, but generally, you should look for a flat bottom wing. Cubs LOOK like the wing is flat on the bottom, but they are actually semi-symmetrical. Combine that with the bolted on wing, and the weak cabin (Due to the clear plastic windows), and you have a recipe for disaster.

Stick with learning on your trainer, but you could be thinking about a Cub for a second plane.

Thanks for the info

I had 2 crashed one and am in the process of finishing the other.

I would not recommend that cub to a beginner it is small flys fast and CAN have the small airplane "twitcheeness" during full throtle flight. also its ground handling would be a hand full for a complete newbie

Ok, it looks like I'm sticking with the trainer for practice. But I'm still hooked on the cub for later

If your hooked on the cub here's an idea. Get a Sig lt-25 or a Goldberg Eaglet 50 or freedom 20 trainer a .25 sized glow engine and a 4-6ch radio.

Fly the hell out of the trianer then switch the gear to the J-3 that way you can learn with a decent trainer and move to the J-3 for only the cost of the model (mine was 99.00 a couple of years ago)

The Modeltech J3 Cub (48" wingspan) is what I am currently learning to fly with. It is my 1st gas plane and so far I have had 7 succesful flights including a "dead stick" maiden! I did spend alot of time practicing with "Realflight" beforehand which helped alot. It is fairly squirrley on the ground but lands real nicely. Mine has a Magnum .28 2stroke with a 9x6 Master Airscrew and that combo gives you more power than you will ever need! I am sure their are easier to fly kits out their but this one is doable IMHO (plus its really cheap).

Once again I find myself at odds with some opinions. Since you say you are not looking to do aerobatics, the Cub could be a good second plane. Certainly a better choice than an Extra. About the size, I've flown .25 size planes for years. I don't consider them to be "small" or twitchy. Last time I was at the field I was flying my OS .32 powered World Models Aircombat Zero with a Rossi .53 powered Great Planes F-15. While the F-15 was definitely faster, my little plane actually kept up pretty well.

You didn't say what size your trainer is. I'm guessing that since you are looking at a .25 size cub, your trainer might be a similar size. Personally, this is the size plane I prefer. They are small enough to fit in a car, don't use too much fuel, and are still plenty stable and capable in the air. Ignore the "bigger is better" crowd who try to convince everyone that .25s are twitchy.

Anyway, about the cub. I don't have a cub right now. One of the planes I fly is a Modeltech Extra 300. It's my favorite plane right now. If the cub is of similar quality as the Extra, I'd say go for it. In fact, when I went to look at the link you provided, I'm wondering if I should add this Cub to my fleet.

Assuming your trainer is a trike, you will find the ground handling of a tail dragger to be a bit more challenging. The toughest part is to get it to go straight, and keeping it from nosing over, when taking off and landing. I say ignore any nay sayers who try to steer you away from a tail dragger. Hopefully the tail wheel on the Cub is steerable. My trainer, a Sig Scamp, was a taildragger powered with an Enya .15. I consider my reflexes to be pretty average. If I could learn on a taildragger, I think most people can learn to handle one after becoming comfortable on their trainer.

You didn't mention whether you already have an engine that would work in the Cub. If you don't, you will find many people suggesting a 4 stroke. I agree with this recommendation. There's something magical about a 4 stroke powered cub circling the field, doing touch and go's, etc. If you've only got a 2 stroke, that's ok, just be sure to choose a larger diameter, lower pitch prop, and of a size so the engine doesn't wind up too high. This will keep the speed down, but give plenty of pull.

Good luck

these things are like a rocket with an os 25 w/ 9x6 prop.
Mine does 90 mph and can snaproll like 2-3 rolls
Anyway its a pain to fly, you will need larger front gear if you plan to fly on grass field or it will tip over every time.

This is too funny doesn't have that particular Cub and states he's never flown a cub yet advises someone to "go for it" Ain't RCU a roit.

I hane never seen one of the Modeltech Cubs in person so I can't comment on it. However, I am flying a Great Planes .20 size Cub on an old (early '80s) Fox .19 and love it. The plane is a bit larger at 61" wingspan, but it weighs less than 4lbs. It's a real floater, and will fly around at just over idle. I had this plane hanging around for 5~6 years and never flew it. I just recently got the nerve to put it in the air, and have been wondering why I didn't do it sooner! I have only flown little feather weight electric planes in the last couple of years and thought I may be rusty having not flow anything glow powered in over 5 years, but it all came back right away. When I get tired of putting around the sky, I open her up and have a ball. It'll do loops, rools, inverted, spins, stall turns, cuban 8s, all the stuf I had learned to do. I'm happy with it.

Modeltech Cub is a handful to get off the ground,mine had problem with the tires falling off the wheels while trying to taxi around, flew fast and smooth once i got it off the ground, almost had a heart attack getting it there. Flew around for 5-6 minutes and thought i should bring it in,started to go around and the old magnum 25 flamed out and I had no control, it went straight in from 100 feet, landed in tall grass surrounded by 3 big oaks,munched the front end up,broke firewall and former under the windshield, after taking it back to the table I discoverd radio didn't work,tried new battery ,still nothing, took case off of RX and discovered a spider nest(not kidding) in RX, I think thats why I had no control, So much for maiden flight, The front is almost fixed,just need some covering patches, was flying with cowl off for first flight so that was saved from any damage, will be replacing wheels and tires and RX should be ready to fly again soon. I also Have the Magic w a O.S. 46sf w/tuned pipe, lifts off in 2 feet and goes straight up, current favorite is Magic Extra w a 46fx. Hope all is well.

I have seen the Modeltech Cub and don't like it as much as the WM Cub of similar size. The WM was my absolute favorite plane and I had a bunch of them from scale Cessna's to Snappy Caps. And, as Piper Chuck, so correctly mentioned, I would recommend a 4 stroke engine like the O.S. 30 Surpass I had in mine. Sad to know that soon after I sold my plane to a fellow flyer he dumped it in the ocean. He claims to have "tuned it perfectly" then complained it didn't have the power to fly back due to strong winds. I have flown that in all kinds of weather and never had a problem. If I were to do it again, I would buy the WM Cub .26 over and over again! This is mine... the only change was to the wheels, they are Robart scale wheels with yellow trim and scale wheel for the rear as well. BEAUTY! You can buy it from Airborne.

Nothing beats a low pass from a cub purring on a fourstroke. My next cub will be the WM 40 size with a Saito 60 twin.

Alkaline, you're weird... I don't know anyone that flies a Cub at 90mph :-) Next you'll be telling us about your 3D Cub Profile Gasser. hehehe.

Answering one of the original questions: the Cub is a good trainer ONLY IF you have a good instructor. I don't think you should fly the Cub off the buddy box until you are decently good at flying. The combination of short coupling fuse and usually just enough power makes for a less compromising plane. Not to say that it isn't easy to fly... the Cub WAS my easy flyer... it and the WM Ultimate 30 were the only planes that I could fit in my car without taking them apart. I'd throw the Cub in and go. I absolutely loved every second flying it. But, it loses altitude fast if you're not careful in a turn, it has a relatively narrow stance so you can easily scratch a wing tip or two, it ground loops... but hey, seeing that plane take off and climb then bank for a coordinated turn or seeing that plane come around and execute a low pass is not only beautiful to the sight but warming to the spirit.

I wouldn't recommend a 2 stroke engine on the Cub... that's like putting a high strung racing motorcycle engine in a Harley... the Cub is perfect with the 4 stroke. Also, the 30 flies it scale, a 40 would be more forgiving in case you need to get out of a jam. So for a beginner I'd recommend a good 40 fourstroke like an O.S. or a Saito.

Piper Chuck - WM is better... the struts of the WM just look so much nicer than the bent aluminum on the Modeltech... that alone would sell me on it :-)

I have the modeltech J-3 25 and havent flown it yet though it is almost ready. I decided to get creative and am in the process of building functional shock landing gear out of the bent aluminum gear included with the plane, have only finished one shock and hope that it will give me some smooth easy landings. Anyway i love the plane but really know nothing about how it does in the air, hopefully i will find out this weekend. The pics I'm adding will give anyone interested some reference on how to build functional shocks for their cubs.

Funny, I can't see where he said he's never flown a Cub other than in your quote that does not match his post?

I was going to say the same thing, and I did go back an re-read Chucks post, which by the way has so far not been edited.
I would say a cub as a second plane is perfectly fine. Some people use them as a primary trainer, something I don't recommend, but as a second plane once you master your trainer.