How do these 2 planes compare, I am going to get one or the other, what plane is better quality and has better overall performance? What is better for moving me up to my GP minnow and TP p-51? Thanks fellas.

It would be difficult for any comparisons as the Escapade just came into stock last week. The planes started shipping then. I have one on the way (Hobbico said it's shipping first thing next week) that I will be reviewing for RCU, so if you can wait I'll be more than happy to give you the comparison once I get it in the air. I'm looking forward to this plane as I think it's going to be a good one for fun flying.

Ken

The Escapade is brand new. In fact I think it just started shipping from tower Hobbies some time around Christmas. There's a thread on the plane in the ARF forum but I don't know if anyone has actually put one in the air yet.

The Pulse is a nicer looking in my opinion and has a larger wing area which should mean lighter wing loading if the finished weight isn't too bad.

The Escapade will definitely have higher wing loading if the advertised specs are right. It is a simple straight forward plane though... No cowl, two piece wing. Plus it is only $99 compared to $219 for the Pulse. I really like the idea of this plane for an inexpensive Sunday flyer to just toss in the truck and go fly the wings off of it without worrying too much about it.

Only time will tell on the Escapade of course. Hopefully some people will be flying it soon and giving some real world feedback.

The pulse for sure, I have had this plane for 2 years and it is still fun. It was my second plane and it will progress with you as you learn aerobatics. Go with the pnp version because it is sooooo easy to assemble[8D] GOOD LUCK

Brett,
For some reason Horizon/Hangar 9 has pulled most of their PNP planes. I don't know why this is, but it's very hard to get any of their PNP planes. In fact, the Horizon site doesn't even list the Pulse PNP right now. Also, the 40 sized Pulse is currently out of stock on Horizon's site, although the 60 size is in stock.

Ken

Richmond RC carries a .40-size sport ARF called the Arrow that is fairly similar to the Pulse XT 40 ARF. All of the comments about it from users here at RC Universe have been positive:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/product_gu...fm?kit_id=1286

You can see more about the Arrow at Richmond RC's online store:

http://www.richmondrc.com

It has a full cowling like the Pulse XT .40, whereas the Escapade .40 ARF doesn't come with a cowling. At $109.99, it's significantly more affordable than the Pulse XT .40 ARF, as well.

Your right I called Hangar 9 and they permentatley stopped making the pulse PNP which I would def of gotten but I think too the pulse 40 is a nicer looking plane and I never heard one person say it does not fly fantastic, the only downs I heard is some weak landing gear which can be reinforced but other than that well have to see how the new GPs model is. Did you fellas notice on the pulse 60 the new color scheme, I talked to h9 and that is why it was out of stock for so long, so we can probably expect the same for the pulse 40 coming with a new color scheme. Atleast that is what they said, and also they are coming out with 3 new PNPs in feb of this year. My hobby shop has a pulse 40 which I was suprised so they set it aside for me. Going to go with a OS 61FX or 55AX. Would I notice a big difference between these 2 engines? I mean there only a 40$ difference between the 2, what engine would be better suited for the 40 and more reliable? I know all OS engines are top quality but cant make my mind up, I was going to go with the 46ax for more speed, but I can just prop the larger engine for more speed and know I have more power there if I need it. I do wish the Gps Cherokee was a tail dragger, I actually learned on that plane in real life for my airplane cert and love how it flew. 99$ for the escapade, WOW, I may just get one like mentioned above, just to fly the wings off of it. That is cheap, you can probably throw in a 46ax, all electronics and have a complete plane for under 350$, you cant beat that. All Gps products have great prices, my minnow I got for 200$ and that baby is nice. I like the quality of the Gps products, and the fact they use alot of fiberglass for strength. Also fellas, what is your input on pheonix models and VQ Models? I want to get the VQ P40 Warhawk 60 size in the near future. I went with top flite for my p-51 and would go with Kondor for the p-40 but there prices are just too high for me. They do look good and probably fly great with that cloth sheeting they use over the plane but 400$ just for the ARF would be a 1300$+ airplane. Thank you all.

BigED, that plane is SHARP, I never heard of that plane, I may have to really consider that one. It does look similar to the pulse, gonna check out the site now. Thanks for the link.

I've built and flown a pair of the Phoenix Models SeaBee ARFs and I really think they're an amazing plane, especially considering the price. The airframes and included hardware are very high quality and they're very straightforward to assemble.

I'm certain I will own more Phoenix Models ARFs in the future. I have a video of me flying one of my SeaBee ARFs with a Magnum XL .52 RFS in it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLvbke2moDU

If there is a better $99 pattern ARF on the market, I haven't seen it.

can't say enough about the pulse XT. Great flying plane just floats in for landings and can really rip with the throws turned up. I'd go with the .55 in the nose as it has the same mount pattern as the .46AX. Great combination.

Geoff

Are you talking about the red/yellow/black scheme (checked H9 site and didn't see anything else)? That's the same color scheme they've had since it's release as far as I know. Not sure why they would've told you that.

Hey Jacked, just to throw a wrench in you train of thought. Check this [link=http://media.putfile.com/aw-edge-540]video[/link] out. And just think of all the fun you could be having.

The Pulse is a nice flying plane for low time pilots. The numbers on the Escapade indicate it will be a flying brick.

I wonder if the advertised numbers are correct? A 52.5" span and 483 square inches? That would mean a 9.2" wing chord. I plugged those numbers into the cube loading calculator on flyrc.com using a weight of 5 pounds and it comes out to a value of 13, the same as many warbirds. Definitely not good. Hopefully it is just inaccurate specs. A few guys in the ARF forum have their Escapade. I'll ask there to see what the chord and span actually are.

I will be reviewing this plane for RCU. It's supposed to have shipped today, so hopefully I'll have it this week. I'll definitely look at this matter.

Ken

Cool, I look forward to the review. If it is positive I will likely buy one of these. I need a simple plane to wring out now and then without the constant fear of damaging it.

If your looking for a great plane the pulse 40 is just great, last year I used about (in four month) aprox., 11 gallons of fuel and still in one piece, and I fly this thing at wot all the time other than landing this is my second year flying this plane I just love it. but it's getting a bit rough ( decals falling off etc.) this year I will start with it and going to something a bit faster like the BAe Hawk.

roltech

Thats too bad. So much of a models performance is at low speed. At lower speeds, the rudder becomes a primary control, not just something you use to steer around on the ground.

I'm not sure how you are doing the math, but 5 pounds = 80 ounces. 483 square inches=3.35 square feet. 80/3.35=23.88 oz/sq. ft.

This is the same value that they list in the manual for this plane.

I am also looking forward to Ken's review. This looks like a nice little plane for $100, and I currently have two .46LA's gathering dust.


Edit: It would appear that in my ignorance, I have confused cube loading with wing loading. To be honest, in two years of flying, I have never heard of cube loading. I think you folks are just being nice and don't want to call me stupid

Anyway - I still want to see Ken's review. I am anxious to see which engine he puts in his test plane.