Hi would anyone care to comment if these are one in the same.

ebay item number: 6057010384

possible link (try the item number first)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

and this cessna recently reviewed:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=554

if so it could mean quite a saving!

Yes, its the same plane. The plane is made by Art-Tech and is sold in the US by ParkFlyers. If you go to the Foamies forum, you will find a long thread dedicated to this plane.

I bought this plane via e-bay last year, when I was just learning to fly. I realized that it was too much plane for me at the time, so I set it aside. I finally put it together earlier this spring, but have had numerous problems with it. The wing is very fragile and must be reinforced, because it will break on the slightest crash or rough landing. If you read the thread, you will find that almost everyone has reinforced their wing. I found my plane to be very underpowered, able to barely clear the ground on rolling take-offs, and unable to sustain flight, using the stock battery. I replaced the motor and speed control, but no improvement. I found that the upgrade battery for the ParkZone Styker, 8-cell, is a perfect fit into the Cessna and greatly improves its power. I was able to take off with no problem, but then the electronics started to glitch, causing the motor and controls to go on and off. I tried several flights with the same results. I just bought the ParkZone Typhoon transmitter and receiver and plan to install them in the plane this weekend.

The plane looks terrific and most of the people on the thread love the plane. Although several people have complained about the plane being underpowered, as mine is, most of the people have not had this problem and love the way that the plane flies. On the other hand, quite a lot of people have had problems with the electronics. I would advise you to read through the thread; then, if you get a good price, buy the plane, knowing that you will probably need to replace the electronics and make some mods. I haven't given up on this plane and hope to see it in the air this weekend.

Thanks for the info! I'm still learning to fly on a firebird commander at the moment. I'm really looking for something as a next step but with the ability to re use the radio gear in it. It also has to be quite cheap as i'm a student!

The easiest and best step up from the Firebird Commander is the Aerobird Challenger. I know that you want to be able to re-use the radio, but the Challenger is such a great deal that you might want to consider it. The price is down to $109 and you can get it even cheaper on e-bay.

The Challenger is so similar to the Firebird, that you can basically fly it with just the throttle and steering, as if it were a Firebird. Then as you fly you can take your time experimenting with elevation inputs to get familiar with 3-channel flying. If you decide to go with the Challenger, start right away in the Pro-Mode. The Sport Mode just doesn't give you enough control to fly it well.

There are modifications that you can eventually make to the Challenger to keep your interest for months, and years, to come. It would be a great buy for you, particularly as you have a limited budget.

Yes, Challenger would be your best next step