matt13

Every now and then in this forum there will be a thread which asks the question " what is the best sports model? Of course it will then be filled with the classics like KAOS etc. My question is, with all the latest ARF's on the market today, what would you choose? I am on only my second ARF after over 25 years of scratch building and find some of the wood work surprisingly good. So if you were to pick up your C/CARD and walk into a hobby shop (or go online) what would you buy to go sports flying?
Matt[8D]

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

I have a serious yearning for the Ace Cloud Dancer .60 ARF:

http://www.acehobby.com/ace/ACE4559.htm

It's classic, yet sleek, looks are unique. The turqoise Ultracote covering scheme is also unusual. It's a gorgeous plane and just looking at this ARF makes my heart beat faster.

At $193.99 for the ARF alone, or $269.99 bundled with a Thunder Tiger Pro .61 ball bearing engine, it's a solid value as well:

http://www.thundertiger4u.com/cloud-dancer-p-11040.html
http://www.thundertiger4u.com/cloud-...1-p-11039.html

It's beautiful and it's unique and it looks swift and graceful even when it's sitting on the ground. What more could you want?

speed lover

If I was going to buy a sport plane Id buy the rare bear 63" span

Charlie P.

Boy, I like my Kangke SK/50 as a sport plane, but I would not say it is THE BEST. I guess if termites riddled my planes so I was starting from scratch and I needed something right away for all varieties of sport flying and it had to be an ARF I would opt for a Sig Sundancer 50 with an OS FS70S-II four stroke.



You really can't miss with a sport model. Really - what is a "sport" model? Anything that makes you happy to fly it.

desertbuzz

speed lover ... Are you talking about the Thunder Tiger's Rare Bear ?? If so, don't make that mistake! Read the reviews on it!. It's a beauty to look at but it's very badly constructed.
It's a Bi**h to built... longer than a kit... and comes apart & breaks in flight ... Please please read the reviews. [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/product_guide/kitratings.cfm?kit_id=2973]click here for reviews[/link]

As for my favoutite ARF sports... It's unquestionably the CMP Katana ... It flies like a champ... Flies fast ... takes the abuse...easily repaired....

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I just looked over the the reviews that I have done. and if I were going to plop down my money, I would buy either a GP Skybolt, a World Models Ultimate 120R or a Seagull Decathlon.

This is not to say the the other planes I have reviewed weren't good, (Because frankly I'm hoping to score another GP Seawind at next month's Auction) but they are the "Sport" planes that I would most likely spend my money on.

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

I noticed you all are too ashamed of your choices to post an image along with your response. You've all picked nice planes, but none compare to the Art Deco beauty of the Ace Cloud Dancer .60 ARF! You shold all just see the obviousness of the Cloud Dancer .60 and second my choice. Here's another shot of this amazingly beautiful plane:



How can anyone possibly not want one of these?

Temple

I dunno----I want one now! How much do the retracts add? Anybody flying one of these now?

nickj

To each his own. The Cloud Dancer looks just ok to me. The sport ARF I've been looking at is the new Giant GP Super Sportster. Of course I'd have to re-cover it.

Capt. John

Wow....I have to agree with you, this is a beautiful plane I've never seen this model before, and I have an Evolution 61 looking for a home. This just moved up to the top spot. I'll be doing some more research.

I'm now flying a Funana X50 which is also a beautiful plane, and it can be flown as a sport plane or you can grow with it into a 3D plane....pilot's choice. But this Cloud Dancer makes me drool!!

Good choice, BigEd

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

I'm glad Temple and Capt. John see the appeal of this timeless sport plane beauty! There aren't a ton of user reviews for the Cloud Dancer .60 here at RC Universe, but the ones that are posted are universally positive, 4.5 out of 5 ratings from the owners:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/product_gu...cfm?kit_id=911

Because the Cloud Dancer .60 is distributed by Ace Hobby, it is mistakenly referred to as a Thunder Tiger Cloud Dancer .60 sometimes. The folks who commented on this plane as a TT Cloud Dancer were almost equally as kind:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/product_gu...fm?kit_id=2238

The retracts seem to increase maximum speed while the airframe is praised for its solid tracking and its wide aerobatic envelope. I think part of this plane's appeal is that it is less well known than other sport planes. Some folks describe the performance as terrific while using a variety of 2-stroke .60-sized engines while others say that .80 to 1.20 sized 4-strokes are the way to go.

The retracts that are pictured are Thunder Tiger's mechanical retracts for .60-sized aircraft, part #TTR3008. eHobbies has the ARF available for $199.99 and the retracts on sale for $34.99:

http://www.ehobbies.com/ace4559.html

http://www.ehobbies.com/ttr3008.html

There are probably better retract systems that you could buy, but it's nice to know that the 3008s are available so inexpensively.

A rare and beautiful sport plane that flies fast or slow, can be configured a wide variety of ways, and is actually affordable as well. The Ace Cloud Dancer .60 is truly the total package!

Doc Austin

That Cloud Dancer certainly looks nice.


I've got a Pulse XT PNP that I'm flying, and I just love the thing. I've also got a second one in the works that I'll be converting to electric. I'm just saving up for those big, expensive batteries.

Here's some video..................

http://largoflyingclub.com/video/austinpls.wmv

http://largoflyingclub.com/app06/pulse.wmv

Here's a pic from ther hangar 9 site........................



And finally, the Pulse page..........

http://www.hangar-9.com/Products/Def...ProdID=HAN4100

stinger40

I like my Stinger .40. It is available in either a kit or an ARF.

jrbmoto

Pacific Aeromodels makes a couple real nice Edge 540s. I had the .40 size (they also have a .60 size). I was very impressed with the super lightweight construction and great flight performance! They come in a red white and blue color sceme or all white. I chose the all white version and added some teal Monokote for trim. I had an OS .50FX in mine. Unfortunatly, I lost her due to a poorly mounted rx battery that came loose in flight and unpluged itself. I can only blame myself!

Johnny

Sonic500

The best model that I've flown around is the Global Kwik-Fli III ARF (.60 sized) average landing speeds, axial rolls, decent looks (it is a little boxy[&o]) awesome inverted flight (it works just as good either way), stall turns are easy, spins good (recovers slow, however) haven't tried landing with flaps yet (not my plane). And of course its a Tri-cycle under carriage too

sscherin

My Feedback: (1)

I'll throw in another vote for the Cloud Dancer..

I have a old kit built .40 Cloud Dancer.. it's a great looking plane.. I haven't flown it yet but I hear it'll be a blast.
She needs a few repairs before I take it out.

Now if I have $200 burning a hole in my pocket I'd get an Aero-works .60 Edge 540T

RoyR

OK, the topic is ARF and I am going to have to go off topic a bit if it's OK because I want to talk about my favorite Sports Model. Besides, I just learned how to post pictures on here.
My favorite is the Great Planes Supersporster 120. I flew one for a number of years ago before finally disintegrated it. I injoyed it so much I bought another kit just before they stopped making them. It stayed in my shop for years. I retired last year and decided to build it. It had gotten damp from Hurricane Rita, but I was able to salvage most of it. I completed it last month and have two flights on it. It flies good.
It's interesting that the Cloud Dancer, Pulse and Super Sporster all have similar lines. I guess we all have good taste.

One reason I like kits above ARFs is I like to make my own color scheme and designs on them. Yes, that is Picard, Data, and Riker at the helm. Picard and Data were left over from the first Sporster. I was hoping Riker could keep an eye on them so this one wouldnt crash
And I have written my name in BarCode on the bottom of the wing

Mr67Stang

Well this is a tough question because I love to fly all of my planes. But for a relaxing just kick around plane that performs beutifully the WM Super Sports Sr. is well suited. And I will one up you guys with the pictures and post a video of my bird w/ me on the sticks If your wondering about the music in the video... Yes I am in the US military and proud of it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6cb02fkbK4

jrbmoto

sscherin, was there an airplane in that picture?

Johnny

overbored77

My Feedback: (11)

I guess if I had to go out and spend a few bucks on a sport arf, i'd either get the Pulse XT or the Pheonix giles 202.

hezik

If money is an issue and you're not the most experienced pilot in the world, I would have a look at the Kyosho Calmato Sports. It's a mixture between a sports and a trainer plane.

rclement

My Feedback: (1)

WoW! That's a sharp looking plane. Much more than the 4 star planes.

fadi

That's an amazing low wing model
very popular at our field.

bingo field

That Calmato looks just like a Tiger...

willygog

I just got a stinger kit as well and can't wait to put it up and fly it. Beatiful packed kit, everything is wrapped in plastic bags,sealed. then wrapped in paper. So far it looks like an exellent kit!.