Kits

Insidious this electric flying, isn’t it? Plenty of us glider guiders and power flyers are getting sucked in – whether we want to or not. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of fun to be had from a wider variety of models so why not? I must admit, though, I prefer to think of it…

Continue reading »

Small, lightweight and made from tough model foam, the Ally Cat is not only capable of high speeds but also proves extremely stable at slow fly-bys. The 650mm span EDF jet is supplied unpainted but comes with a decorative decal sheet as well as a ducted fan unit and brushless motor. The suggested battery is…

Continue reading »

So, with introductions and assembly covered in Parts One and Two of this review, it’s now time to think about heading to the flying field. The Sunday morning sunshine that streamed through the curtains hinted at flyable conditions, and flyable it certainly was. I initially opted for a hand launch as our grass strip was…

Continue reading »

Part one of this review was a general introduction to the Oxalys, so let’s now move on to putting it together. The first job was to remove the wrinkles from slackened covering material, something that’s not uncommon with ARTFs and probably caused by temperature change during transit. While most of the wrinkles were easily removed…

Continue reading »

During the jet age, i.e. that post war period where aeroplanes with propellers found themselves relegated to fire practice and gate guardian duties, a new breed of pointy-nosed fire breathing aeroplanes took centre stage. Our Gloster Meteor and DH Venom preceded the swept wing Supermarine Swift and the Hawker Hunter, whilst the Americans and Russians…

Continue reading »

The Tyldesley MFC strip was in winter mode at the time of the test flight, and when sizing the model up in the viewfinder to take ground photographs it occurred to me that I might not have fitted the spats! In fact, I had, but the grass was so long that it hid them both.…

Continue reading »

Designed as a trainer for honing the aerobatic skills of sports pilots to world-class competition level, the two-seat 26′ 9″ span Yak 54 first took to the air during December 1993, its 2120 lb hauled skyward by a lusty 360hp powerplant that would take it to a maximum speed of 170 knots for a range…

Continue reading »

My first trip to the patch was blessed with a bright blue sky and very little wind. Perfect! After double-checking both airframe and radio integrity and with the engine fired up and purring nicely, it was out to the strip to let rip. After a final waggle of all the surfaces and with the camera…

Continue reading »

Now, onto the build. The Mini Leader's step-by-step instructions are of the multilingual, picture-only type (without any text) that leave a lot to be desired for the beginners amongst us, but are perfectly adequate for anyone with a bit of knowledge. You do have to be careful not to miss anything along the way, though,…

Continue reading »

The opportunity to review the Mini Leader was a timely one, as I was actively looking for something with its attributes. The model is a new release from the French company New Power Modélisme, represented in the UK by Helger Distribution. Designed by that French bloke Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (whose brother Christophe is a bit…

Continue reading »