Firebird Freedom

MooseJam

Bcool in Dundrum are selling this for 200 yoyos, find myself tempted now and again, anyone got an opinion on it ? is it rubbish ?

http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=HBZ7000

coolwings

It's a good toy that flies. So it does what it says, just about.
But can't penetrate a breeze due to lack of power, might go backwards on a breeze day. Flying clubs would not recommend them due to relative scarcity of days calm enough for them. But of course it's less than the cost of stuff that flies well that the model clubs do recommend.

Depends on what you want - do you want a flying toy or a model plane? What are your expectations? This would entertain in flat calm times, July, dead of winter, still mornings.

DennisZ

check these pics
...

~200GBP ~~~ 250euro will give you much better toy to play with

workaccount

I have a hobbyzone supercub and like coolwings says the wind here is a little too strong on 99% of days.

The wind will pull it all around the place which is annoying.

On a calm day it can be alot of fun but it's not very powerful.

It will give you an idea of what rc flying is all about I suppose but I'm currently getting my second and will be spending alot more than I did on the hobbyzone and I still don't know if I really will stick at this hobby.

It's too early to say but I may have wasted my money starting of on the hobbyzone.

DennisZ

workaccount wrote: »

have wasted my money starting of on the hobbyzone.

+1
started with ParkZone FW-190 ... using it's radio with flightsim on a PC now

MooseJam

coolwings wrote: »

Depends on what you want - do you want a flying toy or a model plane? What are your expectations? This would entertain in flat calm times, July, dead of winter, still mornings.

well a flying toy would be good for starters and then I'd see if I want to progress onto something more realistic / expensive. I suppose this wouldn't be great if it can't fly in the wind, sure we never get windless days, it does seem like it would be hard to break though which is a big plus, wouldn't want to spend a lot of money just to nosedive it into the ground.

MooseJam

DennisZ wrote: »

+1
started with ParkZone FW-190 ... using it's radio with flightsim on a PC now

where did you buy that, do you think it was a bad buy ?

DennisZ

MooseJam wrote: »

well a flying toy would be good for starters

common misconception


get ElectriFly Yak 55 - almost impossible to break

DennisZ

MooseJam wrote: »

where did you buy that, do you think it was a bad buy ?

boyztoys

low-wing models were never good choice for beginners ... most of us only realize that after fist flight ... that only lasts for a few seconds

battery is small (capacity) and heavy ...

stay away from 27MHz flying staff !!!

coolwings

The real model shops refuse to sell low wing models to beginners - even when the beginners ask for them specifically.
*

The thing about it is:
Everything I buy for myself (hobby stuff - that costs more) is fixable, replaceable, and every single component can be got as a separate when/if it breaks, wears out.
So I am only buying one part or two at a time to keep flying. That makes my stuff cheaper.

How is that? Because with these chinese toy planes - when one part breaks you find that spares do not exist (yes .. I know they show them in the brochure!) are not available, cost half what the plane costs, or the freight is 20.00 for a 2.50 piece) . that is the way these toy sellers do their business.
Usually a novice wastes significantly more cash buying overpriced spares and upgrades for the crap model trying to get it going better. He should walk away from it the instant he learns reality, but you see, people blinded by hope only wake up gradually.

Then they hope-expect the stuff inside to fit a real mode, but it's all shoddy, oddball size, not strong enough etc, and cannot be re-used.
So it ALL goes in the bin and Mr Novice starts again buying a 2nd (better) radio, 2nd plane, 2nd engine, 2nd battery and so on.

Buying junk twice is the mistake, when buying proper gear once at a higher more realistic cost gets a model that is FAR STRONGER .. FLIES BETTER ...FLIES MORE OFTEN ... AND CRASHES LESS.
That way you use your extra cash to buy your second plane while your 1st plane is still flyable, and you have two good models. And when you 1st plane dies, everything inside is modular and suitable to go inside your 3rd plane, meaning you only need a new airframe at that point, which costs less.

Gravity sucks - it sucks everyones plane down the same and if yours flies worse than the rest then yours comes down the hardest.
Also Irish wind is over double the wind in US, mainland Europe and China where the toy planes are designed and sold.
That's why people come 000s of miles to surf waves here and we have windsurfing and yacht races . Even Irish lough fishing boats are a shape completely different from eg the US boats. And our favourite planes reflect this difference too.

Bruthal

All these things are easy for the experienced pilot to say, even if they are true, beginners will still go for the cheaper item if it looks like it might fly, and probably be put off progressing to decent aircraft, ive seen it plenty of times, I have a couple of t-rex heli`s and people see them flying and then go get cheaper ones that i have trouble flying myself compared to the t-rex`s, and then they give up because its too hard, where in reality it was the cheap heli that made it twice as difficult, but thats how it goes,

www.youtube.com/user/robbie77300