REVIEW: Guan Li Catalina RTF

UPDATE: I had my first flight! Flight Review is below the Build Review in this post.



Plane Model: Catalina RTF
Manufacturer: Guan Li
Supplier: RaidenTech.com
Price: $99 (free shipping with coupon code "CJFREESHIPPING")

Specifications:

• Wingspan: 1380mm (54.3")
• Length: 880mm (34.6")
• Flying Weight: 780g (27.5 oz)
• Drive System: Twin 370 carbon brush motor with gearbox
• Speed Controller: 25A speed controller
• Servo: 4x10g
• Battery: 8.4 V 1000mah Ni-MH
• Control system: 4 CH Multifunctional Radio Transmitter and Micro Receiver
• Radio Control Range: > 1000 feet (300m)

BUILD REVIEW

This is a review of the build-only portion of my experience with the Guan Li Catalina RTF boat plane that I purchased from RaidenTech last week for $99 shipped (used a coupon for free shipping on any order over $50). It arrived this afternoon, and after around 4 hours of work, I managed to get it (mostly) assembled and tape reinforced.

After UPS dropped off the package and I brought it inside and opened it, I was first struck by the fact that the box it came in was about the same size as the one in which my Wild Hawk arrived, only twice as deep.



Upon opening the box, the reason for the deeper profile became immediately evident--the fuselage was much, much fatter than any of the other planes I'd yet purchased. Also, there were a ton of loose pieces, almost all of which would have to find their place on the plane before I could call it a night.



Another thing that was pretty clear after looking at the contents was that, despite being labeled an RTF, this plane was hardly going to be "Ready To Fly" any time soon. With both the need for gluing and letting the slow-drying glue set at several stages of assembly AND the need to fill in the gaps that the documentation didn't cover, this was going to take a while.

Here's a few pictures of some of the notable pieces that came with it; namely, the radio, the wings, the aileron servos, the engines, the props, and the 7-cell 1000mah NiMH battery pack.



With all the pieces in hand, I started the assembly process. To be honest, this plane felt more like a kit than an RTF, or even ARF. It was actually sort of like when you go to Home Depot or Lowes and purchase one of those wooden swingset/play fort "packages", and what you get is actually a load of lumber, some hardware, and printed instructions. Except in this case, the instructions that came with the play fort were often either missing steps or outright wrong.

For example, one step says that I am to insert the aileron servos into the wings and then fasten them with two screws. Ok--except there's neither any way to access the screw holes in the servo when it's in the molded slot in the wing, nor would there be anything to screw into even if I could insert the screws. Obviously, these were intended to be glued in, which is what I ended up doing. And then it doesn't even mention anything about gluing the aileron servo covers over the servos--never even mentions them in the instructions, except to list them among the parts that should have been included in the box.

Those are just a couple of examples, but I could easily bore the reader with quite a few more should I be so inclined. And given the late hour during which I'm writing this review, I am most certainly not of that inclination.

Probably the most egregious shortcoming was that there was absolutely nothing in the instructions and, yea, even in the design of the plane which accounted for the motor and servo wires needing to be pulled out of the foam engine compartment, along the bottom of the wing, and then into the fuselage. I actually ended up having to carve out some wiring channels into which I laid the motor and servo wires before covering them with packing tape to hold them in place. This is a ridiculously poor oversight, as there was absolutely no way for the plane to go together without the assembler performing some kind of manual modification to the wing, as the wires would not allow the wing halves to fit snugly onto the wing mount with the wires running into the fuselage.



Another aggravation was the fact that the rudder came simply as a piece of foam (the rudder itself) and 4 tab hinges. There were no slots in either the rudder or the vertical stabilizer into which I was supposed to insert/glue the tab hinges, nor anything in the instructions detailing the process. So I just had to best-guess place and glue them after carving my own tab slots using a razor blade.

After much turmoil and beneath-breath cursing, I managed to get everything together with the exception of the wing joint cover (which I'm holding off on installing since it requires you to glue it in place, at which point the wings won't be removable) and the wing pontoons (since I'm going to try flying it over a grass soccer field first and thus have to belly land it, which I imagine could be pretty rough on the flimsy pontoons).

It's a big rascal--54" wingspan, 34" length--although it's really the bulk of the fuselage which makes this plane look so much bigger than my Wild Hawk, which has roughly the same dimensions. Should I be able to get it airborne and keep it there for any amount of time, I'm confident it will look pretty impressive flying around.

Here's some pics of the finished product:



Note the very cheap design on the push rods going into the elevator and rudder control horns. The instructions actually had me put the V and 7 bends in the push rods (for adjustment!) because the manufacturer was apprently too penurious to include a couple more screw-adjust snap connects.

You may also be able to tell in the pictures that the dihedral of the main wing seems to be off. I need to toy around some more with the wire struts to make sure they're not keeping the wings pulled down like that, but I think it's more to do with the poor manner in which the wing halves connect to the wing mount on the fuselage. I'm definitely going to need to make some changes there prior to flight, for stability's sake.

Note that I reinforced a LOT of the fuselage with packing tape (particularly the bottom), along with the usual treatment of the main wings (Leading edge, lengthwise reinforcing strips in the top and bottom surface area).

SUMMARY:

Well, seeing as this is only the review of the build process, I don't want to get too involved in passing judgement. After all the grief of getting the thing assembled, it could well turn out to be a great, fun flying plane. However, speaking strictly on the build process, quality of the parts, and comprehendability of the instructions, I'd have to rank this one as a pass for beginners (among whom I count myself). It's a whole lot of work for what, I suspect, will be a niche plane in my fleet. A nice little niche plane, mind you, that will certainly turn heads on the lake this Summer (provided it remains air worthy until then). But I very much doubt it's going to see nearly as much flight time as my Wild Hawk or J-3 Piper Cub.


THE GOOD:

• Unique plane design--big bird that will definitely get some looks when I take it to the soccer field (assuming there is anyone there before I crater the thing into a million pieces).
• Really cool engine cowling
• Only RTF boat plane I've seen
• Good price for a 4-channel RTF ($99 shipped), especially given the very large size for a scale plane
• Modular setup; very easy to upgrade Rx and ESC. Fairly easy to upgrade motors, provided you can find some that are the right size with mounting screw holes correctly placed in the front.
• Once the wires were in place and connected, all the electrics worked perfect the first time.
• Nice, strong, responsive servos that give good, full action on all control surfaces. (Maybe even too much--a heavy thumb could well crash this thing pretty quick with over-control.)
• Big props on gear reduced motors put out a LOT of thrust at full throttle. (Hope I have the engines lined up right, or that might actually hurt me on my first flight.)
• The radio, despite being 27mhz AM junk, has a nice feel to it and seems to control pretty precise. I do like the molded finger slots on the back--gives it a nice, secure feel while holding it.

THE BAD:

• 27Mhz AM Tx and Rx -- junk pile fodder (or, possibly, replacement hardware for my Yellow Bee )
• Crowded canopy; poor access to battery compartment; difficult to keep control and power wires out of the way of the rudder and elevator servo arms.
• Quality control on the parts was very bad; had to machine down one of the motor mount slots with a Dremel just to get the wood support to slide in. Several places where the foam fuselage halves weren't fully glued together and were loose.
• Very fragile stock--maybe even after tape reinforcement. Very thin foam walls in the fuselage. Also, it uses push rods for wing struts--very weak; carbon fiber, balsa, or even some stiff tubing around the rods would have been acceptable. Finally, the horizontal stabilizer wing is very, VERY fragile, even after taping almost the whole surface area. In particular, the outer edges are barely connected, and I expect they'll be snapped off at some point.
• The glue that came with it is very messy and weak/rubbery; recommend using another glue, such as two-stage epoxy or something simple like Gorilla Glue.

THE UGLY:

• No on/off switch on the plane? And to connect the battery, both hands have to be between the two propellers that barely clear the fuselage canopy? Pray for no radio interference. To remedy this, I'll be installing my own on/off switch in the very near future.
• No landing gear + thin foam wall could mean EOL (end of line) the first time I try and belly land this thing. Fortunately, the packing tape seems to have increased the durability of the fuselage substantially.
• Battery got hot as fire (too hot to keep held in my hand comfortably) when I charged it using the 1000mah wall wart that came with it. I'm definitely not going to leave this one charging when I'm not at home or while I'm asleep.
• The wings are not easily removable once the wing joint cover is glued into place. Given that this is a big plane, that's a serious problem for transport. For that reason, I'm holding off on gluing on this piece.
• The velcro mechanism for holding the cockpit canopy in place is HORRIBLE. Very hard to get the canopy all the way on, and once it's all the way on, it's near impossible to get the darned thing off again without bruising/denting the foam.

.
FLIGHT REVIEW
(posted 2/12/08)

Having gotten the plane to a point at which I was comfortable with its durability, I began waiting for a good day to fly it. I didn't want to risk the Cat's maiden (which would also be my first time with aileron flight) to too much wind, so I decided to be patient and not force it. Monday evening the weather was finally perfect--about 45 degrees, clear skies, and no wind. So I packed up the plane and, accompanied by my wife and little girl, headed to the soccer fields.

When we arrived, I got the plane out and went through the pre-flight, trimmed the controls, and got ready for the hand launch. I was at first a bit leary of launching the plane myself, hoping to have my brother around to do the honors for me. But the weather forecast looked bad for the next several days, and I was getting impatient to see how the Cat was going to fly.

Due to its bulk, it was awkward to launch in one hand while holding the radio in the other. But I managed to find a good hold around the fuselage just behind the main wing, throttled up, and gave it a solid running toss. It took off level and strong, and then started to slowly climb as I entered it into a soft turn.

It didn't climb as quickly as I would have liked, but it flew very steady and was very, very stable. The aileron controls were extremely responsive, as was the elevator. But the rudder was a bit on the weak side, and not nearly as responsive as my J-3 Piper Cub. I tried several dips and dives and moderate turns, and it handled them all very well, based on my limited experience. I even attempted a barrel roll and loop, although the Cat couldn't quite pull them off (at least not with me at the controls).

After about 7 minutes of flight at full throttle, the engine started cutting out intermittently, so I figured it would be best not to take any chances, and that I should go ahead and bring it in--mainly because I didn't have much faith in the ability of the plane to glide sans engine power. I lowered to half throttle, brought it around towards where I was standing, and gently touched down (actually slightly bounced the first touch). As an aside, this being my first flight with ailerons, I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is to land when you can control the plane's roll.

Here's a video with some highlights from the maiden flight (apologies for the poor quality of the video):

Catalina RTF RC plane - Maiden Flight

SUMMARY:

Overall, I was very pleased with the way the plane flew. It's not going to get any oohs and ahhs due to its aerobatics, but you can still do some reasonably interesting maneuvers (figure 8s, stall turns, etc.). Of course, no one should buy this plane with the intention of doing hardcore aerobatics using the stock motors. But then, anyone buying a Catalina that expects to do 3-D flying with it absent significant upgrades probably deserves to be disappointed.


THE GOOD:

• Very responsive aileron and elevator controls
• Flies extremely stable
• Looks great in flight--very attractive profile (got lots of kids watching while I was flying it)
• Very easy to land

THE BAD:

• The twin 370 engines seem a bit underpowered
• Slow to gain altitude
• Doesn't seem to want to glide particularly well absent throttle
• Stock battery might have a short flight time, although that may have been due to my keeping the throttle near full most of the flight

THE UGLY:

• My pitiful attempt at a barrel roll

And, just because I can, here's a picture of my little 2yo girl who cheered her Daddy on while he was putting together the "BIG PLANE! BIG PLANE!".

[Murocflyer]

Great review!

And from reading this, I wouldn't buy one. But great review none-the-less.

We do have a seaplane forum here on WF. I'd hate to see all this work get buried here in the General Discussion thread.

Maybe the Mods can move it for you?

Frank

[FlyingMonkey]

Wow, excellent report. Putting me right between wanting one, and not...

It looks far from watertight, I would certainly seal those electronics.

[gzsfrk]

Originally Posted by FlyingMonkey

Wow, excellent report. Putting me right between wanting one, and not...

It looks far from watertight, I would certainly seal those electronics.

Yeah, that and before I put it in the water, I'm going to have to come up with a better way to seal the canopy. I imagine it would be alright if you were sure that you weren't going to crash it in the water, but that's certainly far from a given at this point.

[gzsfrk]

Originally Posted by Murocflyer

Great review!

And from reading this, I wouldn't buy one. But great review none-the-less.

We do have a seaplane forum here on WF. I'd hate to see all this work get buried here in the General Discussion thread.

Maybe the Mods can move it for you?

Frank

Yes, I considered putting it there. But I figured the sea plane forum probably doesn't get much traffic, whereas it would likely get more activity and views here in General.

[aviatordave]

This is one of the better reviews I have seen here. Although the plane does have the 'cool look' to it. To bad they skimped on quality. I'll be looking forward to your flight review. Are you flying this off water, wet grass, snow?

[gzsfrk]

Originally Posted by aviatordave

This is one of the better reviews I have seen here. Although the plane does have the 'cool look' to it. To bad they skimped on quality. I'll be looking forward to your flight review. Are you flying this off water, wet grass, snow?

Soccer field sod is my planned first attempt. I maidened both the Wild Hawk and J-3 Piper there, and the damp turf seemed to absorb the planes pretty good on the occasional less-than-stellar landing.

I do hope to make it to water eventually. However, as FM pointed out, it will require some waterproofing before then.

[FlyingMonkey]

and FM has the solution....


HOT GLUE!!!!

It is already plastic wrapped, seal the ends with hot glue, then put some hot glue on top of that, just to be sure!

[FlyingMonkey]

hmmm, for sealing the canopy....

You wouldn't want anything permenant, it doesn't have to be water tight, just water resistant, if you hit the water hard enough to go under, you're breaking the foam anyways.

What about some of that tacky glue, like they use to put the ads in magazines these days?

I bet they sell something like it at Staples, or Office Depot.

[dk_aero]

Excellent review... I have a weak spot for PBY's.. I was thinking about this one, but didn't want another RTF (another junk radio). Too bad the execution on this one seems so bad (54" wingspan and not detachable??? <grrrr> ) Maybe if they sold an ARF version for under $50 I'd be sold... I guess I blew it by not picking up the Hobby Lobby Cat while it was available... <sigh>

[FlyingMonkey]

This is why he will never be a writer for a magazine, and why I read forums instead.

Great review, honest and informative, I like the idea of the plane, but the bad might outweigh the good in this case.

[gzsfrk]

Originally Posted by dk_aero

Excellent review... I have a weak spot for PBY's.. I was thinking about this one, but didn't want another RTF (another junk radio). Too bad the execution on this one seems so bad (54" wingspan and not detachable??? <grrrr> ) Maybe if they sold an ARF version for under $50 I'd be sold... I guess I blew it by not picking up the Hobby Lobby Cat while it was available... <sigh>

According to the instructions that came with this plane, there is actually an ARF model available from the manufacturer. However, I wasn't able to find any reseller that offers it.

[gzsfrk]

Originally Posted by dk_aero

(54" wingspan and not detachable??? <grrrr> )

I actually took the steps to address this today. I reinforced the flimsy plastic wing joint cover piece (that you're supposed to glue over the joint, covering the wing screws thus making them inaccessible for removing the wing) with a piece of thick, rigid plastic from a tupperware dish. I used 2-stage epoxy to bond it to the wing joint cover, and then drilled screw holes into it through which I could insert and remove the wing screws as needed. As an added bonus, this made the wing joint MUCH stronger.

I also re-situated the antenna wire (which had been simply run out through the canopy and wrapped around the elevator push rod at the back) to run out the back of the wing mount and then taped it to the top of the vertical stabilizer. This obviously looks much nicer. I just hope it doesn't negatively affect reception.

Additionally, after noticing that it seemed to be a bit weak while doing wing load tests, I added some extra packing tape reinforcement to the wing mount portion of the fuselage. I think this is the part of the plane that I'm most afraid is going to end up breaking, as all the wing load pressure and fuselage torque is going to be routed through this tiny little area of the plane which is only reinforced with hollow foam a bit of balsa framing. I doubt I'll be attempting any loop-de-loops or high-G snap turns in this thing any time soon, if ever.

Lastly, the nose of the plane seemed so flimsy that I decided to give it a covering in cloth backed, waterproof duct tape. I did it clean, though, so I don't think it makes the plane look THAT much worse. And it seems to have strengthened it quite a bit. A nose-first collision is still probably going to crush the front a bit, but at least this makes it a bit more resilient and should also protect against scratches and stabs into the foam.

I've got some pics attached below that show my modifications:



I should've mentioned in the Build review that one other outstanding thing about this plane is how light it is for its size. In fact, even though I haven't done any tests with a scale yet, I dare say it weighs less with its battery installed than my Wild Hawk does with the video camera and battery on board. Hopefully, the extra tape and plastic I added today won't turn out to make it handle any less effectively. I tested the CG, and it still seemed to be balanced the same as before. (Although I really need to pick up a CG scale--my finger tests are a bit less than precise. )

[gzsfrk]

One more interesting thing about this plane. While I was looking for Catalina ARF models, I found this Great Planes Electrifly model which appears to be almost EXACTLY the same as the Guan Li plane I bought, with the exception of the engine cowling assembly and the cockpit canopy. Oh, and the fact that the Electrifly is fiberglass.



I'd say it's not terribly unlikely that Guan Li built their Catalina using a direct mold of the Electrifly model. Of course, ripping off designs is hardly a new practice--SDM obviously created my beloved Wild Hawk as a very close knock-off of the Easy Star.

Still, I have to admit that the silver finish on the Electrifly makes it a MUCH better looking model.

[dk_aero]

The GP Cat is really nice, BUT... at $140 for just the plane (Tower Hobbies) is a bit steep for me (combo w/ motors and escs - $300).

I currently have a HZ SuperCub, GWS Beaver, GWS PT17 and GWS big Tigermoth... (Spektrum DX6) so you see where I'm coming from...

gzsfrk - Can't wait to hear how she flies! (the final determining factor to decide if it's worth the work to make a RTF a RTF... <grin> )
I truly hope all goes well!

[gzsfrk]

Originally Posted by FlyingMonkey

hmmm, for sealing the canopy....

You wouldn't want anything permenant, it doesn't have to be water tight, just water resistant, if you hit the water hard enough to go under, you're breaking the foam anyways.

What about some of that tacky glue, like they use to put the ads in magazines these days?

I bet they sell something like it at Staples, or Office Depot.

I might have to look into that. But actually, what I was thinking of for the canopy was just some gravity sealing. That is to say, right now, the canopy has no "step up" where it meets the fuselage. So if water splashed against it, it would just pour through the crack. I'm thinking I might use some foam or balsa to create my own step up and at least prevent against splash leakage. It might be even better if I combined the step-up with the sticky gel you mentioned.

Alternately, I guess I could just glue a 1/2" strip of light, stiff rubber or plastic along the bottom inside edge of where the canopy mounts to the fuse. That might be the easiest fix. And I guess I could add something similiar along the top front and back edges of the canopy. But I'll worry about that once it starts getting warm enough to get out on the lake with the in-laws 26' pontoon.

[herk_1]

Guanli is well-known for making unauthorized copies of GWS kits (link). Then they throw in some ultra-cheap electronics and sell it as a RTF, taking advantage of the fact that GWS doesn't offer most of their planes as RTFs. First time I've seen them copy a Great Planes model.

[gzsfrk]

Well, I finally got out and managed to fly the Catalina Monday evening before the sun set--absolutely perfect weather with zero wind. Of course, it was a pretty timid flight since I wanted to make sure that everything was solid before trying too much with it. But I did get in an attempted barrel roll and loop (note the qualifier "attempted") before winding down the battery. I ended up getting in a 7 minute flight at mostly full throttle before the engine started sputtering and I decided to bring it in. It might have just been the cheap radio cutting out, but I decided not to take any chances, since the Catalina doesn't seem to be a great plane for gliding.

Anyway, I had my wife out there using our digital camera to record the maiden. It's terrible quality video, and it was an odd size so it left black bars when I went to convert it to something Studio Plus could understand, but here's the video of some highlights from the first flight.

[gvideo]6307976883556757799[/gvideo]

Again, please forgive the terrible quality of the video. Our camera doesn't let you zoom in when recording a video either, so often times the plane is just a speck. I'll try to get a better camera next time we bring it out for a flight so you can get a better idea of how this plane looks in the air (which is fantastic, by the way).

Some quick notes about the flight:

• This was my first ever aileron flight! And I can't believe how much easier it is to control the plane when flying. I think I picked up pretty quick on how to combine ailerons, rudder, and elevator when turning. Also, landing is SO much easier when you can control roll.
• The Cat is VERY stable in flight. I guess that's to be expected, given that it's got what amounts to the highest of high wing designs.
• It's a slow, lumbering plane, and it takes a while to gain altitude. I had to circle quite a few times to get it up to 500' or so.
• You can see in the video around the 2:00 mark that I had gotten my confidence up with some altitude and decided to attempt a barrel roll. That didn't work out so great, although I had plenty of time to recover. With this planes design, I know that BRs should be tough, but possible I would think. Rather than just giving it straight aileron, I'm guessing that I would have to start applying up elevator at some point to get it "over the top"?
• Also, around the 2:40 mark, I tried doing a loop. I couldn't quite get it to come over, but it was close. I'd imagine with some practice (and a longer dive to build speed) I could get it there. But again, with this plane, there's not much point to stunt flying. Rig it with a couple high end brushless and some LiPos, and who knows? Jasmine might be able to do some pretty cool 3d flying with this thing.
• One quick thing about the thrust the twin 370s put out--you can sit it on the ground and rev up the throttle, and the thing will actually start going forward, ground friction and all. Is there such a thing as a SoG (Scooting on Ground) take-off? Because I think this plane could do it on some short, soft grass.

That's all for now. I'll be posting the full Flight Review in the pretty near future--if not later this evening, then probably sometime Wednesday.

I'm also going to be posting my list of recommended modifications for strengthening the plane prior to first flight.

If anyone has any specific questions about the Cat, please feel free to ask and I'll be happy to answer as best my n00b self knows how.

[FlyingMonkey]

Now, you need to find a nice long shallow puddle...

So you can SoW (scoot off water )

I think that body, with a couple towerpro brushless motors, a real radio,

I think I would want one...

Do they sell replacement parts, like the fuse and wing?

[gzsfrk]

Originally Posted by FlyingMonkey

Do they sell replacement parts, like the fuse and wing?

Raidentech doesn't have any replacement parts listed for it yet. But I notice that for their best sellers (Yellow Bee, Wild Hawk, Piper Cub) they tend to end up offering replacements. If the Cat sells good, I'd say it could well see a selection of replacement parts on the site.

And I don't yet know of any other re-sellers who are offering the plane, although they may well be out there.

[cyclops2]

I really enjoyed your listing of short comings. I assumed you have built enough models to know a " not so great one ".

Many thanks. I will calmly wait for more GWS planes to appear.

I love it when a bussiness ?? person, just decides to start making model planes. They could care less if it never flies or crashes.

Make it look pretty and a plane made of dog do do, will sell like Hamburgers.

This plane is not for a, "I only fly them."

Rich

[gzsfrk]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

I really enjoyed your listing of short comings. I assumed you have built enough models to know a " not so great one ".

Well, to be perfectly honest, this is only my 4th plane, and all of them so far have been RTFs (although as I noted in this review, this plane was much closer to a kit than my previous planes). I have a radio (Optic 6) due to arrive on Thursday, after which I hope to try my hand at some more serious ARFs, or maybe even a medium-difficulty kit.

Originally Posted by Cyclops

Many thanks. I will calmly wait for more GWS planes to appear.

Glad to be of help in making a decision.

Originally Posted by Cyclops

I love it when a bussiness ?? person, just decides to start making model planes. They could care less if it never flies or crashes.

Make it look pretty and a plane made of dog do do, will sell like Hamburgers.

This plane is not for a, "I only fly them."

Well, as far as quality control and instructions go, this plane certainly left a lot to be desired. But I have to hand it to whichever designer came up with the plans for the model (which, I guess, would probably at least partially mean credit due to someone at Great Planes)--it flies great and is remarkably stable. Could do with some slightly more powerful engines, but seeing as I got 7 minutes of flight time with both 370s at full throttle on a 1000mah 7-cell NiMH, I can't fault them too much. I'd be surprised if I couldn't get 12-14 minutes out of it while being a bit lighter on the throttle, and maybe even more than that with one of my 1200mah batts.

So just to be clear, this plane leaves a LOT to be desired with regard to quality and the design weaknesses I've noted. But once I got it assembled and took measures to strengthen the structurally weak points, it really seems to be a great flying plane. And especially at the price point, even if you just bought if for the body, engines, ESC, servos, and battery and stripped out the junk radio (which I plan on doing Thursday), it still seems like a steal to me if you were just buying it as an ARF w/electrics at $99.

Again, it's not going to be competing at the GeeBee. But if I'm able to get it taking off from water, then I still think that, despite its flaws, it's a tremendous value.

[FlyingMonkey]

I think that I will just be forced to cut my own from foam

[GreenAce92]

Wow great flight! Nice review too! Very cool!

[cyclops2]

My first DIY foamy was a lot to attack as a first plane. I bought the plans from the AMA site. Blew them up. Bought BIG-- billets of blue foam, Cut out frames of the plans and started shaping a 2' X 1' X 6' piece into the Clipper below. If you start a plane you REALLY WANT, You will finish it.

Rich