It has been very interesting watching these companies evolve over the past few years. China based hobby companies began by offering poor performing, clunky model airplanes at a very low price, but have steadily improved on each generation of warbirds and jets, resulting in great looking models with amazing scale features. I have flown the Airfield 57 inch P-51, and Bf-109 from Nitroplanes. They are very scale, come with all electronics installed, and are under $300. While they look great, they perform “marginally” in the air. The all foam wing without a main spar results in a “flexi” feel in the air. The power systems are more than adequate, but the scale multibladed propellers reduce the speed considerably, and make for wild takeoffs from the added torque, especially the 4 bladed prop on the Mustang. On the plus side, the stock spinner is set up to accept a 2 bladed prop as well. With that being said, the larger jets perform much better, with their shorter, stiffer wings and efficient EDF units. Jerry Leister’s F-22 is a nice flying jet.
The latest F4U Corsair from Banana Hobby has raised the bar again. The larger size results in a stiffer airframe, and they keep refining the foam composition to get increased rigidity and a smooth finish after paint is applied by the factory. The electronic folding wing is amazing, and the retracts are aluminum electronic units, with sequenced gear doors! It also has a sliding canopy, navigation lights and scale bombs and rockets! It looks like the performance in the air will be better as well. Jerry Leister has purchased one for his “Jair Force” and we’ll have it up at the field soon. Banana Hobby also has a 79 inch P-40 coming out soon, and it is incredible!
YouTube link to Corsair Video-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHkKfJlfJgI&feature=channel_video_title Due to the low cost of these kits, instructions are very poor, and some of the hardware may need replacing, but any experienced modeler can overcome these minor obstacles. These companies are certainly becoming a player in the industry and are worth taking a look at.
