Product Spotlight - 2012/05

16 Model Aviation May 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
option, but a costly one.
Hobbico listened to this feedback
and designed the Tactic AnyLink 2.4
GHz Adapter. This little black box
with an antenna sticking out provides
a simple way to enjoy all transmitterready
(Tx-R) airplanes, as well as
those equipped with a 2.4 GHz Tactic
SLT receiver, and it works with most
Futaba, JR/Spektrum, or Hitec radios.
We connected the AnyLink to
a Futaba 8FG transmitter. It only
requires the included Futaba Square
Adapter Cable to be plugged into the
trainer port and the module to be
fastened to the back of the transmitter
with the included locking adhesive strips.
A compatibility chart providing details
on supporting transmitters is available
online along with any additional cables
that might be required for it to work. The
included manual describes the process to
link the transmitter to the aircraft, which
can differ, depending on the brand you
are using.
AnyLink has a 1,000-foot range and is
targeted for use with micro and park flyer
models. To date, 12 different aircraft are
Tx-R and we have had the opportunity to
test it with three of them without issue.
Best of all, Hobbico is providing an
AnyLink free until April 30, 2012, with
the purchase of any Tx-R aircraft from
participating dealers.
Hobbico : Box 9021, Champaign IL 61826;
Tel .: (800) 637-7660; website : www .tx-read y.com
AnyLink 2.4 GHz
Radio Ada pter
The 2.4 GHz radios have brought
us the ability to fly our models
without fear of frequency issues,
which is a wonderful thing because
aircraft that can be flown nearly
anywhere are available.
But just like charge leads and
balancing plugs, there are several
options when it comes to radios, and
they don’t all work together. Using 72
MHz provided modelers the ability to
mix and match receivers; the switch
to 2.4 GHz caused a higher level of
brand loyalty than we had in the past.
Many RTF models also include
basic 2.4 GHz transmitters, and
modelers could find themselves with
a large collection to support their
aircraft. Buying a new RTF aircraft
and removing the radio system is an
product
Reviews
Spotlight
New products that are Worth a Closer Look
www.ModelAviation.com May 2012 Model Aviation 17
implemented, but a sensor is not
included.
With its small size, the Celectra
charger will not take up much space
wherever you chose to use it to charge
batteries. We have ours on the desk and
appreciate the ability to charge batteries
without the need of an additional power
supply.
The backlit, blue LCD screen helps to
utilize the charger in differing lighting
conditions while still being able to
monitor the connected batteries charge
Challenge, is about “the life and times
of a pioneer in the world of radio
control helicopters, plus how to
build a championship-winning scale
helicopter.”
It is written by Michael Coveney, a
friend of Len’s, who has been his caller
at various competitions including the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana.
Len is an interesting guy, or “bloke”
as they might call him in England
where he resides. He has a wealth
of knowledge about building and
flying RC helicopters and has been a
successful competitor since the 1970s.
He has won 21 National Championship
titles in different
countries including
England,
Ireland,
Scotland,
New
Zealand,
and the US.
The book
is 144 pages and
The Len Mount
Story
Although several books are released
each year about how to become a better
RC pilot, rarely a book is released about
one.
Len Mount’s book, A Bit of a
amps, voltage, mAh, and elapsed charge
time.
We found the charger to be intuitive
and little time with the manual is
required to become comfortable
programming it. When you do, you’ll
have a charger you can take anywhere
to support your small- and mediumcapacity
batteries.
E-flite: 4105 Fieldstone Rd.,
Champaign IL 61822; Tel .: (800) 338-4639;
website : www.e-fliterc.com
includes many color photos. It details
many events from Len’s life including
how he got started in building
helicopters and his flying experiences in
TV shows and movies (including three
James Bond films!).
It also covers “sinister going-on’s in
Eastern Europe, competing around the
world in F3C and Scale, and tagging
whales in the Arctic!”
The second part of the book covers
the process of researching and then
building a model helicopter, the Red
Bull BO105, with a wealth of photos
and tips.
Also included with the book is a CD
that contains more than 500 photos
detailing all aspects of Len’s modeling
career.
If you enjoy RC helicopters or
are interested in learning tips and
tricks from an iconic builder, A Bit
of a Challenge should prove to be an
entertaining read.
Len Mount: website : www.lenmo unt
scalehelicopters .co .uk
Reviews
Reviews
Celectra 80W AC/
DC Multi -Chemistry
Batt ery Charger
The Celectra charger provides the
flexibility of AC/DC power with simple
programming using its four keys.
The Mode key is used to cycle through
main menu screens or return to the
main menu screens from the submenu.
The Enter key allows the user to make
selections, save value changes, and start
the battery-charging process. The Inc.
and Dec. buttons allow changes between
submenu screens and increasing or
decreasing values.
Included with the charger are two
balance adapter boards for JST XH and
JST Thunder Power, banana plugs with
EC2, EC3, EC5, JST, and Futaba battery
adapters as well as AC and DC power
cables.
The charger has a charge rate of 80
watts and a discharge rate of 10 watts. It
supports Li-Ion, LiPo, and LiFe batteries
up to six cells, 1- to 15-cell Ni-Cd, and Ni-
MH and Pb batteries from 2 to 24 volts.
The charger has a port for a
temperature sensor on the left side.
It’s nice to see that safety feature
18 Model Aviation May 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
product
Spotlight
New products from the Modeler’s Mall
DogFighter @ $249.99 + S&H
from Multiplex USA, 12115
Paine St., Poway CA 92064; Tel.:
(858) 748-8440; website: www.
multiplexusa.com.
Multiplex USA introduces a receiverready
version of the ever-popular
DogFighter, inspired by the classic
warbirds of World War II. Constructed
from durable Elapor foam, the model
is designed with the intermediate and
sport flier in mind.
With a 35-inch wingspan and 32-
inch length, the DogFighter features
low minimum airspeed, with crisp
handling and accurate response for
precision aerobatics. The wing detaches
for easy transport.
The DogFighter comes preinstalled
with a high-performance motor, highquality
servos, and speed controls. Two
decal sheets—one for “racer,” the other
for “fighter”—are included.
Scorpion HKIII-4020 and
HKIII-4025 series motors @
$189.99-$219.99 + S&H from
Innov8tive Designs, 1495
Poinsettia Ave., Suite 144, Vista
CA 92081; Tel.: (760) 468-8838;
website: www.innov8tivedesigns.
com.
Innov8tive Designs announces the
HKIII-4020 and HKIII-4025 motors,
predecessors of the larger HKIII-4035
motors. The new motors replace the
earlier HK-4020 and HK-4025 models.
The motors feature new, patented
rotors that are thicker for more
stability at higher speeds, helping to
retain more of the magnetic field. The
rotor’s outer surface features a spiral
rib pattern, increasing the surface area
and helping to move air around the
motor to increase cooling and lower
operating temperatures.
Made from quality aluminum alloy
parts that are gold electroplated, the
HKIII-4020 and HKIII-4025 series
motors come with 4mm male bulletstyle
connectors already attached and
include a hardware package containing
three matching female bullet
connectors for the speed control and
matching heat-shrink tubing. Designed
for helicopter use, propeller adapters
are not included, but can be purchased
separately.
Thunder Tiger Titan X50F
Flybarless Helicopter @ $549.99-
$799.99 + S&H from Great
Planes Model Distributors, Box
9021, Champaign IL 61826; Tel.:
(800) 637-7660; website: www.
ttamerica.com.`
The Thunder Tiger Titan X50F
flybarless helicopter is designed with
performance in mind.
The flybarless rotor head minimizes
drag for more power and longer flight
times. More aggressive maneuvers are
obtained with crisp pitch responses.
The Titan X50F boasts longer metal
control arms; a rigid but lightweight
one-piece main rotor hub; enlarged
titanium rod-and-ball linkages; dual
radial, single-thrust bearings; and
three-piece metal main rotor grips.
The carbon-fiber main rotor blades are
optimized for flybarless flight.
Compatible with most of the
popular three-axes gyro brands, the
Titan X50F is available alone or in a kit
with a glow RL-53 engine and tuned
pipe. The helicopter requires a sixchannel
radio with receiver, five servos,
and a 1200 mAh battery.
Universal Balancing Adapter
Board @ $6.95 + S&H from
Common Sense RC, Box 3546,
Chatsworth CA 91313; Tel.:
(866) 405-8811; website: www.
commonsenserc.com.
The Universal Balancing Adapter
Board from Common Sense RC can
be used with nearly any kind of LiPo
battery. The adapter board plugs into
most of the popular 6S balancing
chargers, and supports the three
major types of 2S to 6S LiPo balance
connector types, including JST-XH
(Common Sense RC, E-flite, ParkZone,
Esky, Align, Turnigy, Zippy, and others),
www.ModelAviation.com May 2012 Model Aviation 19
JST-TP (Thunder Power, Flite Power),
and JST-HP (Hyperion, Polyquest,
MaxAmps).
Black Horse Models Edge 540
V3 @ $449.99 + S&H from Hobby
People, 18480 Bandilier Cir.,
Fountain Valley CA 92708; Tel.:
(800) 854-8471; website: www.
hobbypeople.net.
The Edge 540 V3, from Black
Horse Models, is an all-wood, laser-cut
interlocking airframe that is factoryjig
built. Covered with Oracover, the
factory-molded cowl and pants are
carefully painted to match.
Most of the assembly on this 81.89-
inch wingspan model is “bolt on,”
including the two-piece wing and
two-piece tail. Tab-and-groove hinges
are factory installed and custom
hardware takes away much of the timeconsuming
assembly. The Edge 540 V3
features a realistic painted pilot and
a big, removable top hatch for easy
access.
A six-channel radio and nine servos
are required; power is provided by a 30
to 35cc gas or glow engine.
Buzz 100 Electric RC Micro Park
Flyer @ $45 + S&H from Stevens
AeroModel, Box 15347, Colorado
Springs CO 80935; Tel.: (719) 387-
4187; website: www.stevens
aero.com.
The Stevens AeroModel Buzz
100 Electric RC Micro Park Flyer
is a reduced version of the vintage
FF model, Buzzard Bombshell.
All modern, the Buzz 100 is slow
enough to be flown indoors, readily
accepting ParkZone Ultra Micro indoor
electronics.
The Buzz 100 kit includes 100%
laser-cut balsa and hardwood parts
from AAA selected wood, as well as a
complete hardware kit with pushrods,
control horns, rubber bands, and a
tail skid. The airframe assembles in
a matter of hours, backed by a stepby-
step illustrated instruction set and
clear drawings. A laser-cut acetate
windscreen is also included.
This kit, designed for the beginner
pilot/beginner builder, has a 21-
inch wingspan with a flying weight
of 1.8 ounces. Controls are three
channel (rudder, elevator, throttle).
The kit requires wheels, propeller, an
ultramicro receiver/ESC/servo unit, a
motor and gearbox, a 130 to 160 mAh
3.7-volt LiPo battery, and a DSM2-
compatible transmitter.
MicroLux Mini Cordless Driver
Set @ $49.95 + S&H from Micro-
Mark, 340 Snyder Ave., Berkeley
Heights NJ 07922; Tel.: (800) 225-
1066; website: www.micro
mark.com.
Micro-Mark packs power into
a cordless, compact size with the
MicroLux Mini Cordless Driver Set.
Weighing 0.6 pounds and at less than
5 inches long, this driver can fit into
tight spaces. The T-handle is designed
to balance comfort with a secure grip.
The powerful 3.6-volt motor drives
screws up to 15/8-inches long; the
trigger (250 rpm) has an integral
reverse switch for precise control for
starting, driving, and removing screws.
A spring-loaded chuck holds drill bits,
and the magnetic extension securely
fits into the 1/4-inch hex socket collet.
The MicroLux Mini Cordless Driver
comes with a built-in Lithium-Ion
rechargeable battery for long-lasting
power; a built-in LED light illuminates
the work. The set includes the driver,
wall-mount charger, and an assortment
of drill and screwdriver bits. Adapter
chucks for mini-drilling are sold
separately.
UMX ASK-21 BNF Sailplane @
$119.99 + S&H from Horizon
Hobby, 4105 Fieldstone Rd.,
Champaign IL 61822; Tel.: (800)
338-4639; website: www.e-flite
rc.com.
The UMX ASK-21 BNF Sailplane,
a fully functional four-channel aircraft
that is capable of loops and rolls as
well as Thermal or Slope Soaring,
was designed after Rudolf Kaiser’s
renowned two-seater.
Employing the AS3X System, the
UMX ASK-21 is lightweight and sleek
with smooth handling and precision.
The AS3X System is excellent at
stabilizing in various flight conditions.
Mimicking the full-scale version, the
model is aerotow capable, equipped
with a remote tow hook.
Ready for its first flight in just
minutes, the Sailplane is built from
smooth-molded construction with
carbon-fiber reinforcement. The
removable one-piece wing features a
high-efficiency airfoil.
Ultramicro, linear, long-throw
servos are installed; a high-power
series 1S LiPo receiver battery and
fast charger are included, as well as a
hi-start launch system. A four-channel
transmitter is required.