Customer Reviews

HobbyZone Super Cub LP RTF HBZ7300

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is the plane I learned to fly with, as have many people apparently. I bought the original Super Cub (the same model as this, except not the LP version) and then I had the mini-super cub, and now this. The LP version has more power, but otherwise is exactly the same as the original. The mini is identical but a smaller scale. I would recommend the mini to start. It does not have the power of this plane, but it is lighter, and therefore crashes tend to be less destructive. But the trade off is that the mini tends to be buffeted by winds more easily, so you really need to have a calm day to fly. Once you've practiced then this is a great next step. Bigger and faster, it can handle a little wind, and is great for practicing takeoff and landing. It's a very forgiving plane once you can handle the basic control of the plane. With both planes, while you're learning, don't forget to give yourself plenty of altitude so you can recover from any false steps. Also, when you do crash (and you will) this plane is incredibly easy to repair and make fly again. I have broken the nose section off of every one I've owned, and glued it back and flown. My LP has had the tail section snapped off, and it to glues back on and works fine. Get a hot glue gun and some clear packing tape (great for repairing wings) and you can fix an amazing number of problems.

The down side of this plane? It's not particularly acrobatic, but that's why it's a great trainer. Likes to fly flat and straight. And then there's the automatic crash protection. Turn it off. It does not save you, and sometimes seems to take over when you don't need it. Look at the many remote control airplane forums on line, there are several, and you will see a pretty consistent message that this is not something you want to use.

Buy it, it's fun. Trees will try to grab you and the ground will jump up at you, but soon you'll master the simple controls and be on your way. Enjoy.

I jumped into the world of RC because I was got one of the IR helecoptors you see flying around booths at malls. After having so much fun with that, I decided I wanted to leap to airplanes. I ordered this on Thursday, and it was here by Saturday and was extremely cheap for Saturday delivery. Love the shipping deals amazon gets with fedex/ups.

This plane is fantastic. Battery technology has come a long way due to the high demand of modern cell phones, and it's great that fun hobbies like this get to take advantage of the new technology. It gets a solid 20minutes flying, if you are throttling 50%... it flies so far away, and you still have control (2500ft), so you don't have to worry about it going out of range, because once it is a speck, you should probably turn it around anyway because you start to lose sight of what it's doing past 1500ft.

So far I have 'crashed' it twice. Both impacts were to the wings--1 on the left, and 1 on the right. Because of the great wing design with the rubberbands, it lets it 'give.' I wasn't going full throttle, because both instances, i saw the impact coming, so i stopped the propeller and hoped for the best. I was pleased to see there was zero damage done. I would say the worst place to crash this bad boy is straight into the prop, because that seems the most fragile.

A few gripes:
The battery compartment is damn small. Gotta really squeeze to make it fit. I just push it in far enough to close the door, and call it good. Small gripe. Also, I want to upgrade from a 1300mAh battery to a 2100mAh, but the compartment is too small. So I am going to have to cut battery compartment into the foam to make it a little larger.
I haven't gotten a perfect landing yet! It's definitely the hardest part of flying, but this thing keeps nose diving when the wheels touch the grass. I haven't tried landing on cement yet, that should be much better. No damage done, but it just looks lame when every landing pushes it's nose to the ground. Needs bigger tires or something for grass landings.

All in all, this plane fricken rocks. My dad, roomate, grandpa, girlfriends dad-all want to buy one now. For under $200, you can jump into a really exciting hobby. I am no expert, but I imagine 5 years ago to get 20 minutes of fly time, with a 47" wingspan airplane that has a range of 2500ft--what you get in this package--would cost well over $500. Technology is a great thing.

This was my first R/C plane. My first flight actually went without a major crash. Just a couple of hard landings in the grass which didn't break anything major. Later on as I became better, I performed more daring stunts and it received some damage, but nothing that rendered it un-flyable. I find that repairing the Cub is kind of fun also, and as you take it apart and modify it you learn a lot about the plane itself.
The replacement parts are also very affordable, so if you do actually destroy something, it can be replaced without too much financial pain. Depending on how much you push the motor, you get to fly it about 10-15 minutes on one battery charge.
I bought a Muvi Veho camera for it, and you can tell that the Cub struggles a little bit with the extra weight, but it still easily goes to altitude and takes fun airborne footage.
I adjusted the elevator servo one notch so that it has more up travel than down. This REALLY helps landing the Cub as you have more up elevator as you come in and during the rollout.
I used the ACT crash protection once, and it stopped my prop on take off and the plane crashed, I never turned it on again...
I think I have learned how to fly the Cub quite well now, being able to fly it inverted and buzz through the goal posts of the local (empty) soccer field. I now want something that has more power for better climb performance and ailerons. I'm looking at the T-28 Trojan form the same company.

If you are thinking about getting into R/C airplanes, you really can't beat this Cub. It takes a lot of abuse, is easy to fly and very affordable.

I bought the Super Cub LP not knowing a thing about how to fly it. This puppy is RTF, ready to fly, and some minor assembly is needed. After an hour you are ready to fly. The time includes reading the instruction book. There is only a DVD offering flying tips.

I forgot to set the ACT (automatic crash control) to 'on'. Took off on the ground with the elevators in neutral position (flat). The plane rolled on the ground 10 ft then did a nose drive. This was on dry grass in a scoccer field. Second attempt I gave a little up elevator on takeoff and it went 15 ft and was airborne. What a kick. It flew for a couple of minutes. I was doing a right turn and it headed straight for the ground, like fell out of the sky. Cracked the firewall where the motor attaches.

Called the factory and they said use medium CA glue with a kicker to dry it quicker. Repaired the plane and ran the motor for several minutes in a static position holding it. Seems OK so away I go again to try it. Bought a new firewall and cowl (the original cracked in the crash) but repaired the existing firefall as i did not want to remove the firewall and possible tearout some foam.

With no experience and no assistance from an expert flyer the plane seemed very stable and easy to fly. I think i stalled the plane in the turn but do not remember exactly what i did. Obviously the wrong thing.

So far i would recommend this plane as a trainer which is its purpose in life. It is well built. My only quibble is that there is a button on the top of the transmitter controller and the instruction book makes no mention what it is for. There are no aileron controls so that is one less thing you have to fiddle with. The only tricks you can do are loops as you only have elevator and rudder controls, along with throttle speed. So you can see why it is a trainer.

The battery compartment is really tight and you have to be creative to get the battery inside the compartment. I think they could have done a better job of designing the battery compartment for easy insertion of the battery. I also bought a spare battery that was on sale as you get about 10-15 minutes of flight time with each battery charge. So you will want at least one spare battery.

This plane has received good reviews from other RC plane forums. The ACT control I have yet to try and will reserve judgement. For now I would recommend turning it on if you have little or no experience flying an RC plane and not do what I did and crash the plane on my first flight. Some people recommend leaving it off, some people do not like ACT. I will have to see for myself and see if it does make for a safer more stable flying experience.

This Plane represents the perfect entry-level product for this hobby. If you are thinking about joining a huge community of r/c plane fliers and a hobby that is EXTREMELY deep, this plane is a must-buy.

QUALITY:
The Z-Foam, which at first glance may not be taken seriously, is a very durable lightweight material that leads to less headaches when landing, less repair costs after crashes, and more confidence in your first few flights that you won't tear it up too bad. Easy to repair with almost any adhesive you have. Yes, the cowl of this plane does chip/scrape/crack fairly easily, but after one maybe two replacements at three dollars a piece you won't mess another one up because you will be landing and looping with ease.

FUN:
This plane has a serious fun-factor. Read up on the history of the super cub, and you will begin losing yourself in its history. The plane provides just enough control, (after adjusting the servo throws), to be able to to a good number of aerial maneuvers, and it moves just slow enough and flies stable enough that the first time flier can easily pull themselves out of a tight spot given enough altitude. The plane will do loops with a breeze, knife-edge turns with some ample stick-time, and will cork-screw pretty well after adjusting the clevis'. All this while never scaring you too much because simply letting the controls go will most of the time let the plane drift right back up to the horizon, (even with ACT off).

RE-USABILITY
Ok, this plane does NOT come with a reusable transmitter for later in the hobby, and aileron conversion is possible with several other costly modifications, but this plane does have several features that extend its lifetime! Floats! I'm sure everyone will enjoy the ability to make a quick $25 purchase and be out on the water in no-time landing and taking off like a duck! :) Bombs, Dogfights, Parachutes, and Night-Flying!!! The X-Port feature allows you to attach three different modules, (Aerial Drop Module, Sonic Combat Module, and Night Flight Module), all of which will contribute towards extending the fun-life of this plane. Not to mention adding a micro-camera or banner to your plane, as some people have done.

CONSENSUS
This plane is a blast. It is easy to learn to fly on your own with this plane, it has a very long use-life, it is made of quality material that will decrease upkeep costs, and it provides just enough aerobatic ability as to not make you feel like you are a snail in the air.

I highly recommend this plane to any consumers.

I have flown this several times always ending in crashes but the parts are so cheap to repair this trainer it is a good plane to train on. Accept you are going to crash and it becomes very fun and a learning experience. I am about to get the hang of it. The only thing I do not like about this trainer is it does not have a brushless motor and ESC. It woulds be perfect to swap out receivers, motors and ESC's in my jet to keep on training but then again it would not be cheap anymore if that were the case.

Get this as a trainer and you will love to fly. Do not do what I did and think you can learn to fly a jet and thus my first plane wast the Habu. I cracked that jet in half on the first flight, Do yourself a favor and train on a slower and cheaper to fix plane like this one. The shipment came quickly and it was everything advertised. Great little plane and I can now tear it all the way down and rebuild it in an afternoon. Good tool also to learn.

I bought this because I wanted to pick-up a hobby. I was stunned how big it was, 50" wingspan. Also amazed how powerful the engine was. Crashed the plane over an over until I learned you need to throttle back. Learning to fly takes a long time. You need duck tape, glue, extra props, maybe a wing, and learn how not to overcharge batteries because they die if you do. I have been flying or trying to fly for three months. Luckily they planted wheat next door so I have a big enough place to fly. You cannot learn to fly this unless you have at least 10 acres of grass (well...I need that). I have taped up all the holes to fly all-weather and dirt. This is a blast but it's hard. Being hard makes it a great new hobby. I flew for 10 minutes non-stop yesterday in the sun and it felt like an hour.

It gets tiring spending $100-$200.00 for "beginner" planes that crash and are destroyed or need major repairs every few minutes. I'm pleased to say that the Super Cub LP is the first plane that I have flown that is truly easy to fly even in gusty wind, which is a constant in the bay area. For the first time I used up an entire battery with four landings and take offs and no damage. Hopefully this is the fist of many days. And although it takes some assembly, the fact that it puts together intelligently in less than ten minutes is a real plus. I don't like the cost but I'm glad I bought this one and have just ordered the floats.

This was my first RC plane, however I had experience with an RC simulator before I flew it. I did a little prep work before flying, which I think most of the unsuccessful fliers may be skipping - you must balance the plane and make sure all the controls work smoothly or the plane will not fly level. You need to do this every time you fly, no matter what plane it is. The plane flew very stable and smoothly but I felt it was a little under powered when I had the throttle at less than the max setting. I was able to fly it smoothly and even doing some loops with it. Landing is forgiving as the plane is made of heavy foam for an RC plane. I crashed a couple times but was able to grab a replacement wing at the hobby store and get back in the air really quickly. Love the plane.

I bought this plane for me and my sons to learn how to fly RC planes, after reading many reviews, decided to buy this plane. The local Hobby store carries the super cub so I picked it up there, but would have bought it here for this price. As a beginner and a noob in RC planes, this plane has been fantastic as a top rate trainer. We started with hand launching and on our first flight I hit a light pole 20 feet in the air, the plane hit the pole and nose dived into the parking lot. I broke the prop, shattered the cowl and broke the engine mount. Purchased all three parts the next day for an out pocket expense of about $15.00. Repaired the plane and we were back up in the air the next day. This plane is incredibly durable for a foam plane. We have had multiple crashes, with flops and cartwheels, other then some chips here and there out of the wings she was still in one piece. We had a particular bad crash on time and the plane would not fly and we could not trim it out, opened it up and saw the servos had popped out due to impact, hot glued them in and she was right as rain. I've hot glued the battery box in and while taking it out of the car I accidently ripped one of the tail elevators almost completely off. I hot glued it and had the plane in the air with in minutes. We purchased the floats for this before heading to a 4th of July weekend trip to our Grandfathers pond. We had practiced landings and take offs to try and get the hang of it before attempting the water version, but I found it very easy to master the plane on the water. It was a big hit and now a family member and neighbor want one for the pond as well. The take off on floats is a little more difficult but the landings are so much fun. I only had one hard skip landing while trying to avoid an overshoot off the water and dug the nose into the water. Retrieved the plane, opened it up and dried out all the electronics for a couple hours, put it back together and she was out taxing off the water again. The range of this plane is amazing, you lose sight of it before you lose control. My only complaint is that the white color makes it hard to spot far away, but I've seen them painted online so I maybe picking up some spray paint to paint ours to make it easier to spot and to gauge orientation.
You can mod it out, paint it, wreck it and repair it and purchase parts cheaply, a new wing is $25.00, as is a whole new fuselage. The floats option is great and they have a drop module and dogfight module available. I always keep and extra cowl and prop in stock with me, a small glue gun some packing tape and some small tools with me and make field repairs on the spot and keep flying....
Bottom line, get this plane you will not be disappointed.