First things first lets start with what this little foamie is packing.
* Two wing-mounted electric motors.
* Two independent speed controllers for steering precision.
* An elevator function enables loop-the loop and stunt moves.
* An integrated remote control and charger.
* Charger has a pre-installed 3 Channel FM Digital Radio Control.
* A charge time of 20 minutes is equal to a 5-10 minute flight.
* Made from robust but lightweight EPP foam.
* Two spare propellers.
* A range of up to 100m.
* Suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
* Suitable for intermediate flyer's.
* Suitable for ages 8 years+.
* Requires 6 x AA Batteries (not included).
* Weight: 26g.
* Size: 31.5 x 31cm.
So there's the stats. Lets move onto the review.
First things first the X-Plane came very well packaged and arrived safe and sound. I carried out an immediate inspection of the flight controls and surfaces before assembling (attaching the undercarriage)and preparing the aircraft for its maiden flight.
The X-Twin Rc Plane Acrobat is ready to fly out of the box it requires no assembly, however the undercarriage is not attached for package and transport reasons this is easily attached. The undercarriage is literally pushed into a slot located on the underside of the aircraft just to the rear of the cockpit.
Now that the "assembly" is finished its charging time. The controller doubles as the charging unit for the X-Twin Rc Plane, which in my opinion is a brilliant idea for this particular style of flyer as when your at your local airfield (infront of your house, a park, carpark, etc) there's no need to return to base and refill, you can just hook it upto your controller and charge up and fly again. The charge time varies depending on how long your previous flight was and how much is left in the tank. The longest I have had to wait in between flights was 12 mins which isnt bad considering the amount of flight time I had before needing to charge back up. Another cool feature that the handset charging system has is a green and red light system which will tell you if your aircraft's battery is sufficiently charged before unhooking it from the charger. No more over or under charging.
TakeOff
The X-Twin Rc Plane Acrobat is capable of both rolling and hand-launch takeoff. I must admit you cant beat the rolling takeoff with this particular aircraft, apply full throttle and watch this light wait gadget zoom skywards. Obviously you will require a small road or some flat and fairly firm ground for the X-Twin Rc Plane to become airborne. I tried many many times and never succeeded to get the X-Twin to takeoff from a grass runway. When using the X-Twin Rc Plane Acrobat on grassy runways a hand launch is required, this is easy. Simple apply 3/4th throttle and gentle throw the aircraft straight and level. Oh and make sure you take off into the wind where possible.
Flight Controls
Once Airborne, the X-Twin is easy to fly a toddler could fly it. However if you are into some more advanced flying apply full throttle and using the right stick you can perform super tight turns loops and climbs. The X-Twin Rc Plane Acrobat may seem at first just another foamie, but once you give it some throttle and applying pressure to the various controls it can really perform like some more heavy duty fliers on teh market today. I also found that the X-Twin performs really well at various wind speeds, obviously anything that is too windy will just make flying more difficult which is not necessarily bad when you have notched up some flight hours with this airframe.
Landing
To land ideally you should be upwind and have the aircraft flying towards you in wind, this prevents any cross wind blowing you off course. once you think your lined up simply reduce the throttle and the X-Twin will float gracefully to the ground. Remember that if your flying from a grass landing strip remove the undercarriage this prevents the wheels digging in when landing. However if you do leave the undercarriage on and land on grass you don't have to worry about any damage.
Durability
The X-Twin is practically undestroyable and i sincerely mean that. No matter what I have put this little rc Plane through it just bounced (literally) back. Fair enough theres the odd scratch on the rubbery paint, but that's expected. This plane is most definitely a toy that will last for many many many years of hard knocks and abuse.
Final Thoughts
Initially I was wary of purchasing a small rc plane like the X-Twin Acrobat as I thought it would just be destined to die (like many have) during its maiden flight like many of my previous aircraft had. However I'm very glad to say that the X-Twin is still going strong almost a year to date, sure I'm now a more competent flier and enjoying more heavy duty Airframes yet I still fly the X-Twin especially when its too windy for my precious P51-D.
I Recommend this for everyone - Grandads - to small kids, expert pilots to the PlayStation generation. This is truly a brilliant introduction to flying and still offers challenges for the more experienced pilot.
BUY IT NOW
