Hobbyzone Radian, what you need to know

The Radian is loved.

I found out about the Radian from one of my buddies.  He's built over 1000 RC planes, many of them balsa wood planes.  Now, the thought of getting a plane that he can carry in one hand in pieces while balancing an ice chest and folding chair in the other as he works his way to the beach is what he now desires. When I point out the many mods he can make to the plane he's quick to point out "It is what it is."   Take it for what it's worth, it's a great plane.

No Ailerons

The swept wing helps keep it flying for long periods of time. But this is a rudder and elevator plane only.  Yes there are videos on Youtube showing how you can put in ailerons, and strengthen the tail.  The only thing that seems to be missing is them showing the plane flying after such modifications. Adding weight to the tail will change the center of gravity.  There was a Radian Pro with ailerons at one point. It wasn't super-loved.  If this is what interests you I suggest buying a Pheonix 2000.  It has the cutouts already done.

The Radian is an up and down plane.  You fly it up, and then steer it in circles back down to the ground.  If you can catch lift  the plane will stay up in the sky for very long periods of time.  The plane is the In & Out Burger version of a foamy glider.  It's nothing new, it's very simple, and yet in its simplicity, it's very special.  I call it a "Buy it an fly it" type of plane.  It needs to be flown on days with wind speeds under 10mph.  anything more and it's not a lot of fun to fly.

Buy the kit?

I bought the plane in pieces. I thought the kit was too expensive.  Though in the end I saved a few dollars, it wasn't enough to justify the savings.  I figure the plane in the BNF is around $40 too expensive.  I went to a hobby store and bought it in pieces, and then went back a few days later to get the rest of the pieces. I bought an appropriate motor only to find out that the mount only takes the Parkzone motor.  Let me state that again.  If you buy any other motor, you'll have to hack the mount yourself.   I can easily find something lighter when it comes to motors, but then the COG will be off.
You're not going to lose a lot of sleep building this plane, maybe it will take a few hours of your time to get it together.  It's very basic.

Had I known what I got myself into I would have gladly purchased the kit.  But, with that being said I do know how to replace the parts on the plane should they break.  I know for example if I replace the fuselage I should bite the bullet and replace the horizontal stabilizer at the same time.

Assembling in pieces, the rough sketch

The beautiful thing about the Radian is that there aren't many pieces.  You'll need the horizontal stabilizer, the fuselage, the main wing, the motor, spinner, canopy and propeller. Then, you'll need the basic electrical  such as a receiver of your favor, a  3s lipo and two 9 gram servos.  The assembly manual is online and it's easier to follow than most.  There is nothing difficult about the assembly.  Perhaps putting the propeller on is the worst of it. There really is no perfect way to put the servos in so I epoxied them to the plane
You can buy the decal kit for around $5 and it's worthwhile to have because a naked Radian isn't that interesting. I've seen people paint them wild day-glow paint colors.  It makes the plane look interesting, to say the least.  You will need to center your servors and trim up your settings.

About the motor

The screw mounts on the front line up with the motor from Radian.  There is a work around if you don't want to do this.  You can buy a mount for $15 on eBay. From that you can plug in a few 35mm diameter Turnigy motors. You will spend more money doing this but you'll have a stronger motor.  You may also have CG issues.   Save yourself the hassles and buy the Radian motor.  It's plenty strong to get this bird way up into the clouds.

Bind and fly

For $180 you can buy the kit with the a modern 2.7ghz receiver in it. You'll just need your own transmitter and a 3S lipo battery.  I say for the average person who has made at least a few planes the extra money to buy the BNF is worth it. It will save you a few hours of work and in my case, a night of servos drying in epoxy. I bought the wrong motor for the plane, but I have other uses for that motor.  Since I am still new to building planes I found the extra steps and the education I gained to be worthwhile.


My favorite line in the instruction manual

" With the current trend towards an eco-friendly society, thermal soaring is free energy and fits well with the environmentally conscious consumer."

Wow, the 8 cents worth of electricity you'll save by not charging your LiPo battery is going to really impress your green friends!

HobbyTown USA -Corona, CA

Recently I wrote about the death of Hobby People, a legendary chain of hobby stores.  The internet seems to be eating the old fashioned brick and mortar retail store in all industries.   In the article I rationalized that retail space is far more expensive than warehouse space.  In order to justify the retail space you'll need to turn the inventory much faster than online, or simply sell more to each customer.
As consumers we've all been in the position of not wanting to run to the retail store for an item that simply costs a few bucks.   Let it show up in the mail in a few days, it's easier.  And besides, we can shop around for the best deal.

But then one day it happens. You've got plans and  just as you're getting ready something breaks. Perhaps it's a propeller or maybe one of your batteries has seen it's very last charge.  Suddenly you don't have time for Amazon Prime or eBay.  You need it now.  Though it goes against your grain to take your time and gas money to go to the hobby store you do it anyway.    If you're into your hobby this is your candy store.  What should have been under a $20 purchase turns into $200 because you find something you simply fall in love with.  Welcome to the last great haven for retail!

Hobbytown U.S.A. located in the newer section of Corona, CA (a few miles from the 91 or the I-15 is my local hobby store.  It's a combination of the old world hobby store and the new online hobby store. The old world hobby store is one where odd and obscure parts are stocked for the serious hobbyist, sometimes to the point where they stick around for a decade or two. The new online hobby stores are light on parts and heavy on kits.

Hobbytown U.S.A. has an internet presence.  You can shop online,24 hours a day at hobbytownusa.com.   The price you'll find online is the price you'll find in the store in most cases.  And with many of the things you'll find distributed from Horizon Hobbies, one of their main vendors there is no better price online.  You will pay the going rate.  What online provides you with is simply convenience

Going to a hobby store is always a fun experience. Among the highly stocked shelves are so many different hobbies that you'll find a mom with her 13 year old son who is upgrading to a 3S 5000mA LiPo battery for his RC car because he brought his grade up from a C- to a solid B in Geometry. Standing behind him is an old timer who is picking up balsa wood to repair minor damage to one of his wings on his Bi-Plane.

What you don't get online is someone behind the counter you can chat with.  There is a difference between people who live and breath their hobby and people who work in the store.  Since this is a franchise the owners are passionate about the hobbies they sell.   You can see it in their eyes as they talk about flying fields and who is flying what.  If you have questions, they usually have the answers.

The one thing that has also changed is a whole new breed of scumbag that is actively stealing mail and parcels in our neighborhood.   I've had parcels stolen from my mailbox.  When it comes to a handful of servo horns it only ads up to a few dollars. When you start talking about $80 motors and $200 kits than yes, it does worry me. One day my neighbor told me that the $100 baseball bat he ordered arrived.  Well, at least the box did.  Someone stole the bat out of the box on his front porch while he was at work.  Thus, if there is anything of real value that I plan on ordering in the future I will gladly drive to the store and pick it up.  Often they have stock locally which they can get their hands on in a day or two.

Overall, Hobbytown USA is a find and I am proud to call it my local hobby store.