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| The Rainbow 2 1000mm |
This is another in a series of "Cheap Thrills." RC Plane kits for under $30. The Rainbow 1000 by Dancing Wings is always on sale at Banggood for under $30. This is the 1000mm kit, and the big brother to the Rainbow 800. It's very likable, but it has competition.
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| Even when painted and reinforced with epoxy the stock motor mount is weak |
The build
True to the other planes in the Rainbow line it features thin foam cores. There are pros and cons to thin cores. but the cons outweigh the pros when you get to this size of plane. The main gripe I have about this plane is that comes in 3 pieces, the middle and the wings. This shouldn't be a bit deal if the plane has a good amount of reinforcements to keep it together and firm. It doesn't. Even for a stock build this plane needs carbon fiber rods to reinforce it. Once you get past this, it's a good plane.
The motor mount is a joke. It's cheap and flimsy. It requires cutting into the wing to install it and once done it provides little use other than to hide wires. The control horns and other parts aren't that wonderful either. But, this is typical of most kits today. Thus, when you buy this kit you're really just buying foam.
Just as I mentioned in my review of the 800mm version of this plane, it really needs to have the elevons cut to assure free travel. This requires a knife to score the fold points on the elevons. One of my 800s had a bad crash and the elevon ripped off on one side but was fixed with plastic hinges (Now I just use Goop from Home Depot) So. just so you're warned, this may happen to you as well. It's an easy fix and the plane flies great now.
The stock build is suspect at best.
Custom Build
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| The 3 part build made for an easy paint scheme, notice the CF spars? |
I went the full custom route with a custom paint job and Goop all over the plane. The Goop significantly added weight to the plane and the C20 motor which was fine for a nearly stock build suddenly was underpowered. It still works but once there is full carbon on both the top and bottom of the plane and Goop to help protect it further I want a bit more performance. Thus I am upgrading to a bit stronger motor. At the time of writing this it's on order from China and when it gets here I will install it right away.
Flight characteristics
Stock Build
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| A simple build, keep it light and it flies very nicely. |
This is a pleasant flying plane. It's large and light so it doesn't take much to get it up into the sky. That's why the C20 motor is perfect for this plane with a 7" propeller. Once it takes off it's easy to handle and maneuvers nicely. With the right carbon spars it does flips and spins. It's not an aerobatic plane and the fragility of it makes it less than ideal for new pilots. But for a nice easy launch and troll around in the sky kinda plane this is certainly a nice plane to add to your collection. It will put a smile on your face.
I am getting around 15 to 20-minute flights with a 1300mAh Lipo 3S battery.
Custom Build
It takes more power to get it off the ground. If I land it soon after takeoff I will notice that the motor gets hot which means that it's underpowered for the weight. There is little to no flex in this build of the plane. It does flips and spins. With fine-tuning, I am able to keep this plane airborne for around 20 minutes on a 1300mAh 3S batteries. It seems to glide nicely and has added authority in the air due to it's increased weight. The chord size makes it fine to add this much weight.
This is where it falls down.
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| Hacker Hotwings Evo 1000 is around $40 |
At $28 it has competition. For another $10 to $20 you can have much better like the Hacker Hot Wings Evo 1000 or the TekSumo/Pop Wing 900mm plane. These are hefty planes that take larger batteries which means it can handle longer flights and a lot more abuse. They aren't even in the same ballpark when it comes to quality.
3 things to like about this plane
Top Mounted Servos-
I know this seems trivial, but it isn't when you're building the plane. When the servos face up it makes it a lot easier to get to access the screws and control arms. The servos being on top of the plane instead of the bottom means less opportunities for damage during landings.
Options for a unique color scheme when painting it yourself.
I was able to give my plane a two-tone paint job which made it come out looking very cool. It was a tribute plane to the Los Angeles Kings, an NHL Hockey Team.
Light and floaty (Stock Build)
You can almost think of it as an oversized paper airplane. It does fly with ease and confidence. It cuts through the wind to some degree due to its thin chord. It's not a sports plane, it doesn't take to the sky on a windy day with authority, but it's a nice, pleasant experience.
Overall evaluation
Hmm, I hate to say it, but this is a plane you can skip. I thought it would be the fact that it comes in three pieces that would make it unattractive. That can be overcome with a small investment in 2mm carbon fiber rods. The larger issue is that for around the same amount of money you can get a plane that has a lot more foam. They can take on more abuse by newbies.
The competition is just a bit too fierce at this 1-meter plane size, and the price is a bit out of whack for what you get. Which is too bad because the 1000mm segment needs a couple more strong competitors in the market.
My suggestion to Dancing Wings
Why not sell this as a "Foam only" kit, unpainted for under $20? Put up a Facebook page, or website where people can show off their mods for the plane. As a modded plane it can be a lot of fun. The price point is right and a lot of people would buy it over and over again.
Otherwise, a plane with more foam and better parts in the kit could fetch another $10. In the international market there are some good competitors at this price point. The problem is that there needs to be more higher quality planes that hit the under $40 price point in the market.
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