Teksumo/Popwing Review

Teksumo/Popwing -The “Frampton Comes Alive” of RC Airplanes- Everybody has a copy.

The Original Teksumo sold by HobbyKing.

The original Teksumo from Turnigy (HobbyKing) is the stuff legends are made of.  It doesn’t matter if you’re watching a Brit, Aussie or Yank go on and on about some plane they are building on Youtube, you’re bound to see that familiar orange plane in the background.   Here in the States, you’re likely to have people refer to your delta wing, regardless of brand as a “Popwing.”  The Popwing 900mm is the same plane as the Teksumo.  So, this review is for both planes because there really isn’t much difference

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As far as foam planes are concerned these planes are ubiquitous.  They are beloved, modified, crashed, destroyed rebuilt and beloved even more. I have one Teksumo that has faced sure death more times than any cat can handle.  The one great thing I can say about them is that they are resilient.

Nice graphics, not over the top.  Got from NtiroPlanes.com.

The graphics: I know it seems silly to start off a review talking about the graphics of this plane because how it looks is usually among the last things we care to think about.   But, when you’ve got more than one of these planes you want them to look different so you can easily tell them apart.  So many of the graphics of planes I’ve seen tend to look like they were designed with 14-year-old boys in mind.  But, in the hundreds and hundreds of videos I’ve seen most people flying planes are over age 30.  What I’ve liked about the Popwing, in particular, is the graphics.

There are too many different versions of graphics to discuss each one in detail.  They are very colorful and at least one of the graphic patterns should appeal to you.  I like smart graphics in the sky because i can’t tell you how many times I’ve lost a plane in the sky and had to do some rapid scans to find it.  I like planes that stand out.  Planes with vibrant colors and lots of pattern and contrast work the best.

The Teksumo is another story.  For years it came as one style, orange with a lovely fish design. It was a beautiful plane.  I mean, it's interesting to look at.  Women seem to really appreciate the beauty of it.  But once you get it in the sky that orange really stands out.  It doesn’t matter what kind of day it is.  On a sunny day with a blue sky, this plane looks extra beautiful.  .  .  Anyway, Hobbyking has discontinued that classic orange design.  What they offer is the same simple graphics with four different colors, at a higher price.  Sorry, I am underwhelmed by the newer graphics.  It looks like something a first-year art student would make in about 20 minutes.

The Build

3 Things I like

#1 Nice, thick foam cores-  I like a plane with some meat on its bones.  Yes, this plane has a lot of very nice foam, unlike the Rainbow 2 1000mm by Dancing Wings.  A healthy amount of foam helps prevent severe damage in serious crashes.   It also makes you think you’re getting something for your money.

#2. Great instructions-  It comes with a full-color booklet. The instructions are written in English, decent English, not perfect English.  You’ll get the point by reading the booklet.  The cover page has virtually all the information you’ll ever need to know about the plane including the CG, required prop, speed controllers, etc.  I mean, this is fantastic.  This is exactly how every RC Plane assembly booklet should be made.  The only thing I would change is to have a link to a website where any information is updated and can ask help from the community.

#3 Stand-up servos-There are holes that go through the middle of the plane for servo placement. This means two things that I like.  First, you’ve got the choice of mounting the servos on top or bottom.  The instructions show the servo’s control arms on the bottom, as to keep all the electronics on the bottom and to keep the top of the plane clean of wires and servos.  My rule of thumb is servos should be on top, whenever possible.  It prevents damage.   Thus, my servos are top mounted.  The second thing this does that I love is it makes getting to the screw on the servo very easy, in case you need to remove the control arm for any reason such as fine tuning after a good trim is established.

#3.5 (Honorable mention)  There is a spot to mount your receiver and speed controller under the plane, in a precut drive bay.  The plane comes with zip ties and holes for the zip ties making the installation very easy.  For extra protection, I also use velcro on the bay and ESC/Receiver.  I have to say, this is really nice. I appreciate it.

3 Things I don’t like about the build.

#1  Precut battery bay- The plane needs lots of weight in the nose and thus the battery is placed on the nose. Cutting out a large piece of foam so close to the nose is a very bad idea. I’ve broken the nose off in bad crashes.  It glues back on fine, but still. . .  

#2. Weak motor mount area- Others have complained about this as well. The plane’s motor will rip right off the plane taking a good sized chunk of foam with it in a good crash. It’s best to throw a CF rod on this area and hit it with some extra Goop.

#3. Elevons rip off- Another design flaw is that elevons rip right off in a bad crash.  Carefully apply contact cement, and re-attach.  Perhaps apply a light coating of Goop on the hinge ling (very light) when you see the elevons starting to separate from the trailing edge.

Flight Characteristics

The obvious give-away that this is an outstanding plane is that so many people own at least one version of this plane.   Yes, it’s a wonderful flying experience.   Cut the power and it has a legendary “glides on rails” feel about it.   The only bad thing I have to say about the plane is that it’s prone to be tail heavy.   That’s why the battery compartment is on its nose.  Be careful in setting the uptick on your elevons (reflex)  because you can easily aggravate this problem.

I find that the sweet spot on this plane is a 1800mAh 3S lipo battery that’s small enough to fit in the battery bay.   It’s still light enough to give this plane a floaty flying experience.  The 2200mAh 3S batteries will also work, but the extra weight makes for a very different flying experience.

Interesting graphics, also from NitroPlanes.com

Going off script.

Though this plane is a beautiful park flyer  with a 7” and 1400 KV motor,  feel free to stick on higher KV motors and smaller propellers to get this plane to scream around for the park for ten minutes. A favorite seems to be the D2826 2200KV with a 3S  2200mAh  battery.   If you’re going to go batshit crazy with the plane doing high dives you may want to use digital metal servos for this build.   You can add a little extra carbon fiber rods and perhaps reinforce your elevons with Goop, tape or plastic hinges. To further get the “Oh my gosh, I hope this thing doesn’t crash!” feeling be sure to throw on some lamination onto your wing to cut down on drag. For a little more fun, throw a triple-bladed propeller on and watch it own the sky.

This all depends on your flying style.  As a stock plane, it’s wonderful and explores the sky in a nice, tranquil flight. You can slowly bring it up to your ceiling height, turn-off the throttle and watch it slowly glide back to earth.  There is something majestic about how this plane glides. You won’t get bored of it.  You can do this for 40 minutes at a time depending on your flying style.  Or, set it up so that it gives you 8 minutes of hell-raising excitement.  This is the reason why so many people own more than one copy.

A platform plane

The Mach-5 of Popwings

The most obvious suggestion for taking the capabilities of this plane further is for FPV flight.  There are many videos on YouTube that show you how.  But as drone brethren are falling in love with smaller drones like the DJI Spark the FPV gear has to get lighter.  So, many of the how-to videos feature out of date gear.   A lighter FPV load means longer flight times.
Another exciting use for this plane is flying missions with GPS and computer controlled flight controllers.   Again, borrowing heavily from our drone brethren (Can I just take a moment to thank you guys for the billions of dollars you’ve spent on this hobby, helping to give us great gear at dirt cheap prices?) flying missions on pre-planned routes is within reach. The only downside to all this is a lot of soldering.  You don’t have easily installed electrical components.  Thus, making planes to do these tasks are a bit of a project.  But, at least with the Teksumo/Popwing, you have a nice platform.

Overall evaluation

I own quite a few of these planes, and yes I do like them a lot.  But when I can get out for 30 minutes to grab one flight, I hate to say it, but it probably won’t be this plane. I still prefer the flight characteristics of a Hacker Hotwings Evo 1000, or the Hotwings 1200.  

Still, there is plenty to love about the Teksumo/Popwing.  The lovely EPP foam is forgiving and easy to fix when things go wrong.  There are a fair number of zombie Teksumos out there. Planes that suffered catastrophic crashes that get pieced back to life out of spare foams and unconventional means.  Overall, this is a plane you need to own at least one of.  Chances are you’ll really like it.   The new pricing of just under $50 at HobbyKing for the newest model is a bit over the top.  Watch for it to go on sale.  You can always pick up a Popwing at NitroPlanes but, they are always out of stock.

Due to its pricing structure, it’s out of the realm for my “Cheap Thrills” series of articles because these planes cost more than $30.  However, it did get an honorable mention.  This plane isn’t  under $30 but it’s not $500.  If you’re likely to only own a few RC foam planes, the Teksumo/Popwing should be in your mix.

The new Teksumo-Eh, not digging it.

A club in San Diego races Popwings once a month near Sea World. Silent Electtric Flyers of San Diego

Updates:  February 2018.  The new TekSumo by Hobbyking seems to be shipping without instructions.   You now have to download the instruction from HobbyKing's website.


NitroPlanes carries a wide selection of Popwing planes for sale-with one thing in common. They are all out of stock. Five years ago, people complained about the same thing.


Grayson Hobby has their version of the TechOne PopWing in stock. It's the same price as the TekSumo from HobbyKing.  Grayson is a small, Veteran-owned hobby supplies shop located in Georgia. .The owner also is an RC enthusiast.    Let's support small business by buying from this guy!    You can buy it now and enjoy it all summer long.

Grayson's custom graphics