Michael Heer
Apr 22, 2009, 11:30 AM
!Introduction
@rmxa3428-display.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Gliders $1.49
This little review is just for the fun of it and covers the balsa line of the Revell Tuff Birds. None of these gliders and planes are radio controlled, and technically they don't belong at RCGroups. Both my editor and I know that, but she is letting me review them anyway. I want people to remember the simple fun that comes from hand tossing a little balsa glider or rubber band powered plane. I have never forgotten the pleasure they gave me as a child.
I usually have a stash of little balsa gliders in my car to give to kids (after I assemble it and toss it at least once or twice just to make sure it is working properly of course). My current supply of balsa gliders came from Astoria, Oregon and were purchased at the Astoria, Column souvenir stand. That supply is almost gone as I give them out to kids who show up at the flying field. So these new Revell gliders are coming out at a good time - I can resupply locally. (Its a bit of a stair climb but the column is a great place to launch a balsa glider.)
@AstoriaColumn.jpg:The Astoria Column was where I last bought balsa gliders prior to this review.
!Revell Tuff Birds Glider
These gliders are sold in at least red or blue coloring and are the simplest and smallest of the Revell Tuff Bird balsa gliders. As part of this review I had one of these assembled and with me at the flying field one day when I was flying my Electrifly Spad XIII. As an experienced RC glider pilot I can often physically feel when a good thermal is cycling through the field. (Catching the thermal is a different talent altogether.) Feeling one, I picked up the glider and gave it a firm hard toss up into the air. I was hoping it might be sucked up and carried out of my sight. I caught the edge of the thermal, and the glider did go up for awhile to a height of about 90 feet. It drifted down field about 200 feet in the process. My flying buddy was darn impressed as he had never seen a little balsa glider climb like that. About that time the glider fell out of the thermal and glided down at the far end of the park just short of the Delta, about 350 feet from where I launched it. I will be doing that some more in the future as it was a lot of fun to do. (Per the reviewer's "Code of Honesty" I must admit that I had about 100 other ordinary flights/tosses where I thought I felt a thermal, but didn't get the glider into it.)
@3088-30.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Glider
@rmxa3520-b.jpg:L8.83"xW9.06"xH1.77"
!Revell Tuff Birds Jet Glider
This is lightly larger with approximately 1/3 more wingspan then the base Revell glider and more decoratively packaged. The jet glider is available in at least red, blue and green colors and can be purchased for a savings in a two pack. It proved to be my personal favorite.
@3088-31.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Jet Glider
@rmxa3432-1.jpg:L8.86"xW12.60"xH2.76"
@rmxa3432-2b.jpg:$1.59
@rmxa3428.jpg:Two pack of jet gliders $2.99
!Revell Tuff Birds Biplane Glider
The biplanes are fun for something different, but I couldn't get them to perform as well as the base glider or the jet glider in my indoor or outdoor gliding tests. There’s little more drag in the two wing design, and it flew the straightest of all the gliders and planes.
@3088-32.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Biplane Glider
@rmxa3429.jpg:L9.06"xW10.83"x2.56"
@rmxa3429-2b.jpg:$2.49
@rmxa3433-1b.jpg:Two pack of Biplanes $3.79
!Revell Tuff Birds Sky Soarer
The Sky Soarer is not a glider, but a rubber band powered plane with a very nice glide to sink ratio. It is the smallest and simplest of the rubber band powered planes in this series and has no wheels. The lack of wheels and the reduced weight and drag helped it perform second best in my non-scientific flight tests.
@3088-33.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Sky Soarer
@rmxa3521-b.jpg:L10.83"xW12.60"xH2.56" $2.89
!Revell Tuff Birds Stratosphere
The Revell Tuff Birds Stratosphere is a slightly larger plane then the Sky Soarer and includes plastic wheels. In my not-so-scientific flight tests it performed better then my Sky Soarer. I decided that between the Sky Soarer and the Stratosphere I would pay the extra dime for the Stratosphere, but I would still be going with the big boy: the Super Stratosphere.
@3088-34.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Stratosphere
@rmxa3430.jpg:L11.02xW12.80xH6.30" $2.99
!Revell Tuff Birds Super Stratosphere
The Super Stratosphere is the king of the lineup, and it was when I was a kid. This was my favorite design as a child, and I once had an airforce of five operating Super Stratosphere type rubber band powered planes at one time. The torque of the spinning prop made it difficult to get them to take off from the ground smoothly; They pretty much leaped off of the ground, and that is still the case. The wheels come in handy for landings, but they were not so handy if the plane found a tree branch, though if the snag was high enough, that in itself was something to brag about. This was the first one I opened and test flew, and it brought back many memories of my childhood and friends I hadn't thought about in years. This model flies just as nicely as the ones from my childhood.
@3088-35.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Super Stratosphere
@rmxa3523-b.jpg:L14.17xW17.52xH6.69" $3.99
!Real Testing
The real test for these gliders and planes came from children at my church. Most of my volunteer pilots with parent approval agreed to pose for a picture with their glider and participate in several mass launchings with their gliders for pictures and video, and afterwards, got to keep their glider or rubber band powered plane. Equipment was assigned by blind draw for the mass launchings. I did not have the children test the gliders or planes for duration of flight. I had them test them for fun. On that, I can tell you they were a big success. Only a part of the joy was captured on the video.
Most of the kids adjusted their gliders after each flight and most got improved flights as they adjusted the position of the wings. I got calls from several of the parents post flying session to tell me how much fun their children were having with the planes and gliders. In one call I was asked how to get a rubber band powered plane down from a tree without breaking it.
I did notice that the biplane glider flew the best into the wind and flew the farthest with a strong toss. The Jet glider flew the best aerobatics and had the longest flight of the gliders on a time basis. The rubber band powered planes flew much better in calm conditions than in the spring breeze conditions we had on Sunday.
!Photo Gallery and Video
The Heer Force
@314-02.jpg:The gliders being reviewed.
@314-03.jpg:The rubber band powered planes being reviewed.
@IMG_4001.jpg:
@IMG_4002.jpg:
@IMG_4003.jpg:
@IMG_4004.jpg:
@IMG_4005.jpg:
@IMG_4006.jpg:
@IMG_4008.jpg:
@IMG_4009.jpg:
@IMG_4010.jpg:
@IMG_4011.jpg:
+Tuffbirds.wmv:Flying the gliders and planes after Sunday school.
!Is this for Beginners?
These gliders and rubber band powered planes are for everyone. But it is special to see a child react to the wonder of making something fly, especially your own child or grandchild. I will be buying some more of these to share the joy of flying with others. All of these gliders and planes went home with their student pilot.
!Conclusion
Sometimes I forget why I got into this hobby in the first place - the fun of flying! I had a surprising amount of fun test flying these planes on a Saturday at a local park, drawing a crowd of young post game soccer players. While I had fun, some of the kids were off the scale happy with their plane or glider. When my current supply of Balsa gliders gives out I will be restocking with more of these Revell Tuff Bird balsa gliders. It really wasn't about how well they flew as long as they flew when the kids tossed them. Some kids tossed better then others, and some gliders flew better then others, but all the kids had fun.
*Pluses:
*Easy to assemble
*Easy to store
*They fly well
*Cost is low
*Shares the joy of our hobby
*Minuses:
*You might feel bad if you don't have enough for everyone
@rmxa3428-display.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Gliders $1.49
This little review is just for the fun of it and covers the balsa line of the Revell Tuff Birds. None of these gliders and planes are radio controlled, and technically they don't belong at RCGroups. Both my editor and I know that, but she is letting me review them anyway. I want people to remember the simple fun that comes from hand tossing a little balsa glider or rubber band powered plane. I have never forgotten the pleasure they gave me as a child.
I usually have a stash of little balsa gliders in my car to give to kids (after I assemble it and toss it at least once or twice just to make sure it is working properly of course). My current supply of balsa gliders came from Astoria, Oregon and were purchased at the Astoria, Column souvenir stand. That supply is almost gone as I give them out to kids who show up at the flying field. So these new Revell gliders are coming out at a good time - I can resupply locally. (Its a bit of a stair climb but the column is a great place to launch a balsa glider.)
@AstoriaColumn.jpg:The Astoria Column was where I last bought balsa gliders prior to this review.
!Revell Tuff Birds Glider
These gliders are sold in at least red or blue coloring and are the simplest and smallest of the Revell Tuff Bird balsa gliders. As part of this review I had one of these assembled and with me at the flying field one day when I was flying my Electrifly Spad XIII. As an experienced RC glider pilot I can often physically feel when a good thermal is cycling through the field. (Catching the thermal is a different talent altogether.) Feeling one, I picked up the glider and gave it a firm hard toss up into the air. I was hoping it might be sucked up and carried out of my sight. I caught the edge of the thermal, and the glider did go up for awhile to a height of about 90 feet. It drifted down field about 200 feet in the process. My flying buddy was darn impressed as he had never seen a little balsa glider climb like that. About that time the glider fell out of the thermal and glided down at the far end of the park just short of the Delta, about 350 feet from where I launched it. I will be doing that some more in the future as it was a lot of fun to do. (Per the reviewer's "Code of Honesty" I must admit that I had about 100 other ordinary flights/tosses where I thought I felt a thermal, but didn't get the glider into it.)
@3088-30.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Glider
@rmxa3520-b.jpg:L8.83"xW9.06"xH1.77"
!Revell Tuff Birds Jet Glider
This is lightly larger with approximately 1/3 more wingspan then the base Revell glider and more decoratively packaged. The jet glider is available in at least red, blue and green colors and can be purchased for a savings in a two pack. It proved to be my personal favorite.
@3088-31.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Jet Glider
@rmxa3432-1.jpg:L8.86"xW12.60"xH2.76"
@rmxa3432-2b.jpg:$1.59
@rmxa3428.jpg:Two pack of jet gliders $2.99
!Revell Tuff Birds Biplane Glider
The biplanes are fun for something different, but I couldn't get them to perform as well as the base glider or the jet glider in my indoor or outdoor gliding tests. There’s little more drag in the two wing design, and it flew the straightest of all the gliders and planes.
@3088-32.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Biplane Glider
@rmxa3429.jpg:L9.06"xW10.83"x2.56"
@rmxa3429-2b.jpg:$2.49
@rmxa3433-1b.jpg:Two pack of Biplanes $3.79
!Revell Tuff Birds Sky Soarer
The Sky Soarer is not a glider, but a rubber band powered plane with a very nice glide to sink ratio. It is the smallest and simplest of the rubber band powered planes in this series and has no wheels. The lack of wheels and the reduced weight and drag helped it perform second best in my non-scientific flight tests.
@3088-33.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Sky Soarer
@rmxa3521-b.jpg:L10.83"xW12.60"xH2.56" $2.89
!Revell Tuff Birds Stratosphere
The Revell Tuff Birds Stratosphere is a slightly larger plane then the Sky Soarer and includes plastic wheels. In my not-so-scientific flight tests it performed better then my Sky Soarer. I decided that between the Sky Soarer and the Stratosphere I would pay the extra dime for the Stratosphere, but I would still be going with the big boy: the Super Stratosphere.
@3088-34.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Stratosphere
@rmxa3430.jpg:L11.02xW12.80xH6.30" $2.99
!Revell Tuff Birds Super Stratosphere
The Super Stratosphere is the king of the lineup, and it was when I was a kid. This was my favorite design as a child, and I once had an airforce of five operating Super Stratosphere type rubber band powered planes at one time. The torque of the spinning prop made it difficult to get them to take off from the ground smoothly; They pretty much leaped off of the ground, and that is still the case. The wheels come in handy for landings, but they were not so handy if the plane found a tree branch, though if the snag was high enough, that in itself was something to brag about. This was the first one I opened and test flew, and it brought back many memories of my childhood and friends I hadn't thought about in years. This model flies just as nicely as the ones from my childhood.
@3088-35.jpg:Revell Tuff Birds Super Stratosphere
@rmxa3523-b.jpg:L14.17xW17.52xH6.69" $3.99
!Real Testing
The real test for these gliders and planes came from children at my church. Most of my volunteer pilots with parent approval agreed to pose for a picture with their glider and participate in several mass launchings with their gliders for pictures and video, and afterwards, got to keep their glider or rubber band powered plane. Equipment was assigned by blind draw for the mass launchings. I did not have the children test the gliders or planes for duration of flight. I had them test them for fun. On that, I can tell you they were a big success. Only a part of the joy was captured on the video.
Most of the kids adjusted their gliders after each flight and most got improved flights as they adjusted the position of the wings. I got calls from several of the parents post flying session to tell me how much fun their children were having with the planes and gliders. In one call I was asked how to get a rubber band powered plane down from a tree without breaking it.
I did notice that the biplane glider flew the best into the wind and flew the farthest with a strong toss. The Jet glider flew the best aerobatics and had the longest flight of the gliders on a time basis. The rubber band powered planes flew much better in calm conditions than in the spring breeze conditions we had on Sunday.
!Photo Gallery and Video
The Heer Force
@314-02.jpg:The gliders being reviewed.
@314-03.jpg:The rubber band powered planes being reviewed.
@IMG_4001.jpg:
@IMG_4002.jpg:
@IMG_4003.jpg:
@IMG_4004.jpg:
@IMG_4005.jpg:
@IMG_4006.jpg:
@IMG_4008.jpg:
@IMG_4009.jpg:
@IMG_4010.jpg:
@IMG_4011.jpg:
+Tuffbirds.wmv:Flying the gliders and planes after Sunday school.
!Is this for Beginners?
These gliders and rubber band powered planes are for everyone. But it is special to see a child react to the wonder of making something fly, especially your own child or grandchild. I will be buying some more of these to share the joy of flying with others. All of these gliders and planes went home with their student pilot.
!Conclusion
Sometimes I forget why I got into this hobby in the first place - the fun of flying! I had a surprising amount of fun test flying these planes on a Saturday at a local park, drawing a crowd of young post game soccer players. While I had fun, some of the kids were off the scale happy with their plane or glider. When my current supply of Balsa gliders gives out I will be restocking with more of these Revell Tuff Bird balsa gliders. It really wasn't about how well they flew as long as they flew when the kids tossed them. Some kids tossed better then others, and some gliders flew better then others, but all the kids had fun.
*Pluses:
*Easy to assemble
*Easy to store
*They fly well
*Cost is low
*Shares the joy of our hobby
*Minuses:
*You might feel bad if you don't have enough for everyone