E-Flite Platinum Serie Aeronca Champ 15e ARF $179.

Key Features

* Scale landing gear with shock absorbing struts
* Spring-damped steerable tailwheel assembly
* Simulated exhausts and oil cooler
* Accurately modeled wing struts
* Detailed instrument panel
* Classic Champ UltraCote® trim scheme
* Painted fiberglass cowl
* Two-piece plug-in wing
* Large easy-access belly hatch
* Balsa/lightweight plywood construction

Overview

Designed as an answer to Piper’s J-3 Cub, the Aeronca 7AC Champion has been winning the hearts of pilots since 1944. Its honest, easy-going flight characteristics just seem to have a way of soothing the nerves and restoring the soul of everyone who flies it. Now modelers can experience the Champ’s winning ways in stunning scale detail with the E-flite® Aeronca Champ 15e. In addition to its near-perfect scale outline, this Platinum Series ARF comes out of the box with many other details, most of which have been completed for you. Some of these include a classic Champ trim scheme, instrument panel details, a painted fiberglass cowl with simulated exhausts and scale shock absorbing landing gear. E-flite has even gone so far as to construct the airframe as close as possible to the full-scale version. If you love general aviation classics, but don’t really feel like spending a lot of time building one, the E-flite Aeronca Champ 15e is just the scale stick-and-rudder fix you’ve been waiting for.
Needed to Complete

- Full range 4+ channel Transmitter and Receiver (DX6i & AR6200 recommended)
- Four (4) micro-sized servos (MC35 servos recommended)
- Motor
- ESC
- Flight Battery with compatible Charger
- Propeller


More details can be found here - http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=EFL2800


Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC_93...e=mfu_in_order

Gotta love a Champ!

Wow, beautiful plane!

Watch out Pilot 1.
Now a Golden Age racer perhaps .

John

I'm going to be that guy and say "really - that's the best E-Flite could come up with???"

Somehow, I'm just not very excited....

Pilot-1 already has a 52" version that looks almost identical (only 8 inches smaller and 24oz lighter!!!), and it costs $50 less. They also already have a great-looking PA-12, Stinson 108, and a Waco YKS.

I like E-Flite (love my Stearman - heavy as it is), but I really wish they had come up with something more distinct. Or at very least a different paint scheme! Jeez... you can't even tell them apart.

They could use another biplane in the line-up... Waco, TravelAir, Great Lakes, Boeing 40 mail plane, P6E Hawk. Or, a vintage "between-the-wars" plane: Peashooter, Grumman Goose, Fairchild 22 (or 24), Lockheed Vega or Sirius, Mr. Mulligan, Stinson Gullwing,... lots of classics out there that have a lot more "pizzaz" than the Champ.

... and please, E-Flite... try to keep the weight down!!!

Sorry --- don't flame me. I'm just sayin'...

... but the working shock-absorbers are neat.

I Hear yah Warhead.... but I bet it outsells the Pilot 1 version thanks to Horizon's excellent marketing and the micro champ which was hugely popular.

Originally Posted by warhead_71

I'm going to be that guy and say "really - that's the best E-Flite could come up with???"

Somehow, I'm just not very excited....

Pilot-1 already has a 52" version that looks almost identical (only 8 inches smaller and 24oz lighter!!!), and it costs $50 less. They also already have a great-looking PA-12, Stinson 108, and a Waco YKS.

I like E-Flite (love my Stearman - heavy as it is), but I really wish they had come up with something more distinct. Or at very least a different paint scheme! Jeez... you can't even tell them apart.

They could use another biplane in the line-up... Waco, TravelAir, Great Lakes, Boeing 40 mail plane, P6E Hawk. Or, a vintage "between-the-wars" plane: Peashooter, Grumman Goose, Fairchild 22 (or 24), Lockheed Vega or Sirius, Mr. Mulligan, Stinson Gullwing,... lots of classics out there that have a lot more "pizzaz" than the Champ.

... and please, E-Flite... try to keep the weight down!!!

Sorry --- don't flame me. I'm just sayin'...

... but the working shock-absorbers are neat.

Maybe... but I bet a 25-size Curtiss P6-E or Peashooter would outsell both put together...

Like I said, I have nothing against E-Flite... nor "Champs"... but they could have at least picked a different color scheme.

Originally Posted by warhead_71

Like I said, I have nothing against E-Flite... nor "Champs"... but they could have at least picked a different color scheme.

Show me a better looking color scheme for a Champ...

That would be like asking them to leave the fins off a '57 Chevy!

Andy
(ok, so I'm biased...click my username and you'll see why)

we need an Eflite Platinum Series Beech 18

Beech 18 or Grumman Goose would be awesome... they use the same engines.

Here are some alternate paint schemes that I would greatly prefer:

Well, the first one is just plain hideous, but the other L-16 warbird schemes are nice. My guess is they were going for the original Aeronca Champ scheme, which is the most appropriate in my opinion. The red and white Chief (side-by-side version of the Champ) is nice-looking.

At least they went with the smaller 7AC tail instead of the enlarged dorsal fin on the later Champs. Can we agree on that one?

Andy

As a rule I do not make direct comparisons to competitor's products on web forums, but this one is so close that I think I should at least say something.

Without going point-by-point, I will say the E-flite airplane is truly in a different class than the Pilot 1 airplane. Different size, more scale details, higher scale fidelity. Due to these differences, we believe they serve two different segments and therefore allow room for both to exist in the market.

Originally Posted by warhead_71

Here are some alternate paint schemes that I would greatly prefer:...

Warhead—you need the Champ kit from Fly2build and you can paint it up any way you like!



I'm just about to start the kit. Definitely not going to go with the orange/yellow now!

I agree, Dave. This is a step above the Pilot-1 Champ when it comes to the details. Those landing gear are simply a work of art!

Can you comment on how the plane flies? The video makes it look rather peppy for a Champ. Does it slow down well for some more relaxing "Champ-like" flying? That's one thing the Pilot-1 Champ doesn't do very well is fly slowly.

Thanks,

Andy

Originally Posted by Dave Eichstedt

...the E-flite airplane is truly in a different class than the Pilot 1 airplane...

The E-Flite offering will definitely have a better supply of parts, that's for sure!

Dave / E-Flite: nice work on the scale gear. I love that it relaxes in flight like the real deal. Cool!