...all is not lost.
The model in question is the FlyFly Hobby Beechcraft Duke B60 once sold by the great folks at RC Aerodyne in Kent, Washington. The original review is
here.
The first flight that day was on the same old 2DogRC.com packs from the original review. The second was on two newer packs, but which I knew were in questionable condition. Turns out I should have listened to that little voice in my head because one of the batteries cut out early turning from base to final and caused this wonderful model to spiral in. Ker-splat. So close, yet so far.
Here's the good news.
RC Aerodyne mistakenly sent a kit version without the electronics. The model in the review is the PNP version which was forwarded as a replacement. Shipping the first kit back would have cost a fortune; RC Aerodyne let me keep it! Since then, it's been in the box in case the unimaginable were to happen. Turns out it did.
Since the review was published, no one seems to carry the model anymore, let alone replacement parts.
Rather than fly a glue bomb, I made the decision to strip the electronics from the crashed model for use in the new one. FlyFly did, quite honestly, a horrible job of opening up the holes at the tail for the twin elevator servos and single rudder servo. Good thing the openings were hidden since they looked as if they'd been done with a dull butter knife.
Except for a couple of decals I stole from the kit's decal sheet, it's a complete kit which includes a bunch of extra hardware, almost none of which are for the model.
That decal sheet is going to be mailed to the one and only Callie Soden of Callie Graphics and some spare LED nav lights are going in the wingtips. The ridiculous multicolored LED serving as a tail beacon will be replaced by a proper unit.
I have one chance to get this one right, so wish me luck!