!Introduction

@Acro=Wot4.jpg:Flyzone publicity shot gives two views of this very pretty plane.

I have intentionally started this review with promotional shots posted by Flyzone on their Acro-Wot MkII as well as their promotional video found on You Tube. WARNING: I found them very effective advertising! They are the main reason I requested to review this plane. Had I not been assigned this review I very likely would have bought an Acro-Wot MkII to personally examine it up close as I was very interested in their statement: "The lightweight, molded AeroCell™ foam airframe offers outstanding durability, and CARBON FIBER-REINFORCED SURFACES provide more rigidity and truer flight." (Highlighting added for emphasis by author.) While I have found AeroCell foam to be a good material for planes in the past I was interested in how they used carbon fiber to reinforce the surfaces for greater rigidity and thereby hopefully "truer flight." I will be discussing this below at the end of the assembly section and the conclusion of the flight section and what I found concerning it. I have advised you that I found this plane very interesting and I love to examine company's promotional claims and report my findings concerning those claims. I recommend you watch the video below and my flight video later in this review with an eye to the stiffness of the plane's control surfaces and how well she tracks.

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| @Acro-Wot.jpg
|> <b>Wingspan:</b> |< 49"
|> <b>Wing Area:</b> |< 410 sq in
|> <b>Weight:</b> |< 38-42 oz.
|> <b>Length:</b> |< 39.5"
|> <b>Servos:</b> |< 4 micro servos
|> <b>Transmitter:</b> |< Pilot's Choice with AnyLink
|> <b>Receiver:</b> |< Tactic 6 channel SLT 2.4 GHz
|> <b>Battery:</b> |< Flyzone 3-cell 1800mAh 20C LiPo
|> <b>Motor:</b> |< 30-24-920kV brushless outrunner motor
|> <b>ESC:</b> |< 40A brushless with BEC
|> <b>Manufacturer:</b> |< <a href=http://www.flyzoneplanes.com/airplanes/flza3310/index.html>Flyzone</a>
|> <b>Available From:</b> |< Fine Hobby Stores Everywhere
|> <b>Price RTF:</b> |< $279.99
|> <b>Price Tx-R:</b> |< $199.98

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!Kit Contents

*Kit Contents Transmitter Ready Version
*One piece wing with servos and ailerons installed
*Horizontal stabilizer with elevator attached
*Vertical stabilizer with rudder attached
*Fuselage with motor, ESC, 6 channel Anylink SLT receiver, rudder and elevator servos installed
*Main landing gear
*Tail wheel
*Spinner and prop
*Assorted hardware of screws and control horns
*Instruction manual

*RTF Version Includes the Above Plus
*1,800mAh 3-cell LiPo battery pack
*Electrifly Smart Charger
*Tactic TT404 Four Channel Transmitter on 2.4GHz

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| @Acro 001.jpg

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| @Acro 002.jpg

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| @Acro 003.jpg | @Acro 005.jpg

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| @Acro 007.jpg | @Acro 012.jpg | @Acro 022.jpg

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| @Wot 001.jpg | @Wok 020.jpg

@Acro-Wot2.jpg:The complete kit contents for the RTF version

!Parts and Materials Required for Assembly

*Tools
*A 00 screwdriver
*A 01 screwdriver
*A pair of pliers
*Locking compound

@Wok 017.jpg

!Assembly

This plane is so easy to assemble that I literally could have driven from the hobby store to our flying field, assembled it at the field and flown. This is not a build section but a final assembly section. I got out my pliers, two screwdrivers, Locking compound and my camera to make a video slide show of the assembly. You can watch the short assembly video slide show or if you prefer read the text and look at the still pictures. My actual assembly time was 42 minutes but that included reading the instruction manual and taking the assembly pictures. (Making the slide show video on my computer and uploading it took longer.)

+AcroWot2.wmv:Video slide show of the assembly of the plane.

!Video slide show of the Acro-Wot MkII as posted to You Tube.

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://
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!!Fuselage

I followed the included Tech Notice directions and secured the landing gear to the bottom of the fuselage with two supplied 3 x15mm self-tapping screws. Next, per the instruction manual, I slipped the horizontal stabilizer into the slot for it on the back of the fuselage. I then fit the vertical fin into the notch for it on top of the fuselage and horizontal stabilizer. The horizontal stabilizer and vertical fin were secured in place with two 3 x18mm machine screws. The tail wheel had a tiller wire that went into a molded groove in the rudder. I secured the tiller wire to the rudder with the rudder control horn and two self-tapping 2 x 8mm screws. The tail wheel was secured to the back bottom of the fuselage with a self-tapping 2 x10mm screw. I followed the instructions to properly align the rudder and elevator and connected their control horns to the servos forward in the fuselage with their respective control rods. I used the supplied pushrod connectors to secure the pushrods to the control horns on the rudder and elevator. I used Locking compound to secure the screws in the control rod holders on the servo arms once the servo's control horns and the control rods were properly aligned.

@Acro 009.jpg:The landing gear is secured with two screws
@Wot 002.jpg:The gear is solid and quickly attached
@Acro 010.jpg:The horizontal stabilizer slips into the back of the fuselage
@Acro 011.jpg:The vertical stabilizer slips in on top of the horizontal stabilizer
@Acro 010.jpg:Two screws through the fuselage secure both of the stabilizers to the fuselage.
@Acro 012.jpg:The control rods are secured onto the control horns on the rudder and elevator.

@Wok 012.jpg:The control horn for the rudder also secures the tail wheel steering tiller in place.
@Wok 013.jpg:The tail wheel is secured to the fuselage with one screw in the bottom of the fuselage.

@Wok 015.jpg:With the control surfaces straight I secured the control rods properly aligned to the servo control arms

The wing came in one piece fully assembled with ailerons and aileron servos installed. The two aileron servos were plugged into a Y-harness connector from the receiver and the wing was secured to the bottom of the fuselage with one 4 x12mm machine screw. With the radio system on I centered the aileron servos per the instructions and once in place I tightened the screws in the aileron servo arms that secured the control rods and then locked them in place with thread locking compound.

@Acro 020.jpg:The two aileron servos connect to the receiver with a Y harness.
@Wot 001.jpg:Two pins in the front of the wing fit into the front of the wing saddle on the fuselage.
@Wot 002.jpg:The wing was secured to the fuselage with one screw in the back of the wing.
@Acro 019.jpg:The ailerons came connected to the aileron servos. When centered I added locking compound to the set screws on the servo arms.

The prop adapter was slipped onto the motor shaft followed by the back plate of the spinner followed by the propeller, a washer and all was secured with the prop nut. I used my pliers but an adjustable wrench could have been used instead to tighten the nut. I then secured the spinner over the prop and into the spinner back plate with two supplied screws.

@Wok 008.jpg:I used pliers to secure the prop nut to the prop adapter.
@Wok 010.jpg:The spinner was secured in place with two supplied screws.

The recommended 3-cell 1800 mAh battery pack fit into the battery compartment through the access hatch in the underside front of the fuselage. With the battery installed it was time for final adjustment of the throw movements and confirming the plane's Center of Gravity (C/G) was properly located.

@Acro 022.jpg:The battery fit in above the ESC and slid to the left in this picture.
@AWM 001.jpg:The battery has been inserted but not yet connected.

!!Completion

When I installed the recommended Flyzone 3-cell 1800mAh battery pack in place through the opening for it in the front underside of the fuselage I found my plane was balanced on the recommended C/G of 2 7/16" behind the leading edge of the wing. I strongly recommend setting up both low and high rates for the Acro-Wot MkII. The plane is very responsive at high rates and more relaxing to fly at low rates while still responsive and able to perform acrobatics. The good news is that at a flip of a switch one can go between high and low rates on any channel. I discuss the Any Link set-up below and after that has been done the high and low rates should be as follows:

*Control Surface Throws
*Control-------Low Rate-------High Rate
*Elevator:___11/32"________5/8" up and down
*Rudder:____1 1/16"_______1 5/8" right and left
*Ailerons____11/32"________1/2" up and down

!Promoted Features

The plane is promoted as being easy to assemble and it certainly was for me as demonstrated in the video above. But it is also a solid construction allowing the plane to fly like a good sport plane should. Carbon fiber can be seen in the middle and leading edges of the ailerons and the ailerons perform properly. They appear to move evenly their entire length rather then how some foam ailerons perform where they move fully at the servo and less towards the ends of the aileron away from the control horn. The wing is thick and relatively stiff and performs well in operation at both high and low speeds.

@Acro 017.jpg:The carbon fiber pictured in the middle of the aileron.
@Acro 018.jpg:There is also carbon fiber in the leading edge of the aileron.
@Acro 019.jpg:Servos come mounted and connected to the ailerons.
@AWM 007.jpg:The entire aileron moves equally in part due to the molded in carbon fiber.

!Replacement Parts List

*PARTS LIST
*FLZA6024 Flyzone LiPo 3S11.1V 1800 20C
*FLZA6223 Flyzone Fuselage Set Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6224 Flyzone One-Piece Wing Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6225 Flyzone Vertical Fin Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6226 Flyzone Horizontal Stab Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6227 Flyzone Main Landing Gear Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6228 Flyzone Tail Wheel Assembly Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6229 Flyzone Spinner Assembly Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6230 Flyzone Foam Battery Hatch Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6231 Flyzone Propeller 11 x 8 Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6232 Flyzone Propeller Adapter Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6233 Flyzone Brushless Motor Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6234 Flyzone ESC Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6235 Flyzone Hardware Set Acro-Wot MKII
*FLZA6236 Flyzone Decal Sheet Acro-Wot MKII
TACLO624 Tactic TR624 2.4GHz 6Ch receiver only

!Flying

!Any Link 2.4GHz Radio Adapter

My version of the Acro-Wot MkII came with a Tactic receiver and separately I was sent an AnyLink 2.4GHz radio adapter. The AnyLink Adapter has been out for a number of months now and if you are familiar with it I recommend you skip ahead to the flying Basics section. The Tactic AnyLink allows me to fly my Acro-Wot MkII with it's tactic receiver with almost any transmitter out on the market. This includes transmitters that were originally on FM and transmitters made by: Futaba, Hitec, JR, Spektrum and Tower Hobbies. The recommended range is 1,000 feet and I have fully tested the Acro-Wot MkII to that range without any problems other than the plane got pretty small to my eyes at that distance.

@Link 001.jpg:The Any Link adapter and basic cables come in this box.
@Link 002.jpg:This and an instruction manual is what comes inside the box.
@Link 007.jpg:Here I have attached one of the fasteners to the back of the adapter.
@Link 008.jpg:The second fastener has been attached to the back of my Futaba Transmitter.
@Link 009.jpg:The adapter quickly attached to the back of the transmitter and plugged into the transmitter.
@Link 010.jpg:That was all it took. the transmitter is now ready to be set up as it would for any new plane for my Acro-Wot MkII.

!!Binding the Transmitter to the Receiver

*The Binding Process
*Turn on the transmitter
*Apply power to the receiver
*Insert a small screwdriver into the hole marked "BIND" and press until the Rx LED glows red
*The LED should turn off after about a second
*Release the Bind button
*If successful the RX LED will flash once and then remain on.
*Test controls to make sure the direction is correct, if not reverse the necessary channels on the transmitter.

Two cables come with the Any Link unit and they let me use the adapter with the following transmitters:

@Link 003.jpg:The two cables that come with the adapter. They can also be purchased separately if lost or damaged.

*Futaba
*4YF
*4YBF
*6J
*6EX
*7C
*9C
*8FG
*10C
*12FG
*18MZ

*JR
*10X
*XP6102
*XF421
*XP783
*X9503
*X9303
*XP8103
*X388s

*Spektrum
*DX6
*DX6i
*DX7

*Tower Hobbies
*4TH
*6XM

Some transmitters require an optional adapter cable of which 4 are sold and they work with the following transmitters:

*Adapter Cable TACM0003

@Link 004.jpg:This is the TACM0003 cable

*Futaba
*4VF
*5U
*6DA
*6H
*6A
*6YG
*6YF
*7NFK
*8U
*9Z

*Hitec
*Prism 7 & 7X
*Focus 4 & 6
*Flash 4sx
*Eclipse 7
*Neon
*Optics5 & 6
*Laser 4 & 6

*Tower Hobbies
*4FM
*6FM

*Adapter Cable TACM0004

@Link 005.jpg:This is the TACM0004 cable

*Hitec
*Aurora 9

*Adapter Cable TACM0005

@Link 006.jpg:This is the TACM0005 cable.

*Spektrum
*DX4e
*DX5e
*DX7s
*DX8
*DX10T

*Adapter Cable TACM0006

I do not have the TACM0006 cable and thus no picture of it.

*Futaba
*12Z
*14MZ

!!Basics

The Acro-Wot MkII has four channel control with throttle, ailerons, rudder and elevator. I have flown mine with both a Tactic transmitter with Dual rates and with my computerized Futaba 7C transmitter shown above. With the Tactic transmitter I used the elevator trim tab to put in a bit of down elevator so that my Acro-Wot flew level at slightly above 1/2 speed. At higher speeds I held in just a bit of down trim for level flight. This is a common condition for most of my planes when flown with a non computerized transmitter. With my Futaba transmitter I programmed in a mix of throttle/down elevator so that the planes flies level even with an increase of throttle. I like using dual rates with the Acro Wot and find she is very responsive even at low rates but was still very smooth to handle. Most of the in flight video shown below was flown using low rates.

The plane is very quick at full throttle but can slow down very nicely thanks to its 49 inch wingspan and relative lightness for its size. AeroCell has in past planes proven itself very durable but I have not tested it with any crashes with the Acro-Wot. I encourage use of throttle management as there is a lot more flight time at half throttle. All of my flights have been with the recommended Flyzone 3-cell, 1800mAh packs. Fortunately, I have two of those packs. I will make some converter connectors for two packs I have with Dean connectors to soon give me four packs to use in the Acro-Wot. I am sticking with the recommended size pack as it fits perfectly and gives me the recommended C/G.

!!Taking Off and Landing

Take offs and landings have been very smooth when facing into the wind. I have flown in wind with twenty mile an hour gusts and while I prefer calm conditions I did have pretty good control in the wind. In calm conditions I can make the take off as slow as I want or have the plane jump into the air in less than 15 feet. Most landings have been made with just a little power on but she can be landed with motor off and a slight flair before touch down. All of my flights have been from hard dirt, very short grass or a paved runway. For those surfaces the wheels have worked fine. I have not tried to fly off of long grass and I don't plan to but if I did I think I would have to switch to larger wheels based upon my past general experience. However, as stated, I haven't tried flying from longer grass.

!!Aerobatics/Special Flight Performance

The plane is promoted as a sport plane and she handles like a sport plane should! Loops can be made large or small, rolls can be performed slowly or quickly. Split S maneuvers are as smooth as I could want. Inverted flight can be performed for almost the entire length of the battery without feeling strained while doing it. She flies great half pipes with tail falls and recoveries. Doing rolls while flying a large circle or spins in a dive before pulling out were done with confidence and assorted throttle management. She puts a big smile on my face in flight and I am surprised when the battery alarm goes off as the time goes by all to quickly when flying the Acro-Wot MkII. Using a combination of rudder and aileron control for turns makes them nice and smooth and slow speed passes right in front of me let me see the controls in work up close and personal. While I expected the plane to fly well she honestly flew even better than I expected. If you are like some of my friends and only fly warbirds... the Acro-Wot's handling makes a compelling argument to try a sport plane.

!!Is This For a Beginner?

While a beginner can certainly assembly this plane, it is very responsive and I would recommend the Acro-Wot MkII as a second or third plane.

!!Flight Video/Photo Gallery

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| @AWM 036.jpg | @AWM 037.jpg

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| @AWM 045.jpg | @AWM 047.jpg | @AWM 056.jpg

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<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://
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+AWMkII.wmv:The Acro-Wot MkII in operation.

!Conclusion

The Acro-Wot MkII was very easy to assemble, store and transport. Installing the wing at the flying field involves plugging in the aileron servos to the receiver and securing the wing with one bolt. She is light for her size and handles well from full throttle to a very slow speed. The plane is well designed to get cooling air over the motor, ESC and battery pack and can be flown full out for the full battery pack. At the end of a flight I found the motor cool, ESC a little warm and the battery pack only slightly warm on a day in the high 80's. She is a nice attractive plane with clear delineation of the plane's top and bottom by color and different patterns on the wings. The only negative was very minor with some of the pre-applied decals not sticking at the hinge lines, but that was easily corrected with some trimming. She handled gusty winds the one day I flew her in winds and did surprisingly well in control although the added wind did want to make her climb more when flying into the wind. I found her a very fun plane to fly and with which to perform traditional acrobatics. She has made herself a place in my permanent Heer Force.

!Pluses and Minuses

*Pluses
*Quick and easy to assemble as advertised
*Carbon fiber in ailerons did help keep them stiff
*Well constructed
*Easy to transport and assemble at the field
*Nice looking
*Flies GREAT!

*Minuses
*Decals needed a little trimming or tape on the plane at some hinge lines
*Benefits from using a transmitter with throttle/elevator mixing

My thanks to Dick Andersen for his help with this review and our editor for her assistance with this article as well.

Nice review, thanks. This looks like one of the most attractive foam sport planes to me. It is sold under the Ripmax brand in the UK, I wonder if Hype will sell it, too.

I just completed this last week. A few things that I think should be noted,
the tail wheel assembly and control horns are designed to fit 1 way only. The battery tray is designed to hold the pack at an angle and not horizontally. Ask me how I found that out... When the pack is installed in the 'correct' position, CG is spot on. There's an excess of wing servo wires that need to be tucked back/taped down into the wing as to not interfere with the rud/elev servos.

Mine was missing one of the screws for the rudder control horn so I used two servo mounting screws from some old hs 55's. I also used some CA on that horn for 'just in case'. The last issue was my tail wouldn't attach because the 2 blind nuts were full of whatever glue they used during assembly. One of the nicer things that wasn't noted in the review is that FlyZone installed some wing tip skids into the wings.

My kit was the TX-R version. The review is spot on. It parody's the old Gieco commercial of 'so simple a caveman...' Unknown how it flies as of yet because I'm waiting for my photographer to get back from Ca. to shoot some in the air shots. The Tactic adapter comes standard with the square plug to fit a lot of the Futaba TX's.

I'd give this bird a buy rating just for the assembly aspect. Now if my picture taker would get home...grr

Dan

But I would have preferred to have been provided more info about price & global availability.
No mention made of "value for money" which is odd when the number of quality planes of similar build, size, & design philosophy is considered.
Also I wondered why the control surface rates might not be reduced even further below the recorded "low" so perhaps allowing novice flyers to fly successfully - just asking?

I've flown one of these quite a bit, a buddy of mine has one. I think the biggest challenge a novice will have is the speed of the plane. It can scoot around quite quickly on the default prop. I would advise changing the prop for a beginner, the reviewer says it has an 11x8, maybe drop it to an 11x7 or even an 11x5.5. I'm not sure a 12x6 will clear if flying on grass, but on dirt or asphalt that would be a very good option too. The plane will slow down and fly quite nicely with no bad stall habits, so a beginner should be able to handle it well.

To PeterLonz:
I am writing to respond to your comments. On the issue of price I posted the price for both the Tx-R version and RTF in the information box at the start of the review. As for Global availability I am not privy to that information. I do not work for Hobbico and I don't know how expansive their network is. I am an independent, unpaid reviewer who tries to share my honest opinions on the products I review.
Value for money is an opinion that I often leave up to the individual reader. To some pilots only warbirds have value and they have no interest and to them no value in anything else. I generally convey enough of my opinions in the review to convey my impressions on the quality and handling of the plane. Here I described the quality of the design, the appearance, the planes control and handling etc. I think the Tx-R version I reviewed is a very good value for the money. (I am currently reviewing the new Select Scale Beaver which will be submitted to our editor later today. I do find and state it to be an excellent value because the plane flies very well, has a number of nice scale and design features and comes with both wheels and floats. I also find it to be a plane a beginner can fly using the wheels.)
Control rates could be further reduced both mechanically and by computer transmitter programming. That is something anyone can do with almost all aircraft and I didn't feel it was something that needs to be discussed. I have more pilots requesting more control rather then less and so I do discuss how to get more throw in some reviews. My belief is that beginners should be able to fly the plane as sold. I believe this is an excellent plane for the intermediate or better pilot but with the many good trainers on the market this is not a good first plane for a Beginner. I hope that responds to your comments. Best wishes for good flying. Mike Heer

Is there enough room for the ESC on this version? How hard would it be to get the motor out, e.g. to fit a new shaft? That looks difficult on the original.

When I got mine someone had torn a hole in the fuse to get the motor out. I didn't like it , but it was easy to make a piece of cheap foam to repair it. The motor mount bolts on mine are very hard to get to , as I had to do it again when a setscrew came loose. My esc is cut into the side of the fuse right beside the battery.

I've been liking mine very well , but I don't at all like the small battery compartment , no motor access and hatch. I'm afraid that one day I'll lose the hatch. The battery sure is easy to remove though.

I have always loved Chris Foss's designs and wish they were available in the US. Ripmax also makes a Wot4 foamie that I would LOVE for Tower to start selling. This one is definitely on my short list, hopefully by xmas. Thanks for the review, Mike!

Originally Posted by gulio

I've been liking mine very well , but I don't at all like the small battery compartment , no motor access and hatch. I'm afraid that one day I'll lose the hatch.

Thanks, gulio. Those are the things that put me off buying the last version. I hoped they'd fixed those problems in the MkII.

I got back from vacation and into a storm here in Northern CA this past weekend. Had the need to fly when I got off work yesterday and went to the park and had a great flying session with this plane. Handled the wind and showed up well against the cloudy skies. The recommended battery fits easily into the battery compartment but I haven't tried to go for a larger pack. So far the hatch cover for the battery has been on firmly and not a concern in the air. It did blow off the bench when I was installing the battery pack yesterday. If I was concerned I would use a little 3M white plastic tape to help secure it but thus far I have not felt any need to do that. I flew an in and out pattern with the light poles as I had the field and street to myself. I wouldn't try that with people around. The more I fly the Acro-Wot the more it grows on me as a great Sport plane. Mike H

Just ordered this plane. I hope it is all that it is cracked up to be.

Just got mine and had 8 flights and I just love it. This is my first sport plane and will be good for honning up my flying skills. It is very stable and easy to recover from any mistakes. Dead easy to land. I use 1800 and 2200mah batteries and CG is no problem. Don't fall into the trap like me. I thought the battery ony went diagonally downwards hence only one of my batteries would fit. If you slide it more horizontally they fit better but still tight. Also watch the battery wiring, don't let it rub on the motor. I glued in a bracket to keep it away. I'm not a tactic fan so threw their receiver away and used my own.

Actually, the Tactic receivers are pretty good. I usually sell mine to a friend who has a 72 mhz JR radio and an AnyLink module installed on it. He loves them. I get 15 bucks for them.