Hi guys, recently got the XK A430 and am quite happy with the little acrobat, so here is my review of it.

The review, as well as a parts list (if I ever do any mods/upgrades) can be found in my blog: ArxangelRC.blogspot.com

As some of you probably know, for a while now I've been doing a ton of FPV flying, and I have to tell you - at some point it does start to get too much and just plain boring! This is part of the reason why I don't just do FPV for the heck of it, but keep pushing the limit of something all the time, and get new planes - to keep things interesting! Even with that, non-stop FPV could start to get "too much" as some quad racers will also testify, so I decided to get something to stray away from FPV for a second, and the XK A430 Micro 3D plane with integrated stabilization seemed like the perfect plane for the job!

It is small and packs neatly in its box, doesn't require heavy batteries, lots of space to fly, or even a Taranis, and being an XK product I did expect it to perform well, and in fact it does do so. The stabilization unit does a pretty good job of getting you out of trouble, and of stabilizing the plane pretty nicely, even in very strong winds for its size!

Oh, and one more thing - this little guy is brushless, so you get a lot of thrust and the ability to pull off most 3D maneuvers. It is a blast to fly and I particularly like how scale the landings look! Another top product from XK!

XK A-430 Micro 3D brushless plane w/ stabilization - another great model from XK (7 min 36 sec)

SPECIFICATIONS
Wing span: 430mm
Length: 400mm
Flying weight: 60g
Radio range: 200m


ARRIVAL STATE

Nothing much to report here. RCMoment shipped it quickly, and it arrived quickly, without any damage to the box or the model! I love it when I receive pristine boxes!


WHAT I LIKE

First and foremost, this little model is brushless, which is awesome as it absolutely has enough power to go vertical, which is good for 3D flying! Same cannot be said for the other similar model I have, the Graupner Micro Extra LEKI 300, but it was brushed... and as you can imagine thrust was not its strong part! Also, it didn't have an integrated stabilization, which made flying in windy weather a lot more interesting!

The brushless motor on the A430 is a good size, but also appears to be quite efficient as it is able to fly for quite a while on a single battery! The motor is also installed on a mount, which allows it to be easily removed for replacement or servicing, should the need arise!





Right behind the motor is where the battery goes, and although there is nothing there to hold it, it does fit in pretty nicely and hasn't ever tried to leave the plane during flight!



In that same compartment resides a button, and even though I have not checked the manual specifically to try and find out what it does, I am seriously hoping it is a bind button for the receiver. That would make binding this to another radio, other than the one it comes with, rather easy, and since I have an IRX4 module on the back of my Taranis at all times now, I just might try to bind it with that one, so I can fly the little bugger with a proper radio, which might even make it fly better!



The plane comes completely assembled, with servos, electronics, push rods, control horns, etc., pre-installed and setup. There are even tiny little hinges installed, which have been pretty solid so far! Really top notch build and quality here!













You even get the prop pre-installed, and there is a spare one provided, which is always nice!





You also get a charger, a battery and a remote controller, but will need to get 4x AA batteries for it, as none are provided. To be completely honest, this radio has more range than the stock one that came with the Volantex Ranger 2000... and that one is a 2 meter plane!



And last, there IS a user manual, and it is printed in colour! Always love that.




WHAT I DON'T LIKE

Access to the electronics is very limited due to the fact that the fuselage is glued together, and there is no hatch provided for that. If something needs replacing in there, you will need to cut it open!



The landing gear holder was not properly glued in, so it fell off during one of the flights. Thankfully a friend saw where it landed, so I was able to recover it and glued it back in.



And last, the rudder authority is not what it could be, or should be for full 3D flight! Even on high rates it is not enough to keep altitude during a knife edge, so the plane would go down slowly! I guess it could be modded to increase the rudder travel, but the radio sticks might be more to plane for this than anything else, being round and all!

THE VERDICT


XK certainly do not disappoint with this model, just as they did not with others before it. It is built very well, comes absolutely stunningly detailed and painted, and everything is setup and ready to go out of the box, only requires the battery to be charged, and a few AA batteries for the radio.















When it comes to flying, it actually flies much better than I would have thought. It weights almost nothing and yet that stabilizer is able to keep it reigned in even stronger winds, which makes it quite easy to fly and learn on! If you have some experience flying, but want to get into 3D, and want an easy to transport model that will not take a lot of space, the XK A430 is absolutely the model for you!



It can literally take off from a table... or from the tarmac, and has absolutely no problem landing on the latter, even if it is of the rougher kind! In the stabilized mode the landings look almost kind of scale, and the detail on the plane only adds to that feeling! You may struggle a bit with knife edge and hovering at first, but when you manage to increase the travel of the rudder, things will fall back into place!

For what this set offers, I think the price is more than fair, and the performance worth every cent! The stabilizer definitely makes things easier and the A430 would be a welcome change of pace from the regular flight days that I have, where I usually stare at a monitor and slightly move some sticks all day long! I am NOT planning to put FPV on this one, so please don't ask about it!

Reserved

Reserved.

Hi Arxangel,

I picked one of these a couple of weeks ago and I have to say I love it. I have 26 flights on it already. And I ordered a second one from TomTop which is on its way.

I am thinking of changing the stock RX so I can use it with my DSMX transmitter. That's why I thought it would be nice to have a spare in case the mods don't go as planned. The only thing I don't like about this model is the stock transmitter, but for this price I suppose you can't expect too much.

Originally Posted by wildblue30

Hi Arxangel,

I picked one of these a couple of weeks ago and I have to say I love it. I have 26 flights on it already. And I ordered a second one from TomTop which is on its way.

I am thinking of changing the stock RX so I can use it with my DSMX transmitter. That's why I thought it would be nice to have a spare in case the mods don't go as planned. The only thing I don't like about this model is the stock transmitter, but for this price I suppose you can't expect too much.

Glad to hear you like it mate! It is a darn good model indeed! Having a spare is always a good option, if you can afford it! Hope all goes well with the mod... yes, would be nice to be able to fly it with our own radios, but even so... for somebody just getting into the hobby this is still a nice deal!

Why not upgrade to a Jumper T8SG Plus V2 and use that Tx, i like mine but have not tried it on any Futaba compatible recievers, sure it will work!

Support Protocols:
* Walkera full range
* DSM2/X full range
* Flysky and Flysky 2A
* FrSKY
* FUTABA s-fhss full range
* WL Toy series, Hubsan series, Esky series and many more


https://www.banggood.com/Jumper-T8SG...r_warehouse=CN


Tommy

I will take full blame for pilot error here.
Maiden felt weird. Before launch I could not figure out if I was in beginner or advanced mode on the Tx. It wasn't obvious, as the control surfaces were twitching either way. Clearly it was beginner. First launch, hand toss into the very slight breeze, she flew straight away for 100 yards at 3/4 throttle. Fast! A gentle turn did almost nothing; had to really crank to get her pointed my way. Just out and back, throttled down for a rather floppish ugly grass landing. This grass went up to her belly, so I wasn't expecting any roll. Ended up nosed over with no damage. I repeated this for a few more similar results, looking for how to turn off beginner mode. Ah! One short press and then one long press (I think) seemed to work. Then she got squirrely! Sort of. The stabilization thing might have been messing with me, or (more likely) my thumbs are just in need of more stick time. I'd already done the belly flop thing onto soft grass about 9 times, when a little rudder twitch in the wrong direction, in the middle of a turn with too much throttle I'm sure, sent me to a cartwheel style landing.
I revealed a weakness in the design (of yet another airplane - I see a pattern here) where the landing gear holder sits in a giant cutout of the major structure. Of course the foam needed reinforcement to hold this wire. Maybe (wondered beforehand) I should've flown without main gear? I was worried about breaking props. It appears the prop may be OK, but the whole nose snapped off at that LG cutout. A couple wood pins and epoxy or something and she'll be fine.
But I'd better find some wood pins and epoxy for my thumbs!

Other notes:
If you've flown rc much, you can fly this!
Beginner mode seems way too tame (though I didn't have much time to try it.)
Tail wheel had fallen off the wire in shipping. I just bent the wire straight for a skid.
Yes she climbs vertically just fine! Didn't try hover. Crashed first. Haha!

Originally Posted by Daddio

I will take full blame for pilot error here.
Maiden felt weird. Before launch I could not figure out if I was in beginner or advanced mode on the Tx. It wasn't obvious, as the control surfaces were twitching either way. Clearly it was beginner. First launch, hand toss into the very slight breeze, she flew straight away for 100 yards at 3/4 throttle. Fast! A gentle turn did almost nothing; had to really crank to get her pointed my way. Just out and back, throttled down for a rather floppish ugly grass landing. This grass went up to her belly, so I wasn't expecting any roll. Ended up nosed over with no damage. I repeated this for a few more similar results, looking for how to turn off beginner mode. Ah! One short press and then one long press (I think) seemed to work. Then she got squirrely! Sort of. The stabilization thing might have been messing with me, or (more likely) my thumbs are just in need of more stick time. I'd already done the belly flop thing onto soft grass about 9 times, when a little rudder twitch in the wrong direction, in the middle of a turn with too much throttle I'm sure, sent me to a cartwheel style landing.
I revealed a weakness in the design (of yet another airplane - I see a pattern here) where the landing gear holder sits in a giant cutout of the major structure. Of course the foam needed reinforcement to hold this wire. Maybe (wondered beforehand) I should've flown without main gear? I was worried about breaking props. It appears the prop may be OK, but the whole nose snapped off at that LG cutout. A couple wood pins and epoxy or something and she'll be fine.
But I'd better find some wood pins and epoxy for my thumbs!

Other notes:
If you've flown rc much, you can fly this!
Beginner mode seems way too tame (though I didn't have much time to try it.)
Tail wheel had fallen off the wire in shipping. I just bent the wire straight for a skid.
Yes she climbs vertically just fine! Didn't try hover. Crashed first. Haha!

I haven't flown this one is quite a while... so can't say I remember the modes... but switching away from beginner modes should be easy.... but yeah... the beginner mode was quite docile, which is expected!

Arxangel, good review. Not a lot of interest in this model and it is a few years old now, but I recently bought one and have been able to fly it a few times.

I tried a few planes, maybe ten years ago, but was never very successful with them. Then I spent the last 8 years or so flying helicopters and quadcopters. Posted many reviews on quads and a few on truggies, cameras, and transmitters.

My first flight with this plane it was a little windy, maybe up to 10mph, but I managed to fly it in 6G mode and did not crash. Landed on grass.

Second flight I dumb thumbed it and broke off the front landing gear and a little of the foam there. Still haven't repaired that but finally decided one of the glues I have will work, so may glue it back tonight.

Several flights since then always in 6G mode with no more crashes. Two days ago I bound and tested it with my XK X7 transmitter, and it seems to work well, but haven't flown it with the X7 yet because of wind. It was easy to bind and set up, but with the X7 in airplane mode, the throttle hold did not work, changed it to helicopter mode and throttle hold does work. One advantage of the X7 is there are dual rates. Mine is set at 80% and 100% and in ground tests I can tell the difference in the amount of movement of the aileron flaps for sure. I can also adjust the dual rates and go up to 125% while still keeping it in 6G mode. It has a separate toggle switch for 3D and 6G modes. Looking forward to trying it.

I timed a flight with the stock battery and got 5 minutes. I have a 450mah battery that weighs almost twice as much as the stock battery. Used a couple of magnets mounted on the wire for the rear landing gear to balance it, and timed a flight with that battery at 7 minutes. Have one other battery that I haven't tried, a 350mah battery that weighs about 5 grams more.

So far it seems like a fun flyer with plenty of potential.

Originally Posted by siriusflier

Arxangel, good review. Not a lot of interest in this model and it is a few years old now, but I recently bought one and have been able to fly it a few times.

I tried a few planes, maybe ten years ago, but was never very successful with them. Then I spent the last 8 years or so flying helicopters and quadcopters. Posted many reviews on quads and a few on truggies, cameras, and transmitters.

My first flight with this plane it was a little windy, maybe up to 10mph, but I managed to fly it in 6G mode and did not crash. Landed on grass.

Second flight I dumb thumbed it and broke off the front landing gear and a little of the foam there. Still haven't repaired that but finally decided one of the glues I have will work, so may glue it back tonight.

Several flights since then always in 6G mode with no more crashes. Two days ago I bound and tested it with my XK X7 transmitter, and it seems to work well, but haven't flown it with the X7 yet because of wind. It was easy to bind and set up, but with the X7 in airplane mode, the throttle hold did not work, changed it to helicopter mode and throttle hold does work. One advantage of the X7 is there are dual rates. Mine is set at 80% and 100% and in ground tests I can tell the difference in the amount of movement of the aileron flaps for sure. I can also adjust the dual rates and go up to 125% while still keeping it in 6G mode. It has a separate toggle switch for 3D and 6G modes. Looking forward to trying it.

I timed a flight with the stock battery and got 5 minutes. I have a 450mah battery that weighs almost twice as much as the stock battery. Used a couple of magnets mounted on the wire for the rear landing gear to balance it, and timed a flight with that battery at 7 minutes. Have one other battery that I haven't tried, a 350mah battery that weighs about 5 grams more.

So far it seems like a fun flyer with plenty of potential.

How do you bind it to the X7 transmitter? And how do you set it up to switch between 6G and 3D mode? Thanks.

Originally Posted by jimjim06

Why not upgrade to a Jumper T8SG Plus V2 and use that Tx, i like mine but have not tried it on any Futaba compatible recievers, sure it will work!

So a little update from me. I now have 419 flights between the two A430s I purchased. My only gripe about this product has always been the rinky dink transmitter that comes with the RTF package. But as I said above, it is understandable for the price. A few months ago I bought the awesome Eachine E160 helicopter RTF that came with the Eachine E6 computerized tx also using Futaba S-FHSS protocol. Soon after I also bound my XK A430 to the E6 (which has a 10 model memory I believe). This was a big improvement over the stock XK tx because now I had proper switches for 6G/3D and dual rates, as well as a throttle hold switch. I could also refine the values for throttle curves, duals rates, expo, etc. to suit my preferences. So not only did I get a great little micro helicopter but also a transmitter upgrade for my A430 all in one box.

A couple of weeks ago I received the RadioMaster TX16S, my first OpenTX transmitter. I have successfully bound and tested two of my micro helicopters and one of my micro airplanes. Very pleased so far. Being the middle of winter I was not in a rush to set up the XK 430 on the TX16S as I prefer to fly it from a hard surface instead of hand launching. But tonight I sat down and got the set up done. If anyone is interested, I can share the otx file here.

Jeff

Hello Jeff

I would like to ask you please share the otx file. I have A430 and my radiomaster tx16s is just arrived, I tried to bind but it was not successfull.

thanks

Imre

Here you go. Make sure to do frequency tuning after you bind.

Jeff

Originally Posted by Imre

Hello Jeff

I would like to ask you please share the otx file. I have A430 and my radiomaster tx16s is just arrived, I tried to bind but it was not successfull.

thanks

Imre

OK so this thread is a bit old. But I want one of these. I was planning to remove the RX / gyros completely and put in a RX and ESC. This will allow it to fly with all of my Futaba transmitters with NO gyro action. I currently do not have gyros on anything of mine from micro to turbine. Little planes with no gyro help to keep my fingers and reflexes sharp.

Anyhow the questions are, are there servos built into the RX/gyro board or are there 4 separate servos?

What if any, connectors are on the servos?

Can someone post pics of the electronics?

My last plane similar to this was an E-Flite MPX S-Bach of about the same size and should be similar performance. Over the last 10 years I could not even guess how many hundreds of flights on it. In that time it only broke 4 props and since I have a grass field I never even put the landing gear on it. Belly landings or just catch it out of the air in my hand. Poor thing finally died when a planet got in its way after a radio failure. All the servos locked hard over and it went full throttle.....

These pics should help. Includes a view of the receiver
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3292...archweb201603_

All of the Xk birds I have tinkered with use GH 1.25 3-pin connectors.