First Flight: Heavy-Metal Bomber

First Flight: Heavy-Metal Bomber

Deadlines and weather seldom work together but with a short break in the ever-howling winds of March, we headed out to the flying field to video our first test flight of the impressive Hobby Lobby B-17 Flying Fortress.
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The ARF from Hobby Lobby is made of tough EPO foam and as you’ll see from Gerry’s first landing, it can take some rough treatment.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | First Flight: Heavy-Metal Bomber

There’s plenty of scale goodies included with the B-17. It has all the machine guns and turretts, nicely done scale markings and electric retracts and flaps.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | First Flight: Heavy-Metal Bomber

All the servos are installed and the motors and retracts are factory installed in the seperate engine nacelles that you glue into the wing. Assemble takes only about 2 hours with 15 minute epoxy!

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | First Flight: Heavy-Metal Bomber

Overall, this 63 inch span warbird, has excellent performance and when the wind is calm to moderate, it handles itself very nicely. The test flight was done during a very windy day with gusts of about 15 to 20 mph. Gerry offers his appologies for the first “ARRIVAL!” Enjoy the music–Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade.

Don’t miss the full review in the July issue of Model Airplane News!

Updated: April 10, 2012 — 2:52 PM

8 Comments

  1. The article didn’t say … but I’m assuming this plane is powered by brushless electric motors (?).

  2. Nice landing Gerry!
    I had a simmilar time when I tried to land in 30 mph gusts. it was calm when I took off but that changed drastically over the next 15 minutes. I’m using twin 2600 3C packs in parallel for power.

    I love my 1600 mm span B-17! The hard part is to remember to slow it down to look scale as it flies by.
    Mine has retractable tailwheel as well as a functioing bomb bay.

  3. I have a B-25 (painted as Maid in the Shade) which is of similar construction and size. Only thing with these is they don’t handle wind very well. 3rd flight in a gust flipped mine on a landing. Since then, it’s been awesome. Probably 2 dozen flights so far.
    I need to find a B-17 in silver so I can paint it like the AZ Commemorative Air Force’s Sentimental Journey. I am a member and have brought the B-25 for display several times. They’ll flip over a B-17!!

    1. Silver B-17 at Hobby Partz …by airfield (which I believe is related to nitro planes.) I’d buy one today but i SHOULD wait a month or two. Got the ultimatum…the boss says no more planes till I build the ones I already got. Shucks!!

  4. Seems like a nice offering, but a bit overpriced at $350.00 when you consider the B-17 is fairly ubiquitous in the market right now with many variations in size offerings, quality and “goodies”. I’m sure this is a decent one as well, but for the size I would like to see it more in the $250-275 range…

    Just my two pennies.

    1. I’ve seen airfield b-17’s at Hobby Partz…I think they just got em.

  5. Will Hobby Lobby “support” this B-17 like they “supported” their eRC B-25J which I have. I need some new props for it – too bad HL no longer provides them! Right now, my B-25 hangs from the ceiling with four flights under its belt. I want to fly it some more. But right now, it is just collecting dust thanks to HL and in the end, a waste of money if I cannot get any more flights on it.

  6. This plane caught my eye but I did not like the performance. You guys should wait for a calm day show show off the new birds you promote. Neat looking plane.

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