Builder's Corner
Product Review:
Hobbico Superstar 40 ARF Package
By Bill Peterson

For those looking for the easiest way to start flying model airplanes, you need look no farther than the Hobbico SuperStar 40. This plane is no less than a major advancement of the state of the art of ARF and RTF planes, due to the incredibly easy assembly and the quality of components and construction, which far exceed any other ARF type airplanes I've seen.

The following actions are required to assemble the airplane:

1. Get a small phillips screwdriver and a pair of pliers

2. Put the wings together (2 screws and a bracket, plus hook up one aileron pushrod)

3. Put the main landing gear on (4 screws and 2 brackets)

4. Put the tail feathers on (2 nuts & washers, hook up 2 pushrods)

5. Fill the fuel tank and go fly.

In addition to being easy to assemble, the monokote covering is much better than you'd normally find on an ARF airplane, and there's no plastic junk on the wing tips. The engine is the O.S. LA 40, not a powerhouse, but a good match for this airplane. More importantly, the engine starts easily and runs reliably, with a minimum of adjustment needed. In fact, this is the first time I've seen a new engine that didn't require a low-speed carb adjustment.

Flying: If flying on asphalt or concrete, you'll need to slow down the rudder and fine-tune the steering nosewheel. We just moved the rudder pushrod out to the end of the horn, and adjusted the nosewheel pushrod at the servo until the airplane would roll straight on its own. This made a world of difference in the ground handling, important for first-time fliers. After takeoff, which is reasonably sprightly, the airplane handles much as you'd expect a high-dihedral trainer with a lot of wing area. The ailerons were a bit mismatched, so plan on using a straightedge to align them to neutral, previous to that first flight. Once these minor adjustments were made, and the pilot became familiar with the plane, it turned into a gentle, predictable and stable flier. Landings require a 1/3 (or less) throttle, fairly low and slow approach, or it just keeps flying! The gear is springy, so it tends to bounce on asphalt, but this wouldn't happen if landing on grass.

The radio supplied is a 4-channel FM Futaba Skysport. It's not fancy but it gets the job done. It has a trainer cord jack for those in need of buddy boxing capabilities.

All in all, for $350, a masterful achievement by Hobbico, O.S., and Futaba. Some folks like to build, and others don't. This airplane definitely makes the latter option possible. Now, let's see if they can come up with a nice intermediate level plane, like a Goldberg Tiger 60.

This page last updated 07/04/99 16:45