Review: Avios' GRAND Tundra

Introduction

So let me confess something before we get into this. The 1300mm Tundra is one of my top two favourite models from Hobbyking in the last few years.

It’s a great looking ‘plane, is simple to build and flies like a dream. Ask any Tundra pilot and you’ll get the same answer. In fact, a few of my friends who flew mine ended up buying their own! The Grand Tundra was shown to the world about a year ago now as Stuart (the previous category manager) was leaving HobbyKing and shared a lot of pre-production models with us pilots in one of the HobbyKing Daily (watch here). I, along with many of you I’m sure, have had to wait a long time for it to come out. But, it’s finally here! This new version of the Tundra increases the size from 1300 – 1700mm and adds a few new features too. The original Tundra was a ‘plane for all pilots being able to take off and land in very short areas (due to those huge flaps and wings). It can fly well at walking speed and is also capable of aerobatics and flies super stable thanks to those high mounted wings. Those large tyres can handle rough ground easily and are big enough and stable enough for beginner pilots to feel at ease flying it.

So what’s changed in this new bigger brother? Is it better?

Features

• Wide flight envelope for stability
• 90-degree flaps for short take-off and landing
• Quality metal gear servos and ball-linked control rods
• Large soft Tundra wheels with actuating suspension
• Wing vortexes
• Cockpit tray for FPV cameras
• Navigational and landing lights
• Available in two schemes - Blue & Silver and Green & Gold
• Glider tow point
• Generous battery bay
• Optional Floats and Skis

A quick look at the specs of this model and you’ll spot the changes/improvements versus the 1300mm version of the model. The new features include LED lights and landing lights with lights on the wingtips, belly and tail with white landing lights in the front of the wing that can be controlled with a spare channel on the receiver. The tyres are the new softer spongy foam style connected to an articulated all metal suspension. This beefy landing gear design seemed overkill when I started building but once this model is together you’ll appreciate why you need it and use all of the supplied elastic bands in place to support the weight of the model and provide the necessary suspension to cope with harder landings. This model can support larger batteries too. Props for 4S and 6S packs are included in the package. Consider buying another if you plump for this model as there is one of each supplied. We will talk about the flying experience in a moment but for me, 4S was plenty of power for this model, in spite of its size. One of the most striking additions is the vortex generators along the top edge of the wing. These improve the low-speed handling and dramatically changes how the wing stalls. With these in place on the model, it can fly at some seriously slow speeds.

Building

The build process is very similar to the original 1300mm Tundra model. The wings attach in a similar manner and the hatches for access to the battery compartment and receiver bay are the same if a lot bigger! Size is something you will need to think about as this model will take up a lot more space when built so make sure the room you are using to build has plenty of room and full-sized doors! You may need a helper to make sure that pieces are pushed home as you install the retaining screws as you won’t be able to reach the ends of the wings to apply gentle pressure yourself (unless you have very long arms indeed). The thing that will take the longest time is the application of the Vortex Generators. The wing has the recesses for them moulded into the foam so you’ll need a touch of glue to keep each of them in place. You get a few spares in the package so make sure you don’t lose too many as you’re working on the model and keep them safe in case you lose one when flying. Setup is simple as the layout is the same as the Tundra so you’ll need Throttle, Aileron, Elevator and Rudder along with controls for the Flaps and Landing Light control. The only slight problem I had when putting mine together was a small amount of overspray from the white paint covering the metal landing gear - at the very edge of the axel for the wheel had been slightly over-sprayed. A quick 30 seconds with an Exacto knife scraped that off and I was set.

Flying

I guess the best praise I can give this Grand Tundra is that it flies as good (if not slightly better!) than the 1300mm Tundra. It's weighted more and is more stable in the air thanks to that size so inspires even more confidence. I’ve not tried mine here on 6s. I haven’t felt the need to. On 4S there is plenty of power and I can easily climb at very high rates when I open the throttle. As well as being a very powerful, quick model this thing flies sedately too. Drop the flaps and those vortex generators (VGs) make sure that the model stays in the lift well below the speeds that you’d normally expect a model of this size to stall at. Stall characteristics here are very gentle too, helped by the wing design as well as those VGs. STOL takeoffs can still be done in a very short space but the landings will need more room as you’ve got more mass for the model to overcome to stop rolling on the grass. Maybe we’ll need brakes on the next one!

Summary

In summary, this is a great plane. It’s been stuck in development for a long time and it’s nice to see that the time wasn’t wasted. The finish on the model is excellent with the pre-applied decals being smooth and well fitted. The only comment I’ll make here is that I would have liked to have seen easier wing removal. It’s not too much of a drag (no pun intended) – one ‘P’ clip and a couple of screws will let you pop off a wing. I’d have liked some easier to use fasteners for those screws so I don’t have to remember the Philips screwdriver (supplied in the kit) when I break it down to fit into the boot of the car. The price here may be the deciding factor for some. Original Tundra could be a better choice for smaller areas but if you’ve got the room to fly one of these – get one! Get your Avios Grand Tundra now. Written by Painless360