(complete) Short Tucano RAF 30cc Fiberglass 2150mm (ARF)

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Customer Rated

Sep 18, 2016

I have about 15 flights on mine and it an awesome flying plane. It lands so smooth it's freaky. Over all quality is very good but on mine the carbon wing tube comes out of the right wing at the wrong angle. It just requires that the right wing goes on first with only the carbon tube in place then the aluminum tube can be slid in from the opposites side.

I put an NGH 35 on it to keep everything in the cowl. There is a fair bit of figuring things out so it's only suited for an experienced builder.

There is a build thread on RCG, search "HK Short Tucano" and you will find the thread...read it before you start putting it together. Pretty much all you need to know as far retracts, CG, building tips, etc have been discussed. The nose strut and wheel without the retract was $200...more then the 3 retracts, main struts and main wheels together.

I had a dead stick on take off today and it went into the trees at my club...not pretty...wings are wiped, the fuse took a little damage but not too bad. Since there are no replacement parts I'll just bite the bullet and buy a whole new plane and use the wings.

But overall if your into planes of this size this one is a great value and a superb flyer.

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Customer Rated

Mar 11, 2015

I just received the Tucano, Overall the airplane is really well made and has details that are not being shown in the website. I will post another review once the airplane is fully assembled. HK, I hope you continue to sell this kind of ARF's. I have not seem in many places and I am sure that the customers are looking for that.

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Customer Rated

Dec 22, 2014

Excellent presentation of the plane, wrapped paint finishes and perfect, I have only one observation no reason why not bring or manual instructions for assembly. I request that the manuals are posted on the web for consultation.

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Customer Rated

May 13, 2012

Just maidened my Short Tucano today and I must say this plane flew absolutely great. Engine is a DLE 30 with custom length standoff. The retracts for the main gear are the x-large set from HK. The nose gear is a Robart Firewall mounted retract with a robo strut cut pretty much as short as it can get. The main gear have custom length struts as the struts that came with the HK x-large kit are not long enough for the plane. In the end the plane weighs in at roughly 18lbs and the CG is set up with a half tank of fuel at about 5.25 inches back of the leading edge of the wing next to the fusalage.
This plane is not for an in-experienced builder as there are no instructions included with this kit and there is a lot of work to be done! Wasn't too comfortable using a lot of the hardware that came with the kit so I changed and used items I was more comfortable with. The end result if you choose is a beautiful looking plane that anyone can be proud of and it flies great very much like a small sport plane.

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Customer Rated

Apr 06, 2012

A little late on my review but I have only just got around to starting the build, overall I am pleased with the quality of the kit, the fiberglass is well made, there is only one lower former on the rear half but that can be remedied with adding a former on the top, being a Trike through there should be little weight on the tail. I am electrifying mine with a 170k/v 2.5kw motor, 12cell 5000mah, wings are built up well, not much reinforcement required like some models, the wing tube is aluminum so if you want to lose some weight you could swap it out for a Carbon rod, We have started a discussion / build thread here on RC Groups under Giant Electric Planes rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1561763#post20227961

Overall very pleased with the model, for the cost it isnt bad

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Customer Rated

Dec 14, 2011

Assembled the model using 6.3 mm piano wire fixed landing gear.As there were no instructions I worked out the centre of gravity goes in the centre of the aluminium tube spar. Around 133 to 140 mm back from the leading edge.Which is around 30pcnt back .Installed a super tigre 140 nitro into it. There was no ballast required at this balance point.I used pull/pull on the elevator and rudder with 70 lb trace wire, servos are up the front to keep the weight down at the back end. I'm yet to fly this plane, I think it will fly good. When I fly this Tucano I'll fill you in on it how she flew

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Certified Buyer Rated

Oct 28, 2011

Received this model in good condition from the Australian warehouse. Covering is good and the fibreglass fuse has been finished well. Lack of instructions is a minus as there is a fair bit of work involved in setting up the engine and retracts but I am confident I will have a good looking model when finished. Flight characteristics are yet to be determined but all indications are it will be a fast plane. For the price, it cannot be beaten.