HobbyKing® ™ Arcus F3A Aerobatic Biplane EPO 1000mm (PNF)

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Customer Rated

Oct 27, 2015

I now have about two dozen flights in on the Arcus. I have to say I am pretty darn impresses with both the quality of the kit as well and the flying characteristics of the Arcus. The plane flies like it is on rails and while I am not a pattern pilot it begs you to do really long smooth maneuvers, I love doing slow rolls the length of the field and trying to do perfect loops. This plane also handles wind incredibly well, I am just back from the club field, which is pretty big, where it was blowing 15-20. Once off the ground the plane was not affected all that much by the breeze. I have just gone to a 4S set-up using the stock motor and a Xoar 11X7 prop which gives right around 650 watts....over kill?...Yes, but super fun. I do suggest going to at least a 50A ESC if you are going 4S, the motor is a bit warm but not what I would call hot after 6 minutes. Also, as mentioned in the description, this plane lands better than anything I have flown in my 20 years of flying RC, even in today breeze she did a perfect 3-pointer. For a die hard balsa guy like myself I am super impressed by this foamy.

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Customer Rated

Sep 28, 2015

buy it... love this plane. easy bulld. 8 min plus fly times.. 2200 3s this plane really makes you look good. rolls/ knife edges/loops/hoover/ you name it I does it all.. easy to fly and land a great all around plane for intermediat to advanced pilots a must have.. good quality plane flys great out of the box no mods nessary... sooo much fun.... love my dura fly planes still got to review my t28 and my vampire both also top notch quality

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Customer Rated

Aug 13, 2015

packed very well double boxed and everything in plastic wrappers, arrived quickly with no damage, goes together well very quick approx 45mins, you do need a spot of glue for the rudder although they state no glue, set it up as the instructions and it flies great, no trim needed, could do with a bit of colour to the underside as it is very white but that is just personal preference, good model for a good price

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Certified Buyer Rated

Aug 05, 2015

My arcus was bought cheap from a friend after the nose was demolished and he bought a new one. I did fly it before it was damaged, but this review is based on my repaired model (and it's super positive to boot). The $22 replacement fuselage is international warehouse only with $80 shipping on top so I rebuilt it - mine is very close to original but the thrust angle may be slightly different. New out of the box the thrust angle is striking and I found (possibly imaginary) it would upset my clean straight glide lines when I powered on, so when I rebuilt it I set it at what may have been a slightly less extreme angle. I do not regret this. It flies straighter than it did when new. You can adjust the thrust angle with small washers anyway. I'll upload a comparison pic of the as-new and rebuilt angles shortly.



Build quality is great, construction takes six point three seconds, solid as a rock. The landing gear needs reinforcement if flying from grass, for it is landing gear on a one metre foamy and that's just how landing gear on a one metre foamy is. To its credit, the failure mode was very friendly - nothing bent or broken, it just pulled some screws out and was able to be reinstalled perfectly later.



Flight-wise, it is spectacularly good for the money. It's obviously not going to measure up to a proper pattern ship, but I reckon this is as close as you'll get in foam. Rolls are superbly axial, outstandingly so. Maiden after rebuild was flown with the rudder taped straigh

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Customer Rated

May 08, 2015

Woow. I have ordered over a dozen planes from hobbyking over the past years, and this one is indeed very high quality. It compares to the best multiplex & horizon hobby ones I have when it comes to foam and built quality. I often replace servo's delivered with RTF models, but mine don't have any play so I'll leave everything stock for now. For those who are interested in the exact weight: 950 grams receiver and battery. So AUW 1150 grams with 3S2200, In case you fly it without wheels (if you land in tall grass like I often do), you can save 80 grams by leaving the landing gear off. In any case AUW is over 1kg, so for those of you living in strictly regulated area's like I do (in Belgium): over 1kg means you need an telemetry that alerts you when you go over the height limit (100 meter where I fly).

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Customer Rated

Mar 02, 2015

I had wanted to get the Hiperbipe, but saw that it needed smaller batts than I had. Then I found the Arcus, which was rated for my existing battery stash. The plane assembles very easily; no glue, just some screws and a very clever snap together setup for the stab. The fit and finish of all parts was top notch, and everything went together with no drama. It's a beautiful airplane, but the real joy is once you roll onto the throttle. It's absolutely precise, smooth, and predictable. HK may not guarantee the 3 point landings, but it sure sets down very easily. My 3 cell batts seem to have plenty of power for grooving around the box and pulling big loops, cuban 8s, stall turns, and the usual. This is one of those planes that makes you look a lot better than you are as a pilot. Don't hesitate; you need this plane in your aerobatic quiver.

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Customer Rated

Dec 17, 2014

Super Modell,bei Motorsturz 2 Beilagscheiben oben entfernen. Mit 4 S senkrecht steigen bis zur Sichtgrenze,unkompliziertes Flugverhalten. Landung und Start durch langen Rumpf voellig ohne Probleme.

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Customer Rated

Nov 24, 2014

I bought one of these as a winter practice model after reading reviews online elsewhere.
To be honest, I didn't expect it to be quite as good as it is for the price.
If you want a model that you can quickly put in your car fully assembled and go fly
aerobatics this is spot on....
I would say that there are absolutely No mods/upgrades/Fettling required(unless your a pro perhaps).
7 minute flights with 2200's.... Sportsman type manoeuvres.
Remarkable.... We'll done hobby-king.

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Customer Rated

Nov 08, 2014

Ordered this aeroplane on the 4th of november, deliverd in Antwerp, Belgium on the 5th. Great job eu warehouse!
The plane looks great, well packed, arrived with no scratches or dents. Quality and style of build reminds me of multiplex models: nice foam quality and lots of hard plastic parts. Good job HK!

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Customer Rated

Oct 28, 2014

wow, super contento, lo mejor que he comprado hasta hora de HK, embalaje perfecto. Muy sencillo de montar, casi no se necesitan herramientas. Encaja todo a la perfeccion y el vuelo es lo mejor, lento...muy estable para hacer un aterizaje al punto. El primer vuelo todo de fabrica Bat. 3s2200 turnigy para relajar se y disfrutar.