Just want to say how great this bird flew. I set all the controls just as instructions specified. I used two 2,200 milamp batteries, I did not add any weight and the plane took right off the ground. I did not have to move the trim settings at all on the transmitter and it flew beautiful at half throttle. She landed like a dream. If you can fly a T-28 Trojan then you CAN fly this.
Thanks for a quality plane, It's now my favorite

Great airplane, glad I bought it.

Just got the this B-17.

Fantastic!
One small issue, a plastic connector from the server to landing gear was broke. (No real biggie, but called their C\S just to let them know)

Spoke with Nikki and was pleasantly surprised that they were genuinely concerned about the issue, and want to send a replacement ASAP!

This is my first time dealing with Hobby Lobby RC, and it will definitely not be my last!
It's rare to find C\S support these days, at this level.

Thanks HL!

P.S - This B-17 is COOL!

Out of the box, I could tell this B-17 was going to be special. The detail was excellent and through the build,the fit was as good as I see from any manufacturer. It's a long build, mainly due to all the wiring, but I was also meticulous on such a high dollar plane. Everything worked perfectly through the build. I will say I found a manual on line that was somewhat different from what came in the box. I used key info from both.

I did the maiden flight today and could not have been more pleased. The grass takeoff was quick and climb out dramatic. Plenty of power from the two 2200 mAh bats. The plane required little trimming and the CG I used (80mm) was very close and just a bit nose heavy. I used the recommended rates and expo and won't adjust those. The flight was smooth and predictable. I never felt any stall tendency. The turns required very little if any rudder. The landing was uneventful. I highly recommend this plane. Enjoy!

Overall I've been very happy with the model. It provided a very nice platform on which to build towards a scale representation of the 909 scheme. I splurged and purchased this model for myself from a Chinese competitor almost a year ago in Sept. 2011 and had flown it 43 times before I screwed the pooched and dorked it. That began the hunt for parts which until now I have been unable to find anywhere, including directly from the manufacturer! I was very discouraged until a reader on RC Groups told me that HL was carrying the plane now. Having done a great deal of business with HL, I knew they would never carry a product they were unable to support and low and behold, I finally found my parts and it looks like my plane will be back in the air soon.

There are less desirable but more affordable versions out there, but they don't offer the type of basic scale canvas of the X-UAV product. The paint finish is pretty well done although some sanding and some dull coat is absolutely required to get any type of a realistic appearance. The peel-n-stick decal set is of good quality but I hate anything but paint transfer markings so I will refrain from commenting on them further. I found it necessary to hog out some foam in order to accomodate 2 3300 which are needed to get the CG properly located. The model will fly easily on one, but I hate adding weight without purpose so I used two in order to get some use out of the weight needed to achieve proper balance. 5-6 minutes flights on a single 3300 mah 3s 30c battery when held at 70pcnt power. This aircraft likes flying at moderate rates but will tip stall if allowed slow up too much. Both take-offs and landings require a deft touch on the rudder as this planes props are NOT counter rotating. A gradual increase of power with a moderate amount of right rudder gets her off the ground in 20 feet. Likewise, a long glide slope and the throttle held at about 25pcnt will keep your landings uneventful. I do NOT suggest grass field take offs or landings without first reinforcing the gear mounts. This IS an ARF and they all require some degree of work to prevent future disappointments. Even so, once you've done the due diligence you'll love the way she looks and flys.

To Jason and the crew, thanks for saving me yet again! I love the plane and am happy you guys decided to carry it.

Cheers and Happy Flying.

When I bought this plane on July 26th, I had very high expectations. Unfortunately, this plane does not deliver at all. The issues I have had with this plane center around the landing gear. When I first built the plane, the landing gear worked intermittently at best. One would move, and then the other, but neither of them would ever work together. Hobby Lobby sent me some replacements, but I have yet to receive them. I decided to fly the plane and leave the landing gear down. I really did not see an issue with that. I found the plane to be tail heavy even when setting the CG to the forward end of the range specified. It is very pitch sensitive. Upon landing the right landing gear assembly collapsed taking 2 of the props with it. Investigation revealed the linkage between the electric mechanism and landing gear had worked loose allowing the gear to collapse upon landing. I wish they had just done simple retracts. The landing gear looks good, but what good is it if there are more issues caused by an electric mechanism that does not work, or a strut assembly where all the screws work loose? I think I am just going to get some APC props and prop collars and call it good. Having “Scale” props are just not worth the effort. Bottom lines for me – there are several foam B-17’s out there. I followed the old adage “you get what you pay for” and paid more for this airplane than I would have on other websites thinking that the quality would reflect the price. It did not. The plane was not worth the money. I would not recommend this plane to anyone.

(Comments from Hobby Lobby - The landing gear issue has only effected a small percentage of units. We've already been in touch with the factory to make changes. This set of retracts and landing gear are incredibly robust and the great majority of them work perfectly as advertised.)

I have not gotten up my courage to try to fly this beauty, but I want to say that it went together very easily and the instuctions were brief but adequate. It looks great on my dinning room table and if it flies anything like to looks it will beaa great plane. All the servos work as they should and the CG looks like it will be right on with the 2100 maH 3-cells I have. I used the recommended BEC and it soldered in just fine.

Fun Airplane. not too difficult to build. Could use a little more receiver space. Looks great, Great Flier. I enjoy it. Happy to own and fly it. I would buy again

This is my first review of a plane from Hobby Lobby. I already own and fly the ERC, FA-18 and the Euro Jet.
Both are very complete kits and fly well. The B17," Nine-O-Nine " is no exception. It's a very complete kit and a lot of detail. I have finished mine and will fly it this weekend. I transport min ein my SUV in one piece, but it will dis-assemble very easy and transport. I did how ever set mine up with a separate LiPo pack to power the radio and not depand on the motor battieries for radio power. I used a 11.1 volt, 3S , 1200 Mah for radio power. I used two 2100 Mah, 11.1 volt, 3S packs for the motor power. By placing the two motor power packs in the suggested position in the nose and the radio battery over the CG it balances very nicely. Just barely nose heavy, which I prefer. I am using a Spectrum DX7 Radio and the suggested receiver ,AR6210.
I used the flap mixing option in the radio, as to control /Compensate when the flaps are deployed. I used two levels of flaps , set at 1/2 inch and 1 inch with elevator set for down movement when flaps are deployed , as I expect the B17 to climb. I will update after my first couple of flights this weekend.

This is a follow up on my first review. I should never say something is out of stock, because as you would expect the email for the BEC came after I finished my first half review. So I finish the build and here are the results. Just about anyone can in fact build this ARF. It is beautiful when finished and just set there telling you it wants to go fly. I said in the first half of my review that the plane would be difficult to transport, not so. The wing will separiate and the ESC's are on velcro. The weight I talked about is in the wing. Even with batteries installed the fuselage, it weights almost nothing. I didn't realized that went finished with the wing, you are just about finished. This is a five hour build or less even if you take your time, The kit is very complete. There is epoxy and a screwdriver in there. Here is a good tip: take all parts out of the box and find two pieces of round pvc and make a foam stand out of the foam bottom box. Cut it how ever you need. This will protect the plane during the build. The only thing I would like to have seen was the loose fit in the gear forks. Now being finished and waiting only on the BEC and charger, I can't wait to show this B-17 to the folks at the club field. If you want 4 engines and don't mind a few scale errors this is it!!!!!

This is my first foam build. I have built many glow singles, twins, and warbirds. This was the only way I could get four engines. I wanted get a review out so others can be helped with the decision to bur or not to buy. When you open the box you can not believe the detail on this plane. That's the first best word to say. Now, here comes the other side. Don't try to build this in five hours! Take a little time and you will be amazed. The manual is not complete as you can see this is an advertised intermediate skill plane. (Don't let that hold you back) They expect you to know to hook up the gear with a Y harness. (that's not in there) Don't get ahead of the manual either. The manual says to clean up epoxy with alcohol. Be careful with putting too much epoxy in joints as too much alcohl will attack the paint and dull it. It's better if the epoxy doesn't come out. Next, this may be an opinion but I don't think this plane can be separated for transport or storage. I'm too new to foam and electrics. Not being used to foam brings the next worry that I have. This plane seems to be fragile to me. I will let others review and be the judge of that. The bec and charger are not in stock so I stopped the build as that's where I am in the manual. I was also surprised at how much the plane weighs. All of the above comes after the thing I said first, "It was the only way I was going to get four engines" or something like that. I will look forward to other reviews as this build goes on.