Tower Hobbies J-3 Cub In Depth Review | HobbyView

Hobby View takes a look at the new, large scale, Piper J-3 Cub ARF from Tower Hobbies.
1:06 - un-boxing and build
10:14 - flight testing
14:15 - final thoughts

[@kevinrdunnphs]

I find this amazing, my Dad had lots of balsa and monocoat nitro models when I was young, but we've only used electric and foam recently since it's more economical and easy, but something about balsa and nitro seems so much more real and amazing. I just bought a used Fox 0.25 and a 48 inch balsa trainer, can't wait to try it out this summer.

[@stevejones9044]

Love the trick for locating where the cut out should go on the cowl. I want to add a J3 to my stash and was contemplating building from kit but the ARF looks nice and it saves a lot of work too.

[@matthiasweber6341]

I wish every review would be like yours, short and informative!

[@robertspeicher5047]

Years ago, I read a story about a pilot who had a job delivering aircraft to customers. This story was about a brand new built Cub to be delivered. Not having all of modern navigating and other electronics....The pilot had to use maps, flying by following railroad tracks and maps. Flew at low enough altitude to keep asharp eye on his route. LOW AND SLOW flying. I always held a dream of being able this o that. Thanks for this video

[@tench745]

When he was building time to get his commercial ratings, my Dad delivered a couple new Cubs out of Lockhaven, PA. The instrumentation was minimal, so the customers could outfit the panel however they wanted. not even a radio.

[@robertspeicher5047]

@@tench745 That article stayed with me. The pilot wrote how the " ub" had basic instruments. Don't recall a radio. But he wrote about using gas station road maps and following railroads and at low altitude. I was taking flying lessons at the time and rewding about following train tracks to get to small towns seemed like a nice way to travel and see the country

[@MasboyRC]

I love this model, simple but reliable and powerful

[@ahwayzcool4630]

Can this model do slow 3d flying?

[@MasboyRC]

@@ahwayzcool4630 i think so

[@larrym.6152]

The best build narrator on youtube

[@birdwing98]

Loved the views from the cockpit during flight. Great job all around: build with tips, flying, editing, and narration!

[@modshaman]

great video, a no BSing unboxing, straight to the point . I've been building & kitbashing for years , & there were 3 or 4 Tips I got from you .......COOL this was a NO B S video I Loved it ....keep up the good work...

[@HobbyView]

thanks! I try to run a no BS operation.

[@johngirgenti7651]

How much @@HobbyView

[@oudeiseimi2724]

Note that this 80" cub is on sale for Black Friday (2017), for $134 shipped!!! All sorts of fliers at your local AMA flying club, can help you build the plane, and fly it to get it trimmed out. This Cub has so much wing, that it will fly all sorts of engines. I'm looking to try a 2 lb gas engine or 4-stroke nitro engine, run with an ignition unit from CH-Ignition. I want a big sound, but low rpms for calm flight. Excellent video. Just make sure that you can fit the 80" 1-piece wing in your car. You will probably need back seats that fold down.

[@luizroberto844]

Tower Hobbys, bá! Quanto tempo que não tenho contato. Saudades e Congratulações

[@shaun4787]

Love your build videos! Keep them coming please.

[@macasrcandchannelreviews2687]

Holy cow. Im so glad we have bnf and foamies. If nit this would impossible with 4 little kids under 5. Cant wait to build one again soon

[@AphexTwinII]

I had the earlier version that was convered in fabric, probably about ten years ago. Only major issue was the wing strut mount points failing in flight.

[@gogogeedus]

Nice work and good flying, try to hold the wheels off the runway as long as possible until it drops, it cant bounce if its below stall speed when the wheels touch the ground.

[@plowboyh6054]

Great review and thanks I was looking at this in the new Tower Talk mag I recived in the mail.

[@42Redbear]

This an extremely informative and useful review. Many thanks!

[@oudeiseimi2724]

By the way, you can get brand new Saito 120 4-stroke nitro engines on regroups::classified::under engines for $200 + shipping. These are 20cc nitro engines that will fly this Cub on 1/3 throttle, and sound fantastic. Just make sure that you can clear 5.5" from firewall to the back of the prop. Some of these ARFS that will fly a much bigger 19cc engine, have a cowl that is not quite deep enough to fit a nice Saito 120. For electric, the Emax 4020 and 4030 (stator size) electric motors on 6s Lipo power will give you 10lbs and 8lbs of thrust, at 65A. These are $40 electric motors that will wuup this plane, on a 6,000 mAh battery. A $30 HobbyKing orange and black speed controller (100A) will run these, along with a voltage regulator that puts out 6v for the receiver and servos. So there are tons of power options for a Cub with this much wing. www.agmhobby.com/item/emax-gt402007-620kv-brushless-motor-for-20004900g-plane-p-456.html GT 4020-07 620kv $35 14 x 7” prop, 6s 10.58 lbs thrust

[@offroad5594]

Tower Hobbies was bought by Horizon Hobbies and shut down as well as Great Planes. Sadly, so now Hanger9 builds these kits for a cost around $350 as a ARF.

[@ajadpp]

Great Video… I really love your reviews

[@jbeebes7142]

Dude, the inkpad! what a great idea!

[@warbuzzard7167]

This was a superb review and a great build.

[@prycenewberg3976]

I worked at a seaplane base in FL during highschool that had four J3 floatplanes. Part of me misses that job.

[@Patmclean232]

Great review!!! I think you just sold me on this !!

[@doughurley6388]

You might want to seal that firewall or it will be fuel soaked and then it will become weak and you wont be able to save it

[@X-Fantasia]

Yeah, that’s what I did on mine.

[@stephenrumer6953]

loved this video, thank you!

[@pjneslo8979]

Excellent video, If I could give this 10 thumbs up I would. I learned a few tricks from watching this, thanks so much for sharing this...

[@ricardomandil]

Where the CG is located??????

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Great video!

[@direktorpresident]

Some great ideas thank you!

[@LastbigD]

thx for this alot its helping me build mine now haha

[@colehallman9449]

Awesome Review

[@mazpr2025]

At least one flaw in the build; you did not remove the tail covering before gluing as you did w the rudder. Always ca glue the holes, and any others, control hinges holes. Its ok the two stroke, but c'mmon, on a J3, four stroke is the norm.

[@JoeJuniorEM]

very good video, filming was great, step by step very helpful

[@HobbiesAndMooreProductions]

Great review of my favorite plane👍

[@shahbasrahman6018]

Dear sir, I can order this flight kit? How much total cost of this?

[@cnbsdad]

Great video. Thank you

[@radiocontrolegliders782]

Great Job, from ALs vintage helicopters, we used to pylon race the birdie kaoseee

[@notnoahyt7009]

This is an amazing plane

[@CallmeDaBreeze1971]

Nice review and a pretty decent model. A little scale detail would go a long way on this one. I would paint the interior and windshield area cub yellow and add a pilot bust. I would have to add the bungee suspension with some music wire and shape some balsa to simulate the bungee covers. I have an older Magnum .60 four stroke that would work great on it.

[@HobbyView]

Yes and a pilot would be a nice touch as well.

[@stevemaines4038]

LOL...you have the servo grommets installed incorrectly. They push up from below.

[@1972Fury]

Nice plane and a great review.

[@R.B_B]

Hope anyone know some tips to modify the main gear for the plane not bounce a lot like the origonal

[@reignman0311]

Just use different wheels other than the cheap ones it comes with, plus it's all about greasing your landings

[@michaelweir6691]

awsome video thankyou merry christmas

[@HobbyView]

+Michael Weir , Thanks! You don't happen to have a relative named Andy do you?

[@Migueldeservantes]

I think that you can get rid of the bouncing landing if you put some weight and it actually add some realism to the way the plane beehive

[@mgw075]

Nice review

[@jorgenelsonfelix52]

Espectacular muy bueno 😃👍👍.

[@electron3316]

buenas cual es el valor de J3 CUB PARA COLOMBIA

[@Road38910]

Many years ago I flew a Cub at Aboyne in Royal Deeside, (Scotland). It was a glider tug. I also got my 5 hour Silver 'C' at Aboyne in a K8 glider towed by a Cub. Any chance of seeing you toe your club gliding members? Lovely airplane, great view and a strong tug.

[@69CHEVY68AMX]

Like the Video very much and purchased the ARF. There's a problem mounting the OS52 or larger 4 stroke engine. The instructions require that the engine prop washer be 5 1/4 " out from firewall, to clear the cowl opening. The mounting rail Legs are only 3 inches long and installing my OS52-4 stroke engine at the furthest possible point on the rail comes up 1/2 " short of clearing the cowl. The manual however shows a OS52 4-stroke engine mounted at about the center of the Mounting Rail with room to spare? The Cowl opening from the fire wall checks out to be 5 1/4 inches from the firewall. The manual does not clearly explain this situation or how best to proceed. Other wise I'm looking forward to getting this plane in the Air. Terrific value for an ARF Cub.

[@HobbyView]

Doug, interesting. I noted in the video that the drill template in the manual doesn't match the included mount. I wonder if they changed motor mounts in production to a shorter one... My suggestion would be to see if your local Hobby Shop has an alternate [longer] mount you can use.

[@69CHEVY68AMX]

Thanks for the reply, greatly appreciated. I have a Super Tiger 45 that I'm going to install for now. I may order a second Cowl later on to mount the OS52-4 stroke or the Saito 80 4 stroke depending on how I like the performance of the Super Tiger 45. If it's as nice as your's flew in the Video, with the OS 45, I'll most likely just stay with the Super Tiger and add material to the firewall to make it fit.. I just ordered a Bison Pitts Muffler for the Super Tiger.

[@HobbyView]

Let us know how the Super Tigre performs. They usually are good engines, once broken in.

[@jennajones2155]

Bought one last week. The template didn't match up with the motor mount. Spent a while getting the fit right so I didn't end up with a piece of swiss cheese as a firewall. Motor mount was barely long enough for my Magnum .52 4 stroke.

[@yoyohooyo]

I have one. I had to build all of it from a drawing/print

[@coreyseals7017]

This was an awesome video and very fun to watch. I watch a lot on You Tube. I have to say great job.. kudos my friend :-)

[@HobbyView]

Thanks so much for your kind words. Tell all your friends, scream this channel's name from your roof-top, spam all the RC forums....um, I mean, please subscribe if you feel so inclined.

[@rubenjungwirth389]

Is this a good beginner plane?

[@jennajones2155]

Thanks for the video and review. Got mine just about done. Mine will be powered with a Magnum .52 4 stroke with a 12x6 prop. Hopefully it will be enough power.

[@HobbyView]

Yea, i think it will do ok.

[@silentcircle8045]

I didn't know that. Can you still float the cub in slow without them?

[@HobbyView]

Sure, it lands pretty slowly. It has a lot of wing and doesn't weigh much. You can see how slow it lands in the video.

[@oudeiseimi2724]

Anyone who can fly this Cub reliably, could fly a Seagull Tiger Moth biplane (sigplanes) or a Maxford Models Nieuport 28 (68" WWI fighter). They both fly like trainers.

[@aviator1212]

Great review. Just finishing my Tower Hobbies Cub. Not sure what to order for the prop hub. Any suggestions as what kind and where to purchase it would be great help. Thanks.

[@HobbyView]

I would recommend the Higley Hubs. They make brass for extra nose weight and aluminum for weight savings: www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0095p?FVPROFIL=&FVSEARCH=%3Cb%3Ehigley%3C%2Fb%3Es+hub

[@aviator1212]

Thanks, I'll check them out.

[@baja5racer1]

how does this model compare to the hangar 9 and the phoenix model for quality

[@HobbyView]

Sorry, I haven't had a chance to see the Pheonix or H9 version in person that I can recall

[@Aero360Aviation]

Great!

[@stanarmstrong1301]

If you goose it ever so slightly just before touch down the bounce will largely disappear.

[@oudeiseimi2724]

I don't like the tradition of describing these Cubs as 40 size or 60 size. The wing span and full up weight is a much better way to describe them. And wing loading in ounces per square foot. I think that this is the 80" 50" 8.5 lb Cub with a 20 oz wing loading. With this much wing, it's possible to put a 15cc gas 2-stroke or a Saito 4-stroke methanol engine with the same displacement on it, and have plenty of wing to fly the engine. A little more weight on the plane will help it to fly in wind.

[@martyapo]

I wonder if a Thunder Tiger .42 would be enough motor for this plane?

[@HobbyView]

Yes, I think so.

[@vidalo100]

Donde lo puedo comprar?

[@southernexposure123]

Good job.

[@jakeysbuilds1382]

Hi I really have hope you see this but I bought this sort of plane from a garage sale and the guy said it's ready to fly ICan find a battery or battery connected can you help me, i can send pictures,

[@HobbyView]

Jakeys Builds, have you tried taking it to the local Hobby Shop for advice?

[@jakeysbuilds1382]

Me and my dad are gonna bring the engine to a hobby shop to make sure nothing is missing on the engine and I'll ask them for sure

[@iman80skid91]

I have the same plane and engine... 👍

[@michaelweir6691]

i bought a set of floats for my cub have you thought about trying this!

[@HobbyView]

+Michael Weir , Yes I have!

[@chrisvogt60]

Did you see the cub farmer act at the old rhinebeck aerodrome? My dad was a pilot for them for years and i grew up right down the road from the aerodrome and was in the airshows myself for years.

[@HobbyView]

I may have seen him when I went to Old Rhinebeck as a kid back in the late 70's/early 80's. But I grew up in CT, so it is likely I saw him if he went to any airshows the next state over. What time frame are you talking about?

[@kz4506]

Come in slower they can land in very short space mine it much bigger and heavier with a zenoah 26 motor and lands short try dead stick landings to get the hang of it well done

[@sidecarbod1441]

Nice vid!

[@guitarcleveland]

Could a beginner fly this plane?

[@HobbyView]

No. While it is not a hard plane to fly, I wouldn't really call it a beginner plane. It would be a good 2nd or 3rd plane.

[@guitarcleveland]

Thank you

[@mazpr2025]

The J3 has unique non forgiving stall habits.

[@maxmorgan2297]

very nice video:)

[@trent360360]

If it’s not a trainer what is it? Newbie here. I got a piper cub. Not the same model however, not sure what model it is. Was made by Carl Goldberg or man forgot last name. Has a few areas where the balsa needs some repair work, and to be recovered. Pulled a nice O.S 61 off it that was not stored for long term correctly. So it will sit until i gain enough experience so I can re-store it. I do believe scratch building is a must for Beginners, like myself. If anyone wants to throw me some pointers, or has the original plans and willing to email/fax them to me I would be super appreciative. Msg me for further contact info. Cheers.

[@JunoMacRC]

where are you from? I would like to build a plane like this one day, but I need help building. I am in GA. The closest RC group is 2hr away I can drive that far and it cost to much to join.

[@HobbyView]

+Juno Mac RC Juno, I'm in Texas. Look for a local club in your area to help you. Hobby shops should know who and where they are. Even if you are far away, there is likely someone in your area.

[@JunoMacRC]

+HobbyView I ask last week when I went after my Dr. apt. but they would not even help me with my Slash.

[@jeffdunehew]

+Juno Mac RC Juno where are you at?

[@JunoMacRC]

+Jeff Dunehew NE Georgia Mountains

[@mrfourtysevenman]

I'd like to see a phoenix tiger moth

[@diwalychabin6049]

I am really too proud that it is a black who does this kind of thing, in my country I would already have prejudged kid's treatment, ect ...

[@tonywright8294]

😎

[@michaelweir6691]

picked up a OS .52 4 STROKE FOR FREE GOING TO TRY CHEERS!

[@HobbyView]

+Michael Weir , That engine should work well. I would try the larger diameter props they recommend.

[@G56AG]

Nice plane, but I'm disappointed that it has a one piece wing, so much easier to transport.

[@savinitout14]

alcohol engine?

[@HobbyView]

YES

[@dukecorso80]

for the bouncing get bigger wheels

[@danielgamache3149]

Truth is my sword, honor is my shield, and the Lord is my Savior. It is 0200 as I lay in bed with stage 4 lung cancer which has spread through my spinal cord.

[@silentcircle8045]

I was going to buy it until I saw it has no flaps, too bad.

[@HobbyView]

Sorry to hear that, but the real J-3 Cubs didn't have flaps so that is why the model doesn't. Only the Super Cubs have flaps, but they look a little different (mostly the cowl is changed).

[@theprinceofliberia6793]

Terrible pilot. It doesn't get any easier than that

[@darrylmontana31]

Hey guys here's an open invitation to participate in a virtual Fun Fly in Real Flight Multiplayer 1/25/22 field "Montana Madness" every Tuesday night 9pm-10:15pm. It's a lot of fun with RC pilots from all over the world. Spread the word.

[@SailingCatamaranElement]

Great Video!