Mentor v Funcub

[Colin Naylar]

Hi all, I have had a Multiplex Mentor for some years and am quite happy, albeit a little bored with it. I have never seen a Funcub in the flesh, as it were, but it tempts me very much. Is it worth me buying one for the fun of it or could I convert the Mentor to be pretty similar. Is it just a question of oversize wheels and flaps or something else more subtle, that makes the Funcub apparently so popular? I am a lone flier, clubs being many many miles away, so no hope of getting a side by side comparison.

[Dave Bran]

Owned a Mentor, flown several, very under-rated model. Not flown a Funcub or even seen one fly in the flesh, they all worship at the altar of the Wot4 round here.

My impression is that if you need flaps on a Funcub or a Mentor you are doing it wrong!

Keep the Mentor and bypass the not that different Funcub to something more exciting, able and yet stable, try the HobbyKing EFX Racer, which can be set up super smooth and stable, its not just a rocket ship.

[kevin b]

Have both.

Totally different aeroplanes. The Mentor flies like a trainer and the Fun Cub Flies like a, erm, Fun Cub.

It is a lot lighter than the Mentor and can be flown a lot slower. You won't turn a Mentor round in nearly its own length ! With the big draggy wheels off the Fun Cub gets even more entertaining.

In answer to your question, no, you can't convert your Mentor, but if you are confident with it, then a Fun Cub would add a new dimension to your flying. They don't like breezy conditions though.

Edited By kevin b on 07/07/2017 14:37:07

[Speedster]

I have both planes.. and both with big motors for towing gliders up to 4 meter span.

The Mentor feels and fly like a much larger plane.

I have put flaps on my Mentor and this make it much more fun to fly than the stock one, playing with short take off and landings.

We have had around 10 Funcubs and 3 Mentors in my RC club.

The Mentor is pretty ok from the box, but the Funcub really need a better landing gear, and all the Cubs in the club have changed it...

Cheers

Soren

[Colin Naylar]

Thanks for your replies chaps, especially to Speedstar for your videos. Obviously a bit more to it than I thought - perhaps I'll fit the flaps to the Mentor initially. My flying field can get a bit rough and length restricted as well depending on the nearby livestock - for that reason alone the short take offs and landings would be useful.

[Bill_B]

I'm a fan of Multiplex foamies and have a few, but have you looked at the Hobbyking Tundra? I think it's a very good alternative to the Funcub and the undercarriage is so much better constructed.

[og]

I would second the tundra its a BLAST, I have flown both the tundra & funcub

the Tundra is a true STOL- capable of landing anywhere 

Edited By og on 07/07/2017 20:13:26

[Devcon1]

Thumbs up for the FunCub from me.

Mines is about 5 years old and has just had the foam hinges replaced with Kavan pinned ones .

It's a superb flier, robust and pretty crash resistant. The flaps to me are at the heart of its versatility, I've set them up to give full span flaps combined with ailerons and also crow brakes but also operated as traditional flaps.

The flight envelope is expansive, it'll do what we call the Death Dive landings where it is pointed nose down in the true vertical then abruptly levelled out to plop on the deck. At low rates it flies like a trainer and copes with most wind conditions.

It aerotows, drops action men, carries a camera is soon to go FPV.

I love it and have been waiting to break it so I can get another one but no luck yet 😥

It's was also a joy to assemble as it's so we'll engineered. The landing gear is maybe a weak point but I'm still on the original although I have strung a Cub type spring across to stop it doing a Bambi.

😋

[Colin Naylar]

The Tundra does look good but it is not available in the UK or EU warehouses and the uncertainty of customs and the p&p puts me off. I'll contact Hobbyking and find out if this is just a temporary state. Thanks again all.

[aidan mcatamney]

I have a Multiplex Mentor on floats and i absolutely love it. So stable in flight and looks great on the water. With a 3s 4250 lipo, i get a good lengthy flight time even with all the lights i have installed on the plane. Anyone considering getting a Mentor wont be disappointed. As one man described earlier, it flys just like a trainer but it can also perform basic aerobatics too.

[aidan mcatamney]

[Steve Colman]

Having flown a friends Mentor I would absolutely love one but it's been discontinued for some time now and replaced with the FunCub XL.

[Dave Hess]

I haven't flown a Mentor, but I have flown the Cub. It has really good power, which means that it can do some nice aerobatics. It can hover and make a reasonable attempt at some of the 3D stuff.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]