Great Escape Hobby Blog

Parkzone UM Sukhoi Su-26xp

2011-05-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

So this may seem late as this plane has been out for a good while but I fall in love with this plane every time I get to fly it. My first experience with the original UM Sukhoi wasn't a good one to start out with. My buddy Adam bought the first version and it was a great little plane but lacked power, control surface throws and had some issues with the servos. But it was still fun while the plane lasted. Eventually the servos had so many issues that they would lock up in mid flight. Just one of the many things that ParkZone fixed on the new Sukhoi Su-26xp.Then when ParkZone announced the Su-26xp I immediately wanted one and got it the second it hit the shelf at The Great Escape. My first thought was it looked amazing! Im not a huge fan of white airplanes so the yellow scheme with the checker flag is a large improvement over the white with red stripes. And I couldnt wait till I got it outside to play with it and push it to and beyond its limits.

Only seconds into the flight I realized that this was a completely different plane than the first version. It was way more responsive thanks to the new long throw servos which make it much more aerobatic. The lack of power was fixed with a new motor and now the sukhoi has more power and more speed to help it move along through some of the tricks and larger maneuvers the original had problems wit.. Although it has plenty of power it still doesn't have enough power to hover it hasn't stopped me from trying. As a matter of fact hovering may be the only thing this little plane cant do. I would bet this little yellow bird will pull off any maneuver that the pilot is capable of performing.

All in all this is a great little plane to have some fun with and it will always put a smile on my face when I fly it.

Travis Suttles
The Great Escape, Greenville

Traxxas Slash and Slash 4x4

2011-02-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

The Traxxas Slash has been around for a while and most people have fallen in love with it. Out of the box they are not only a good racer around a short course track but they are good at bashing around the backyard as well. It comes out of the box with everything you need to have fun and enjoy yourself but in my opinion it was lacking some power.

Then Traxxas released the Traxxas Slash 4x4 VXL. Not only is it a 4x4 version of the slash its also waterproof and brushless. With the stock battery it provides around 25 minutes of fun at up to 40mph. When that gets boring you can drop in a 3s LiPo. With the 3s this thing gos ballistic every time you pull the throttle. Drop on the spare pinion and you will find yourself touching 60mph or faster.

So if your just wanting a fun toy for the backyard, a short course truck you can race with or a vehicle that can touch 60+ mph the slash is for you.

Keith Bell
The Great Escape Greenville

2011-02-09T15:28:00.001-08:00

Before the cold weather set in the Roper Mountain Science Center hosted a open house with "The Wheel" as a theme. They had a small drive-in, some Lego Robotics, a speech from the inventor of the Tweel as well as a couple of other vendors. They invited the hobby department at The Great Escape to come out and give a demo of some of our R/C cars so of course we said would would be happy to. This event was open to anyone but was geared to younger kids, the boy scouts and girl scouts so they could learn about the wheel and how it was and is used today.

We setup a small canopy, a couple of tables, a tv to play some videos of other R/C cars and several cars to demo. We brought a Traxxas Slash 4x4 VXL on a 4000mAh 3s LiPo, a RedCat Rockslide, a couple of Electrix Circuts, Traxxas T-Maxx and a RC18MT to show off and play with. As the kids started to pile in the oooos and ahhhs started as they watched us drive up and down the road with the circuts. Soon the questions started, "How much do they cost?" "How fast do they go?" and finally "Can I drive it?". Seeing as how the rockslide was mine I charged the battery and let the kids have at it. Its a large 1/8 scale rock crawler that isn't exactly fast and very very hard to break so its perfect for kids to drive.

When the battery died on the rockslide all the kids started to watch us drive the circuts back and forth on the road. Seeing as how we were given these tucks to demo were we chasing each other down and running each other over. Soon we had the Slash 4x4 doing full throttle passes and had everyone's attention. And the one thing I learned that day is that the slash is one very fast truck on a 3s. It my only go 50mph but it launches like a rocket and doesn't stop until it has done a couple of 360s with you holding the breaks praying that you don't hit anything. Then we pulled out the ramps and started to jump the trucks to keep the kids attention. Apparently we were doing exactly that too well as I had several parents as me to stop playing with the trucks as they wanted the kids to check out the rest of the open house. So we would take a break, charge batteries and answer questions before starting that same routine all over again.

At the end of the day almost everyone left with a smile on their face. We all had fun with this little demo and I would jump at the chance to do it again.

Adam Sherrick
The Great Escape Greenville

Video link of some of the fun we had.
Roper Mountain Science Center Demo Day

808 Key Chain Camera

2011-02-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

This summer I finally bought a 808 key chain camera. I have to say that when I received it, it was a little smaller then I though it was going to be. I was thinking it was going to be a regular key fob size but its actually a little smaller than that. After some shots around work I found the picture resolution isnt that great but its the video quality that really matters. After some of the quick videos I soon realized that the video quality is about (if not better) then my FlyCamOne2.

After using the first camera for a couple of months I bought another one so I could have a couple of different angles on the plane in flight. I ended up strapping one to a very overpowered plane and the wing snapped on the first flight and ended up in multiple pieces. This is when I found the only downside to these cameras. If the power is turned off or the battery runs out in mid flight you will loose the entire video as the camera wont save it.

After using these little cameras for the last 11 months I can say its the best camera I have ever owned for the price. The camera takes a decent picture and the video quality is good. For the price I can afford a handful of them and Im not worried about destroying or losing one.

Here are some links to some on board video of my Typhoon 2 and a Jato 3.3
Typhoon 2 Compilation
Jato 3.3 Onboard

Adam Sherrick

The Great Escape - Greenville

Great Escape Motorsports in Victory Lane!

2010-08-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

Great Escape Spartanburg bike mechanic Dennis Greene's second passion is driving RC cars, a hobby he has been at for a number of years. Dennis pilots The Great Escape Motorsports lead cars in the highly competitive Super Late Model and Monte Carlo classes.

The attached photos are of Dennis in victory lane at Lil Indy Speedway in the Super Late Model and Monte Carlo Classes. Also pictured is Dennis' daughter Savannah.

Mark Batson

NEW BLADE 120 SR HELI !!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

The newest Heli from E-Flite is the Blade 120 SR. This Sub-Micro, fixed-pitch heli is great for indoor as well as outdoor flight. It is a very stable heli and comes ready to fly, with Radio, battery, charger, tools/parts and instruction/owners manual.

Come in and check one out!

Mark Batson

180+ MPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

When it comes to speed, Great Escape Spartanburg RC mechanic, Robby Vaughn is the man! Whether RC cars, boats or planes, it has to be fast! And his latest project is no exception.

This bad boy is the SUN RACER pylon racer. It sports a new 1.5Y brushless motor, Castle Creations 50 ICE Electronic Speed Control (ESC) and is controlled by a Spectrum 2.4 gig. DX7 Radio system.

So far this bad bird has hit speeds just over 180 MPH!

Cool New Hot Rod!

2010-08-25T19:16:00.001-07:00

Meet the new 1/10 scale "Circuit" by Electrix RC. This is the perfect beginner car for any age.
The Circuit comes ready to run, battery, charger, radio, everything included. And the best part,
it's only $119.99.

Mark Batson

The Great Escape Hobby Blog is Online

2009-11-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Great Escape Hobby blog!

For the past several years, The Great Escape has published news about bikes and hobbies on its blog. We've decided to create another blog especially for you hobby fans, while the original blog will focus on bike news. An archive of hobby-related posts was transferred to this blog for your reading pleasure.

The Great Escape has hobby shops in both its Greenville and Spartanburg locations. We do not specialize in one hobby but provide a full range of hobby supplies. We have RC planes, electric helicopters, cars and boats, O, HO and N gauge trains and supplies, plastics models, rockets, paints, books and magazines. If we do not have the most asked for materials in house we will do our very best to get it for you in the least amount of time.

Drop by our Greenville or Spartanburg location today for the largest selection of hobby supplies in the Upstate!

The "Pruett"ized E-Maxx

2009-08-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hobby customer Mike Pruett, took his E-Maxx to the next level! Mike built the framework from scratch to create this two foot long Super Crawler.
And.......... he did it all for about $100.00!

R/C Boat National Event

2009-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

After finishing 3rd in the Nation last year in the "QSAC" R/C Car Sportsman Division, Robby Vaughn, our Spartanburg Store's R/C Mechanic, is trying his hand at R/C Boat racing. Over the weekend Robby and several other R/C boaters from the area went to Atlanta to compete in the "Gas Nats", a Gas powered R/C Boat event. Robby entered two classes and took top honors in both.

"Gee, where can I get one of those nifty Great Escape t-shirts?

Robby, with the Hardware

First on the New Speedway

2009-08-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

The Great Escape Speedway is very close to opening. Alan Foy was the first driver to test a car on the new track today.

Great Escape Speedway

Alan's #36 in turn 4

Alan Foy, testing the new Great Escape Speedway.

Will this be yours?

2009-08-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

We are getting closer to opening the Speedway.
And closer to giving this Monster away!

E-flite's Blade CX2 and CX3

2009-06-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

For a while now I've been flying and servicing the Blade series of electric helicopters. The most common models being the CX2 and CX3. Both I consider to be the strongest training electric choppers available for a novice. However, there are some key differences to consider for the beginning pilot.

First, let's take a look at the CX2. The CX2 is a coaxial counter-rotating designed chopper that makes hovering easier for first time pilots. The CX2 uses an advanced 3-in-1 control unit including main motor ESCs, mixer and rate-mode peizo gyro. The CX2 also employs a simple easy to remove 2 piece body. This chopper uses a 7.4 volt 800 mAh lithium polymer battery for continuous power output and light weight. This helicopter uses a Spektrum 2.4 GHz DSM2 radio for interference free flying.

Next, the CX3. The CX3 uses the same coaxial counter-rotating design as the CX2. The CX3, however, uses the same advanced 3-in-1 control unit with main motor ESCs and mixer, but with a heading lock gyro. The CX3 employs an outstanding looking scale 1 piece Police MD 520N body. The head and blade assembly must be removed for body change-out, however. The CX3 uses the same lithium polymer battery and Spektrum 2.4 radio as the CX2.

Now for the differences. Both choppers fly very well and are very stable in hover. No surprise here with the coaxial counter-rotating design. The real difference in flight characteristics comes I believe from the gyros of the two helicopters. The CX2 will perform smooth scale-like turns giving plenty of time to think through maneuvers. The tail however, will slightly drift, especially as the battery discharges. It will require constant gentle pressure on the left stick to keep the nose straight. No big deal, but worth noting.

The CX3 on the other hand with it's shorter body seems quick i the turns - almost too much so. You feel the head lock gyro kick in as soon as you lift off, but turns are very fast. The shorter body (tail) seems to enhance this sensation.

All that being said and $20.00 more for the CX3 I say save the money and buy the CX2. But hey, that's one sales consultant's opinion. And you know what they say about that. It does seem to me that TRUE novices have an easier time (read as "more time to think") with the CX2. Until next time - keep the sky side up.

Berley Stabler
Hobby Sales

The Great Escape (Spartanburg) Hobby Shop

2009-06-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody and welcome to The Great Escape (Spartanburg) Hobby Shop blog.
Between all of the folks working in the hobby shop, we will strive to have new content posted at least once a week, probably (or at least possibly) more often. We are all novices to the world of blogging, so as we become more and more comfortable things will be easier (or so one must hope).

Anyone out in the world of cyberspace who reads this and has questions, comments, ideas for discussions or general observation about topics relevant to The Great Escape (Spartanburg) Hobby Shop - which would include plastic models, trains, radio controlled cars, planes or boats, or other similar things - are welcome and encouraged to share.

With that said, on to today's topic:
We're going to start with plastic models (everyone else stop reading now…just kidding).

One thing that is refreshing in any industry is finding manufacturers who listen to their customers' feedback and actually do something about it in an effort to deliver a superior product. One such manufacturer that has recently come to our attention is Round 2. For those unfamiliar with Round 2, they have obtained permission to re-release many of the kits previously released by AMT and Polar Lights - most notably the line of Star Trek models, most of which have been out of production for many years. Instead of simply re-releasing the kits (which would certainly have been welcomed if that's all they did), Round 2 has made IMPROVEMENTS to several of the old kits. Their re-release of the old AMT Enterprise from the original Star Trek TV series was updated to eliminate the grid pattern so many of us spent so much time removing with files and sandpaper. This however, pales beside their recent re-release of Polar Lights 1/350 Movie Enterprise. This kit now includes 4 huge, new decal sheets replicating the multicolor "Aztec pattern" featured on the movie prop. Previously, this level of detail required hours of tedious masking or the purchase of expensive aftermarket templates or decals. As if this weren't enough, the single biggest gripe leftover from the original release has been dealt with. The original release featured a stand consisting of two clear plastic rods supporting the primary hull with a small clear prop under the secondary hull, leaving the starship perched precariously on top. The re-release eliminates all this, replacing it with a metal rod that slots securely into the bottom of the secondary hull.

Round 2 is certainly not the only manufacturer that falls into this category. Dragon and Trumpeter have revised or updated molds when their initial released have contained flaws or inaccuracies. Model manufacturers take a lot of heat when they make a mistake. Maybe it's time that they get an "attaboy" when they do something right.

East to fly helicopters

2008-12-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

What are your helicopter needs (or wants)?

If you are looking for something ease to fly we would recommend the dual rotor CX2 or the dual rotor BMCX. Both of these are very easy to fly and in the event you do break anything we carry spare parts for both.

Come in today for a demonstration. You will not be disappointed.

Super Detailing

2007-04-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Super detailing a plastic model kit.

Did you ever wonder how a ‘normal” plastic kit could be turned into an exact replica of a subject or changed to be something totally different? If so check out the cover and inside story of Vol. 29, Issue 1 (June 2007) of “Scale Auto Magazine” available now from The Great Escape and other hobby shops.

The article starting on page 28 was written by Mark Batson, our hobby shop manager at The Great Escape in Spartanburg, SC. The article gives detailed information on the building of one of his most recent award winning models. This model is only one of the many award winning models produced by Mark. Mark is a master model builder whose work has been awarded numerous Best in Show awards in both Southeast and National competitions.

If you would like to see more award winning models on display, or obtain information on one of the modeling clubs in the upstate, please stop by The Great Escape hobby shops in Greenville and Spartanburg.

Customers Love Us

2006-11-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

One of our customers with his gorgeous ducted fan aircraft. This a model of a navy "Panther".