Strega, Oriental or Smoothie

[Matthew Brown]

Knowing my free time over the next couple months, I decided an ARF is the best chance for me to get a pattern capable plane flying anytime soon. As far as I know, Brodak is the only place to get an ARF at a reasonable price. They currently have the Strega, Oriental and Smoothie available. Any one preferred over the other? I've always been partial to the Orientals appearance but the Strega is also nice. The Smoothie is only available in black and that's not real high on my list as black covering doesn't do well in the hot sun.

Matt

[Carl Cisneros]

Go with the Oriental.  Just my opinion.

[Shug Emery]

Strega is a big plane. I have an Enya .61 on mine.
The Oriental is nice and just saw a feller fly one. Flew well. He had a .40 on it.
I just finished my Strega today...
Shug

[Target]

I have an ARF oriental. I t fly's well. E-powered.
My buddy has an ARF Smoothie that weighs I think 38oz. That thing flies really nice.
I would think that of the 3, a Strega may be the most capable for flying the pattern, as its by far the most modern design.

R,
Chris

[Dan McEntee]

  They all three can be made to fly well. Let price and your available engine choices be your guide. My suggestion is the .40 size planes, for economy mainly at your stage of the game. The oriental gets my top vote, is classic legal also so you can fly that class if you like. The Smoothie is also, but I think the Oriental fits the bill also. If you go the Smoothie route, that black China-Kote will peel right off and you can have it recovered in something you like better in a day or so. The original covering isn't a very high quality material and will eventually fall of anyway. I'm partial to MonoKote.
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Gerald Arana]

Strega is a big plane. I have an Enya .61 on mine.
The Oriental is nice and just saw a feller fly one. Flew well. He had a .40 on it.
I just finished my Strega today...
Shug

Hi Shug,

That looks just like my first one! I had an Enya 7033 on mine. Flew great until I hit my own wake.......Bam! Straight in!

Got smart and now I don't fly in "NO" wind conditions. And before you guys tell me to walk bassakwards, I can't. I fly with a cane! And I'd fall down.  

The only problem I see with another one (for me) is they pull really hard.....

You did a good job on that LE. It'll fly great! Take one of your excellent videos to show us how well it flew............................please.

Cheers, Jerry

[Mike Scholtes]

I have a Brodak ARF Smoothie that I have been flying for 9 years. BTW the "black" is the trim color; the model is white with black trim. Brodak also has the ARC Smoothie available (order by phone) which I think is better than the ARF since you can cover it with Polyspan and dope and have a model that doesn't wrinkle in the sun plus gets appearance points at a contest, if that  matters. Anything from a late-model LA 25 to Brodak 40 to LA 40 to LA 46 will fly the Smoothie fine. I have an LA40 in mine. I only list modern engines, but the old 35 size Foxes and whatnot work of course, or a Veco 29 which I think Palmer used in the original. The Smoothie can be flown in OTS (1952 design), Classic, or modern stunt.

I would say the Strega is way too much, too big, too heavy. The Smoothie (or Oriental) fits easily on the back seat of the car. It will also require twice the fuel as the smaller models, to feed the engine it requires.

The Oriental is a fine flying model, but I personally like the lines and the performance of the Smoothie. It is also good in the wind with its elliptical tips.

[Matthew Brown]

Sounds like the Oriental is my best choice. I'd consider the Strega but don't have an engine suitable for that. Maybe I'll get one sometime in the future.
I'll give Brodak a call tomorrow and get one headed my way.

Thanks for the advice.
Matt

[Jared Hays]

Strega all the way

[Neal Beekman]

The P 40 is a great flying & good looking plane. But its profile.

[Matthew Brown]

I've got a white Oriental headed my way.

Matt

[Tim Wescott]

Read this post before you choose the Strega.

[Matthew Brown]

My Oriental ARF arrived today. Plan to start assembly Saturday evening and see how far I get by Sunday evening.
Is there anything I should do to it to make it a better plane or help its longevity?

Thanks, Matt

[Robert Zambelli]

Matt - I developed the ARC Smoothie and the ARF Oriental for John. Both prototypes were shipped directly to me from China.
They are both fine planes.

The Smoothie was powered by the prototype Brodak 40 and flew extremely well with minimal trim. Four ounce tank, 10-6 Top Flite wooden prop, plastic spinner and I couldn't have asked for more.

The Oriental used a stock Fox 35 and that was more than adequate power. Same prop, tank and spinner as the Smoothie. I would avoid a heavy engine since the plane tends to be noseheavy even with the Fox.

You won't be disappointed.

Fell free to contact me if you need any advice on the Oriental.

Bob Z.

[Matthew Brown]

Matt - I developed the ARC Smoothie and the ARF Oriental for John. Both prototypes were shipped directly to me from China.
They are both fine planes.

The Smoothie was powered by the prototype Brodak 40 and flew extremely well with minimal trim. Four ounce tank, 10-6 Top Flite wooden prop, plastic spinner and I couldn't have asked for more.

The Oriental used a stock Fox 35 and that was more than adequate power. Same prop, tank and spinner as the Smoothie. I would avoid a heavy engine since the plane tends to be noseheavy even with the Fox.

You won't be disappointed.

Fell free to contact me if you need any advice on the Oriental.

Bob Z.

Thanks Bob,
I intend to use an OS FP .40 with a tongue muffler. Will this be too heavy? I don't think I have any Fox stunts left in inventory.

Matt

[Steven Kientz]

Matt, the OS 40 will be fine. We can tune it with props, and venturi size. As far as weight , it (with Tongue muffler) should  be pretty close. Adding a little tail weight (if you have to)won't hurt at this stage. I'm building a profile Oriental currently. I stretched the fuse 1.5"(behind wing), everything else is stock. Will be powered by an LA46 to begin with. If that doesn't work out then an 35FP or LA40.
Steve Kientz

[Robert Zambelli]

Hi, Matt. The FP40 should be fine for for the Oriental.

I put the Fox 35 on the prototype because it was very light.

Here's a picture of it on skis.
Bob Z.