The R2Hobbies 1.5m Thermal Fox Glider arrives double boxed, it's plain brown box wrapped with a dense foam shell. So, as might be expected, the contents were safe and intact on opening.
R2 take care that all parts are individually bubble-wrapped, and taped in place in the box, so there's no movement during shipping to avoid damage.
The kit is very good quality overall, with the wings looking very neat with a smooth white covering and, this being the PNP version, have servos, linkages and covers all pre-installed. As far as the covering goes, the only disappointment was the tail-plane, the underside of which was seriously wrinkled, although I think this may just need a hairdryer to iron things out.
The fuselage looks of excellent quality, being lightweight and the fibreglass construction making it strong. The surface finish is very good as well. Cosmetically, the only gripe is that there is a thin unpainted stripe running down the fuselage where the halves join, the components obviously having been spray-painted before being fitted together.
Inside the fuselage, the motor is installed with bullet plugs ready to connect to the 30A ESC, likewise is the elevator servo and linkage. A foam wheel is also pre-installed, although this is not shielded inside; I wonder what the risk is of water-splash inside the the fuselage?
The only thing that looks like it needs work is the canopy, which I'm not sure will fit just like that, being just a blow-moulded plastic shell. Options to keep it on, including wire or magnets, seem hard to configure when its that thin and flexible.
The biggest issue, however, seems the incidence of the tailplane, which is apparently negative by 3mm and looking at it certainly confirms that. With this slot being machined out of the moulded tail, one wonders why R2 hasn't bothered to fix this well-known problem before...
