Acacias first came to the UK at the Welsh Viking Race
in 1998. They have always proved capable of winning races. After tinkering with the tail
and wing span on the Acacia 2, the Acacia 3 is a radical design change.
Gone is the 3 piece RG wing and chunky fuselage.
In comes a crisply moulded 2 piece MH30 wing span and a new slim fuselage. To
me, it just looks right. OK the fuselage looks cunningly similar to the Wizard/X
21/Aris but if you’re after a model with similar aims then you’re likely to get
a similar result and these aren’t poor performing or looking machines by any stretch
of the imagination.
The quality is excellent, with the 2 piece tail
clicking snugly onto the fuz. The tail is noticeably larger than the tail of the
Acacia 1 and 2. The wings themselves have an excellent finish, a look inside the
wing reveals how neat and well made they are. The wings slide smartly onto the
joiner and fit perfectly against the shoulder mounted pylon.
Building is straight forward, the kit even includes
wiring connectors that fit perfectly into the fuselage moulding.
Flying
So how does it fly? Wonderfully! The new larger tail gives the model excellent
tracking and ‘pointability’ that previous Acacias just never managed. In
light air the tail pulls the Acacia trough the turns positively and precisely. Like
all Acacia’s this one reacts quickly to lift and revels in bigger air, where the wing
rips around the turns.
Sport flying in good conditions has a smile
guaranteed - combine excellent energy retention, roll and elevator response and what you
get is fun and not a hint of the dreaded Acacia flick.
The Acacia is undoubtedly a racing thoroughbred
that’s capable of winning races. What is surprising is that for a model that
enjoys being flown so aggressively is that it’s so easy to fly.
