After recovering from a rather rowdy New Year's celebration, it's time to get posted the Top 10 plans for the last month in 2013. December proved to be a month were some oldies but goodies made a return to the Top 10 and some new entries posted some strong showings as well. Let's get started, here we go, the last Top 10 of 2013!
10. F-14 by Steve Shumate: In prior years, the F-14 was by the most popular Parkjet ever posted to our site. The swing wings are just too awesome. And the plans showed a bit of a comeback in December. With accessories like a clear canopy and pilots available (and kits too) from 6mmFlyRC, the F-14 has tons of support out there.
9. Cargo Twin by Jamie Rothwell: The Cargo Twin is quickly becoming a regular in the Top 10. And it's not even a jet! Simple designs, a broad wings and twin motors make it a great alternative for folks looking to pull a cargo plane at the park.
8. Hydro: This design continues to hover and float as one of the most popular plans on Parkjets. Part boat, part slow flyer, the Hydro fits a unique place in Parkjet design.
7. SU-37 by Steve Shumate: The Terminator or Super Flanker is one of the best looking designs of all time and Steve Shumate's design captures its beautiful curves and striking profile with precision. Twin thrust vectoring, clear canopies available, and awesome performance make it an obvious choice for a winter project.
6. Mermaid by Marcel du Plessis: The Mermaid is built to live in the water, but it can take off from land as well. With the motor mounted high, and broad wings, the Mermaid is stable and easy to fly off the ground or water.
5. F-35 by RCCal: The F-35 is a great first plane. Some even use it as a trainer. The Large wings and large control surfaces make it a perfect parkflyer. The simple profile design makes it easy to build in just a few hours.
4. SU-37 V2 by Jamie Rothwell: The Rothwell designed SU-37 is a great compromise between true scale and fast assembly. The score and fold method lets the builder get a great looking plane without some of the complications of a traditional box and former techniques.
3. F-15 V2 by Jamie Rothwell: Like it's Russian counter-part, the F-15 utilizes score and fold techniques that get you up in the air quickly. The Eagle has has been a stable performer at the park for years and this design is a welcome edition.
2. SAF-14 by Eduardo Flores: The SAF-14 is a fictional plane to be sure, but it looks like it could roll off the assembly line at any point. Borrowing design cues from the F-35, SU-37 and F-22, the SAF-14 is an EDF performer.
1. F-22 by Steve Shumate: The F-22, except for a brief moment this year, has remained on top of the heap. As far as scale designs go, it is pretty impressive, considering it's made out of foam. Oh sure, the fiberglass models out there are more scale, but we are talking about depron. The gentle curves, the thrust vectoring, the plain nastiness of the Raptor make it a winner month after month.
That wraps up another fantastic year of great designs and free downloads. As we move onto 2014, we will post more plans and let's see what ends up in the Top 10 month after month. Happy New Year everyone!