I absolutely loved the Micromax when it came out—it was a real "unicorn" of a device, packed into a pocket-sized format.
So, when Christophe offered to sell me a Juno 2 kit, I didn't hesitate for long. The package arrived a few days ago, and today I’m sharing the photos I took this morning.
Let’s get to know the Juno 2! The Juno 2 is designed to be the ultimate middle-weight "Slopestyle" sailplane—built to handle everything from cruising in light winds to performing aggressive aerobatics and some dynamic soaring (DS).
Design: A Team Effort
The initial concept and philosophy behind the glider come from Henning Plemo Schmidt—aka SansiBear—who champions a "SlopeStyle" approach to slope soaring rooted in pure enjoyment. The 3D design work was handled by Roland Berlinghof.
Finally, while the model retains the wingspan and tail configuration of the original Juno, the all-new airfoil was designed by Christophe Bourdon (who also created SansiBear’s highly acclaimed microMAX). The airfoil transitions from a thickness of 8.1% at the root (leaning towards an F3F style) to 5.8% at the tip, making it better suited for wide-angle maneuvers. The microMAX’s V-tail has been replaced by a conventional vertical fin and a high-mounted horizontal stabilizer with an elevator.
Construction
The "Black Final" Layup (CW80/160): Only one layup is offered, but it is designed to satisfy all riders. The fuselage is constructed from heavy-duty 160/205 Carbon Leinen (with fiberglass in the front section to ensure radio signal transparency). The wings primarily use a 80g BiAx carbon layup paired with a 160g carbon D-box for massive torsional stiffness.
Flight Characteristics
The core philosophy of the Juno 2 is versatility. The unique carbon layup achieves a perfect weight-to-strength ratio:
- Light Air & VTPR: It is nimble and light enough to glide smoothly in light slope conditions or indulge in casual, low-altitude aerobatics (VTPR style).
- Speed & Heavy Slope: It is incredibly rigid and structurally strong enough to be pushed hard on fast mountain ridges, including carving out several "between-the-lines" Dynamic Soaring (DS) laps.
Kit Overview
Here’s a quick look at the kit I received.
It comes with covers that seem rather fragile but are nonetheless essential given the glider's black color.
The wings look great with their carbon finish, even though I’m not a huge fan of black or exposed carbon over such large surface areas.
Beyond their good looks, they are lightweight and show excellent flexural rigidity—tested by resting the glider on one wingtip and lifting it by the other. The servo bays are shallow, especially for the ailerons; 8mm or 9mm servos are the best choice there, whereas 10mm servos fit easily for the flaps. I haven't decided on servos yet; I might actually use 10mm servos for the ailerons and fabricate a custom cover with a slight bulge to accommodate them. At the wing root, you have 2 ballast compartiments (1 front and 1 rear to the joiner) with a dimension of 10mm x 20mm and a lenght of 150mm.
The Joiner looks strong and with a foam core. As an option, I got a very special steel joiner of 639gr that can receive 2 brass ballast of 124gr each.
The fuselage is also beautifully finished. The nose cone insert needs to be cut out to house the radio gear. It is 21cm long, but the internal volume is sufficient to mount the two elevator servos side-by-side, as well as 18650 battery cells for extended flight time.
The control linkages use carbon rods. The rudder is hinged with fabric, and tape seals the open side. The elevator linkage is unique: a carbon part holds a flat carbon strip that connects the two elevator halves. The only downside is that the carbon part floats freely inside the fuselage, so a small hatch allows you to reposition it if necessary. The tail assembly is also very light, weighing in at just 33g. This is a key detail, as it means less nose weight is required for balancing.
Finally, there is a small accessory bag containing the cables and green MPX connectors—already soldered—along with M2 metal clevises. Plus, two cool SansiBear stickers.
Below are the component weight:
- Right Wing 355gr
- Left Wing 348gr
- Fuselage 270gr
- Joiner 90g
- Tail 33gr
Technical Specifications
- Wingspan 2490 mm (~2.5 meters)
- Length 1300 mm
- Takeoff Weight ~1680g (depending on your electronics setup)
- Wing Area 44.36 dm²
- Tailplane Area 4.75 dm² (Elevator) / 3.0 dm² (Rudder)
- Airfoil Thickness 8.1% tapering down to 5.8%
- Airfoil Design Christophe Bourdon
- Manufacturing 100% Made in the EU
- Build State ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) — includes pre-installed wiring harnesses with MPX plugs.
- Price: 1198 Euros
- https://sansibear.de/product/juno2/
This first look suggests that the quality-to-performance-to-price ratio is excellent at the advertised price. Of course, we’ll see how it performs in the air, and I’m really looking forward to that.
Let's start the Assembly !