I was lucky enough to be bought a new plane for Christmas, Starmax’s version of the Saab Jas39 Gripen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_JAS_39_Gripen).
The model was nicely boxed, easy to unpack and put together. It came with 3 servos preinstalled for the elevons and the rudder. It also came with the speed controller and a ‘custom’ EDF unit.
To complete the build was simple. Stick the wings, canards, tail vertical stabilizer, nose cone and canopy, although the tube of glue which came with the model was completely empty. The control horns where then screwed into place and the addition of the control rods, which was already fed through the fuselage for the rudder and just needed attaching an trimming to length. The battery hatch is quite small, only large enough for a 1300mah 3 cell battery, the AR400 radio fitted nicely in a cavity just behind the battery compartment, and aside from the water slide transfers it was ready for its maiden flight.
I was lucky to have some help hand launching it for its first flight (also the camera woman). The first flight needed quite a bit of trimming out, once it was trimmed it glides fantastically.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4nv8Y-eM60
The second flight was even better now it is trimmed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3ncacY1a1M
As with most EDFs it does struggle a bit on take off until it gets a bit of airspeed, I think it will benefit from a bungee launch, so have put a hook on the bottom of it, just in time for the bungee cord breaking. We shall see how much difference this will make.
But all in all, very happy, Really easy to put together, once going it seems to have enough power to get some reasonable speed (although its not the fastest plane), flies well at speed and doesn’t stall easily, and glides brilliantly.
Very nice mate, and great idea doing the unboxing pics to show people what they get inside 🙂
Like the videos too, it seemed to have a good glide on that second landing.