Aerobatic Performance Team
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ARF Reviews
Extreme Composite Edge 540T 50CC
product Reviews The Ladies Justina and Dietrich 42% Extra 260
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ARF Build Review-Xtreme Composite 2.6m Edge 540
Distributed by BVM Props Review by "Rockin' Rick"
Allow me to open this article by saying that this has got to be one of the finest looking aircraft that this pilot has ever seen. The fantasy color scheme is simply gorgeous and is very easy to see in the air. You'll probably get a lot of "ooo's and ahh's" from from your fellow pilots and admirers when you take it out to the field. It's just that good looking!
We received the shipment by UPS (notorious for crappy handling). There was a bit of damage to the exterior packaging but it was double boxed with very heavy weight cardboard. The packing protection inside was also heavy weight and protected the model during shipment. After a couple of days, when I finally got the time, I started unpacking and checking over the model. Other than two minor issues with the paint job (picky me, they were almost unnoticeable and in places that would never be seen) all the parts looked nice. They were well protected in the included wing bags, fuselage bag, stabilizer bags, rudder bag, and wing/stab tube bag. Cardboard separators inside the box were well placed and kept all the parts secured during shipment. But this is where the fun ended.
I would assume a model that set me back almost $1600 (including freight) would be shipped with a concise and detailed manual. I've built quite a few giant scale planes including Composite-ARF's 2.6m Shulman YAK 55SP. The Composite ARF YAK was supplied with a manual (54 pages, lots of photos and dimensioning) that left nothing to the imagination of the builder. Concise, informative, very detailed. But folks, let me tell you, this one leaves a lot to be desired.
Prior to purchasing, I had exchanged several emails with David Shulman of BVM Props. In my initial email concerning the manual with David, he referred to it as "Creative". "Creative" is a bit too kind. I call it a little too ambiguous. I myself, would be hesitant to turn something like this loose and then call it an instruction manual. Maybe it's just me, because I have been in the construction industry for most of my adult life and like things well defined. When you put almost $4000 worth of aircraft in flight, you want it to be right from the start. The manual has 24 pages in all, mostly photographs, a few dimensions, and a construction procedure that seems (to me) scattered. Five pages were spent on installing just the single fuel tank, so I guess you can see where this is going. One redeeming factor was included- the template for mounting a DA 100 was in the booklet and it's very close for proper cowl alignment. View the shipped manual through this link. Wait till you see how they suggest that the engine be installed for proper alignment with the cowl. Hoo, HAH, Hardy Har, Har!
I exchanged several more emails and phone calls with David Shulman during the build. In all fairness, I must say that David was always courteous and very eager to supply more complete information for the build. Customer support at BVM Props is some of the best I've encountered. I really think that they were embarrassed by the manual that was provided and were doing all that was possible to assist those of us who purchased this ARF. Perhaps, future shipments of this model will have more comprehensive construction manual, maybe not. I'll try to add more information in my thorough review of this build. I hope it may help you when you build yours, lets get to the build. Building the Xtreme Composite 2.6m Edge 540
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