Keith Lewzey

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And the marks from the Russian judge   1 Retailler = Al's Wolverton   2 Mail Order = Robotbirds   3 Artf Kit = Multifex Funjet Ultra   4 Distributor = Horizon Hobby   Keith

I like the ideas Jonathan.   My personnal preference this year would be to see us NOT ask Tony to build a British WW2 era aircraft. WW2 era would be fine as long as the subject is from another nation. Variety is after all the spice of life.   I think a twin of some sort would be great probably electric & below the 7kg weight limit that applies on a number of club fields up & down the country. My personnal preferences therefore are as follows....   1. P38 Lightning 2. Me 110 3. Grumman Tigercat (having seen one fly at Seattle Seafair this summer)   May the best plane win.

Hi All   I would like to say a big thankyou to the Greenacres Club & RCM&E for putting on a great event. Jonathan & I were only there for Saturday but enjoyed it hugely. It was a pleasure to meet some of the forumites & David & Graham. As Jonathan said we loved the eagle Timbo.   As an earlier post said there was a great variety of model on the flight line which added to the all inclusive feel. It was a great pleasure to be parked on the flight line next to the big Corsair. What a fabulous model, 5cyl radial, superbly built & weathered & flown exquisitely, a real joy to behold.   Sorry we didn't hang around for the saturday eve BBQ (late change of plans). We did try to find you David & Graham to say thanks but just couldn't see you about, so, thanks again for a superb day.   Keith

Looks good to me. Bacon rolls for breakfast, pub lunch & BBQ in the evening. What more could the model flyer ask for   Cheers Keith

Hi All   Not sure if it has already been raised in prevous posts but what catering arrangements are there in place for the weekend, or is it bring your own?   Keith

Jonathan & I should be there but likely only for the Saturday. A small matter of Physics & Chemistry A level papers the following Monday & Tuesday for Jonathan meaning the 2 days is not really on!!   Peter, you may remember I contacted you about your A test a couple of months back & you said you had other arrangements in hand. I take it that never materialised?

Apologies for existing

Eerr is it my imagination or is it the 1st April & was it the village of Loof or was it Fool   Very good chaps

Hi Delta Whiskey   I got my interest in model flying from watching the flying at St Pauls school Addlestone in the late 70's. I was in no position at that time to enter the hobby (cost primarily) but always had an interest. Those summer Tuesday evenings on the field at the school I went to were a highlight of the week.   I only actually got into the hobby about 5 or 6 years ago with my son Jonathan. We are now both highly active members at the St Albans club in Hertfordshire. Addlestone is where I cought the bug though so thanks.   Keith Lewzey

I feel we need to put a reason down guys so:- 1. Al's MK - purely because they are local enough for us to drive to & have a huge stock. 2. Robotbirds - Always next day delivery, or you can collect, excellent quality Hyperion goodies. 3. Horizon - The service on the DX6i recall was extraordinarily good, I have never known the like. 4. I was going to put my YT 30e size Zlin 50L for the superb quality on a model for under £100, but my vote has to go to the Dream Flight weasel Evo for the quality & simplicity of a product that fly's so well.   Seasons felicitations, Keith

OK how about the   Trainer Minor (trainer theme) or Widget (eeeeerrr?) or Ballyhoo (aerobat theme) or Freshman (trainer theme) or Prodigy (trainer theme) or Zeroth (look it up - a bit  tangential) or something else

Hi Austen   What is the 3D capability of the Seagull Edge like? The reason I ask is it is smaller & heavier than the Hyperion model!

Hi David   The Hyperion range of models plus motors & esc's are all available from Robotbirds & look very good I have to say. If you have 5 mins dive into their website & have a look.   I was considerring the Overlander extra 260 30e model for myself a month or two ago but ended up going for the YT International Zlin 50L which I felt was more an aircraft from my teenage years & the colour scheme looks great. Jonathan is looking for an Edge or Extra because it is his era & more 3d capable (he hopes) hence the request for the experience of others.   Heres hoping for a few more replies.   Thanks David

Do we assume nobody on the entire forum has ever had one of these models or can recommend anything else 23/30e size???

Blimey Timbo makes my whinge about £6.90 in P&P from Revolution Models look pretty tame.   I have used Robotbirds several times & not had a problem, I will think twice again though!

HI Bryce   Absolutely could not agree more with you. You are sending out a package of a kit & electric flight pack which presumably includes motor & esc possibly li-po & servos so £10.50 is understandable for a package weighing with box from 1 to perhaps 3 kilos. My original post specified that Revolution sent me a gyro perhaps 15 grams in a box & with packaging weighing maybe 100 grams total for which I was charged £6.90. That is where I don't see the equity. I highlighted a number of other retailers where I have been charged significantly less for much heavier packages.   I don't buy your point completely about labour time because if you are running a high street shop you would still have to staff it. On-line retailing increases national/international exposure & the resulting potential increased sales potentially reduces the time staff are sitting around waiting for a customer to come through the door. If I am wrong in that assumption come back & tell me so.   Yes Timbo we all have good & bad experiences Revolution represent my bad experience, if they want my future business they should have the courtesy to reply to my e-mails & be more clear with their P&P pricing policies. I think my comments have been calm if firm in tone & I would certainly never resort to the use of inapropriate language in any post rest assured.   Bas Biggs I am pointing the finger at a specific supplier, why I would think is obvious from all the above. Praise where praise is due (see my post about Horizon Hobby) but there can be no praise due from me regarding Revolution.   Keith

I returned a DX6i under the recent recall. The recall rightly said there would be no charge but what impressed me most was the turnaround speed. The TX was collected by courier midday on a Friday & returned midday the next Monday. Somebody had to be working over the weekend for that kind of turnaround.   Full marks Horizon   Keith    

Hi Bruce I just checked out "this" you quoted above & I'm coming to the conclusion that it's time to stop using most web suppliers & save all my modelling purchases either for the big shows which I attend or for my local model shop. Neither is ideal but I am getting rather fed up with the exploitation strategy of P&P employed by certain on line retailers.   Robert I think if we have to go hunting for terms & conditions that are tucked away as a smokescreen it doesn't say much positive about the supplier. When I ordered the item it said P&P to be added & certainly did not say see information section on the home page. It's not up front, it's not transparent & therefore I will not buy from them again.   I have still not received a reply to my e-mail even to say sorry we have no choice. Therefore to my mind the only way to get them to change is to give them bad publicity & potentially hit them where it will hurt in the pocket. I will never use Revolution Models again & will recomend them to nobody!

1/16th sheet has been procurred, 6" wide to allow either side of the main spars top & bottom to be covered with 1 piece of wood.   Having looked at the projects Jonathan & I have on now (this +3 others) I think we may be finding time to make some serious progress over the next couple of months.   Watch this space

I have only orderred 2 items from Allflight. 2 seperate orders for small motors neither of them anywhere near the time of their relocation. Both times there were delays although the goods did eventually arrive.   I have spoken to friends in our club who have ordered things in recent months and they have been made to wait weeks before delivery almost without exception. This makes me wonder if the firm has real cash flow problems and cant secure supply until it has sufficient orders to cover the cost.   Dr Levi does always seem to have an excuse as to why he cant deliver straight away having chased my own orders from Allflight. The company does supply some nice shock flyer kits but I am more than a little scared to order  in case they never materialise. I'm tempted from now on to simply vote with my feet.   Perhaps Dr Levi would like to post here in response / defense of his company?     Edited By Keith Lewzey on 14/07/2009 12:57:06

I ordered a Gyro from Revolution Models on their website last weekend. The website did not quote a price for P&P & I perhaps naively thought a gyro only weighs a few grams they surely wont charge much P&P for that. How wrong can you be.   A package duly arrived on Wednesday weighing under 100g for which shipping of £6 was charged plus VAT on the whole six pounds a total of £6.90 despite there being no VAT chargeable on postage. Yes I know "composite supply".   Now needless to say we looked around on the web for a good price for the gyro but Revolution are clearly boosting sales & profit margin by quoting a cheap price for the good not displaying the P&P on the website & then playing catch up on the price with OTT P&P charges.   I have been shopping on the web for modeling goodies for several years now & the most I have previously paid for P&P is £4.50 for a charger from Motors & Rotors weighing about half a kilo. Al's seem to charge a standard £3.50 for just about anything apart from kits. BRC quote a P&P price for every individual item on their site. All these prices are reasonable. Take note Revolution your price is not reasonable & I for one have placed my first & last order with you.   I have e-mailled to compleain & have had not received the courtesy of a reply. I would be interested to hear if others have experienced the same underhand tactics from Revolution or other modeling retailers? Tell us the good too so we all know where TO go to with our hard earned.

A prize prize indeed

Good point YakMad but how many flyers would use that intelligent informed point of view & how many would just blast as much charge into the packs as fast as possible. My son Jonathan & I always charge everything at or below 1C.

What is the obsession with faster & faster charge times? It's a bit like faster & faster computers, broadband or car manufactures claiming they have increased the interior space in an updated model of a car when all they have really done is lengthened the car. It doesn't really fool anyone with half or more of a brain!! I agree with Timbo that there must be some penalty in terms of cycles possible & deffinately a penalty in terms of the wallet just because they are top price because they are "NEW". Sorry it doesn't fool me. Higher discharge rates I can see the point of paying for but not faster charge rates. I say lets show a little patience & spend that hour charging at 1C using another pack or two (cos you can afford them cos they are half the price, never mind the charger/PSU issue) or chatting with the chaps at the patch.   Rant over