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ST Model chat thread


Rusty C
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Hey guys just wondering if anyone has any first or second hand experience of the ST Model range, They seem to be rather cheap (good value) Of course there is a huge difference between cheap and (good value)

Any input put is gratefully received.

Its the MX2 that caught my eye guess that might help smile p

Rusty

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I haven't flown the MX2 but have been around a few people that have. The model is a great flyer and very aerobatic, the only negative thing was the undercarriage would fall off at the thought of a landing.

If you go for it i would recomend fitting the landing gear from the Multiplex Acromaster, it is available as spares and is very strong

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Philfly

Thanks for the input bud, I guess it has to be flawed at that price saying that not many things in life are perfect.

I have read the blurb about the model on sloughrc, In the description it says the undercarriage has strengthened internally. I never read to much into the sales pitch but would be interesting to know if they have made changes.

Good to know a mod is on the go though.

Rusty

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I have the original MX 2 and it's true that the U/C is delicate if flying off the rough, but ST Model have realised this and upgraded their product . The newer versions have a much stronger U/C fitting and the foam canopy has been replaced by a nicer smoked plastic version. It's a great fair weather aerobat and needs little correction for sustained knife edge flight, but hasn't really got enough power for punching out of the hover.

I also have their FW-190 and Blaze glider and both are great flying models for the money.

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Bill b

I had just noticed the FW-190 its looks pretty good to. how are ther making them so well priced with retracts and all.

Mmmm thats just made my decision a tad more difficult the FW-190 is tempting

Has anyone had issues with esc or any electronic failures.

Rusty

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The FW-190 flies really nicely, but be aware that no pilot is included even though the cockpit is full depth and that the U/C is not the most robust of units (a common theme here!). An oleo breakage is easily fixed should you have a very rough arrival and there are a couple of options for easy fixes over on RCGroups. Also, the 3 blade prop will need balancing for smooth, quiet running and a 3s 2200mAh LiPo is a tight squeeze up front. The steerable scale tail wheel is a nice touch and the flaps really do work well and allow slow steep aproaches. These can be operated on their own or as supplied with a 'Y' lead to the retracts. For a better scale effect a servo slower should be fitted to the retract servo as they do operate a bit abruptly. For the money I think it's great value compared to the Parkzone offerings (their retracts are optional) and I hope they complement the range with another WWII warbird such as a Yak or Mig.

 

P.S. No electrical issues to date on any of my ST Models.

Edited By Bill_B on 17/04/2012 21:21:33

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I have the Blaze,

Speed controller lasted only a couple of weeks and the tailplane had a bit of flutter. On examination one of the cheap plastic 'V' mounts had cracked.

These were renewed and repaired and it is now a reliable model , a rocket ship and a great flier. Love doing vertical dives power off then pulling out at a fare rate of knots, makes a great whistling noise.

 

 

Rich

 

 

Edited By Richard Harris on 17/04/2012 21:48:39

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Bill

Thanks very much for you input very helpful. Yeah I have a parkzone spitty and its a absolutely great thing to fly and looks great. I do agree that they should at least supply the necessary struts for the retracts as they arent to easy to get your hands on!

But I really tempted by ST now for value sake, also quick and easy to get into the air. will sleep on it tonight I am terrible for impulse buys and its get me into trouble with swmbo disgust

Rusty

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I'm not a big fan of ST Models, having owned a WOT-4 Foam-e and an MX2.

The foam and the mouldings are good but the plastics, hardware and electronics are far from acceptable for me. I wish they just sold 'foam only' kits.

What you can generally expect from the ST Models factory:

  • Great foam, nicely moulded
  • A nice flying aircraft
  • Good price, you get a lot for your money
  • Cheap motor
  • ESC's that go pop or even catch fire!
  • Cheap servo's prone to failure
  • Brittle plastics
  • Poor quality hinges to control surfaces
  • Weak landing gear, also easily parted from the fuselage
  • Flimsy tail wheels wire and/or fixing
  • Catches that don't close properly

Considering all these negatives I'm having a wonderful time with my ST Models MX2.

I picked it up second hand for £40 from somebody that had burnt out all the electronics and bodged fitting replacement parts. After replacing the motor and fitting a decent ESC it gave me a five mile smile.

From the latest batches of WOT-4's sold the ESC's have been found to be 40amp HobbyWing (a decent brand), hopefully ST Models are starting to learn that better electronics will reap rewards for them? I can only hope.

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Allan

Thats what I was worried about there is no point it being cheap if the electronics are goin to fail leading to a possible smash. Like I said there a difference between cheap and good value.

I think the idea of them selling foam kits is a good-un somewhere around 40 pound maybe, then you could make sure of a reliable ship!

Mmmmm, will defo nedd to sleep on that one.

I have already pre-ordered the acro wot foam e, but thats not till late may and I am getting bored and need a new arrival to the hangar smile d

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How the Blaze can be described in its advertising as a Hotliner and stated here as fast escapes me. Extremely tepid liner more like.

It's not a bad general purpose powered slope glider for stronger winds/good lift conditions, but fast??.....................absolutely not!

The std power system is marginal (ESC failures, for one example), and the drag is so high that energy gained in a dive to get speed is very very soon lost.

And then there's the std "sky camo" colour scheme............just as well it's not quick then................. wink 2

Needs at least 200W more and a high viz scheme.......................................guess what......... teeth 2teeth 2

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Bill, owners of ST products and the foamy Wot have drawn the conclusion that they're from the same source. RIpmax distribute both.

Rusty - plenty of ST model threads here (search box hint wink 2) if you take a look around....

My Blaze is close to 150 flights now and still going strong, a very useful airframe and fine flyer although some tweaks are necessary as Rich mentions. I've also stiffened the control surfaces with thin carbon rod as (like the MPX Blizzard) some blow-back evident through a steep dive sometimes.

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I had an ST-330, one of the early powered gliders, the ESC and servos where burnt out by a previous owner directly hooking a 3S lipo to the RX.....

Once I replaced them it gave me a lot of happy flying, until it lost its canopy over the weekend, taking the flight pack with it and the lack of control/power leading it to nose into the outfield.

It is now awaiting sentancing, and may be available as a freebe on here once I've had a proper look - possibly tonight.

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All ST Model products are labeled as 'Hype' in Germany and many have different names and colour schemes. The alternative colour was one of the reasons I bought their (Hype) Fox glider, the other being that it was cheaper to buy (inc. P&P) direct from a German on line shop than it was anywhere in the UK. Also, many other far eastern foam models are labeled differently in mainland Europe and have alternative colour schemes.

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I own three of the St Model range , FW190 , MX2 and the Discovery , I use the Discovery on a Buddy box to teach others and is a fantastic trainer and have never had a problem with any of the electrics and must of had 200+ flights . The MX 2 is also a great flyer never had a problem with the electrics but' the under carriage is its down fall . I removed the plastic that holds the Landing gear and reinforced it all with 3mm ply , hardly any extra weight and still flys suberb . fly it every weekend and have around 5 flights per session . The Fw 190 is one of the favourites of my fleet . Flys great. I added an Art-Tech servo slow (£7.50) to the retract system which works suberb . Flaps are on a different channel and as Bill-B suggests , the prop may need to be balanced . Also modded the battery hatch cover to get an easier fit for the battery by removing some foam on the inside of the hatch .

They are very good models for the Price , and spares are available ...

Edited By Straycat on 29/04/2012 14:38:14

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  • 5 weeks later...

MX2 nearly came to an End , Just about to take off and SMOKE started bellowing out of the front , I managed to rip out the battery and pull out the esc which had caught fire, fortunatley no damage to plane or battery , could of been much worse !!!!!!

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Nigel, welcome to the forum - plenty of help available from the good folk here, so don't hesitate to askthumbs up

I can only relate my experience with the ST Fox and I have to say, I've been quite disappointed with it. The supplied power train, including the folding prop, did little more than get the model into the air and, although the servos have been fine, I replaced the prop with a commercial folder, cutting the threaded part of the motor shaft off to fit a normal collet.

I replaced the ESC with a 30A from Giantshark and it works better now. I don't have the output figures to hand but with a 10x8 prop it climbs much better!

Having said that, it is a twitchy model, very neutrally stable but the relatively large fuselage cross-section means it runs out of puff on the glide. If you feel a bit rusty with your flying, you may want to look at something a bit more forgiving to get your hand in again........smile

Perhaps it just didn't suit me but I wouldn't buy one again.

Pete

 

Edited By David Ashby - RCME on 20/09/2012 19:52:02

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