Freestyler3

[F3X]

I got pics of the new Herrig design Freestyler3 F3F/F3B model. Flying weight is 1900g! USA delivery in 2 months.

3-views are at www.f3x.com (http://www.f3x.com)

[slopetrashuk]

Cool...Mine's in the first batch. Coming soon....

Andy

Who feels more trashy now...

[rumbey]

Whats this... a SNF.. Very nice looking machine and v light

[Andy_b]

Whats this... a SNF.. Very nice looking machine and v light

No Dave not more choices :eek:

[slopeiron]

The little hatch on the tail is a novel idea. Some might even call it, Brick*. :D

[MattyB]

Cool...Mine's in the first batch. Coming soon....

Andy

Who feels more trashy now...
Cool - do you know how much/how unobtainium they are going to be Andy?

Matt
who really should finish his Acacia 2 before thinking about another F3F machine

[timmig]

Man-- I wish the current "Euro" designers would make the fuses a little BIGGER!! There's nearly NO drag savings--and if the fuse was just a little larger--the strength over the length goes up exponentially! It isn't that important to squeeze the tiniest gear in -- it would be easier to build out-ballast etc. What's up with that Tom? I KNOW your a fan of the old Acacia's--and they are certainly FAST and competitive--and their fuse's are gigantic in comparison to today's skinny fuse set!
FWIW
Tim

[F3X]

Tim,

There is no issues with the stiffness or strength of this model, the Herrigs already proved this with the Schocker and Freestyler1 it goes to show you that it doesn't need to be heavy to be strong when designed right. The nose cone is minimal but the tail boom is good size. Actually if you take a close look under the hood everything fits fine. This is the 3rd model in the series and the first competition model (along with the Radical) offered for sale to the general public from the Herrigs.

[glderguy]

Ill bet its a B to throw off the hill by yourself in windy/gusty conditions w/that skinny nose. Thats another reason I like the AII, very easy to toss.
Attractive plane though and certainly looks the part.
Walter

[F3X]

Well the Freestyler3 just got its first Eurotour win last weekend. I was in Denmark at the race and Helge Borchert easily won the race with 43 pilots. So its starting!

btw the model is very easy to launch even under the wing with its unique shape fuse. I nose launch in turbulent conditions skinny models and you get a solid grip.

[djklein21]

OK Tom, I am sold.

[Kyle Paulson]

Dude! I've been bugging you about this plane for.... well since the VR.... you better save one for me Tom or else! PLEASE! :eek:

KP

[Kyle Paulson]

Oh... and all the "big fuse guys" can have all the fat fuses they want.... I want SPEED! :D

KP

[Terminator]

Kyle:
On Toms site he is asking for a hefty deposit to preorder something like $1000.00 per copy early guesstimate is $1500.00 a copy...two for you and your son sounnd about right...:) Go Kyler!


Alan

[glderguy]

Within reason, Im not so sure its the size of the fuse rather the shape, fuse/wing transition, etc thats important.
Walter

[prondel]

http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/LaMadeleine2007/index.htm

http://obor.free.fr/navigator.php?url=/Technique/freestyler/index.html&type=3&dir=Technique


I personnally building mine at the moment. shouls be ready in one week. there is more work than on other plane, that's why it's longer to build.

I will put something on planet-soaring soon.

Regards,

Pierre

www.planet-soaring.com

[groom_k]

Hi All

Looks like a great model. Can anyone tell me if is possible to by the Freestyler 3 in Europe or do all orders have to go via F3X?

Thanks in advance

Keith

[slopetrashuk]

You can buy in Europe direct from the manufacturer. Lets see. Designed and manufactured by Team Herrig, Long awaited. Modified for extensive improvements, Just in production and very desirable...Expect the waiting list to be very (and I mean very) long very soon.
NOT I hasten to add, a novices toy neither...

http://www.tud-modelltechnik.de/

[groom_k]

Thanks

[Antonsoarer]

whats the wire soldered inside the carbon tail tube?

[slopetrashuk]

It's a piano wire extension to the receiver aerial somewhat akin to those favoured by jet jockeys. For some reason 'Team Herrig' use these and just poke them out the back of the model. It doesn;t dangle about in the breeze like a draggy trailing piece of flex but you have to watch you don't have somebody's eye out with it when you're carrying the model! :eek:

Andy

[Antonsoarer]

Thanks Andy, I am just finishing a 2m model with carbon tail tube and have been experimenting using the tube as an extesnion to the aerial, not whats being done here, as you say just to keep things tidy. I thought putting the aerial inside a carbon fuz was bad for range? :confused:

[prondel]

Yesterday, my clubmate Olivier Bordes tried his Freestyler on a small slope around Grenoble:

http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/freestyler/

It seems promising, but difficult to say more at the moment since the slope is not suitable for F3F. First confrontation during a F3F contest will be much more interesting !

Stay tuned.

Pierre
www.planet-soaring.com

[chetosmachine]

(...) manufactured by Team Herrig (...)
Are you sure about that?
I don't doubt that Franz and Herrig brothers have molded their own planes, but do commercial ones come from them or from a great czech manufacturer?

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7220420&postcount=22


Chets

[slopetrashuk]

Thanks Andy, I am just finishing a 2m model with carbon tail tube and have been experimenting using the tube as an extesnion to the aerial, not whats being done here, as you say just to keep things tidy. I thought putting the aerial inside a carbon fuz was bad for range? :confused:
Well you wouldn't catch me doing it!
I note that Franz uses a JR PCm receiver (anther no no for me) I use PPM but IPD on carbon fuses and exit the aerial asapafter the wing.

Andy

[slopetrashuk]

Are you sure about that?
I don't doubt that Franz and Herrig brothers have molded their own planes, but do commercial ones come from them or from a great czech manufacturer?

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7220420&postcount=22


Chets
Hello Chets. By 'Team Herrig' I mean them and anybody they are associated with. I do not know who is actually doing the building. Lubos does not list the Freestyler on his site and claims to have no rights to it.
It does not really matter in the great scheme of things. The model will be what the model will be. I look forward to receiving mine. It has been a long wait and is not over yet.

Andy

[slopetrashuk]

Yesterday, my clubmate Olivier Bordes tried his Freestyler on a small slope around Grenoble:

http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/freestyler/

It seems promising, but difficult to say more at the moment since the slope is not suitable for F3F. First confrontation during a F3F contest will be much more interesting !

Stay tuned.

Pierre
www.planet-soaring.com

How is the quality Pierre?

Andy

[chetosmachine]

Andy, please don't misunderstand me. By saying that the plane is made in Czech Republic i'm not saying, not even thinking, that the plane may be a bit worse. In fact, i believe the plane is better, since it is made by people who live from this and know very well what they do.
It's like almost every molded sailplane, they come from east Europe and we all like them. For me it's not a surprise there are such commercial relationships between designers and manufacturers. It works very well!
Lubos does not sell this plane, but that's like the Crossfire, Skorpion, Aris, RaceM.... the manufacturers don't sell the plane directly, they just do them for the designer/seller.

This plane seems to be very well designed, but given that there's nothing "new" inside the plane, i find it a bit pricey. But hey, those who want this plane already know that and are looking for the ultimate ship to win!
I just wish i win the lotto this weekend, or next one, or the following, or .... :D

I hope you enjoy yours for a long time ;)

regards,
Chets

[Antonsoarer]

Well you wouldn't catch me doing it!
I note that Franz uses a JR PCm receiver (anther no no for me) I use PPM but IPD on carbon fuses and exit the aerial asapafter the wing.

Andy


I agree, I have seen a couple of carbon blades go tangental (and the owners go green with fear :eek: ) with aerials in fuz and don't like PCM either..

[slopetrashuk]

Andy, please don't misunderstand me. By saying that the plane is made in Czech Republic i'm not saying, not even thinking, that the plane may be a bit worse. In fact, i believe the plane is better, since it is made by people who live from this and know very well what they do.
It's like almost every molded sailplane, they come from east Europe and we all like them. For me it's not a surprise there are such commercial relationships between designers and manufacturers. It works very well!
Lubos does not sell this plane, but that's like the Crossfire, Skorpion, Aris, RaceM.... the manufacturers don't sell the plane directly, they just do them for the designer/seller.

This plane seems to be very well designed, but given that there's nothing "new" inside the plane, i find it a bit pricey. But hey, those who want this plane already know that and are looking for the ultimate ship to win!
I just wish i win the lotto this weekend, or next one, or the following, or .... :D

I hope you enjoy yours for a long time ;)

regards,
Chets

Thankyou Chets. There is no misunderstanding. I think the same as you on all counts.

Andy

[pmccleave]

Andy,

I am guessing if the quality of the Freestyler is anything like the Victor and Fazer that are also produced by Lubos, the Freestyler will be an awesome plane.

See Ya,


Pat McCleave
Wichita, KS

[prondel]

Moulding quality is good but not at the level of an Aris or Skorpion or Viking if you look into details.
The fuselage is pure carbone, very nice with V-tail joiners installed. The wing are very nice too, but there is no micro balloon to receive the control horn in the flaps and ailerons, which is a shame. Maybe it will change in the futur.
The tailplanes are made by Franz Demmler himself and are 30g each :eek: !
I just hope that they won't be too fragile, wait and see...
The V-tail control horns are not provided and not installed, just a brass tube to build it. This part should be provided in the futur.
Finally there is more work compare to some other F3F planes, and the radio installation is a bit tricky because the fuselage is very very thin.
I will post plenty of pictures as soon as mine is built and ready to fly.

Regards,

Pierre
www.planet-soaring.com

[jcosta]

German designed planes are far too expensive, bearing in mind they are manufactured in the same places as all the other planes.


I'll stick to my Skorpion and Aris. From what I have seen, both of them in the right hands are perfectly competitive against the Freestyler.
To be completely honest, definitely not in my hands... :p


BTW, Franz has copied the design of his Freestyler from a Vector DS he saw at La Muela... Naughty, naughty...


By design I just mean the paint job!!!

[timmig]

Copying is NO BUENO!!!! And with the kind of quality now available with the Vikings and Skorpian planes coming out of Europe-- why pay an arm and leg to do more work? It will be interesting with lot's of new toys coming!!! It's going to be a fun season of racing!!
FWIW
Tim

oh---Paint is no big deal! :rolleyes: Isn't that also called "flattery"? ;)

[F3X]

Tim, I think he meant the paint job not the model.

[slopetrashuk]

If he copied the model he did a really bad job of it....... :p

[prondel]

This paint job is copyright Pierre Rondel ;)

I "created" it first for my Vector DS (http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/Vector_DS/index.htm), then re-used it on my Freestyler 3 but with different colors. Franz asked me if he could use if also on his Freestyler.

Regards,

Pierre
www.planet-soaring.com

[jcosta]

This paint job is copyright Pierre Rondel ;)

I "created" it first for my Vector DS (http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/Vector_DS/index.htm), then re-used it on my Freestyler 3 but with different colors. Franz asked me if he could use if also on his Freestyler.

Regards,

Pierre
www.planet-soaring.com


I didn't want to say it was your Vector DS, but if he asked,that is OK. I hope you traded the right to use the design for a nice discount... :p


And I guess we'd all like to know how it "feels" in flight compared to the Aris and Skorpion.

[slopetrashuk]

Thought I'd bump this old thread back up as I've now got my new Freestyler 3 and want to put a few things straight. :cool:
Firstly - There is some rumour mongering that the model is not as good a quality as.....etc. etc.
I can't agree lads.
Lubos is now responsible for the total production of the Freestyler and the quality is simply superb. Mind you at the price I paid it had better be! The fit is just completely awesome. There is no other way to describe it. I don't know if Pierre's was some kind of advanced prototype or one of the first production ones made but it is certainly not of sub standard quality compared to the likes or the Aris, Elita, Viking and Skorpion. I think even Thuro (who was at our race this last weekend) was impressed. It is so light too. It really suprises people when they picked it up and my new one has many fingerprints on it after this weekend!

Secondly I have also heard that the model is not as fast as......
Well, I saw them at the weekend and they rock! That said I'm not naive enough to believe that it is a world beater above all other models. I still stand by what I have said about not taking bets against a Herrig flying an Ellipse!
Franz does point out that the model is optimised for F3F conditions producing flight times of 45 to 50 seconds and in the small amount of practice we had on the Sunday in this sort of air before the rain came through the Freestylers certainly looked to be grooving very happily. The Freestyler 3 is a development of the original aimed at allowing this lighter air performance and keeping the old higher wind traights of the original freestyler. I note that the revised wing section loses the turbulator the Herrigs had been playing with while Skorpion fliers are just now adding them..... ;)

I do think that the model has been hyped up, but not overly so and I do think that it is expensive compared to other models which in the air may be just as good. That said with advanced orders now for more than 200 there will doubtlessly be one on a slope near you very soon.

I ordered the wiring harness and the wing bags too and everything is well put together including the set up sheet with the Herrigs control throws and CG. Linkages are supplied but are nothing special. The wing boxes are blanked off and require opening up. The ballast is Brass blocks with all burrs removed. (They are a little tight deep in the wing tube which will require a little cleaning up). The joiner is very accurate and the internal ballast slips easily in and out. The holes for the connectors are accurately made and align easily on attachment of the wing and everything is just tight enough to make sure it all lines up properly without slop.
Overall I'm very pleased and will be starting the build in a couple of weeks when I have sourced some Volz servos.

Andy Ellison,

[prondel]

Andy,

Good to hear this ! Mine was the exemplar n°4, so I imagine that with the production going on, the points I mentionned has been fixed.

It would be great if you could post some detailled pictures of your model, especially the tails , control horn.

Pictures of mine are here: http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/Freestyler3/

Are they now providing a part, ready to use, as tail control horn instead of a straight brass tube ?

Are the control horn in the wing installed ?

Pierre

[slopetrashuk]

No Pierre. These parts are still not fitted (but are provided) however to fit them is a simple task - but unusual to have to do so these days as you said.
I'll be starting the build in a few weeks when I return from my holiday in Spain.
Andy

[Paul Garnett]

hi andy, i agree with your comments on the freestyler, looks very nice and performs well, will be interesting to see you fly it, would have been great to see it in the light air on sunday, and would have been great to see an f3b skorpion fly in the same air to get some comparison, i spoke with paul carrington about the weight of his, and it comes in at 1900g....mines on order!!! :D

did you get any shots of me flying my now vintage V ultra pico with the freestyler, must have been some great shots, bring back M O M...er no scrub that, i can`t afford it now!

wish i could have got a bit of air for my clonky old skorpion, like i did on the same hill the week before, when we had a practice session....take a look.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyI3aZ_Nw18

see you soon

paul

[F3X]

<<<Snip>>>

wish i could have got a bit of air for my clonky old skorpion, like i did on the same hill the week before, when we had a practice session....take a look.
see you soon

paul

Ok so now I have a new favorite slope! Holly :censored: Batman! So tell me why I spent a week in Scotland at West Lame-ond????

[bOjO]

Pictures of mine are here: http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/Freestyler3/

Pierre


Hi Pierre

I've seen your VERY interesting system to fix an antenna extension at the tail...

http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/Freestyler3/pages/Freestyler30.htm

- what is the diameter of the piano rod you used and more importantly what is the length ?
- where did you find this little brass part that stay on the tail ?

Thanks !

Joel

[danfield]

Ok so now I have a new favorite slope! Holly :censored: Batman! So tell me why I spent a week in Scotland at West Lame-ond????


Yup, seen some fine video of that slope before, in your face and fast.

I would get rid of that Clunker as well, it has a tendency to turn a bit short. :)

Dan
Long Time SkorpFan

[prondel]

I've seen your VERY interesting system to fix an antenna extension at the tail...

http://pierre.rondel.free.fr/images2/Freestyler3/pages/Freestyler30.htm

- what is the diameter of the piano rod you used and more importantly what is the length ?
- where did you find this little brass part that stay on the tail ?



This is a clevisse that I cutted. The extremity of the antenna is soldered on it, and then the clevisse is glued in the fuselage. It's very convenient because the extension can be installed/removed easily. The piano wire is 0.5 mm because I didn't have 0.3 mm. The length is about 25cm.
Please note that the antena is not in the fuselage, but taped on the underside of it before to re_enter the fuselage to go to the clevisse.

Regards,

Pierre

[Paul Garnett]

Yup, seen some fine video of that slope before, in your face and fast.

I would get rid of that Clunker as well, it has a tendency to turn a bit short. :)

Dan
Long Time SkorpFan

haha, the first 10 or so legs where fine, i was flying the same course as when the poles where up, the last few where a bit shorter, also the camera had been zoomed in a little....thats my story and i`m sticking to it. ;)

that vid was the second time, we had some good air, you should have seen it go the first time when it was`nt filmed.....the one that got away eh.... :D

[danfield]

[QUOTE=Paul Garnett]haha, the first 10 or so legs where fine, i was flying the same course as when the poles where up, the last few where a bit shorter, also the camera had been zoomed in a little....thats my story and i`m sticking to it. ;)

We're all fast Beepless. :-) Nice flying though, excellent release on line.

Be sure to order the new Transponder Eprom Chip ( only 6 grams ) from Thuro. The new one is programmable from 100 to 101 meters, she will never Cut again. :-)))

BTW, I assumed that run was Thermal Air with a healthy base wind. I counted 19 legs and still going. Do your Thermals usually hang around that long?


Tom and I will be right over.

Dan

[Paul Garnett]

Hi Dan,

i have flown this slope a few times recentley, not least at last weeks eurotour(dismal result for me)a few weeks ago, before the video i was flying late afternoon in a 15mph wind, and the lift just built and built, most people had gone home!! anyway i was flying my V Ultra Pico when a big thermal came through, it was screaming around the sky, i was putting some f3f turns in and it was like bouncing a ball off a wall, looked much faster than my PB of 34.52, anyway i did around 40 legs in the thermal air.... landed and launched the skorpion, 1/2 ballast so wieghing in at 2.8kg (its a glass one) straight into another huge piece of good air, bang into the course it was just accelerating at every turn, i was pulling as hard as i could, you should have seen the wings flexing....it was much faster than the vid! i have never seen anything or flown anything close to its speed,except when i went dsing with it (almost tore the wings off it) it was truly a spectacular, you should have seen the size of the loops, 300ft diameter maybe and not slowing down, to give you some idea how fast it was going, the ailerons where starting to flutter ( i`m using volts digitals) between the turns...

my friend then launched his 60" banana, it was fun watching him try keep hold of it.

but to answer your question do the thermals last this long, no not usually, but i live in hope at getting the same air at a comp, there is a world record to be broken on this slope.

eprom chip? whats that, and how do i use it?

Paul

ps, sorry for hyjacking this thread..

[slopetrashuk]

Dragging this thread back on track as there is now a new thread for the Eurotour race - My Freestyler is numbered 22.....So I guess since pierres comments were logged they have addressed some of the minor points he has made regarding quality. I'm just glad they finally got them into production. Lubos does good work. this is the first time I've closely inspected one of his models (The only other time being a fleeting glance over an Eraser 2000) and all that has been said before is correct. That new Aspire must be special...

Andy

[Greg Dakin]

I have also heard that the model is not as fast as......
Well, I saw them at the weekend and they rock!

Andy Ellison,

It'll certainly be interesting to see how the model performs during the winter leagues Andy - consistent results must be obtained to justify the asking price :) Very nice model!

Greg

[slopetrashuk]

I have a Caldera for the winter leagues Greg..... :cool:

[Wing-span]

What is the UK asking price of the Freestyler3?

[slopetrashuk]

What is the UK asking price of the Freestyler3?
There is no UK asking price as such. The prices in Euros are listed on the manufacturers website at Tudm.
Add wing covers and a wiring loom to the cost of the standard model with ballast and bits, plus German VAt at 19%, a bit of shipping and the bank charges to pay for the transfer and you'll be just on the wrong side of a grand.
I expect that you might have to wait a year by now.....

[Wing-span]

Ouch! :eek:

[F3X]

Lets put this into perspective. The Freestyler 3 is priced about the same as a Crossfire. the Crossfire is probably the most frequent F3B model in the last few years and is having no problems selling. Many put the Freestyler3 way ahead in performance.

Now our issue is paying for any EU model in USD today :eek: :eek:

[slopetrashuk]

Ouch! :eek:
Somebody else expressed this point recently and I answered that it was still small potato's compared to the 6m schuler ASH 26 he owns which last flew for a few minutes 2 years ago......

My Freestyler will be working hard for her space in the Skunkworks and she'll be getting more airtime than your average big scale jobbie, bet ya!

;)

[Andy_b]

Somebody else expressed this point recently and I answered that it was still small potato's compared to the 6m schuler ASH 26 he owns which last flew for a few minutes 2 years ago......

My Freestyler will be working hard for her space in the Skunkworks and she'll be getting more airtime than your average big scale jobbie, bet ya!

;)so its you whos convinced him to sell it then ....... ;)

[timmig]

It's just another plane of the month that has a LONG waiting list!! It's great these planes are available--someday--for enough money--if you put up the money and wait! Fortunately, there are a LOT of great planes. ;) So your selection is nearly endless! FWIW :D
Tim

[slopetrashuk]

Now our issue is paying for any EU model in USD today :eek: :eek:

Yep - You guys are certainly getting shafted against the Euro....

Andy
(Who wishes he could buy a Freestyler in Dollars...)

[Robbieuk]

Yep - You guys are certainly getting shafted against the Euro....

Andy
(Who wishes he could buy a Freestyler in Dollars...)

I don't feel sorry for them though. They get cheap fuel, cheap food, cheap nearly everything compared to us, and more wages. :)

Rob.
( who just wishes to be flameproof)

[ShredAir]

I don't feel sorry for them though. They get cheap fuel, cheap food, cheap nearly everything compared to us, and more wages. :)

Rob.
( who just wishes to be flameproof)
And, the fuel excepted, we get what we pay for... : )
(unless you know where to go to get good stuff, which is getting ever harder to find)

Dieter Mahlein, ShredAir