Originally Posted by janole

Cool, when can we mortals order the dam thing

Very soon. Chris is writing the manual as we speak. Thyat's all that is holding up shipping.

Mine is finished, but I am tidying up the blog report. A lot of things are done very differently on this plane and I think you'll be surprised. This baby is light. I think it might be lighter than the Edge.

Anyway, check my blog because I am running an in progress report and I am going to put the picxs up as soon as I am done posting this.

Please be patient. I am kicking ass on this thing trying to get it done, flown and reported on. I only got the kit at 7pm!

new box?

So we just have a single sticker now, I understand the reasoning behind but man I love the EF boxes! Still have all five of mine but I do understand why chris would make the change.


So we are still a couple of weeks out from getting it, I believe it was four to ship here from when they say the order is on, but I could be way off.


Also a smaller wing area, 480 (from the looks of it) instead of the standard 500 on the EXP's.

light, i like light, what set up are you running?

Originally Posted by stgdz

So we are still a couple of weeks out from getting it, I believe it was four to ship here from when they say the order is on, but I could be way off.

No. Sooner, but I can't say when. Just hold on. It won't be that long.

Extreme Flight Laser EXP__LIVE AND IN PROGRESS BUILD AND FLY REPORT

Originally Posted by janole

light, i like light, what set up are you running?

Torque 2814 and airboss 45 ESC, like aways. Batteries are 4s 2700 65C, Thunder Power, but of course.

Nice blog update Doc.

I hate to say this but Chris seems to have gone across to the same plane builder that hobbyking have used in several of their recent launches, ie, the Edge, the Domin8trix and the 51" slick360.

I hope this EF Laser flys better post stall than those three hobbyking birds flew.

I say the same builder as the fuse, motorbox, wing insert countersinks, wing attachments, are all exactly the same. And until now I haven't seem this structure on any other brand of bird in the market apart from the hobbyking badged ARF's.

Doc, is there any carbon inside the fuse area? Landing gear plates, fuse longerons, etc? As this was not present in the hobbyking planes.

Originally Posted by bigroger

I hate to say this but Chris seems to have gone across to the same plane builder that hobbyking have used in several of their recent launches, ie, the Edge, the Domin8trix and the 51" slick360.

No. That's absolutely not true. Chris uses one factory and one factory only. We were just talking about that last week.

Doc, is there any carbon inside the fuse area? fuse longerons, etc?

There's not as much, but there are longerons that run the fully bottom on each side.

Landing gear plates,

The design is a little different, but it still uses G10.

Originally Posted by bigroger

I hate to say this but Chris seems to have gone across to the same plane builder that hobbyking have used in several of their recent launches, ie, the Edge, the Domin8trix and the 51" slick360.

Or possibly HK has gone to the same factory that builds the EXPs?.. It's undeniable that there are spookily similar features between the Laser and the latest HK models.

I don't mean this as a criticism by the way... the latest HK models have some very nice design details, only slightly let down is lack of development time to sort out the flying behaviour, which I'm sure is an area Chris will have sorted out making the final product much better.

Steve

PS.. Doc, Good build blog. On the recessed wing cut outs (one of those spookily similar features by the way) it might be worth noting for the future to cut the covering slightly inside the edges of the recess (5mm or so) and seal this into the recess with a covering iron. Reason being is that the wing root is likely to be very slightly smaller than the recess in a few places and if you cut the covering right back to the edges then you might see wood... A trivial little detail that probably wont bother most people but i think you (like me) have a big perfectionist streak through you.

Hate to say it mate, but if thats the case, hobbyking must have had the factory Chris uses build their recent planes.

That cross fuse structure to mount the wings, the motor box design and the wing recess area is exactly the same functional design in the recent hobbyking planes.

If it was the same factory as the previous EF EXP planes then why such a dramatic deviation from engineering design?? The carbon braces on the motor box, the flush mount wings, the cross fuse brace, etc were quite impressive components of the EF planes I thought.

Does the laser have G10 face on the motor mount plate? I know the Hobbyking planes do not have it?

It does seem to me that a lot of the exp features that we know and love and might I say, are heavily publicised in your blog Doc as selling points of the EF EXP planes are gone from the laser construction. Leading me to believe they had changed factories, and unfortunately, given the current financial crisis and the success of the EXP features could only mean it was done for cost reduction reasons.

Originally Posted by JetPlaneFlyer

On the recessed wing cut outs (one of those spookily similar features by the way) it might be worth noting for the future to cut the covering slightly inside the edges of the recess (5mm or so) and seal this into the recess with a covering iron.

That was already cut out and so was everything else except for the holes for the rudder and elevator servos. They did a clean job on it.

Hmmm I would be more likely to believe that design - process steps and patterns were more advanced and offered to build for prototypes by EF....and basically copied and lifted to make other planes rather than the other way round.....

Well it is clear that the structural features of this laser fuse area is almost exact duplicate of HK's recent planes. Don't know who copied who but they certainly used the same patterns, cutters and jigs for sure.

Originally Posted by Space Bat

Hmmm I would be more likely to believe that design - process steps and patterns were more advanced and offered to build for prototypes by EF....and basically copied and lifted to make other planes rather than the other way round.....

Nice conspiracy theory but the HK planes were already in production well before the prototype laser was made.

Personally I'd see the way it works is that the 'client' (EF in this case) give the Chinese factory a conceptual design, with general layout and geometry, airfoils, certain 'must have' features, like the use of G10, carbon longerons, SFG's etc.. Then the factory does the detail manufacturing design incorporating it's own latest developments (like recessed wing mounts etc) then the overall design is signed off and away you go.

No conspiracy theory or industrial espionage required.. it's just the way it works in industry. What is obvious though is that it IS the same factory. The little trivial details like the small holes around wing retaining tab and the motor box design are more than coincidence.



Steve

Not really a conspiracy...I never mentioned a conspiracy..- just pointed to the issue of timing of how and what may be the reason for similar design..... quite possible that development cycle and signoff is probably slower for EF due to the higher design integrity - ethos of right design/performance/quality to customer....this would likely have 2-3 times the development cycle time to production than the HK planes...so quite possible that the design aspects were known from EF and several of them incorporated in other planes with lesser design cycle, quality/performance gates....to get through...etc - hence as yet nobody claims a HK plane flies as good or equal to a EF/3DHS plane....

Also transfer of tech/design/ideas and drawings of manufacturers....are often moved/borrowed/stolen and taken to other manufacturing facilities to replicate the products....

It's how it works over there.....I think most western business appreciate - take the calculated gamble and awareness that on choosing low cost country manufacture such as China that their IP will be stolen and cloned....and rely solely on the early lead market share business generated prior to the cloned copies hit the stores...

Don't see how similar design denotes same factory ??

Did someone spill coolaid?

I can tell you that EF's plane, are build at the Best factory out there! If you've ever purchased, or looked at a Sebart plane, you would know where there built! Hint hint.. There not built along side HK junk! There built at a world class factory.


Maybe people should do some research before they start floating conspiracy theory's. IMO..

Hanger9 also uses that wing setup, on many of there Airframes.. They have been doing it that way for years!



Great start Doc! The motor box is just like the 60" planes! Very nice! Can't wait to see more!