Yeah, I caught that. Kind've worrisome for me too is their other gliders the Fox & ASK23 have the same reg. price as the W28 of $156 and yet they aren't marked down as much (@$130), and I know the K23 is a bit of a dog both quality & performance-wise.

That's mainly why I asked above (& still w/o any response) about how this 28 is on aerobatics & hard dive pullouts. I want something that'll soar & that doesn't have to be kept at jet speeds to stay in the air, but will float along nicely at a liesurely pace, is responsive to controls & thermals easily, yet hold up when I want to make some reasonably steep diving low passes. Basically, I want it to perform 'scale'.

So again I ask, How's this ASW-28 in that realm?

Originally Posted by StarHopper44

... Basically, I want it to perform 'scale'.
So again I ask, How's this ASW-28 in that realm?

And still, nobody wants to answer me. WTH - have I pissed everybody off or something?

Hi, SH.

About the only thing I've seen re: aerobatics is very early in this thread. "loops and rolls easily" is about it. An educated guess tells me that scale aerobatics and fast passes should be doable. I would think that one could build up to higher dive speeds and, if it starts to flutter, one could add cloth, tape, or even just a coat of Polycrylic to stiffen the wings up. Paint over foam acts like a very thin plastic composite and can really dampen flutter more than one would think. It made a huge difference on my ST foamy.

I dont think you've angered anyone, I'm sure that people who have purchased either of these sailplanes haven't flown and reported back yet or even know that this thread exists. Don't worry I'm here to help you the best I can, I'm looking at the FMS ASK-23 and covering the fuselage, painting.

All of my 2m EPO foam sailplanes I've never experienced a wing spar break, only foam wing flex. FMS builds are usually pretty good and higher on the quality level than others. My FMS Stuka is brilliant. On the other hand, my Hobby King ASK-21Mi needs more help than I can give it (3mm carbon under wings, whole new wing joiner, control rods, etc and its brand new!). You can always modify and add 3mm carbon rods to the underside of the wings past where the installed ones are. Although it does looks good as is, see below.



Since it is all EPO construction and relatively light at 1100g (38.8oz) this FMS ASW-28 looks like it will glide well in lighter winds ~ up to 20mph or so, anything over that you will need to add ballast weight around the CG area, and add stronger; fuselage, wing, control surfaces and servo gear components to handle the stress.

My ST Models ASW-28 wing needs to be flown on the faster side to get proper lift and being a sailplane always needs to be "glided through turns" which is scale looking (as opposed to like my Radian where it basically floats itself down). I have 45% rudder mixed in with ailerons and it turns well like this.

Here is a video of a scale EPO 2m ST Model ASW-28 out of the box slope soaring in winds well over 20mph... it is foam, looks and flys scale and is what it is. EPO foam sailplanes are good to learn with and inexpensive and easy to repair.

ST ASW28 Maiden (4 min 7 sec)

Here is a video of a scale 4m Graupner ASW-28 and will fly like it's price. You get what you pay for.

ASW 28 GRAUPNER (2 min 47 sec)

These FMS sailplanes (ASK-23 and ASW-28) are both scale looking and flying, just need proper European scale graphics, HK super detailed sailplane pilots and white spinners, all easy enough to fix. If you get adventurous like me, cover the fuselage with cloth and medium CA and paint, this adds weight, strength and toughness for rougher landings which means you can fly it a little faster. You could also sheet the wings with 1/16" balsa, then cover with econo or monocoat. You can't beat either of these for the price.

Cheers, Thompson

Hmm, the ASW-28 does look pretty good.

ASW 28 von FMS Test Mai 2012 MBC Norden.mp4 (7 min 30 sec)

Maiden Flight of the FMS ASW-28 2300MM Sailplane (4 min 54 sec)

and... the ASK-23 was sold through nitroplanes.com for a brief time as the Airfield brand before FMS went with BH.

New Airfield Ask 23 Sample Flight Review (10 min 2 sec)

Hark! Out of the darkness, a candle!!
Thanx Pete & Stud - especially the latter, for all that effort. I was seriously beginning to wonder!

Gotta get on the road to run some errands but, before I go......
I've watched all but the last couple videos (having seen the Deutsch one before) and wanta interject this. Watching the Graupner 4m I just thought to myself, "That's a great looking & flying plane that is obviously up to my tasks. I might as well bite the bullet & go ahead and plan on investing $3-400 & remove all these doubts about getting a good, quality plane."

Then I found the price tag.*
*LMAO*

"F.M.S." I think stands for: 'For My Style'. (He said, while clicking the Back button to the BH ad.)





*$1705 w/o shipping

Just an FYI. There is another option out there, SH. HobbyKing has a glass/wood ASW28 that can easily be converted to power and gets mixed to good reviews. They also have one that's already built for a motor but it's currently out of stock and doesn't have flaps. I don't know if I would trust spoilerons on a glider of this size and weight. I suppose that one could add flaps or airbrakes to the wing but it seems to me that simply sawing the nose off and gluing a firewall in would be much simpler. It and the DQ-1000 are on my wish list should I decide to get another scale sailplane.

G-day!

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=23583

I had the Fly Fly (HK) DG-1000 and loved it. Excellent performer. I would think the ASW-28 version would be similar in quality and performance.

Guys, while I very much appreciate all your efforts in telling me about all these other planes, let me save you some time by advising you of my mindset. The BH ASW28 this thread is about is my only interest in all this. Being of very limited income, I have to shop long & hard when making purchasing decisions (Procurement & Mat'ls Management was my career before I retired) - and trust me, I've spent many hours poring over about every model of the gliders carried by the 'major' mail order houses, so know of them pretty well, tho not having flown them, & that's where your input assists me in that regard. That's basically why I ask the questions I do, & have here - to gain your working knowledge about the plane involved, to help me in making those decisions. And your input is valuable in that regard, and as I said - appreciated. However....

What I'm going to share with you here is that I've now had 'issues' with 3 different planes I've bought from HK, in which I've spent endless hours politely trying to work with HK's "customer service" to correct, and it always comes down to "sorry nothing we can do" in the end. Politely rendered, but tantamount to "got your money; screw you". I'm one who believes that actions have consequences. As a result of my experience with HK, when it comes down to buying planes, I absolutely refuse to give them any more of my business unless it is one I deeply want, and it is not available elsewhere, and then only reluctantly. This isn't intended as a rant - it's just to state my position even if somewhat forcefully, & it being one I intend to stand by in the future. HK has many planes I'm interested in, but I'll do without as long as there are others I'm interested in that can be bought elsewhere.....and that's all she wrote!
Thanks for listening, & hoping you understand.

It doesn't look like there's much to choose between the two, Aros. It looks like the DG-1000 might have a little longer and thinner nose, which should help with balance, but the pictures could be deceptive. It looks like the latest electric version of the ASK-21 has flaps but it hasn't been shipped to the U.S. warehouse yet and shipping is more than half the price of the plane! It seems like a heck of a penalty for the convenience of an installed motor mount on a plane that doesn't sound like it flies as well.

Perfectly understandable, SH. I've had good luck since I reentered the hobby in March but there are plenty of horror stories about HK and Banana Hobbies and most of the other dealers of Chinese planes as well. That's why I'm pretty sure that my next sailplane will be a TopModel. I'm retired too and have to seriously weigh any additional expenses. I can live without beer for a month at a stretch but I don't like it! Still, it would be nice if some other American vendor would import the FlyFly line. I'm not averse to a plane that's a project to get right but would be terribly disappointed to end up with a wall ornament.

Cheers!

@StarHopper44 - good choice stick with the FMS ASW-28. IMHO, compared to the ST Model ASW-28, you get both landing gear front and rear, a pilot, larger wing area and span and ability to replace servos in the wing and rudder. Just looks like a better sailplane for the same cost as the ST Model. You can cover it later with cloth and CA, and sheet the wings, then it would be as close (for reasonable cost) to a glassed fuselage and built up or foam / sheeted wing FlyFly or European spec.

BTW, Pretty sure that FlyFly sailplanes are available through HobbyClub.com in San Clemente, CA. They have been around for at least the last 20+ years.

http://www.hobbyclub.com/product_inf...oducts_id=1025

Thanks for the tip, studioRS. I was unaware of HobbyClub.

I went to their Hong Kong site using Google Translator & looked thru prolly 90% of their electric gliders. Saw some nice stuff & they have most of the 'scale' models we see but, all of them were 4s, 5s voltage & above except one which I wouldn't have been interested in anyway. This indicates (to me) they're pretty heavy ships, for starters....and I note most take larger-sized motors. To boot, no powertrain (motor, esc, servos) in any of 'em either. EG, most run in the ~$150 range, tend to be larger (2.5-3.5meter range), but then you gotta install $80 worth of heavy-duty servos....plus the other electronics.....then add the shipping; gonna make one a fairly spendy proposition. I'm kinda trying to stay in 3s-land anyway so, all considered, they're sorta out of my league. Maybe some day, but def not now.

Originally Posted by StarHopper44

I'm kinda trying to stay in 3s-land anyway so, all considered, they're sorta out of my league. Maybe some day, but def not now.

"Scale sailplane enthusiast on a foam budget" - Thompson quote

Drop down for a FMS ASW-28, chuck a studioRS style fuselage cloth / CA covering on her, white paint, sheet the wings with 1/16" balsa, detail with some of my scale stickers, drop in a HK pilot (honestly the best out there for details in 1/9-1/10 scale) and run it with stock components to start. You'll have a sailplane that will out perform the FlyFly in thermals and glide ratio to weight will be better and still run on 3S