I will be getting a bonus check very soon (next week) and I think that I have worked my way up to a molded comp ship. What should I get?? There is only about a $30.00 price differance. I am looking for all the pluses and minuses between these two planes. Does one float better, does one fly better, does one have a better airfoil?? And, Does anyone know if these planes are in stock, or do I have to order and then wait six months for the plane?? Thanks for the help. ...R...

Well I just got a bonus check myself and the first guy I called was Denny at Polecat aero.

I was at the flying field with Austintatatious last week and looked at his blaster, very VERY nice. In the end however, I decided on the XP-4 because I've owned one of Denny's airplanes in the past (sidewinder) I like the durability, weight and leading edge materials use.

To me the top HLG's are the Encore, XP4 and Taboo, that's based on what I've read, not flown

I will be calling Barry ... for the Ava, next check

The XP-4 looks like a sweet plane, but when spending that much money I want to be sure. I have seen a lot of good stuff on the XP-4, not too much on the Blaster (cause its new). Still seeking info.............. Thanks ...R...

Randyk1,

I am almost done with my Blaster. If you are in no hurry, stay tuned. It chould be complete and in the air soon. However, I dont think you can go wrong with the XP4. The Blaster should fly great but it will be a bit heavier.

Alex

Welp :-P all I can say is that the XP's are definitly nice airplanes.

I dont know about the Xp4, but fly regularly against an XP3. This particular one weighs about 12 oz. I have heard of Ready to throw Xp's being as light as 9.7 oz

The Blaster of mine weighs in at 12.9 oz. It flys very well at this weight. Now mind you, I have an AAA 780Mah Nimh battery and a Hitec 555 in the nose. It does not need all of this and Could be lighter. WE have a lot of wind Here so I dont worry about it... The L/d is not affected by this weight and is VERY good.

Another factor is that you are talking 30$ more for a bagged wing VS a Hollow molded wing. In MHO the Blaster is also MUCH prettier than the XP all around. IT is also much more of an ARFand leaves slightly more than radio installation.

The plane is very stable, responds to camber changes well and has PLENTY of control response when you need it... What I have grown to like is the 11 degrees of Dihedral built into the wing. I can stay off the ailerons so much more than with my enigma.

You cannot argue the XP's success, but I found a plane of more sophisticated construction, better looks, slightly less price, same good airfoils, a bit more innovation (the full flying stab, and snap off canopy), and just plain somthign different with the blaster

I will say in all honesty, when I fly against the XP3 ( MOM type flying) I do very well.... and the guy flying it is very skilled and capable with ANY sailplane. I dont think the Xp' has THAT much if any edge on the Blaster.... I think if two pilots flew against each other, one with an XP and one with a blaster, Reguardless of which one wins, if they switched planes, My money goes on the guy that won the first contest.

Im dying for someone here to get an XP4 so I can see if it is any better than the 3

MHO

Austin

Austin: I told when I first laid eyes on the blaster that it was the most beatiful dlg made!! You werent real positive,, now your flying one,,does it fly has good has it looks? compare it to the enigma for me. What did ya buy for a open class ship?? Would love to join yal some,,but,, for me,,, Dr's, x-rays,shot's,,pain,,pain,,hospital,tests,,, crap!!!! Love to see the gliders on this site keep it up... Lee

HEy lee, sorry to hear your in pain.

Yes, at first I wasnt real positive because i questioned 2 things on the blaster. One was the Eliptical wing, I thought i might have tip stalling tendencies. The other was the full flying tail...i worried about it being unstable during launch. Turns out, neither are an issue and the glider flys real well.

compared to the enigma

Blaster is prettier, didnt think that was possible!
Blaster launches Almost as well (IMHO the Enigma is the BEsT launching plane out there bar-non)
Blaster has a much more ruggad fusalage
Blaster is about 2..5 oz heavier empty it comes out about the same AUW
Blaster has WAY better roll control and response to camber changeing.
The blaster makes NO noise in flight vs the enigma that sounds like a bottle rocket on launch
The blaster goes together in Half the time the enigma does (freggin amazing)

The blaster is overall a more effecient plane than the enigma and IMHO is a more fun plane to fly because of its agility and "playfulness" as a lot have put it.

Come watch us fly sometime..

ohh and I bought a Thermal Eagle for an unlimited ship... Im lovin it M<MacDonalds arch.

Austin

Now the choice gets harder. I just got e-mails from Barry & Denny, the XP-4 has a 3 week wait (not bad) and the Blaster will be back in stock next week (even better). As for the XP-4 being $30 more than the Blaster, after shipping there about the same price, the Balster is $330 + $50 shipping + 3% for using Paypal (around $390), the XP-4 is $369 + $15 shipping ($384). Whats better, bagged wings or molded wings?? EERRRGGGGGGGGG, what plane do I buy??????????? This is way too stressfull ...R...

Easy decision... Get both... I was unsure about Blaster or Taboo. Order one and if you dont like it, sell it and order the other. If you like both and your last name is Rockafellar, keep both...

Alex

If you want every last bit of performance get the XP-4 - this is really a no brainer as it has much lighter wingloading and will hang better than the Blaster. If you must have a molded wing get the Blaster. I personally prefer molded wings but if I was given the choice between the two I would get the XP-4 as the Blaster is too heavy for my tastes. If I was going to buy a molded dlg I would get the Fireworks III which seems to be the cream of the crop at the moment amongst molded dlgs - it is the only one that is really weight competitive.

Greg

if it were me in this situation, i'd go for the xp-4. the blaster is too new to really judge, while the xp series is proven.

Why dotn you get out and try to get a look at each plane? Is there noone around you that owns either?

Also, Ask Barry if the nex shipment has the lighter wings if that is a concern to you.

[QUOTE=AustinTatious]Why dotn you get out and try to get a look at each plane? Is there noone around you that owns either?

QUOTE]

There is noone around me that has a DLG at all, or e-sailplanes whitch I also love to fly, soooooo..... I fly all by myself and get all my info from the e-zone. I am very glad I found this place a few years ago. How much less does the new wing weigh? ...R... p.s. its better to fly by yourself than not at all

Austin,
Who's flying the XP3 in Dallas? I'd like some setup clues from a local flyer....

I expect mine to be here in a few weeks..

Randy, I can't offer any advice on the Blaster (haven't seen any around here) but I've seen, and competed against, several XP-3s and they're right up there with the top of the line competition DLGs. The new XP-4 fuselage looks like it's keeping up with the current trends too, so that's a plus for it against the Blaster.