[FaceDeAce]

Anyone know anything about this one? Tower is selling them for 109 Usd.

http://www.carlgoldbergproducts.com/matrix.htm

[Thapgood]

Hi Claude,

Full review here: http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=442

GH wants $269 cnd. Biggest discrepency in pricing I have ever seen.

I was looking for one but the pre-assembled wing restricts shipping from US by normal means.

Really looks & flies nice tough...

I settled for the Funtana 40

[FaceDeAce]

Yes, that is basically where I am at too. Settling for the Funtana 40. Nuts I was looking to get something a little nicer and flashier.

[FaceDeAce]

Well ... I looked at the Twist and decided it would get old and boring fast. I looked at the Funtana and although it is a very popular plane - it is boxy, has some very obvious weakpoints to the airframe structure, and looks like it wouldn't last my interest all that long either.

I really wanted to go with the Goldberg Matrix but I couldn't find one very easily. So, I settled with something very similar. The Lanier Razor 3D.

http://www.lanierrc.com/lrcprivate/r...es/razor3d.htm

I am going to use either the Irvine 53 or the 90 four stroke depending on where the balance point comes out to when I get everything else mounted in the airframe.

I am looking forward to getting this one up in the air

[matthew cotton]

Nice why don't you do a build thread for us I haven't seen or heard too much on this plane.

Happy flying!

Matt

[FaceDeAce]

Sure, I can easily snap some pictures as the build goes along.

If you follow the link I provided above, there is another link there that will take you to the RCU review. I haven't looked much over at RCU but I am pretty sure there is already a build thread and a bunch of pointers too over there.

[matthew cotton]

Ya I've read all those rcu reviews but I think they are afraid to say anything bad about the plane, it seems like all planes reviewed are the best and they should be your next plane so I would like to hear form you.

Thanks Matt

[FaceDeAce]

OK, will do. I had to search alot to find anything about this plane, but I did find a few other reviews and comments on it. It supposedly flies very very well and will take you higher levels. I did find more than one comment regarding a minor high speed tip stall quirk, but we'll see if that proves out or if it is just the other guy's setup. Actually all of my more aerobatic planes do this when you pull back really hard at high speed. It is short and snappy. If you want stability this is not the plane for you. If you like the feel of balancing by your belly button on an over inflated exercise ball then this should be a good choice. (At least that is what I interpreted from the little bit of research so far)

Keep watching for my own build assessment and actual test flight. But it probably will not be until later this week or even weekend before I get a chance to do anything with it.

I got the black/red/orange one. The underside of the wings and stab are black/white checker board. Looks really sharp! I will have no issues with top-bottom orientation. I really like the sleek lines of the plane (reminiscent of pattern plane) and the colors pop.

I am hoping to refine my pattern skills and dabble more into the 3D realm with a more capable plane. This Razor or the Matrix fit the description. If you look closely - except for the colors and cowl they look like they came from the same workbench.

We'll soon see if the money was well spent on the flying capabilities or just the popping color scheme.

[FaceDeAce]

Here is a good page showing the Razor. The guy did a great job with the pictures. This is the color scheme that I purchased.

http://astro.umsystem.edu/andy/rc/razor/index.htm

I am going to use either the Irvine 53 or the 90 four stroke depending on where the balance point comes out to when I get everything else mounted in the airframe.

I am looking forward to getting this one up in the air!

[FaceDeAce]

I am going to use the Irvine 53 to power this ship. HS-425 (ail) and HS-475 (rud, elev) servos on 6 volts (2/3A 1200 mAh pack).


The plane is going together fine. There are some minor issues with it that a "builder" would want to correct as you go along. But overall it is a decent ARF and I hope it flies as well as its good looks. My assessment is that it is a nice plane but the overall quality of the construction is lacking and below expectations for the price. It is a nice decent ARF but for the premium price the quality needs to be alot better than what I am seeing. The quality level of the kit indicates to me the a sticker price of $80 cheaper would be more in line. I am not saying it is crap. I am just saying it is overpriced. The Seagull ARFs are better built and priced where they should be. I wouldn't buy this plane again unless it was a very very good deal ($150 range)


Issues noted so far.
- Landing gear plate is an absurd 1/8" lite poor quality ply. I laminated a another 1/8" decent plate to it (stiff dark brown material typically used for clip-board backing actually). With the OEM setup the plate was "working" and cracking just on the workbench during my assembly/setup handling. I shudder to think about the results of the first take-off roll or a landing that is anything more than a feather touch.

- The covering is done well but there are some seams that need to be gone over and there is the odd spots in tight corners on the wing and fuse that need a patch piece put on to ensure all wood is covered.

- The supplied wheels are too small. The wheel pant setup is inadequate. The pants are not an issue for me, I do not use wheel pants. The supplied axles are just mild steel el-cheapo bolts. Some decent axles are needed.

- The servo mounting tray in the fuse is weak - lite poor quality ply. Laminated another 1/8" layer on it.

- The supplied engine mounting bolts and blind nuts are absurdly small. Due to the variety of engines that may be used and each modeller's preference for orientation, ARF makers should only mark the engine centers and thrust lines on the firewall and leave the mounting to the builder. I will be using the supplied mounts, but not the bolts or holes as pre-drilled.

- Glue is used very sparingly. A little too light actually. Go over every joint you can reach with a shot of thin CA and follow with a bead of med or thick CA in the typical high stress areas.



My next report will be actual test flight. Hopefully this weekend if I get the engine and tank setup done AND the sun shines a bit. I haven't seen anything but clouds and rain here since last saturday.