Command Central

My Feedback: (25)

I just finished a new VMAR Xtreme Stix and got 8 flights in yesteday. VMAR's quality is light years ahead of where it was not long ago. It flew beautifully and I plan to order another one. I got it from Jim Davis at Quantum Models.

sir-crash-alot

My Feedback: (4)

link...ive never heard of this one!

Command Central

My Feedback: (25)

This is a brand new ARF from VMAR. It's available in a high or low wing version and three different colors. Price is $89.95. A good value IMO.

I bought it so I can retire my Ace Thunder Tiger Stik which has been flying for 7 seasons. It's still going strong but it is time to retire it.

Bodge

I bought one, with some reservations, about a month ago. Its my first Vmar model - I've seen examples of the older Vmar stuff (owned by others) and vowed I would never buy one. This one was cheap enough and I thought I would give Vmar a chance, so I bought the low wing version.

http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk...+Wing-5417.htm

The model quality, while not Hangar 9 or GP, was good enough for the money. The hardware was a bit suss and I replaced most of it. I fitted an ASP 52 with 13 x 4 prop and it flies okay. Not as well as an Ultra Sick 40, but acceptable.

In short, it does what it says on the box but you don't get something for nothing (do you ever?). Build quality is average: flying performance is okay - it is not a 3D model and will tend to snap and fall out of the sky if you get a bit radical.

If you want a good flyer, save a bit longer and get the U/S 40. The U/Stick will last longer too...

Bodge

Did have a Tiger Stick, though. That was great!

n_mac_parthalain

Bought the 'shoulder wing'(high-wing in my opinion...) version - very happy indeed with the flight performance. Few minor niggles in terms of build quality. Quad flap option is great. At less than half the price of an H9 Ultra Stick - you wont do better for the money.


N

nickr100

hi all,

i got my high wing red version late on saturday afternoon and i have just got in from it maiden. weather was very blowy and i was in two minds if i should fly or not but i thought what the heck.

the extreme flew great with the ASP .52 2st upfront, it was a tad nose heavy for my liking but fine for two flights. this was bought purely to run in two engines for a twin, but now i think i will have to find an engine to keep this one in the air.

a few niggles with the kit like the metal hub wheels, the metal steering arm, both of which i replaced. the geometry for the aileron (no flaps) seemed way out so i did my own thing (moved the horn). the other strange thing is that somehow i have a touch of anhedral. everything was dead straight when i was dry fitting it and i even check the wing joiner in every possible orientation to make sure it was ok, fly fine for a good hack model!!

cheers

nick

nickr100

hi all,

i meant to say, for all UK and possibly Europian flyers, the cheapest place i have found to buy the extreme is [link=http://www.inwoodmodels.co.uk]Inwood Models[/link] £53 delivered

cheers

nick

Bad Driver

Hi Nick,
How is your VMAR Extreme Stik holding up? I am wondering about one of these (from Inwoods ) as a cheap electric-conversion hack.

Do you think it would be easy to convert to a tail-dragger? Maybe an additional ply plate and some reinforcing on the bottom of the fus @ about the wing LE line.... just a thought.

Cheers,
Steve

nickr100

hi steve,

the stik is holding up very well all things considered its been put through a lot, including getting fuel soak when a pipe came off the tank, covering coming off the top of right wing in flight, & flying inverted into a hadge at about 1/2 power. the inverted part was intentional, the hedge contact was not. all that said, the airframe does look a bit batered now but still flys great

i only realy bought it to run in to .52's for a twin and once i had done that i put a ST 51 in it. for the money its a damn good hack. it hasnt good hanger9's build quailty but what do you expect for £55??

from an electric point of view, it can be converted but might well take some fiddling. as a tail dragger i wouldn't bother changing the high wing version, i would just get the low wing version.

one thing i have done, which i have just thought about, is that i have some pitch/throttle mixing. the model needs a bit of up trim dialled in as the power is reduced. you might think 'thrust line' but we have fiddled with that and have come to the conclution that it is the particular aerofoil that the have used, it likes flying fast but when slowed needs a bit more positive angle of attack. this conclusion was come to with the aid of Alasdair Sutherland, who is a wonderful guy to have in your club

cheers

nick

Bad Driver

Hi Nick,
Many thanks for your feedback and the info about the thrust/aerofoil [sm=thumbup.gif] Still sounds like a worthwhile investment of £50.

I was wondering about the low-wing version but it's just so butt-ugly! The silly little canopy & head-rest-thingy really don't help. I think I would rather live with the trike gear of the high-wing version.

Mr. Sutherland is a very helpful chappy - I have corresponded with him a couple of times re. some aerodynamic questions. I wish he flew at my club!

Thanks again,
Steve

nickr100

one thing i did forget to mention about the stik, or atleast mine anyway is that the fuz seems 'squishy'. what i mean is that if you go to pick it up by grabbing the side of the fuz, it 'gives'. i initially thought that it wasnt bult very well, but it seems that it just the design, wood where its needed and less where its not

cheers

nick

ckangaroo70

My Feedback: (51)

I have an old Vmar stick, and you have to be carefull not to pick it up by the wings or your fingers will go right through the cottonwood sheeting.[&o] It flys pretty good though considering...........................

nickr100

i know what you mean about the cotton wood but these i believe are acutally balsa and ply constructed

cheers

nick

EASYJETRIDER

Hi,

Thought I'd re-kindle this old thread, seeing as I've just bought and put together a VMAR Xtreme Stick - low wing. It's my first low winger and only second ARTF i've 'built'. I'm hoping it will help hone my somewhat dubious aerobatic skills!

I got mine from Inwood models (UK) for about £53 delivered, which I thought was fantastic value. It was delivered within 24 hours of making the phone call - brilliant.

As far as the build quality etc is concerned, I have mixed feelings. There are some nice touches - the aluminium spinner, metal engine clamps, reasonable quality horns and clevises and the polycote advanced covering system. On the other hand, I felt it was let down by a few things, like the elevator and rudder pushrods (snakes) being too short, and the holes to accommodate the throttle pushrod being in the wrong place. The only hardware I've substituted however, are the main wheels (because I wanted slightly larger ones for grass use and the originals were a bit heavy) and the pushrods for the rudder and elevator. I'm a little concerned with the tail wheel - it seems too firm - there's no 'give' in it at all. I might replace it with a slightly springy version before the first flight.

Compared to my Seagull Arising Star, the build was definitely more fussy and I think the quality of wood and accuracy of lazer cutting is better on the seagull model. That said, and although I've not flown it yet, I am very pleased with the finished product - it does look quite smart.

I shall let you know how it performs very soon. Does anybody have any other experiences of this model?

EASYJETRIDER

Well, I managed to make the maiden flight a couple of days ago despite the foul weather. It was actually quite a nice day with a wind of about 8mph straight down the strip!

Remembering that this is my very first low winger, I have to say I am very impressed. After the first take off, I found that very little trim was needed.(Prior to flight, in order to balance the aeroplane, I had to put about 2 oz of lead at the tail).

With an SC 46 and a 10x6 prop, it really does go quite quickly and cuts through the air beautifully. On a full speed low pass I did however, notice a small amount of oscillation in yaw, which I believe is due to slack in the rudder push rod (plastic snake) - I might change this for an all metal push rod.

I have had a problem with the engine quitting at various and unpredictable times. The engine surges then quits. I think this has been due to air bubbles in the fuel line. After deadsticking several times now, I've noticed a whitness mark on the wing adjacent the fuel tank. I've now repacked the tank cushioning so that hopefully it will not contact the wing during flight! Will be flying the bird again today and will let you know the outcome.

EASYJETRIDER

Managed to fly it again yesterday with the re-cushioned fuel tank. I was very hopeful that this was going to be the end of my troubles but alas, the engine is still quiting.

I put a slower prop on it (11x7) and noticed that the engine became less suseptable to the surges, but it still failed on me a few times. I'm as certain as I can be that the engine is sound and the problem is fuel starvation.

I've decided to take the fuel tank and pipework off the aeroplane and start a fresh.

usc1990

I just got a VMAR Xtreme Stik last week. It will be my first ARF after building a Sig LT40 and an almost complete Sig 4*40. I think it looks like it is built well but the covering was very slack. It sort of came out with the heat gun but I did manage to burn a hole in the vertical fin! My only real complaint is that they had to have chose the worst colors ever. I got the red trimmed model and it has an off white base color with red, pink and yellow trim.

Easyjetrider - Did you have any trouble with the tank location? It seems that the tank will be lower than my carb. no matter what I do.

I'm going to power mine with an OS 40LA engine.

ric0024

i have an extreme stik low ing and it flies great however on the ground it is a dog as the undercarriage is 2 weak i strengthened mine so it wouldnt have a tendancy to squirm on takeoff

All_Nitro

I purchased the VMAR Xtreme Stix about one month ago. What I wanted was something to get some low wing time on and not spend a lot of money. The plane certainly fit into my budget, the total was around $100.00 with shipping. The color I selected was green and that was a mistake. Its really had to see on cloudy days so I added some orange stipes to the L.E. well its still hard to see. But, if you have a nice blue sky to fly in, then its OK.

The engine I'm using is an magnum .52 4 stroke.

I really like this plane but only after:

On the first flight I almost crashed. I'm looking at the plane and its just looping, doing what ever it wanted to. I managed to get the plane on the ground without mishap and removed the wing for inspection. What I found was that the elevator and rudder control rods had free play, about 3/8 inch in both directions. The plastic rods where not supported properly and caused the slop. It was no big deal, once home I replaced both rods with 2/56 steel rods. The following day the stick flew much better but seemed nose heavy. So I got the balancing machine out again and decided that I should add about 1/2 oz. to the tail. The next day flying it was almost a disaster. The plane turned tail heavy and started all the crazy stuff again. I managed to get the plane about 20 from the ground heading towards the beginning of the field when she just fell out of the air. The plane went into a thicket of brush and as I walked up I considered the worst. But, the stick fell on its feet and just sat there looking at me. So I just dusted her off, removed the weight and resumed flying.

Now the plane flys sweet as pie and I really like it.

The Magnum .52 has plenty of power and is a good combo for me.

The plane still seems nose heavy and kind of zooms in for a landing. You have to watch it every second because it can get real quirky very fast. That is while trying maneuvers.

I call the plane; My Cheap Plane.

This is before I swapped the engine for the .52 4 stroke.

All_Nitro

Photo with .52 magnum four stroke.