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Brushless Draganflyer?

Old 02-25-2007, 09:21 PM
  #76  
TheHindmost
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

ORIGINAL: littlegraymen

The new (2nd) generation version, the ones I'll be retailing, (like the one I blew up) have an improved mechanical gyro that will not break in a simple crash.
I can vouch for that...I've got a stock X-UFO with a replaced and presumably improved gyro. I still enjoy flying the beastie. Anyway, between me and my friends (I let them use the X-UFO so they don't get upset when I won't let them use the Draganflyer ), that gyro has been through several crashes, some of them not all that "simple," and it's survived every one of them. In fact, with the upgraded gyro and the polyfoam body installed, the X-UFO is actually far more crash-worthy than the DF...

Will
Old 02-25-2007, 10:14 PM
  #77  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

ORIGINAL: littlegraymen


BTW, as far as I know, the UFO is still being built, in fact, I've just contacted the US distributor for them last week and am actually finalizing arrangements to become a reseller. I will be offering them myself on eBay soon.The new (2nd) generation version, the ones I'll be retailing, (like the one I blew up) have an improved mechanical gyro that will not break in a simple crash. Having access to them on a wholesale level, though, does not deter me from wanting to see if this one can be repaired. If it can, it wil be good news for lots of people.

Probably will be Tuesday before I get the final repairs done and see if it will work, will keep you all posted.
Negative... Sliverlit the manufacturer of the X-UFO announced that it is no longer manufacturing or supplying X-UFO's or Parts.
You may be buying surplus from a US distributor....But when they are gone... it's over.
Anyhow...Good Luck and Happy Flyin,
Lacey
Old 02-26-2007, 02:38 PM
  #78  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?


ORIGINAL: laceycopter
Negative... Sliverlit the manufacturer of the X-UFO announced that it is no longer manufacturing or supplying X-UFO's or Parts.
You may be buying surplus from a US distributor....But when they are gone... it's over.
Anyhow...Good Luck and Happy Flyin,
Lacey
Okay, you've really got me in a quandary now...If you're information is accurate, and I'm still not sure it is, you may have saved me TONS of grief, and I would be very grateful on that account. Here's an update..I just got off the phone with the USA Representative for Silverlit toys, and she tells me that to her knowledge there are no plans to discontinue the X-UFO, she says, in fact, that she has a containerload (read here 440 units) ready to land at the port at which point they will go out to the USA distributor. I've asked VERY pointed questions of her and the distributor concerning the type of packaging, the way it looks, the color of the gyro protection dome, etc, and to all accounts it appears to be the legitimate 2nd generation UFO. I also have emailed Silverlit in Hong Kong to verify. I will post my findings on the board. I would be much appreciative if you could quote your sources for the infomation that Silverlit announced that it is no longer manufacturing or supplying X-UFO's or Parts.
Old 02-26-2007, 03:40 PM
  #79  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

Hey littlegraymen,as far as I know,lacey is right.There is a thread on the german x-ufo forum where it is announced.Those guys are in direct contact with silverlit so i suppose they will know.The forum is also in german but you can always try an online translation service.You can ask a question there in english,they will understand and answer you in english so you might wanna give it a try,especially if it can save you some hassle for the future.
Goodluck.
Old 02-26-2007, 06:49 PM
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

ORIGINAL: littlegraymen


ORIGINAL: laceycopter
Negative... Sliverlit the manufacturer of the X-UFO announced that it is no longer manufacturing or supplying X-UFO's or Parts.
You may be buying surplus from a US distributor....But when they are gone... it's over.
Anyhow...Good Luck and Happy Flyin,
Lacey
Okay, you've really got me in a quandary now...If you're information is accurate, and I'm still not sure it is, you may have saved me TONS of grief, and I would be very grateful on that account. Here's an update..I just got off the phone with the USA Representative for Silverlit toys, and she tells me that to her knowledge there are no plans to discontinue the X-UFO, she says, in fact, that she has a containerload (read here 440 units) ready to land at the port at which point they will go out to the USA distributor. I've asked VERY pointed questions of her and the distributor concerning the type of packaging, the way it looks, the color of the gyro protection dome, etc, and to all accounts it appears to be the legitimate 2nd generation UFO. I also have emailed Silverlit in Hong Kong to verify. I will post my findings on the board. I would be much appreciative if you could quote your sources for the infomation that Silverlit announced that it is no longer manufacturing or supplying X-UFO's or Parts.
From the German web site: http://forum.xufo.net/bb/babelframe....php%3Ft%3D3355

From RC Group: No more x-ufo production!!
This is very scary news for parts ...
Stock up on props now

Am I understanding correctly that the Silverlit X-UFO is going out of production?
That's what the guys on forum.xufo.net say,

From Sliverlit: Product: X UFO By Silverlit RC Flying Machine RTR with 4 Motors
Sorry, this item is unavailable
Please remove the item from your shopping cart by putting a zero in the Quantity.


Old 03-07-2007, 11:37 AM
  #81  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?


ORIGINAL: laceycopter

ORIGINAL: littlegraymen


ORIGINAL: laceycopter
Negative... Sliverlit the manufacturer of the X-UFO announced that it is no longer manufacturing or supplying X-UFO's or Parts.
You may be buying surplus from a US distributor....But when they are gone... it's over.
Anyhow...Good Luck and Happy Flyin,
Lacey
Okay, you've really got me in a quandary now...If you're information is accurate, and I'm still not sure it is, you may have saved me TONS of grief, and I would be very grateful on that account. Here's an update..I just got off the phone with the USA Representative for Silverlit toys, and she tells me that to her knowledge there are no plans to discontinue the X-UFO, she says, in fact, that she has a containerload (read here 440 units) ready to land at the port at which point they will go out to the USA distributor. I've asked VERY pointed questions of her and the distributor concerning the type of packaging, the way it looks, the color of the gyro protection dome, etc, and to all accounts it appears to be the legitimate 2nd generation UFO. I also have emailed Silverlit in Hong Kong to verify. I will post my findings on the board. I would be much appreciative if you could quote your sources for the infomation that Silverlit announced that it is no longer manufacturing or supplying X-UFO's or Parts.
From the German web site: http://forum.xufo.net/bb/babelframe....php%3Ft%3D3355

From RC Group: No more x-ufo production!!
This is very scary news for parts ...
Stock up on props now

Am I understanding correctly that the Silverlit X-UFO is going out of production?
That's what the guys on forum.xufo.net say,

From Sliverlit: Product: X UFO By Silverlit RC Flying Machine RTR with 4 Motors
Sorry, this item is unavailable
Please remove the item from your shopping cart by putting a zero in the Quantity.



Hello all,
I hope this post will lay to rest the rumor that Silverlit has stopped manufacturing of the X-UFO. I have been in contact with the USA distributor, and her response is included below. You will notice that in the very first sentence that she states the X-UFO is still being manufactured. Her full response to my query follows.


Jerry,

Just a note to let you know the X-UFO is still being manufactured and shipping to retail stores, catalog accounts and to dot com accounts. I don’t know where the rumor started that we are discontinuing the item but I can assure you that we are not.

Let me know if I can be of further help.

Best Regards,
Cathy Shull
Silverlit USA office
909 869-0448
Old 03-07-2007, 12:27 PM
  #82  
SAVS
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

So why is one online hobby store giving this offer?

Clearance Item - X UFO RC Flying Toy (Free Shipping) (Limited Stock) $125.00
Old 03-07-2007, 02:56 PM
  #83  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?


ORIGINAL: SAVS

So why is one online hobby store giving this offer?

Clearance Item - X UFO RC Flying Toy (Free Shipping) (Limited Stock) $125.00

Couldn't tell you, if you want to know, why not just call them up and ask them? I'm guessing that they have a stock of the older unflyable knockoffs they're trying to get rid of, but it's just a guess. Maybe they just don't want to carry them anymore? Who knows. Maybe Silverlit USA is lying through their teeth to me. That is why I posted this here, I'd like to get some feedback from the other members about Silverlit USA's position. Just for your information, World Trading has just received a containerload of them and they are available for sale here:

http://worldtrading23.com/details.asp?sku=X-UFO
Old 03-07-2007, 08:31 PM
  #84  
laceycopter
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

Companies are still making a copy of SLIVERLIT UFO....but they are junk most don't even fly outta the box ask the guys here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...62#post7053074

And here is one of the companies: http://www.hobbytron.com/XUFO.html
It is not a Sliverlit it's a cheap copy.

Go to the German site and ask Jast...he was one of the original designers

And why can't ya buy them from Sliverlit...They say NOT AVAILABLE...that WAS the manufacturer.
But whatever..
You might want to buy 1 and see if it is a REAL Silverlit...they say it clearly around the ring.

P.S The one from World Trade ...is NOT a Sliverlit...they are using the Sliverlit video...it's one of the copys
Old 03-07-2007, 08:34 PM
  #85  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

sorry double post...Opps!!
Old 03-07-2007, 09:14 PM
  #86  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

ORIGINAL: laceycopter

Companies are still making a copy of SLIVERLIT UFO....but they are junk most don't even fly outta the box ask the guys here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...62#post7053074

And here is one of the companies: http://www.hobbytron.com/XUFO.html
It is not a Sliverlit it's a cheap copy.

Go to the German site and ask Jast...he was one of the original designers

And why can't ya buy them from Sliverlit...They say NOT AVAILABLE...that WAS the manufacturer.
But whatever..
You might want to buy 1 and see if it is a REAL Silverlit...they say it clearly around the ring.

P.S The one from World Trade ...is NOT a Sliverlit...they are using the Sliverlit video...it's one of the copys

Okay, one question at a time Lacy, since it was your post that made me start this investigation. Hobbytron sells TWO versions of the X-UFO, one of which is a cheap knock-off that will not fly, and the other of which is the Genuine Silverlit. How do I know? I bought one from them. Silverlit all OVER the box AND all over the X-UFO. My problem is that the one I bought from Hobbytron was one of the first generation X-UFO's that had a very delicate gyro that had a tendency to break. I sent it back and bought a new one from a guy in Hong Kong, and I promptly burned up the mainboard when I tried to do the Lipo upgrade. Apparently I am color blind and can't tell black from red. Oh well, that's a whole 'nother story.

When you ask "And why can't ya buy them from Sliverlit...They say NOT AVAILABLE...that WAS the manufacturer."

Well that is not true.., the way the organization is set up is that Silverlit has distributors in the USA, Germany, and the UK. To buy a Silverlit toy, you have to buy it from the country's respective distributor or from one of their designated wholesalers, you can NOT buy it directly from the factory unless you ARE that designated distributor. Silverlit USA, who is the factory authorized distributor for the US, connected me with their wholesaler World Trading for purchasing in bulk, and offered to sell to me directly at an even more substantial discount if I wanted to buy a whole containerload (440 units). Silverlit USA has chosen World Trading as their exclusive wholesale agent for the X-UFO, and as a little aside, they have chosen Spinmaster as their sole wholesaler for the Picoo Z which is now being sold by them under the name of Havoc Heli.

As far as the ones from World Trading not being the genuine thing, here is what I found. I called Silverlit USA and spoke to Mary Lou, and then her boss and literally GRILLED them about the genuineness of the X-UFOs that they were supplying to World Trading. I asked them, "Are they the second generation with the clear gyro cover and the improved gyro, are they the genuine Silverlit product with the Silverlit box and packaging, and logos on the box and craft?" In all accounts they answered yes. I then called their US wholesaler in a blind call, and asked him to describe the unit and packaging, etc. He perfectly described the genuine, 2nd generation X-UFO packaging, logos, everything checked out.

As far as companies making copies of the X-UFO, yes, that is a well known problem. The knock-offs came out after the originals, and they would NOT fly. The difference between the knock-offs and the genuine article are easy to spot and very glaring if you know what to look for. I'm going to try to upload a couple of jpgs. One is the real packaging, one is fake, and one is an animated gif that shows several aspects of the genuine article, but I'm not sure the forum will support an animated gif, so it might not work. First one I'm uploading is real, second one is real animated gif, third one shows the way the packaging looks for the fake one.

As far as Jast goes, I still have not quite figured out his role. I've been in contact with the people at X-UFO.de, the German X-UFO shop, and they said flat out that the original was NOT designed in Germany or by anyone German. They DO however, have their own version of just about everything, including, I think a mainboard sometime soon. It could be that Jast was the original designer of THEIR much massaged and superior version of the original Silverlit chinese toy. What do you think? I've posted on the German forum as well, I'm waiting for Jast to weigh in. Perhaps he can shed some light on these questions.

Okay, I've just seen how the image files uploaded. The one on the far left is the packaging for the genuine Silverlit toy, the one in the middle is an animated gif (and it works if you click on the "fullsize" link) that shows several images that are specific, again, to the genuine Silverlit toy. The third and final image on the far right is the packaging you will see for the fake knockoff that will not fly.
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Old 03-07-2007, 09:21 PM
  #87  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

Hi!

Go to the German site and ask Jast...he was one of the original designers
No, I was not one of them, but they (Daniel Gurdan and Klaus Doth) are good friends of mine and we have build the X-3D and the X-BL's together.

But as far as I know from the german silverlit distributor (x-ufoshop.de), the production of the X-Ufo stopped at the end of 2006. Maybe some Ufos are left, but they might be the last ones from Silverlit.

Our new X-Base (available end of April) will further support the X-3D and the brushed motors and the original frame and of course all now brushless components. So you don't do anything wrong with buying one of the last UFOs now.

Regards
Jast
Old 03-07-2007, 10:15 PM
  #88  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?


ORIGINAL: jast

Hi!

Go to the German site and ask Jast...he was one of the original designers
No, I was not one of them, but they (Daniel Gurdan and Klaus Doth) are good friends of mine and we have build the X-3D and the X-BL's together.

But as far as I know from the german silverlit distributor (x-ufoshop.de), the production of the X-Ufo stopped at the end of 2006. Maybe some Ufos are left, but they might be the last ones from Silverlit.

Our new X-Base (available end of April) will further support the X-3D and the brushed motors and the original frame and of course all now brushless components. So you don't do anything wrong with buying one of the last UFOs now.

Regards
Jast
Sorry Jast I thought you were one of the original...I knew about Daniel and Klaus..
Guess you are back from Vacation...did you guys get the English ordering site up yet?
You guys have done Great work...can't wait to order one.
Happy Flying,
Lacey



Old 03-07-2007, 10:22 PM
  #89  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

Hi!

ORIGINAL: laceycopter
Guess you are back from Vacation...did you guys get the English ordering site up yet?
We are not responsible for the english website. That's the X-Ufoshop ;-)

And no, it's not really a vacation, it's an experiment. We are currently in Boston and will be back in Germany around mid april ;-)

Regards
Jast
Old 03-12-2007, 03:41 PM
  #90  
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Default RE: Brushless Draganflyer?

All, after yet another round if inquiries with Silverlit USA and following up with phone calls, here is the Silverlit USA official response and position on continued production of the X-UFO.

"Hi Gerald,

I really do want to tell you that we are still manufacturing the X-UFO and I double checked with the factory to make sure that I wasn’t giving you wrong information.

The X-UFO is a very specialized item and we don’t have a lot of US distribution—for the most part this item is at specialty type of accounts and not at the mass market accounts like TRU, Target and Wal-Mart.

If you still have questions please don’t hesitate to e-mail me or give the office a call.

Have a good weekend,

Cathy

Silverlit USA

909 869-8697"

This seems pretty cut and dried to me, and has convinced me of their truthfulness.

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