General Hobby ARF's
11-30-2017, 04:46 AM
#1
General Hobby ARF's
I have been considering the General Hobby 97" Gee Bee for a few weeks and I wanted some feedback on their models. Anyone that has purchased any type of giant or regular ARF from them is invited to respond.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
11-30-2017, 11:31 AM
#4
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: , WI
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Both the GH airplanes I have are aerobatic so they are aluminum or CF gear bolted to a plate. On the 60" airplane I have the plate was too thin and soft and ripped out on the first flight. On my 70" plane the plate looks to be regular ply instead of light ply and is reinforced with an aluminum bracket to spread the force out. Haven't flown #2 yet but I am much more confident of it. D..H.
12-07-2017, 05:23 AM
#7
My Feedback: (2)
Though their customer service is not up to par when compared to other higher end distributors, the Goldwing and Skyline kits from General are a great value in my experience. My impression is that there are no fliers there. It's more of a warehouse distribution center, though that's purely a guess.
I've bought 4 Skyline planes in the last 2 seasons. A 60" MX-2 (5.5lbs w/10cc Evo), a 60" Corvus (6lbs w/10cc RCGF), a 70" Edge (10lbs 2oz w/30cc DLE), and the latest, now on the bench, is a second 70" Edge that will be powered by a 26cc RCGF (older radial mount version) that should come in well under 10lbs. All have come complete with no defects, are well constructed, and VERY light weight. Mini CD instruction CD's are pretty generic and may leave somebody with little ARF experience anxious. There are alum angle pieces used to reinforce the landing gear plate, which bolt to the large ply pieces that run back from the motor box. Bolts holding the LG on go through the landing gear plate as well as this angle alum to make for one of the better designs/setups I've seen. Landing loads are spread out/transfered to lessen the likelihood of damage. Lower longerons are either carbon fiber reinforced or made from carbon fiber rod. Hardware is all usable (I don't care for the tail gear), including the ball links that are actually functional/not sticky.
Historically, tracking just sucks coming from General. I'm not sure if it's them or maybe something else is in play as I don't know how what they do could affect tracking from the time it leaves there. This last shipment took several days to make it to the UPS dock after the shipper was cut and tracking started. That was not so typical, and Rich apologized for the delay, saying they just got backed up. That shipment was still here in 10 days.
The stock alum gear supplied with the first 70" Edge is on the wimpy side. Plane must be landed on it's tippy toes to prevent bending. Because of that, this second 70" Edge was ordered with the optional (29.95) carbon fiber gear. Haven't tried them yet, but there was a tag on them that said they were to be used with 20-40cc planes, so I have confidence they're a little more suitable than the OEM gear. -Al
I've bought 4 Skyline planes in the last 2 seasons. A 60" MX-2 (5.5lbs w/10cc Evo), a 60" Corvus (6lbs w/10cc RCGF), a 70" Edge (10lbs 2oz w/30cc DLE), and the latest, now on the bench, is a second 70" Edge that will be powered by a 26cc RCGF (older radial mount version) that should come in well under 10lbs. All have come complete with no defects, are well constructed, and VERY light weight. Mini CD instruction CD's are pretty generic and may leave somebody with little ARF experience anxious. There are alum angle pieces used to reinforce the landing gear plate, which bolt to the large ply pieces that run back from the motor box. Bolts holding the LG on go through the landing gear plate as well as this angle alum to make for one of the better designs/setups I've seen. Landing loads are spread out/transfered to lessen the likelihood of damage. Lower longerons are either carbon fiber reinforced or made from carbon fiber rod. Hardware is all usable (I don't care for the tail gear), including the ball links that are actually functional/not sticky.
Historically, tracking just sucks coming from General. I'm not sure if it's them or maybe something else is in play as I don't know how what they do could affect tracking from the time it leaves there. This last shipment took several days to make it to the UPS dock after the shipper was cut and tracking started. That was not so typical, and Rich apologized for the delay, saying they just got backed up. That shipment was still here in 10 days.
The stock alum gear supplied with the first 70" Edge is on the wimpy side. Plane must be landed on it's tippy toes to prevent bending. Because of that, this second 70" Edge was ordered with the optional (29.95) carbon fiber gear. Haven't tried them yet, but there was a tag on them that said they were to be used with 20-40cc planes, so I have confidence they're a little more suitable than the OEM gear. -Al
12-07-2017, 12:33 PM
#8
ahicks,
Always good to get a response from you.
I wasn't too clear in my original request; I am interested in General Hobbies but particularly wanted info on their version of the big GeeBee. I have asked twice for a pdf of the assembly manual. Perhaps somebody reading this could send it to me as the factory has not responded.
Always good to get a response from you.
I wasn't too clear in my original request; I am interested in General Hobbies but particularly wanted info on their version of the big GeeBee. I have asked twice for a pdf of the assembly manual. Perhaps somebody reading this could send it to me as the factory has not responded.
12-07-2017, 01:44 PM
#9
My Feedback: (2)
Lifer, General is just a warehouse, the importer/distributor. They're clueless about the kits, other than keeping track of inventory, shipping, and tracking.
In the lower right corner of those pictures there is a logo for Sunfun Hobbies in China. Their website has all sorts of contact info, so betting they're more about customer support. Maybe shoot them an email? Here a link:
Geebee Y 50cc - Geebee - Skysun Hobbies Co.Ltd.
Best of luck! -Al
In the lower right corner of those pictures there is a logo for Sunfun Hobbies in China. Their website has all sorts of contact info, so betting they're more about customer support. Maybe shoot them an email? Here a link:
Geebee Y 50cc - Geebee - Skysun Hobbies Co.Ltd.
Best of luck! -Al
12-08-2017, 07:22 AM
#13
My Feedback: (14)
Join Date: Feb 2002
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I've bought "off" brands of ARFs from several sources, and as was mentioned , with a little knowledge of building and assembling ARF's, I find most very good values. At least for me. If you are looking at a shake it out of the box airplane, buy a flying cooler. One of my favorite planes is a Piper Pawnee from Texas RC. Great airplane! If I have any money left after Christmas , I will have one of General's GEE BEE's.
I have had great experiences from No Brands, and horrible experiences from NAME brand. It's all just a chance.
steve
I have had great experiences from No Brands, and horrible experiences from NAME brand. It's all just a chance.
steve
12-10-2017, 06:50 AM
#15
No responses in 2 weeks or so and 2 requests. Clearly they don't intend to reply. My main concern was the landing gear mount. There are a series of pictures attached to the website that answered my question. The gear is a strut and is attached to a ply plate in the wing. This concerns me as all the stress is focused into a small area instead of spreading out, which is how I learned to engineer models. It includes a rear strut that would protect against fore and aft movement but little for sideways strain. I think I could fashion a ply plate to be mounted externally on the bottom of the wing that with a wire attached could absorb some of the lateral forces, but I would still prefer a sturdy wire gear that fit into a channel and has a strut similar to the one mentioned.
Don't get me wrong; I know how to land, but as you all know, "stuff" happens....
Don't get me wrong; I know how to land, but as you all know, "stuff" happens....
12-10-2017, 07:20 AM
#17
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No responses in 2 weeks or so and 2 requests. Clearly they don't intend to reply. My main concern was the landing gear mount. There are a series of pictures attached to the website that answered my question. The gear is a strut and is attached to a ply plate in the wing. This concerns me as all the stress is focused into a small area instead of spreading out, which is how I learned to engineer models. It includes a rear strut that would protect against fore and aft movement but little for sideways strain. I think I could fashion a ply plate to be mounted externally on the bottom of the wing that with a wire attached could absorb some of the lateral forces, but I would still prefer a sturdy wire gear that fit into a channel and has a strut similar to the one mentioned.
Don't get me wrong; I know how to land, but as you all know, "stuff" happens....
Don't get me wrong; I know how to land, but as you all know, "stuff" happens....
12-20-2017, 05:15 AM
#18
I’ve had the sky sun gee bee. Yes the gear mounts are a weak point. First landing I made I greased the landing and when it touched down I heard a loud pop. One gear was canted in several degrees upon inspection. I added basswood triangle stock around the ply plates and that fixed the issues.
12-24-2017, 09:26 PM
#22
Sorry I sold the plane a few years back 
if I remember correctly the triangle stock slid under the sheeting and contacted the edges of the lg block from the outside. It worked great.
Other than that the construction was great. Here’s a video of mine when I had it. Did it on a 12s electric set up. Thinking of buying another and throwing my fg84 saito on it.
if I remember correctly the triangle stock slid under the sheeting and contacted the edges of the lg block from the outside. It worked great.Other than that the construction was great. Here’s a video of mine when I had it. Did it on a 12s electric set up. Thinking of buying another and throwing my fg84 saito on it.
