Fast Freddy

Found another Seawind at the following site: http://www.nitroplanes.com/sese6070alra.html
Anyone out there buy one of these? It's about the same size as the GP version but considerably cheaper. Lots of pictures but not much info. Would be nice to get a look at their manual via a PDF file and some pictures of the model interior before assembly.

ADSala

My Feedback: (2)

Here is what I e-mailed to Nitromodels:

Is your Seawind the same as the Great Planes Seawind? If not, do you know the differences?
Do you carry spare parts for it? Canopy, wings, fuse etc.
Could you e-mail me a copy of the manual?
I am interested and there are a few on RCUniverse interested as well.


Here was the answer:
"They are slightly different in dimensions. Both have fiberglass fuselage and are ARF kits."


My opinion:
Based on their answer, I do not think that the support will be as good as Great Planes. I wish they would have, at least, let me know if they carry spare parts. It would great if some GP Seawind parts were interchangeable with the Nitro Seawind.


Dean

viper21

My Feedback: (9)

Guy's, I also looked at the NitroPlanes Sea Wind and I really like the trim colors on the plane as well as the larger cowling(to fit my 91 Surpass In). I wonder if its the same aircraft that GP is selling? I could airbrush the trim colors on the NP version. Does anyone have one or flown one I had a Sea Master and flew it for two years with a freshly rebuilt OS 61 SF and a Graupner 11x7 3 blade and it was a sweet plane. I have a new one in my shop that I need to build, nope I didnt crash it the cable guy knocked it off its perch about 7'off the garage floor and shattered the hull[:@][:'(] I was upset to say the least. THe cable company sent me a check within 3-4 days so I got a new one. Its got lotsa power and just grooves.I have flaperons mixed in and half flap really helps on take offs (helps to keep the water away from the bow and power pod

So I really want a Sea Wind I am just deciding which one to buy so I will read some of the threads on the plane.
Viper21

willsim

My Feedback: (4)

I E-mailed them for more info also and got a similar answer. I get the impression that there is someone being payed minimum wage to sit in front of a monitor and give us back what little info he or she has. At this point I'll pay the extra money and go with GP.

Fast Freddy

[8D] I have not seen a Nitroplanes Seawind in any hobby shop. Maybe it's only being marketed through mail-order and the internet? I e-mailed NP to suggest they put up the assembly manual on their website to which they replied they would but it would take some time. Anyone able to compare the construction, materials, workmanship between the GP and NP versions?

Dale Campbell

My Feedback: (6)

I purchased the Nitro-Planes Cessna 337. It is very well built and flies even better. The instructions are not very good, because they are not written by a person with a handle on English. I have built many planes and could read between the lines on what they where trying to tell me. That kit did not have rudders, so I made my own and they work fine. They keep calling the vertical stab the rudder which it is not. They have wing struts in the kit and put mounting blocks in tail booms and fuselage, but never gave any instructions to install them. I just used my head and installed them. I own a full scale 337 which was a big help as to where things belonged. On the Great Planes Seawinds, I have had many problems I had to work out to get it to fly off water. The plane would dip a wing on take off, and spin around very fast and kill engine. It also would bounce many times trying to get airbourne. It also has cracks in tail where vertical stab meets fuselage. I am going to buy the Nitro-Planes Seawinds next mouth, because I like seaplanes. I have a cottage at a lake in Penn. and have enjoyed the seaplanes for years. Good luck on your Seawind. Dale Campbell

ADSala

My Feedback: (2)

Dale,
Please give us a report on the Nitro Seawind when you get it. Thanks

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

I'v got one on order and should be getting it Friday 26th Ill Take some picts on arrival and as I assemble it

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

Got my Nitro-Seawind today, and all I have to say is--Anyone want to buy a GP Seawind?? The Nitro Seawind looks better by far than the GP. Ill Compare them side by side this weekend!

Fast Freddy

TooLow,
Really looking forward to your comparison between GP and NP Seawinds. 98% of my flying is with seaplanes so I want a plane that will have the least amount of problems as possible. I have held off buying a GP Seawind (with difficulty I might add, since I love the Seawind design) because in my humble opinion there too many problems, like quality control issues, i.e. cracked fiberglass, bad epoxy joints, water handling issues with the tip floats, stress cracks at the fin, fuselage joint to name a few. GP will probably address these issues in the 2nd year of production, if they keep it in production. I hope you can enlighten us all on the NP ease of assembly, instruction manual, set-up, first flights and thereafter. COMPARE AWAY! Looking forward to it with great patience.

willsim

My Feedback: (4)

I hope I was wrong about my assessment of Nitroplanes in my last post. I to am looking forward to your report.

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

Well guys---here it is!! Well, when I opened the box from Nitro, the 'generic Seawind' was in a plane brown box!! Every plane that I have received from them has been double boxed, so they should ship anywhere, damage free. All parts were taped, foam wrapped and secured with cardboard dividers to ensure no damage. There were several things that cought my eye as I unwraped the main structure. The hull looked longer that the GP Seawind and there was more formers in the hull section then the GP. Being curious I broke open the GP Seawing spare and compared! Sure enough the GP skimped on the formers throughout the hull. The glass work on the Nitro and GP are comparable(interiors smelled the same!) With that out of the way , on to the motor pylon. THe pylon on the Nitro is bigger to accept a motor laying sideways--Cowel is larger too,and just laying a 91 four stroke in the cowl, the rockers are the only thing that needs to be cleared.--a 2 stroke would need a pitts muffler as there are no cut-outs for muffler clearance on the firewall. Another diff was the differance of stiffness in the pylon (thicker glass and formers in the tail stucture?) Servo mount for the motor was already in place. There is a provision for landing gear (included) , but not for retracts as in the GP.Wing is tube mounted and removable, but didnt get to test that out--yet! Cmparing the wings the Nitro seems to have an edge on the GB being about 3/4" wider in chord.(more wing area) The hulls on the planes differa too. The GP hull is about 2" shorter than the Nitro with the Nitro hull going back 5" more before hitting the step. The GP hull has splash chines molded into the hull edges where the Nitro one doesnt.

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

Here are several pict of the comparason of the two planes! only area that has great diff was the Canopy. the GP has an internal sturcture for ridgidity and the Nitro has none---just a sheet of plastic screwed to the fuse.

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

more pictures!

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

more picts---Ill get this thing figured out yet! Another diff is that the Nitro has larger wing tip floats over the GP float/tips

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

more yet!

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

Final batch! I hope these help in your decisions Tom

willsim

My Feedback: (4)

Thanks for the report and the great photos. You've changed my mind I'm going to order the Nitroplanes version.

ADSala

My Feedback: (2)

I agree, the Nitro version looks very superior. It looks like the Nitro had a little more testing and refinements done to it. The fact that the wing cord is 3/4" wider is great. And it is a bigger plane by the looks of the fuse. Stiffer Pylon! Larger floats! Wing tube! More bulkheads! Looks like they worked out the flaws of the GP version and at 2/3rds the price. Wonder if they stock replacement parts?



Dean

ADSala

My Feedback: (2)

TooLow,

Could you tells us about the prop clearance. Or pod height comparison. Do you think it can take a larger prop than the GP seawind?


Dean

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

The Pod or pylon heights are within 1/4" diff--- so the prop that your are using on theGP would be the same on the nitro. I have found on my flying GP Seawind that I get better performance out of a 2 blade prop rather than a 3 blade. Tom

Fast Freddy

TooLow,
Thank you so much for the picture comparison!! Do all the fuselage bulkheads feel tight and secure? I look forward to your flight report with great anticipation.

viper21

My Feedback: (9)

TooLow, thanks for the pictures I am going to get the NP version its got a cool paint scheme and I can install either a Saito or OS 91 in that big cowl. Of course I wouldnt buy a plane because I like the colors. The one question I almost forgot to ask you, does the NP plane have flaps I am pretty sure the GP plane doe's?
Thanks Again
Joe

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

to answer the first question--yes the bulkheads seem more secure than the GP's ones! The second Q---Yes the nitro has flaps--all servo pockets are cut and hatched in the wing- only servo pockets that need to be cut are in the tail section for the elevator and the rudder-leaving you to either mount them internal and run nyrod, or mount them external like the GP model. only hang-up I see is the lack of threads for pulling servo wires through the wing and hull of the nitro--but being a modeler and a few beers that should be no prob for most of us! Thanks Tom

Strykaas

Thanks for this pictured comparison, what else could we ask for ? [sm=thumbup.gif]

Where are these made ? In China ? Pretty sure GP has been copied ... Chinese people are good at that !