I want to start a new thread on the Sig Mayhem 3D ARF to gather everyone who has bought one to one forum so that we may share ideas about building, flying and trimming tips. My first impressions are that this is a well-built , well equipped and very light airplane. The covering is tight with virtually no wrinkles. The wood is glued well. The glass cowling has holes drilled for mounting screws. The canopy is already attached with screws. The blind nuts are installed for the landing gear. The control surfaces are very large and rudder and elevator are counter-balanced. The sprung tailwheel is strong and the tailwheel is already attached. The glass wheel pants are lightweight. The pushrods appear are 4-40 with metal links and retaining springs. The main wheels are large foam type. The main gear is lightweight, rigid aluminum. Steel axles are included. There are metal control horns with nylon inserts. Pull-pull linkages for the rudder are included. A 2-3/4" plastic spinner is included, but that will be replaced with an aluminum one.
This is the 25th year I have been building and flying both control-line and radio control, and I must say, I could not have done a better building job myself. Furthermore, I have never had an ARF that was so complete with useable, quality hardware. I have always replaced the questionable hardware in the ARFs I have previously owned, that is, when hardware was even included. I wonder if this is an anomoly, or are all Sig ARFs this nice. I know their kits are terrific, but this is my first experience with their (sub-contracted) ARFs.
I will be mounting a new Saito 1.00, Futaba r127df receiver, Futaba s3305 servos on all surfaces, Futaba s148 with retro-fit BB on throttle, and a Futaba 9chf transmitter. I will decide on the battery after I determine what weight I need to balance the plane, however, Futaba warns against using NiMh cells with these servos, so I will use Nicads (5-cells if possible for more torque & speed).
The weights of the components are:
Fuse & Belly Pan: 18 oz.
Wings: 29 oz.
Horizontal Stab & Elevator: 3.75 oz.
Vertical Stab & Rudder: 1.75 oz.
Landing Gear, Wheels, Axles & Pants: 8.5 oz.
Plywood Wing Joiner: 2 oz.
Fuel Tank: 3 oz.
Pushrods, Linkages and Pull-Pull Cable: 3 oz.
Servos, Switch & Control Horns: 8 oz.
Engine: 20 oz.
Prop: 1.1 oz (15X6 APC)
Battery: 6.5 oz. (5-cell KR-1700 Sanyo)
Spinner: 2.6 oz (Tru-Turn 2-34" aluminum)
All-up Weight: 107.2 oz (Dry)
According to Sig, the wing area is 1167 sq. in. This should give an approximate wing loading of
13.2 oz/sq. ft. This should make for a great 3-d flying machine!
Here is a link:
http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmar...FV3.html?E+Sig
I bought mine from Tower Hobbies, however, I just noticed they are sold out. They should be in soon, though. This plane is well worth $209.99.
I have pics, and as soon as I figure out how to post them, I will. If anyone else has received one of these, I am eager to read your impressions. I am a slow builder, but I will answer any questions I can as I'm building (assembling). I hope this information proves valuable to someone interested in this fine airplane. I only hope it flies as well as it looks!
P.S. If you are wondering, I am not being paid by Sig. All opinions are my own, and I will be as objective as possible when evaluating this airplane.
Well, this is my first attempt at posting pics. I hope they post correctly. If I am posting incorrectly, please let me know. Thanks!