My kit (one of the first batch shipped) had a small bag with two extra retainer rings included. Hit GP up for those while you are at it.

HI Guys,

Got this plane for x-mas, really nice kit also using the rim fire motor seems to be very powerful.


I thought it build very well and the surface movements due to the hinging is great. The only comments I have are it is a little heavy so watch the weight. Also the control linkages and push rods could be a bit stronger. I really like the push rod and contol linages on the shock flyer maybe great planes should look at these.


Also I have one question any of you guys have issues with your ailerons not centering my ailerons don't want to re centre after I give full movement, this is cause big problems in flight?????????????? any suggestion or answers would be appreciated.

You have to make sure that every linkage in the aileron system moves freely. I had this problem and the culprit was the z bends. I did not get them free enough to start with. Once I fixed that, it worked just fine. Don't fly the plane if they are not centering properly...it will be a handfull. In order for this plane to perform at it's best, everything needs to be exact and precise. If you take the time to do this up front, the plane will reward you with some great flights.


To the rest of you guys that are wanting a "build thread"...Read through this thread! There is not a Step-by-Step guide in here (that is what the manual is for. ) but there are valuable building tips and experiences that many of us have posted in here that should make your Reflection expereince really good.


HTH
-Jeff

ibcleeby

I just had the exact same experience. Broke about half of the hinge clips trying very carefully to snap the ailerons onto the wings. Waiting to see what GP has to say.

There should be two extra retaining rings in a bag like 3D Nobody said.

Hi Folks,
You should check out the pictures in John Glezellis's forum. He didn't use any of the carbon fiber or plastic parts. I built my second Reflection this way with a few other mods. I flew it yesterday for the first time and I'm really pleased at how well it flys compared to the stock Reflection. Also, you can use a smaller motor now.
Regards,
Steve

Do you have a link to John's forum?

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=450169

Thanks for posting the link.

After trying very carefully to clip on my ailerons and busting half of the clips I contacted GP and they are mailing new hardware right away at no expense to me. Good customer service. As my first flat foam build this has been frustrating but I still look forward to getting the plane in the air.

What are these things weighing in at?? I thought I built mine pretty light,( no landing gear,tape hinges on the ailerons and rudder,hs-55 for the ailerons,dymond 4.7's on the tail,Park 370 outrunner,cc phx-10, gws 4ch rx, and a Poly quest 3s 400)and it still weighs 10.1 oz[:@] I thought about ditching the c/f tube on the LE and TE, but my wings looked like two bananas!!! I havent flown it yet, but I doubt I'll ever buy another one...

Thanks for the responses. I guess I'm not the only one with brittle parts. It appears that GP has a batch of kits with bad plastic (nylon?). When I bend the tree that the z-bends came off of, I can nearly fold it over without breaking. When I bend the tree that the hinge clips came from, it snaps before hitting 90 deg! Anyone with a new kit might want to try this before starting to build in order to check for a potential problem.

It sounds like GP is replacing my kit - which is great since digging all of the hinge clips out of the control surfaces would have made for an ugly build. Now I'll have some spare parts for future crash repairs. I'm still out a bottle of CA a few hours of build time, though.

BTW - I searched around under my workbench and found the tiny bag with the two extra hinge retainer rings. It must have fallen out when I unpacked the box. Since the parts listing only mentioned 10, I didn't have a reason to look for 12 (until I read this thread ).

For those that are having trouble with the hinge clips breaking on this plane, make sure to clean out the round hole in the hinge with your exacto knife before trying to insert the control arm. Just insert your knife and rotate it around on each side a little bit and the z bends will slip right in.

mnrcaerobat

The z bend connections are not the problem I have been using a drill bit to clean them out and they are fine. It is the well publicized hinge clips that are suppose to snap right back on after a crash that are busting when gently trying to clip the aileron to the wing for the first time. I know that I am no expert builder but when parts are breaking this easily it is obvious that there is something wrong. I too considered just cutting all the hinge clips out and using tape but Great Planes is sending me replacement clips free of charge so I will wait on them. I think I can put new ones in without wrecking the foam.

SHOULD I GO WITH THE SUB MICRO OR JUST MICRO SERVO'S FOR THE REFLECTION?

has anybody tried an Axi 2204/54 with 2 or 3 cells?

Well, I couldn't take it any longer! After all the hype and videos of this plane I had to pop one of these together. I built it to stock specs and plan to use the Rimfire and a 12 SS ESC.

I myself found the kit very easy to build. Outside of not rigging the plane it took a total of 6 hours to build. Ofcourse I am already aware of the problems in the instruction manuals so I just went on my own. This plane builds so straight and is so symmetrical it just has to be fun!!!
I had no problems with the plastic parts, only thing is it was packed incorrectly. The rudder was folded over and kicked. I slit the kink and CA'd it. Maybe GP can send me a new one? The Fuse had a kink in it too but it seems ok??


Here's mine
http://www.kaotichobbies.com/pics/sk.../reflect_1.jpg

The lighter the better, but (If I remember correctly) GP recommends they have at least 15oz of torque. I used HS-55s on mine.

Hello I do not post very often, but I have to ask this question. I am on my 5th plane and I want to start doing some 3d. This plane looks like the sure thing to get. I am not a novice pilot by any means but I have never flown an actual 3d plane. I have 3 gas models and 1 electric. I love that I can take this plane with me to college and fly it up here. My gas models are too big and noisy to fly around campus. I am however a college student and have very little money. I am going to have to spend 100 bucks just to get the lipos that this plane requires and charger. I am also going to have to spend 40 on the plane; I have the radio equipment lying around so I don’t think I will need any of that. I do not have the money funds to purchase the brushless system for this aircraft right now; as I stand I am going to be eating roman noodles for a month just to get all this stuff for the plane and batts. My question is how this plane handles with the stock motor and gearbox; I don’t mind starting out slower and moving to the brushless after I get paid again. I am also wondering what the best batts for this plane is with the stock setup.

i was gonna do exattly the same thing when i got my turmoil but after the 3rd stock motor i bought burnt out after only 10 flights i thought i would just give the brushless a try. it is definatly worth the money and you get 10 plus min flight times depending on throttle usage. I have a reflection in my clost waiting for a crash victom (turmoil or cap580) to rob some gear from> I have the 640 electrifly 3 cell and a 1250 electrifly 3 cell but i havent used it yet because i need to solder a deans micro connector on it so that it is compatable with my esc. My point is that if you think that you are going to save some money by using the stock motor i would seriously reconsider and just buy the brushless rimfire but i would not get the bl-8 esc i would get the ss-12 by great planes also. The 8 ammp is only 8 amp but hte rimfires specs says it pulls 10. Put two and two together and you need more amps. But with a 8x3.8 prop it pulls way under 8 amps

[X(]Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet[X(]

I was afraid you were going to say that. The only problem is that I dont have the cash for a brushless system right now. I guess i will just run the thing untill it burns up and then convert to brusheless. Even if its only 2 flights.

I flew my turmoil on a TT 730 pack stock brushed for maybe ten flights before it was creamed. I ended up loosing my speed control with it. When I looked up the prices to replacing it, I foung that the ss12 brushless was the same price as my brushed speed control.($35) So in the end, I would only have to spend $40-50 for a brushless motor more than I would be spending for everything else.



Woops

hey im wanting to get a reflection and also the rimfire motor. is anyone using a different motor mount. Is the rimfire the best motor for this plane?

Well, I have finally completed the build and I must say that for a first time plane it was not something I would recommend but it is also not out of the question for a first timer. I will have to get one more complaint out about this thread. It is not what I expected from a build thread. I expected far more active involvement by the authors/reps. Here is a list of my thoughts on the build:

1. Do not expect much out of the construction manual if you have never built a flat foam model before. Still not sure why they do not have a short section in the front of the manual or even just posted on their website detailing the basics of flat foam and carbon tube construction. They would only need to write this part once and use it for all their planes. The manual itself does cover the build with reasonable detail if you are familiar with the process.

2. The structure of the plane is quite rigid and appears to be a good one.

3. I loosened up all the hing and pivot joints before assembly but the aileron control servo will not self center when the TX stick is returned to neutral. I should have sanded, reamed and fiddled until all of these joints worked with absolutely no resistance. Though that was discussed in this forum I had no idea of the amount of time that it would take to achieve this. I apparently did not get it right.

4. My kit had a set of those very brittle hing clips. All of which broke when attaching the ailerons to the wing. GP sent me a new set and they worked fine. To all who wrote that these clips were breaking due to improper handling, you were wrong they were defective. The new ones went on without a single problem and without any changes in handling. I will just forget the clips and use hinge tape next time.

5. Finally, through all my rookie mistakes, the fuselage is not completely straight. Not all my fault since some of the foam pieces were quite warped when I opened the box.

The two questions I have remaining are:

Would Teflon or graphite based lubricants help to reduce the stiffness in the ailerons and will the plane suffer horribly if all surfaces are not in absolute alignment. I do not think that anything is out by more than a 1/16!QUOT!.

I apologize to all of you experienced builders who might view this post as a whiny newbie. I think it is the newbies that need the help and hope you all can continue to provide it. Thanks.

A friend of mine built his this past weekend and had an issue with the ailerons not centering. He said he tried to fly it anyway (before he read this thread) and said the plane was practically uncontrollable. So, don't fly it until you fix the centering problem first.

I started building mine Monday and discovered I've got the bad plastics in my kit. I called GP twice yeterday, the first guy recommended using an xacto blade to open up the clips (both hinge clips and control horn clips), said that's what he did with his. After thinking about that for a while, I decided to call back and demand replacement parts. The next guy suggested boiling the plastic parts to soften them up before assembly, but that won't do me any good when they break on a hard landing. He detected I wasn't satisfied with that answer, so I'm on the list for new parts, should be available in the middle of next month. Drats.

I'm planning to stop by the LHS this afternoon for "supplies". I might pick up another kit, maybe the Cap or Extra, just to get the plastics out of it. Then when my new parts come, all have another plane to build. I really wanted to finish this one up to make room on the workbench for another project.

There have been many posts by more experienced builders who have just ditched the hinge hardware and used hinge tape. If I can't get the ailerons to loosen up I may have to go that way. Cutting out the clips and re-installing them is not giving me a very good product.