I'm a little bored so I thought I would start a "My Assembly" thread on the Ohio Model Planes new GS540 Arf.
My last assembly was a H9 1/3 Sukhoi. The quality was superb and OMP will have some big shoes to fill.

I was one of the first to order my GS540. However, I was in the middle of a move and wasn't able to open the box until tonight.

My first impressions of the GS540 were good. The box is big. Upon opening the box it was obvious that somebody at OMP took alot of time packing the parts. It wasn't your typical H9 or Great planes packing. The parts were kind of just stuffed into the box with a bunch of paper in the voids.

I first pulled out the wings and an instant smile filled the room. The covering was perfect, the glued joints had sufficient glue and the ribs were undamaged. So far so good.
Next I removed the ailerons. Man, these things are big. I'm glad I purchased some good digis.
Rudder was next. again I was wowed by the size. Covering looked good. There was however a small area with NO covering in the corner. No big deal.
Next came the fuse. Again, first glance showed absolute perfection. Second glance showed that there was NO covering on the inside corners of the motor mount. 30 seconds of closer looking showed that none of the inside corners on ANY of the parts had covering (pics below).
Now I am a little dissappointed. I have no monokote which means I have to run to the hobby shop and pick up a roll. I consider this to be unacceptable. ( I thought these things were inspected by OMP before they were shipped?)
It was kind of down hill from there. The landing gear was aluminum. ( I was told by OMP that they were going to be something else. The name escapes me right now) So I will be pulling out the drill press trying to lighten them up as much as I can.

Hinges were CA type hinges. I couldn't tell by looking but I don't believe the slots were pre cut. Again no big deal because I had already purchased robart super hinge points . Seems like replacing hardware is just a standard practice with arfs.
Control horns were plastic. I already bought Nelson control horns so I didn't worry too much about that.

All in all, I would have to rate this arf an 8. I am really unhappy about the fact that I have to buy white and red mono to patch the covering. It will continue this thread untill the assembly is complete. Other than monokote the only thing I need to buy is CF pushrods.

I will be installing the Moki 2.10 with a sport muffler. The tank will be on the CG and I will be using the Iron bay regulator. Any balancing tips would be appreciated.

You should call OMP and ask for some covering. They are good guys and Im sure they will take care of it. For the price they want for this arf I would be a little upset as well

There are some replacement landing gear, that is glass-filled nylon, as well. The aluminum didn't work out!
FYI.
Ray

Thanks. I will contact OMP and post the results.

Can anybody tell me what size servo extensions will be required for the elev and rudder servos? Thanks..

Some other problems that i'm not sure how to fix.
1 The LE of the rudder is bowed. When I push the rudder up against the TE of the vertical fin it touches in the middle and there is a 1/4 inch gap by the time I get to the ends. Is there a fix for this? Can I just seal the gap with a clear monokote?

2. The horizontal stab doesn't seat right in the fuse. The top seems to fit snug but there is a 1/16" gap in the middle along the bottom. I guess I will just try to fill the gap with epoxy.

Boy, I heard alot of good things about this model. At this point it has been the worst workmanship that I have ever seen.
OH. The entire back of the vertical fin is uncovered. I will post more pictures tomorrow.

I am not trying to bash OMP but I paid alot of money for this ARF. I am just about ready to send it back for a refund.

OK. Finishing up construction. Man this thing is beautiful. Finished the covering and sealed the hinge gaps. Cant wait to get it in the air. All I have to do is install the radio.
If it flys half as good as I hear it does then all will be forgiven..


Can anybody post pics of their battery, switch and charge jack installation? I lost the instruction CD.[X(]

Thanks.

Call them up and tell them you need a new rudder sent to you for free. They are a new company into ARF business, and can't afford a bad PR. They will definitely give you at least a rudder, and maybe some monokote trim sheets.

The thing about labor in China is, they can make great product, but once in a while you get a worker who has bad day, and there's no QC check from his job to the customer. Sometimes it costs more to implement a downtown QC protocol than to replace a few bad products that cause customer complaint. Starting companies like OMP's should realize this economic scheme and just give you another free replacement: a small price to pay for a promising future.

Yes. I agree. The people at OMP seem to be good people. They are always friendly here in the forums. I guess that I got pi#$ed off cause they said that they were inspecting each plane from the first shipment to make sure they met "OMP standards." It is obvious that this plane was not checked. I emailed them concerning the problems with my ARF and they have not yet responded. Actually, I have fixed the problem anyway. I bought this plane because of its flight characteristics. If it flies as well as they say it does then I wil have no gripes. Happy Flying.

Call them on the phone after 7 pm EST. You'll be pleased you talk with them personally.

I have not had the best experience with Ohio Model Planes myself. They sat on my AFP simulator order for 2 days before shipping.
They have not returned my email and they have not returned my phone message.

You guys apparently are getting better service than I am.

Rob