jbenko

My Feedback: (73)

Some obsevations about the new Edge 540 from VMar, which I just started assembling and received a few weeks back.

-It is a very pretty aiplane, with graphics embedded in the covering and seems to be a good value for $170. The canopy is already attached and the cockpit detail is excellent. The fiberglass cowl and wheel pants are high quality.

-A few days after I opened the box the covering started wrinkling up but was was easily corrected with heat gun and iron. Using an iron re-adheres the covering to solid wood areas and keeps the wrinkles away longer. The covering pulled away from an open joint under the stab. Be careful with the heat gun or seal all open edges with an iron first.

-Glue streaks show up at every joint where the covering joins. I intend to call Richmond R/C and ask them if I can do anything about it.

-VMar uses an aluminum tube to connect the two-piece wings to the fuse. This is usually reserved for more expensive models however the wing roots do not fit well (gaps) and the screws to attach the wings should be replaced with wing nuts or thumb screws.

-One of the ribs just inside the aileron servo hatch was crushed due to sloppy assembly. This makes me concerned about what I cannot see elsewhere.

-The graphics on the right wing are smeared somewhat. Not sure what caused this.

-The included hardware seems adaquate for the kit.

-Epoxy fingerprints from gluing in the hinges on one side mar the otherwise excellent covering job.

My impression is that it will be underpowered with a .46. I'm going to use a K&B .61. I'll let you know how it flies when I get it together.

Jeff Benko
Palm Beach Skyhawks

jbenko

My Feedback: (73)

I received and e-mail response from Kelsey at Richmond R/C concerning the VMar Edge 540;

-The residue glaze left over from what VMar call the "Sure Seal" process can be removed with mineral spirits. They also recommend polishing with ArmourAll to give the Polycote a better shine. Info on the Richmond website concerning this can be found at Polycote Info

-The wing joint issue has been solved by VMar releasing a wing joint fuse plate that is available at no charge for early versions of the kit. Wing nuts for the wing bolts will also be supplied in future releases.

I also feel I should mention that Richmond R/C is very responsive after the sale. For this reason I will most likely give them additional business in the future.

Jeff Benko
Palm Beach Skyhawks

MR G

I also recently bought a VMAR Edge 540.

I agree that the graphics of the covering are very good.
However I have not yet started building the ARF yet, for several reasons:

1) The kit came with the hinges already glued in place and quite stiff. I will have to cut
the control surface off and rehinge. It would have been best to let me glue the hinges
in place ( I like my control surfaces to flop).

2) The kit seems to be built really solid and heavy, I think the wing ribs are made of plywood.
This will make for a practically indestructible wing but a heavy airplane, It will need alot of power.
I don't build an airplane that will survive a crash(heavy and strong), I like to build an airplane
strong and light for better flying performance.

3) I have every intention to build and fly this edge, I have great hopes for it.


I wish you good luck with your Edge, please let us know how it goes as I am very interested
in hearing how the airplane performs.

jbenko

My Feedback: (73)

Thank you Mr. G. - I have high hopes for the Edge also! I am putting a K&B .61 in mine, which is not a powerhouse but is quite light and compact and has great throttle response. I felt it would be underpowered with a .46. The airfoil is quite thick, and the large control surfaces suggest it will be a good 3-D performer......if there is not enough power for good vertical than what is the point, right?

I'm not sure I agree with cutting the hinges off...seems like a huge amount of work with little gained. Given they are pinned it will be a big job.

Another item that was irritating was the cheesy ABS wing servo hatches. VMar should have just surface-mounted the servos and been done with it. I had to use a very long servo horn and it still binds against the hatch at full deflection.....using EPA on the aileron servos will be a must.

Did yours have glue streaks all over it? Many of my seam joints did not clean up even with mineral spirits.

I set mine aside for a while for a couple of foamie projects, (GWS Zero and P51) but will be getting back to it next week. I'll keep you posted on my progress from this thread. Good luck!

Jeff Benko
Palm Beach Skyhawks
AMA 82103

KB1EJ

Hi guys, I read your posts with interest because a couple years ago I bought a Vmar arf and it too looked good. I recall it was a cap. Very difficult to assemble the special front end 'cause the instructions were backwards. Anyway,finally got to the field and it just wouldn't rotate so after the third try I horsed it off a little and it veered into a bush(not a tree) and the whole front end fell off. Contacted Vmar and got a stupid answer and then nothing. I would never buy anything form them again!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

johnybravo

I had a similar experience a few years ago with the VMAR 60 Cap 232. Grossly overweight, crappy hardware, no name covering material that faded in the sun, crude fiberglass cowl that developed spider web cracks and weighed a ton, cheesy plastic wheel pants that cracked on the first flight, warped ailerons, hopeless factory glued hinges that were almost immoveable, factory installed pushrods that were bound up and had to be replaced. But wait it gets worse, this porker(8+ pounds) tip stalls every landing unless you bring it in like the space shuttle and snaps out of turns and loops(very exciting when it happens near the ground). To top it off, VMAR advertises 800+ square inches of wing area when it measures out closer to 600(apparently their advertising department did the calculations)! Do I have anything positive to say about this sad excuse for an airplane? Yes, the pilot is pretty cool with his little ball cap and cloth shirt. Would I buy another VMAR? Are you kidding?????

spitgy

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img] I had (past tense) VMAR Spitfire and like you said it looked good. It also fle well but it didn't hold together well. When you pick up the pieces, you can see that its a piece of crap. I will never buy any product from them. Good luck with yours.

johnybravo

TFACR, see the "Are VMARs Junk!!!!!" thread in this ARF forum for more interesting commentary on this fine line of aircraft.
Johnbravo
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]