jlong34016

My Feedback: (1)

Painted whiplash today. Was going to fly it tomorrow. However, in my rush to completion i didnt test fit the fins in plane. I assumed that since there are only two pieces to the entire plane that they would have been made to fit. Wrong. I found out after i had epoxied the two halves that it didnt fit, not by a long shot. I tried feverishly to sand and cut away some material as the 30 min zpoxy was setting up. After 15 minutes i still wasnt even close to getting it to seat. Spent the next 30 minutes trying to get the epoxy off so i could reglue later. As you can imagine i had epoxy everwhere on the fins, ruined my nice paint job as it wasnt completely dry, got glue all over my wifes nice table and wasted approx. 2 1/2 hours cleaning it all up. I cant believe nobody else has had this problem, or maybe they were smart enough to test fit. Now i remember why i hate arfs, its easier to build from scratch than to fix someone elses mistake. I guess this plane will go in the to be completed later pile and i'll just stick with my dust for now. :disappoin

jlong34016

My Feedback: (1)

Any suggestions on how best to fix this problem. I think cutting down the middle of the base and removing material from there would be best. I have already shaved some off each side and still have a good 1/8 inch to go and i worry about strength at the joint. Or maybe just gluing in a piece of filler in the tray and flush mount the fin to the body.

Traxxas_Tech

My Feedback: (22)

Wow, Thats too bad. I dont have a whiplash, but I would think that a plane made in a mold would be exactly the same plane to plane... Are you sure you had the fins in the correct slot? If they are in the least bit airfoiled, they wont go in any other way. It sounds retartedly simple, but things like that get me occasionally, and I look back and kick myself when I figure it out

Well, since I've been wanting one, and you hate yours ( ), How 'bout I pay you to ship it to me!?!?

....Doesnt hurt to ask.....

jlong34016

My Feedback: (1)

I never even considered that they would not fit together. The fins are made from balsa and glassed/gelcoated. Perhaps they make these without mold? It appears that the fins were glued to the edge of the base plate instead of to the top.
BTW...The box this thing was shipped in was unbelievable. It looked like they had it fabricated down to .001 inch tolerance. Best box i have ever seen. They even state in the directions, if the plane is damaged you did it yourself because the packaging is perfect. I was lulled into a false sense of security.

Noflyzone

Sorry to hear about the fin fit problem, but were you trying to get the top of the center of the fin section to fit flush with the rest of the top surface of the airframe. The fins do fit perfectly since they are built in a mold. The only chance for the fins to not fit is if they were not compressed properly in the mold, hence defective...I'm am the designer of the Whiplash and we stand behind every one we make and if you have a problem with your airframe, Rick and I want to know about it. This is not a problem that has occured before, or you are the first to mention it. The center section of the fins are designed to fit within 1/16" of the top surface of the airframe, not anywhere near "1/8" to go" which would mean that the fins didn't go into the recess at all. We would appreciate speaking with you about your situation and would like to rectify it asap.

Sincerely,

Rocketman612

My Feedback: (85)

Offer by designer to fix problem about 2hrs after post listed. Keep up the good work. Also nice paint job. Pete

jlong34016

My Feedback: (1)

The fins would not go into recess at all. It appeared to be too be too long so i shortened it up but then i realized it was way too wide. I cut it down but still two wide. I am not concerned about the thickness to be flush.

BAGOSTIX

My Feedback: (178)

Dan and I have discussed this problem and feel that the best way to resolve this is to send you a new fin right away.

Once you get the fin, trial fit it first, if it fits,"as it should", repaint the new fin and let us know what the cost is and we will work something out.

It very well could have been a matter of the fin mold not being clamped down all the way through an oversight since usually they are done in batches of 5 at a time, hence the possibility that the lay up guy may have thought he tightened it all the way.

Dan and I take extreme pride in our products and as you can tell by other posts, we go the extra mile to make sure you are happy with your product..

We will ship another fin set out monday a.m. if thats acceptable, but by all means do not put this on the to do later shelf, you'd be missing out on a lot of fun...

Please let Dan or myself know if this is satisfatory with you.

thanks

Alastair

I just wanted to say that I also had the same fin problem with my Whiplash. The fins would not fit in the space they were supposed to and it had to be sanded somewhat before they would fit. Luckily, I had test fitted the fin first, so I sanded it before gluing or painting it. I also had a couple of small cracks on each side of the skid plate so I used finish epoxy and 3/4 oz fiberglass to fix it. Now I just have to get my dad to help me build and paint the rest of it (I am not very good at that, only flying it).

jlong34016

My Feedback: (1)

That sounds good. If i am able to get the one i have to work tonight i will let you know and you wont need to send another. I should have trial fit to begin with. if i need to take off too much material then the a new one would be appreciated.

BAGOSTIX

My Feedback: (178)

Please bare in mind that the paint may have added to the overall size of the fin, and also, the top of the bottom plate of the fin section does not sit flush with the top of the fuse when fitted into the recessed cavity.


you will have approx 1/16" of the fin base exposed above the top of the fuse, this is the intended fit.

The entire perimeter of the fin set fits perfectly inside the recessed cavity on the fuse.

Some sanding is always required as per the instruction sheet, but it sounds as if you had to take off quite a bit, what is your estimate of how much needed to be sanded off the edges for the fin to fit in the recess?

Let us know how it goes, if need be we'll ship a fin out right away.

Alastair

I asked my dad who did the sanding and his estimate was 3/32 to 1/8 of an inch from the side of the front part of the fin only, the back part fit. The front also needed a little sanding. All of this was done before any painting.

jlong34016

My Feedback: (1)

My initial thought was just that, must be the paint. But scrapped off paint(easy since it was not dry), then did some sanding still not close. In despiration took out knife. Shaved considerable amount off front and alot off sides but still will not even come close to going in. My guess is a little over 1/8 (5/32). Mine was even the entire length of the fin base unlike the other post. I had to stop to get epoxy off while i could.

BAGOSTIX

My Feedback: (178)

well again, if you cant get it to fit, please let me know before monday and I'll get a new fin out right away sorry for the inconvenience, a new fin should be an easy fix to the problem..
thanks

DLK

I just finished my Whiplash. The fin did not fit in the depression. I sanded the fin on the bottom radius till I didn't dare go any further. Got out Dremel with carbide cutter - cuts on side and bottom or face of tool. Wacked out sides of depression to make them square and open up. I think the glass or composite cloth is not 90 degrees to the depression more like 45 degrees. It fit, not perfect but much better. Used West System Epoxy to glue, it ain't going to come off. Using JR4721 Servos and Jett Fire 50 (rear exhaust). Yes the fin could have been smaller at the base.

BTW the guys at Aero Composite are great. I have called with a few questions and nothing but the best customer service. I hope this delta holds together. I destroyed 2 DD with this Jett Fire 50. I CAN go too fast<G>. Dave

BAGOSTIX

My Feedback: (178)

We are looking into the fin issue, glad you got yours in, in a word, fly the snot out of your whiplash, it will take whatever you give it and more... thanks for the comments on the customer service, Dan and I and the rest of the gang always have a keen interest in our customers issues... what was that slogan? " we try harder"???

ZERODOWN

My Feedback: (4)

Hey rick got the launcher in today. I checked the last 3 deltas and the tail sections match good on mine.

jlong34016

My Feedback: (1)

"Some sanding is always required as per the instruction sheet."

1) My instructions do not say anything about sanding anything other than the recess area to aid in bonding of epoxy. I always read entire instruction set prior to building.

2) Now that my paint is dry and i can grip the fins, it only took ten minutes with the sanding bar to get it to fit. The pink resin sands fairly easily and i didn't get into whatever is inside of it. It is still rigid and strong. It looks like there was too much of this pink stuff on the outsides of the fins at the bottom, especially on one side.

3) Thanks for the quick response and help in fixing this problem. I don't need a new fin set and can touch up the paint with what i have. Perhaps i can be first in line for a backlash.

BAGOSTIX

My Feedback: (178)

good news on the fin, the instruction sheet should have said something about sanding the fin edges if needed.. I'll look into that, glad you got it resolved, any problems with the whiplash are generally very minor ones.

Since each plane is "hand built", and not coming off of an assembly line, we try and get each plane as perfect as we can, but we are ultimately human and capable of error, but not very often!!

On the backlash, well........

BAGOSTIX

My Feedback: (178)

hey Scott, have you tried the launcher yet? did it arrive ok, it shipped in a new box we are using and we'd appreciate any feedback on the packing, of course if its negative, e mail me or Dan direct LOL!!!

KC-Lovespeed

My Feedback: (26)

You shipping lanchers ? Mine STILL has not shown up, or the plane for that matter. What gives ? Guess I will call you again on Monday.

BAGOSTIX

My Feedback: (178)

whats your name? call us monday and we'll check status...

KC-Lovespeed

My Feedback: (26)

Ok, will give you a call Monday or shoot me an email with response. I'v been talking to Dan I believe about this for over a month and a half. Tells me its coming each time but has yet to show. (my first whiplash cracked badly by tank on first attempt, was repaired, it snaped on 3 attempts hard to left, was repaired, then crashed due to throw issues)

BAGOSTIX

My Feedback: (178)

I'm familiar with this now, give us a call monday please

Dustflyer

My Feedback: (13)

My fin assembly was too long also but all I did was taper the leading edge of the assembly with a sanding block and 80 grit and it dropped right in with wiggle room to spare. Piece of cake.