This is a warning to all about the faulty model supplied to me and the after sales service I received from Art Hobby and Giant Composite Models the manufacturer of the 44% Extra

I purchased 3 of these models, These models were sold supposedly having a full 3D capability for engines up to 210cc.

I fitted a ZDZ 160 Champion to my model well within the engine size specified, My models first and very brief flight went as follows model took off turned right almost as soon as the model had completed this turn the left hand wing panel started to break up in flight and the inevitable crash landing shortly there after a total flight time under 40 seconds.

This flight was fortunate enough ( if you can call it that) to be in front of about 300 people, several of whom were videoing the flight and on these video’s the commentator can be clearly heard saying “Iain’s model has a bit of a problem, structural problem” A eye witness report as it happened.

A copy of one of the video’s was sent to GCM and a witness statement from the flight line controller was faxed to GCM. There response to the video showing the left hand wing panel flapping, was no the whole model was rocking left to right, all the damage was caused by impact.

Shortly after the wing failed on my model there was a bulitin placed on the manufacturers website warning of a possible wing problem, details of this bulitin can be found at the website mentioned below

A brief sample of a website which is at this time under construction is available at www.iadmodeldesigns.co.uk/frontpage.htm when complete will be published at www.arthobby.co.uk and www.gmc.co.uk and www.giantcompositemodels.co.uk as soon as complete to allow everyone to view all the information in relation to this faulty model and to have an idea of the service I have received.

Is there anyone out there has experienced a similar problem with these models

At present on www.iadmodeldesigns.co.uk/frontpage.htm there are snapshots taken from one of the video’s showing the wing flapping

The website I created to show every one the faulty 44% TOC Extra 330 and the after sales service (if you could call it that) I received from Art Hobby (the supplier to me) and GMC-RC/GCM/Giant Composite Models (the manufacturer) these are the 3 names they apparently trade under Has now been updated to include witness statements of the events that occured on 7th September 2003.

Site address where details can be found of the faulty product I received is :-

www.iadmodeldesigns.co.uk/frontpage.htm

The above address is a link to a page on my own website iadmodeldesigns.co.uk but will be moving shortly to

www.gmc-rc.co.uk

www.giantcompositemodels.co.uk

www.arthobby.co.uk

A short video clip will also be available shortly showing what the manufacturer can not or did not want to see i.e. the broken wing flapping in flight.

Iain Nicol

For those of you out there who are interested in seeing this GCM 44% Extra acting like a bird,


There is now the first video clip on this website:-

www.iadmodeldesigns.co.uk/frontpage.htm

Click on the picture to enter the site then the link at the top of the page “video clip” On a 56K modem this will take approximately 3 minutes to download which clearly shows the left wing flapping on this model.

Art Hobby and GCM say the wing is not broken, flapping or fluttering but the whole model is rocking left to right, what do you think?


I have clearer video’s, from the master tape, which will be posted later, when I get the video tape transferred to disc, and clips uploaded to the website.

Iain Nicol

good luck with your quest for compensation, it looks pretty obvious to me from the pictures that the model broke up in flight.

Chris

In reply to all who questioned the validity of the pictures and video clip on the website at:-

http://www.iadmodeldesigns.co.uk/gcm...20page%201.htm


Some new high quality pictures have been sent to me (full pictures 2.7mb) and cropped to reduce the size down to 94kb have been published at,

http://www.iadmodeldesigns.co.uk/In%...20Pictures.htm


These pictures prove the wing broke in flight, look at the broken leading edge, a fact my supplier Art Hobby and the manufacturer have always denied.

A quote from an email sent to me by Marek Szufa the on behalf of the manufacturer on 25th September:-

“Sir

I thing this is a little to much. I was trying to find some, even just a small evidence that will prove your unbelievable story.”

These pictures do prove it!!!!!!!!!!!

A quote from Wieslaw Piotrowski from an email sent to me on 15thOctober:-

“The characteristic fracture of the left wing was caused by inertial forces
at the moment of collision (the wing broke from the trailing to the leading
edge,

Again the pictures prove this theory totally wrong.

A quote from an email sent to me from Marek Szufa on 24th October:-

“-Why wasn’t the left wing twisted away and did not fell off in the air at the same moment when it experienced your alleged flatter and structural damage. This should happen as a natural consequence of a wing flatter. By the way, if you can find some time to study a little the flatter phenomenon, you will see what is the character of destruction on the wing-suffering flatter.

Why is not there a trace of fracture on the wings, while the model is making a vertical dive in spin, when the top wing surfaces are clearly visible ?”

Well here is the proof of the structural wing failure in flight!!!!! (deny it now!)

Perhaps my supplier Art Hobby and the manufacturer will now accept their responsibility for supplying to me a faulty model which broke up in the air on its first flight.

I doubt it as, to date they have done everything to avoid doing this, let’s see I will keep you informed.


Iain Nicol

There is a duplicate thread in the Giant Scale forum. Go there for more information.