Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

Hi fellow flyers


This is for anyone who read this post and may have an opinion on a Something Extra 40-46 51 wingspan.
Who could tell me who have one and how does it flies. The features says that is fast enought to do aerobatics.
But I am a beginner aerobatic. My questions are wehter it flies good to do aerobatic at least the basics. Imac.
also wehter it lands easy, which is what most worries me.

I also looking into getting the CAP 232 40-4 size 8 wing span. Also what is the opinion on this other one.
I have been practicing it in the G3 simulator. and it seems nice flyer but too fast for me to land sometimes.
It seems that flies better with wind than without wind. I don't know.

Please reply

Thank you
DAAdood

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

The Sig SE is a very versitle plane. If flown slow with low rates, it is very docile. Yet to crank it up a few notches it is very aerobatic. I have seen them used in the SPA pattern event in the beginner's run off.

They seem to be relatively easy to repair in a misshap compared to most planes.

They are very easy to land. They will just float down with a positive angle of attack - not stall - touch down however you want, very forgiving.

I highly recommend it.

Enjoy,
JIm

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

Thank you so much for you Input I really appreciated. Right now they are very cheap in Towerhobbies.

I think Is a good buy.

Do you know or anyone else know vs the Cap 232?

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

They do repair easily. They also build fast with interlocking pieces. You can modify them a lot to make them lighter for hovering, etc. You can put a wide range of engines on them. Somebody on RCU is putting a Saito .72 on his. Another good thing about them is that they fly pretty well with goldenrods and low budget servos, like the Futaba 3003.

The SE is a pretty versatile kit. You can fly it slow with lots of stability as a good second plane. Step up the rates and it becomes wild and crazy. It is a great plane to keep around for all kinds of flying for a long time.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

I like mine!

Terry

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

As others have indicated, the SE is a great plane. It provides the aerobatic capabilities that you are looking for and handles low speed landings with ease. I would recommend doing a search on RCU if you want to look further into this plane. It is one of the more popular kits or ARF's out there and a lot of information on modifications have been written about. Here is the thread on mine:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_19...tm.htm#1914644

Don't be put off by the time it took for me to build...it was my doing, not the kit's.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

If you are just beginning aerobatics, I would stay with the Somethin' Extra. Then work on a Cap or the like.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

You'll love the SIG SE. Just use something stronger than a rubber band to hold the wings on. On high rates this plane will not only roll, it'll twirl! The rubber band I chose that day was not up to the task. [&o] I bought another one. [8D]

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

The SE in my opinion is NOT a great aerobatic plane. I have one I built recently and it is a great little fun fly style plane but as far as flying around like the cap would it isn't that great. My recommendation would be to go with a GP Super Sporster or a Sig 4*40 or 60 depending on the size you like. Both of those are very capable and with performance just slightly less than the cap I think you'll have a better stepping stone as well as a plane that has a more versatile flight envelope. The SE is a good airplane - don't get me wrong and if you want a blindingly fast roll rate then it's your ticket but for some thing that is more precise (like the cap) then these other models I believe are a good road to follow. They also are more forgiving than the SE is since it is a go where you point it model. It does have excellent low speed handling and with flaperons mixed with the elevators it will hold a nose high attitude without stalling in the slightest breeze. It has no real snap rolling problems (I couldn't get mine to snap really well at all).

If you do decide on the SE then I suggest a moderate sized 4 stroke like a 50 or so as it is all it needs for very good performance. Also the landing gear will need to be adjusted for the proper prop clearance in most cases but you could just put bigger tires on it.

I really enjoyed building my SE but flying it - it just wasn't what I was looking for. Right now I'm flying a Venus 40 and I have a GB Matrix 3D 40 on the building board. I also fly a Seagull models Spacewalker II which is much like a 4*40 or Super Sportster and flies very well and does beautiful aerobatics that look great (especially powered with a .91 4stroke).

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

I love the Sig Somethin' Extra, I'm not sure what else you would be looking for in an aerobatic model. It's widely discussed that it could use a little more rudder but that's a very easy fix, with stock rudder it really is a pleasure to fly. It is very precise in the air and an all around great flier.

Jim

http://jdbarton.com/images/Somethin_006.jpg

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

SE's are addictive, I'm on my fourth. This is because everytime I build one I figure out something to make it a little different and better than the last.

No, it doesn't do aerobatics like a CAP but I've seen people do some incredible things with them. I like to fly mine on windy days, make it float in one spot or go backwards a little and do darn near vertical landings.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

Skychaser you mentioned rubber band . What Rubber bands. could you explain?

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

Not sure what mike did but mine will do any aerobatics that I throw at it. Took it on a trip the last time I went and flew at a field there and the guys were all in the pitts going "how did he do that" and I hear a lot of "wows" and things like that. That plane flat out rocks.

Slow the controls down a bit, move the CG ahead and it will be a very easy to fly bird. Move the cg back a bit and add control throw and you can do anything with it. It would be a way better move for you than a cap. The cap will be harder to land and will tip stall easier. The SE has no bad charecteristics and will fly out of anything. Way better move for you at this point.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

It's not a bad starter plane to try hammerhead stalls, Cuban 8s, inverted flight, and a lot of other maneuvers like rolls and loops. It's light but you can learn to adjust to that. Since it is so easy to fly around and maneuver, you can learn the pattern routines before taking a risk with your first pattern plane. That's what I've been doing. You can also have fun doing crazy things with it just for grins. It is a good plane to learn knife edge and hovering.

You can do all kinds of modifications if you make the formers for a nose tank or center of gravity tank. I made the top hatch out of a sheet of flat balsa, and all the way from canopy to firewall so that I could get to everything inside. A couple of screws hold it down. Cutting the canopy shorter looks very good. I was given my SE to repair, and the builder put counterbalances on the rudder and elevators.

Like Jim said, it will take a beating. Mine had a lot of firewall repair when I got it from a recent crash from a hover. I repaired the wing tip damage and patched that. I cut off the firewall and made a new one with new cheeks. I covered the bottom of the cheeks with sheeting. I put in pine blocks for nylon gear bolts, and reinforced the fuselage bottom in that area. Later, I had a wing to wing midair with another SE. We both landed fine with a lot of wing damage. It looked bad but we repaired them quickly. The other guy had a cracked pieces in the fuselage, and mine didn't. I left a long piece of my leading edge stuck in his fuselage like a spike.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

I feel like an idiot, but I keep reading about conterbalances on the rudder etc. What excactly is that?

-tychoc

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

Let me clarify - the SE does a lot of aerobatic maneuvers very well and it does fly like it is on rails. It is very neutral and with the right CG it will fly inverted with no elevator input. I flew mine with a Magnum .61 4 stroke and a 13x6 prop and it was very quick and would go vertical forever - that wasn't the right prop for hovering but with a 14x4W it would though the controls required a lot of tweaking to get correct enough to do that (Extreme throws and exponential). But it's a fun fly plane more than anything else and that just wasn't MY bag of beans. I think that if the wingspan were a little more, the thickness a little less and the tail moment were a bit longer it would be...oh...wait then it would be an ACTUAL Extra wouldn't it....nevermind. :D

It isn't a bad plane at all but I just couldn't get mine to stall the wing for a decent snaproll; I even moved the CG back about 2!QUOT! which was a little much I admit. It would never really stall once the nose drops it's flying again. Granted it has a very fast roll rate and I know a lot of people who fly the heck out of them but it's just not for me. If you like a more scale appearance go with my previous recommendations. They are great planes as well - honestly I think the very best 2nd plane is the 4* series. I never liked them until I had one and it was the finest plane I've ever owned and it was hard to trade for that VEnus. I have the spacewalker though which fits the same bill and the fellow I traded it to needed it more than I.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

I find it interesting that you prefer the 4* over the Extra [:'(]
Nonetheless, I'm hoping I'll enjoy the SSE over the 4* I owned for a week! I almost have her finished :D

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

If I ever loose my spacewalker I'll likely replace it with a 4*60.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

All the laser cut parts on the SSE makes for a very easy build and you will diffently have a good looking plane to go and throw around the sky. I have a couple of flights on my brothers and one high rates it is touchy. It all depends on waht you want really, if you want to begin flying 3D then it is probabily a good choice. Though an SSE might be a little much for a second plane. My personal preference for an everyday flier would be a larger more conventional plane: 4 * 60, Super Sportster 60, Astro Hog, etc. I have flown the same Hog for going on nine years

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

tychoc - Here is an an example of a counter balanced rudder and elevator. On the rudder, the top extends over the end of the vertical fin so that it too turns with the rudder. On the elevator, the end of it extends over the end of the horizontal fin. I think, if my memory serves, this gives you much more control surface response. There are probably other reasons, but I do not remember them off the top of my head. The pics you see are of the counter balanced rudder on my Ultra Stick Lite, and the elevator pics are on a U-Can-Do 46.

DAAdood - In answer to your question, there are two J hooks that fit into each wing. The location is just in front of the wing tube hole that you can see in the 4th picture below. These hooks slide into the fuse and a #64 rubber band is wrapped around them to hold the wings into the side of the fuse. Many flyers, like me, supplement the rubber bands with either springs, 0 rings, or zip ties. I use a zip tie and simply cut it off after each flying session.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

What I have not seen anyone mention yet, was the fact that the SE Has both extreme capabilities, and trainer like capabilities, all in the same plane because of the thick wing chord, and the straight leading edge. Compare it to any other plane in this size (Cap, Extra, etc.), it will have much slower, and stable flight characteristics than anything with a swept leading edge wing (like the CAP) becasue like the other guy said, a swept L.E. + slow speed = Tip stall. Lets not forget that the cap was designed so that on "high rates", you pull straight back on the elevator and it will snap roll. I was un-aware of this and that's how I lost my 1/4 scale.
All things aside, no matter who you are, or what you have flown, the SE is able to make just about everyone happy! Fast building, Easily repairable, Capable of just about anything (it all depends on how you set it up)!
Personally, I set mine up (I am building my 7th) with the OS .46 FX, Macs smoke muffler, APC 11x5 or 11x6 prop, and I install the engine sideways with the muufler coming straight out the bottom between the wheels, and I build a balsa cowl around the engine. Play with the CG right at the wing tube location. Forward = calmer/more stable, AFT (not too far) = more wild-n-crazy.
Perfect, cheap all aound plane to satisfy just about anyone. Oh, and to respond the the ealier guy, don't all airplanes go where you point them?

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

Well said. You summed it up well.

Enjoy,

Jim

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

Thank you guys I can't believe that so many flyers have this plane and is so cheap as a kit of course. Thankyou for all of your inputs.

I will diffenetly will buy the SE.

DAAdood.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

I have one to0 and while it is not my favorite plane in my hangar it is a neat plane to throw around. Mine is powered with a oder os .46sf and a 11 x4 prop vertical performance is good but not great although I am sure it would be better with a new engine. The plane is fairly tame at low rates but I found the recomended high rate a bit much for my taste. I have my high rate set to about 80% even there it is pretty ignorant will do insanely fast rolls and very tight loops. I never had a problem attaching the wing halves to the fuselage with rubberbands, I recomend using 2 new rubber bands every time you put the plane together some guys at my club attach the wing using o-rings and another guy uses zip-ties all seem to work fine I don't think its a great aerobatic plane niether it is what is a good looking fun-fly plane.

RE: Opinion on a "Something Extra by SIG
 

I have built both the Sig 4*40 and the SE and both were just as easy to build. I had about 30 flights on my 4* before I lost orientation flying too far away and too close to sundown. I just finished my SE and am anxious to get her up in the air.

My 4*40 and my SE