gws E-starter review
 

First off is the things I don't like about the kit.
1. Cutting the ailerons out was messy, that could be improved.
2. The whimpy landing gears.

That's it. that was all the negatives I could find.

Now for the good stuff.

This airplane was as easy to build as the beaver. I noticed that the rudder moved freely without being cut off so I just reinforced it with some tape and left it attached. I also noticed that there were 2 landing gear slots on the bottom of the airplane, so I glued the two gear holders in and created a tricycle landing gear setup like a cessna aircraft (after all, this does look like a cessna).
This meant I didn't have a steerable tail wheel but the airplane still turned on the ground using the rudder (the same way it would if you had floats instead of wheels).
I also added clear packing tape to the underside of the airplane for added strength.

With the mixed reviews I saw about this airplane I wanted to ROG on the maiden rather than hand launch. Most problems can be picked up on a ROG before too much damage is done.

With that in mind I went to the field. the ground was still soft, so ROG was ruled out. Anyway I powered up the airplane almost jumped out of my hand. Immediately I new this had more power than the mustang did. With a slight toss the E-starter was off and flying. No trimming was necessary and at full throttle it gained altitude agressively.
I throttled back to half and it was still gaining altitude (it was not tail heavy, balanced perfectly). It was then that I remembered that the beaver behaves the same way and I reduced the throttle even more. At about 1/3 throttle it settled into level flight and it looked absolutley awesome in the air.

At full throttle it is fast but at 1/3 throttle it just scoots along slowly. It glides very well so landing it was not a problem. I kept a little power and just settled it nicely on the tricycle gear.
:D

I wouldn't recommend this to a complete newbie to rc airplanes, it is fast at full throttle and can get very far away quickly, but it is definately a first aileron airplane. If you can fly the beaver or you have some rudder, elevator experience you can build and fly the e-starter.

Setup

E-starter
GWS dream starter radio kit
15 amp esc (overkill)
6 cell AA 600mah NICD pack

Flight duration was about 6-7 minutes.

gws E-starter review
 

Nice review. A little more stick time on my Pico FD and I think I'll get one.

What wheels are you using?

gws E-starter review
 

I use dubro lite 1 1/2 inch foam wheels on all my airplanes. For anyone interested in doing the tricycle landing gear mod. Here is a picture of the front gear wire, the back gear is the same as the stock wire.

gws E-starter review
 

Where do you get the piano wire?:)

gws E-starter review
 

I get mine at the local hobby store. I don't know anywhere else that sells them.

gws E-starter review
 

Out of a piano! Where else would it come from? :D

All kidding aside, it's more commonly called "music wire," and can be purchased from hobby shops and some hardware stores.

E-starter Mods
 

I've just ordered my e-starter after weeks of head scratching and pondering. I've had to source it from the US as it hasn't made it's appearance in the UK yet.. typical!

So I'm looking for Mods and tips from you guys that have had the plane for a while. Anything will be good and pictures would be great.

Cheers

CB

gws E-starter review
 

The tail is a little weak. I laid in a piece of carbon fibre cloth in each half before I glued the halves together. From the leading edge of the horizontal stab to the fwd tip of the dorsal fin. Haven't had any other problems.

gws E-starter review
 

A lot of people have problems with the tail section but I've been lucky with mine, sort of. Nosed it in 3 times and tail still good, of course nose end not so good but not bad considering the punishment it took.
The trike setup looks much better than stock and is cool when coming in for a landing. It doesn't really need any mods but you might consider changing the ailerons to balsa after they get loose and sloppy. Also, an Astro 010 with the stock gearing really does wonders for it too. 010 powered by Etec 1200 3S and APC 9x7.5 was close to hovering, lots of power.