First 100cc and IMAC dedicated plane

[Lojik]

Hi all,

I'm starting the saving fund for my first 100-120cc aircraft, I will be building this craft purely for IMAC / competition flying and gearing up towards this, being across a large pond it is difficult for us to get some of the awesome gear you can nab at your local in the US but we do have some options.

We have an extreme flight distributor in another state so I have their 104" Extra as an option

Another options is Krill, a local distributor here has some pretty incredible deals on Krill aircraft local to myself, saving almost $1k on the 100cc frame (Katana and Velox), I have looked around but detailed information on the frames use in IMAC is limited, has anyone here had any first hand experience with the frames and would they make a decent option?

Another good option i have is PilotRC, I have a hook in with the distributor as I ship his containers but he is in another state so a few hundred for delivery but with my discount it equates out to free shipping, I do like my 30cc extra260 from pilot and maybe something from pilot might be a good starting point?

Locally i did have a 3DHS distributor but the stock is limited and with the merger with the extreme flight family i am unsure how long till new stock starts to filter through

We have some drop ship companies that can get hold of Aeroworks but prices are in usd and not local stock so rather not go down that path

Usual Horizen brands are available and also EG aircraft

Other options are to import something which i can get done but will cost more $, I would for a freight forwarder so can look at purchasing a frame from overseas but will need to add $500 on top to be safe

2nd hand is also an option, I'm keeping my eye out on the usual trading sites and forums for a sale that might pop up but preference is to get the frame first and build this model bit by bit as I practice extra 260

My limitation are budget and transportation, I cannot and do not own a trailer, my Vehicle (Nissan Xtrail) is capable of transporting large models, I believe (will confirm) that with rear seats flat and front seat flat I can take a frame no longer than 2.4m comfortably so those overly large 120cc's might be an issue

Finally I am also considering a kit build, last time i did a kit was 10 years ago but its on the table as an option.

If you have any thoughts on a good way to go or any pitfalls to watch out for that would be much appreciated, again this aircraft will be setup and built around IMAC or precision flying, not looking to 3D the machine, I have plenty of planes to do 3D with.

 

[jordyk81]

The Krills that are being sold off cheap by RC World are very old kits, most still have the blade spars. I'm sure they fly nice, and they would be the cheapest Krill you ever buy, but the age of these kits is why you won't find much recent info about them.

I have found DA Australia to be awesome to deal with. The advice you get is spot on every time, and the customer service is some of the best in Australia. Bigrog is flying one of the EF 104" Extras and it flys really nice (even with him on the sticks...) A few other guys have been flying the EF Yaks and doing well with them. Comp ARF is another brand to consider. DA are the distributors for them as well.

 

[Lojik]

The Krills that are being sold off cheap by RC World are very old kits, most still have the blade spars. I'm sure they fly nice, and they would be the cheapest Krill you ever buy, but the age of these kits is why you won't find much recent info about them.

I have found DA Australia to be awesome to deal with. The advice you get is spot on every time, and the customer service is some of the best in Australia. Bigrog is flying one of the EF 104" Extras and it flys really nice (even with him on the sticks...) A few other guys have been flying the EF Yaks and doing well with them. Comp ARF is another brand to consider. DA are the distributors for them as well.

Thanks mate, yer the EF extra is top of the list at the moment, always had good service from DA AU so no concerns buying from them, my next in line choice is Pilotrc from burbur, comparf are a little too pricey for me in their 100cc range

 

[Lojik]

One reason I was looking at the krills, for less than a "104 EF extra to my door I can get the krill katana or Krill velox in a painted scheme, its a hard choice, i might hit up an old mate who used to fly them and get his opinion on the krills.

 

[Lojik]

Well Krill is officially off the list, spoke with a very keyed up local who has flown most of the Krill frames and long story short the kits available in AU will not suit, so that leaves the EF 104 Extra, or other EF aircraft if DA do another container in the next 6 months, Pilotrc Extra 260 or 330SC, or save for longer and see about getting a comp.

 

[TazmanianDevil]

From my point of view
H9 Extra
EF Extra
Both are awesome.
But if you can put your hands in Krill Extra 35% do it nothing flys better than a comp plane unless you build it from scratch and add your magic to it.

 

[djmoose]

So I've been flying the older 3DHS 103 Extra last year in Basic and this year in Sportsman...with a DLE111 and not only to I think it flys amazing for IMAC....I've received a LOT of compliments.

While I haven't flown the new 3DHS 108 Extra...Steven McCormack won Sportsman in his region last year with a perfect 5000 points flying that plane...and from everything I've heard...it's the 103 but improved. I'd really consider the 3DHS 108 Extra 330LT if at all possible. (however it looks like 3DHS Australia doesn't have them in stock)

As far as the EF 104 Extra...I've heard a lot of people LOVE LOVE LOVE this plane...while I've haven't flown one...it has the reputation of being one of the best all around 100cc ARFs ever. If it's possible for you to get one of these 104s...DO IT.

I personally would not even consider Pilot or EG. If you want the best performing ARF....Extreme Flight Family of Brands.

 

[Pistolera]

Ditto....can't go wrong with them. I LOVED my 3DHS 103/105" Extra. It easily took me into intermediate and would have been with me in advanced....until it met its expiration date

 

[Lojik]

So I've been flying the older 3DHS 103 Extra last year in Basic and this year in Sportsman...with a DLE111 and not only to I think it flys amazing for IMAC....I've received a LOT of compliments.

While I haven't flown the new 3DHS 108 Extra...Steven McCormack won Sportsman in his region last year with a perfect 5000 points flying that plane...and from everything I've heard...it's the 103 but improved. I'd really consider the 3DHS 108 Extra 330LT if at all possible. (however it looks like 3DHS Australia doesn't have them in stock)

As far as the EF 104 Extra...I've heard a lot of people LOVE LOVE LOVE this plane...while I've haven't flown one...it has the reputation of being one of the best all around 100cc ARFs ever. If it's possible for you to get one of these 104s...DO IT.

I personally would not even consider Pilot or EG. If you want the best performing ARF....Extreme Flight Family of Brands.

Thanks for the input. I hear allot about how good the ef 104 is. It certainly is top of the list. Any reason you are discounting pilotrc. I love my 260 from them and think they are a great quality kit. Way above eg imho.

 

[djmoose]

Thanks for the input. I hear allot about how good the ef 104 is. It certainly is top of the list. Any reason you are discounting pilotrc. I love my 260 from them and think they are a great quality kit. Way above eg imho.

I just know firsthand how the EF FOB (EF and 3DHS) are designed. There is a LOT of work put into the airframe design for performance.

While I admittingly have no experience with Pilot and how their planes are designed...I do understand that most China-designed airframes are simply designed to fly...so being that I've never really noticed any Pilot airframes that people RAVE about their performance...I just sort of lump them in with EG, Peak, etc etc. (I do know Pilot has their own factory, etc etc)

So, this is MY opinion....but for sport flying...most of the China-designed airframes are fine....but if you want performance I'd go with the EF Family of Brands.

That being said....I will say that @Pistolera flys an EG Raven I believe? He does very well with it...of course...he's a pretty awesome pilot....he likes HUGE loops.......HUUUUUUUGE!

Long story short...the EF Family of Brands' planes I KNOW FOR A FACT are designed for performance....while anything else is kind of a guessing game...and I can't afford to guess when it comes to 100cc airframes.

Just my 2 cents.

(PS, I know that PAU and Aeroworks planes are designed well, but I have no experience with those...but I would go with one of those WAY before I'd ever consider Pilot or EG for performance. If Pilot had a cool airframe that I just wanted to fly around...that's a completely different subject....but this thread is about dedicated IMAC airframes.)