When I ordered a Freeman 2300 from them (PNP version) through AliExpress, the order never showed up on Aliexpress in my order history. Therefore I never had any record of shipment, etc. The only record I had of it was my paypal transaction email. I emailed them to try to cancel it and never got any response. I escalated it to a case in paypal trying to cancel it. Paypal declined saying it is not in their system to cancel an order. 2 weeks later (5 days ago), I called paypal and changed the case to a product not received case. They said I have to wait 10 days for a response from UUUdrone. Another 5 days to go and that should be done and the order should be refunded. SO, to answer your question… No.
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On the other hand, I received my batteries (6S, 22000mAh) from ZDF via Aliexpress today. I ordered them on the 14th. Each battery $200. Shipping for 4 of them was $476. That was before I found them in the US for $279 apiece. I cancelled the US order since these arrived. I assumed there would be problems with shipping them from China like the problems with shipping motors. But, no. They shipped just fine for that amount of money via FedEx.
Now we’re talkin’ !!! The Fighter made it through customs.
September 29, 2020, 6:24 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Your item arrived at our USPS facility in ROCHESTER NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER on September 29, 2020 at 6:24 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.
September 30, 2020, 7:00 am
Arrived at Unit
ROCHESTER, NY 14692
Your item arrived at the Post Office at 7:00 am on September 30, 2020 in ROCHESTER, NY 14692.
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So perhaps the AliExpress standard shipping method is not very dependable and one should opt for another shipping method if available and pricing is not outrageous?
My Fighter arrived today in great condition! There was only one small tear in the box but no damage to the parts. It was very well packed.
A few unboxing observations:
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Although you can repack the Fighter VTOL into the foam and box for transport, there was no carry bag like in the Freeman VTOL package which makes it much easier to carry to your truck or to the setup area at a flying field. It was a nice bonus on the Freeman that will be missed on the Fighter.
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All of the control surfaces can now be easily hinged. This increases the control surface integrity, especially after some usage.
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The Fighter has a decal sheet. This was something that was missing from the Freeman package. There were also several white Mylar sheets to cover the wings near the fuselage.
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The connectors are not pre-wired as we thought possible from the assembly videos. This requires that the customer now solder their own wires.
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Missing was the paper manual and two tubes of “jiao shui” glue. Perhaps they were removed by customs.
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Greg,
Congrats! Looks like the kit version does include the wiring bits, most importantly the wing connections.
I wanted to test fit my quad power system so there were no surprises down the road. It fit perfectly! Everything mounts easily in the box and I can swap motor direction via the bullet connectors between the motor and ESC. No soldering required.
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After watching the MFE assembly videos on the Fighter, I was intrigued with the “jiao shui” glue because it can be brushed on and has a medium cure time. This seemed like a great way to glue the large body halves of this model together and get inside the crevasses. Normally, I use Beacon Foam Tac for most of my body gluing since it dries clear and never yellows. I ordered several tubes from the Hobby King USA Warehouse so I didn’t have to worry about customs in case that is why I didn’t receive any in the kit. The epoxy brushes are from Tower Hobbies.
I just happened to have a smaller tube from my Nimbus VTOL build that I never used. I also just happened to have another mini Talon 4+1 VTOL project (I’ll be making a new thread for this project) that I was ready to glue together so I decided to get some practice using this glue and a brush. I have to admit that it worked great! I was very happy with the ease of application and the time I had to “paint” both sides so I will be using this technique on my Fighter assembly.
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I received my 6S 22 Ah batteries and charger as I mentioned earlier. It will be a while until I receive the airplane kit and am ready to use the batteries. I measured the batteries and they have 22.9 volts. Should I leave them charged as they are now to store until I need them or should I do anything. These are so expensive that I want to do all I can to keep them in their best condition.
I recently saw a video showing how fast these VTOL planes can take off and now I can’t find it. Does anyone else recall such a video?
22.9v is half voltage which is perfect for storage. Keep them in a cool or cold place for longer term storage. Both 1/2 charge and cold storage help keep them from losing capacity over time.
At first, I thought the AXI 4120 motor was sticking out too far to be used but decided that I can cut half way down the foam nose cap so that there is still a good air gap to cool the motor. So both my quad and forward flight power systems will appear to mount fine and I can start my build.
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Hello Greg,
Nice to see you up and assembling your Fighter.
One question, would you recommend AXI motors to anyone? Are they generally reliable?
Hi Ali,
Yes, AXI motors are very reliable. In fact, this one is 10-15 years old that I had on hand from an old aerobatic glow-to-electric conversion. Some of my electric conversions can be seen here. I am not sure that you can get them anymore. There are many more lower cost choices available today. One of my favorites is SunnySky.
Edit: I did a quick look and it seems you can still buy AXI motors in the U.S. at Esprit Models. This means that you can still buy them in Europe from Model Motors.
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Today, paypal emailed me regarding my order with uuudrone store. Paypal is issuing me a refund of $1928 for the MFE Freeman 2300 PNP I previously ordered. I have tried to contact uuudrone store and never got any correspondence from them. At this point I can’t recommend doing any business with them. Glad to get my money back, though.
Get them while they last! Only 3 left at Banggood USA Warehouse. $599 plus $3 shipping.
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I started my build by following the Aerial Survey UAV Assembly Guide 1. My main change was to also install the motor on the Plexiglas motor mount before gluing it into the body half. I used lock washers and blue thread locker on the AXI x-mount. Brushing on the “jiao shui” glue was easier now that I had some practice from the mini Talon frame.
The left and right sides of the fuselage fit together nicely but I do not have enough glue left over from my smaller Nimbus 1800 tube to glue the halves together so I must wait until my order from HK arrives…hopefully this weekend. Overall, the parts are a very nice fit!
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Do not order from UUC drone or UUC RC Store in Ali express, scamming me with false tracking numbers.
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This looks great. Thanks for the updates Greg.
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