Libelle 1800 EP Composite-Glider w / Motor 1800mm (ARF)

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modifications before maiden

Jan 10, 2018

I am still in the process of modifying my Dragonfly, I have stripped the wing of covering (middle part of wings only) and reinforced the wing with carbon tube - feels nice and strong now with not much weight added) also thought I would share my trick of straightening the fin , I used a facecloth and boiling water - place the facecloth over the fin area and pour boiling water over the cloth then apply a little pressure (not too much) - allow to cool and check - keep doing this till eventually getting it straight (mine looks great now)
I have turfed the motor and am using an EMAX GT2218/09 1100KV with a 30amp ESC and 10x6 prop, I removed the firewall and am making a new one with additional 1mm carbon fibre sheet reinforcement , this will have downthrust - am looking forward to the maiden - should be soon

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very good

Apr 13, 2017

great model but had lots of little issues. did not use motor or folding prop driver instead used turnigy2836-8 1100kv motor and 25amp esc and hk40mil alloy collet fp driver and supplied blades this gives 19amps and205watts more than enough power great flyer really love it great value well done HK

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Customer Rated

Oct 17, 2016

Good initial impression and shipped in its original box. Assembly took about two hours. Some things to note, the fin sits at 85º instead of 90 and the stab will not mount flush to the fuse, which is also crooked. Being made of fiberglass there isnt much you can do here except live with the misaligned bits. So, hardware and other issues were immediate. The elevator pushrod had been pushed inside the fuse so had to cut out the back and re-glue it in. The screws to mount the motor are the wrong size. The aileron wires were backwards. The pushrod servo horn mounts are too big for the rudder and elevator pushrods so I mounted them on the control surface. NO biggie. Aside from these things off to the field. The motor is actually a heli motor and the kv rating is way too high for the supplied propeller. The amp draw is huge and everything got way too hot. The motor mount is questionable and broke on the first very gentle flight. So, glue a bit of ply over it and mount a small motor on the outside of the fuse or inside, whatever and you are all set. This is a sit back and chill sailplane and its easy to fly. The CG is spot on the main wing spar.

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Certified Buyer Rated

Sep 13, 2016

Great plane! I put 4 Turnigy MG90S servos inside as suggested which required some changes for elevator and rudder as they were too small. For the wings, they are a little bit too thick but you can manage to fit them inside.

Flying characteristics are great, even for a beginner like me. Only drawback is wing fixation which is a little bit weak - the screw holes tend to wear out as soon as the wings see the slightest ground contact during landing. I glued some metal washers in and now it's fine.

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Customer Rated

Aug 15, 2016

The motor that comes with the kit was killed immediately in the maiden flight! The 11x6 folding prop is not suitable for the motor. Filed a claim and HK only refunded $15, what is not covering to get a new one plus delivery costs. The return of the finished model would of been their only alternative but return sending at own cost what is not acceptable. Handling from HK very dissapointing as the the model comes with wrong items not suitable, doomed to break!

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Customer Rated

Mar 17, 2016

Good value. Fuse is true and beautiful. I backed up the firewall with a 1/16 ply wedge for down thrust. Tossed the motor for a 2835 1000kv propdrive. Spinner and prop are ok for now (4mm shaft) reinforced the saddle opening cause its a weak point on all my gliders.ailerons need approx 10mm thick servos. I had some bms306's.
Balances and climbs lick crazy with 4s 1600. 3s is plenty with my setup. Soars nicely but will drop a wing and need some altitude to recover if you force it to stall.

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Customer Rated

Oct 26, 2015

I had the same problem (exactly) described by a few other posters with my Dragonfly - the wing saddle is about 5 degrees . I've tried flying it with the twisted fuselage - very hard to fly. Also the default firewall position doesn't provide enough downthrust - the plane flies almost straight up when you bump the throttle. I've modified the fuselage to reposition the firewall (5 degrees down thrust) but ultimately the messed up fuselage makes the plane unflyable.
The quality control on this model seems pretty poor, but it's clear that the pricepoint is very good - I've scratchbuilt planes of similar complexity, and would expect that there're 20 hrs of construction time in it... wondering if there's child labour involved...

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Customer Rated

Aug 30, 2015

Hi..
my model came 3 weeks after order to South Africa and I must highlight my plane was double boxed & bubble wrapped from HK, it arrived perfect out of the box. I almost did not buy this model, by reading through some reviews.. After putting my received model under a magnify inspection, I can confirm the quality of this model is exceptional, the fuselage is close to perfect, the covering is exceptional, the manual is detailed and written well & lastly all the required parts to complete a great build was included. This model went together with ease & setting up CG went quick. Skill and experience is required, but anybody can assemble this plane. I did customize with preferred electronic selection. Yes, this is no trainer, so 1st time flyers please purchase a trainer /"foamie" before looking at this glider, as this bird is fast & requires experience. She flies well as expected.
THUMBS UP to this Dragonfly.

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Customer Rated

Aug 21, 2015

Heute war Erstflug . Er segelt sehr schn und kann sowohl langsam wie auch schnell geflogen werden. Den makel das der Rumpf verdreht geliefert worden ist konnte ich nicht feststellen . Alles gerade allerdings war es ein stck arbeit die Hhenleitwerk aufnahme zu bearbeiten damit es schn im rechten Winkel passt. Die Bowdenzge sollten getauscht werden und auf State of the Art ersetzt werden . Der Motor der dabei war ist nichts wert hab ihn gegen einen NTM 1200 kv ersetzt luft butterweich wird nicht mal warm damit . verbaut wurde ein 50 A regler ( Hobbyking ) 4 Metalgetriebe Servo 13g ein 3s 2200 mah Lipo reicht es war kein gramm ballast notwenig und ist exact im Schwerpunkt. Auch wurde der Motorspannt nochmals nachgeharzt und diverse Holzinnenverbauten ebenfals . Alles in allem um 90 Euro eine schnes Gert allerdings nur mit etwas Aufwand und Bastelaufwand. Schnes Gre aus Tirol

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Customer Rated

Aug 07, 2015

The Dragonfly 1800 ist worth what you pay for !
Also the stock motor can be used with a 30A ESC and a 3S Lipo while reducing the throttle range to 50pcnt and a 9x6" folding prop. There's still enough power for climbing and by using a 3S 2200mAh LiPo there's only about 15g of lead needed to catch the CG.

You can fly it smooth in thermal
https://youtu.be/2RB5lrGuh8M

or faster on the slope
https://youtu.be/vF4bFsw4X04


Cheers
Tom