Well it's time for your Activities Sec to write another review for the club rag, and this time around it will be for a slope soaring model, which we do not unfortunately get reviews on too often. I hope this will become a more common occurrence in the future.

The previous reviews covered EPP rubber models at the cheapy cheapy end of the market. This time though we will be talking about a fully moulded model at the other end of the price spectrum.

Go Into The Light
After the long, dark, dim, depressing void of no sloping ('twas called Foot & Mouth), the light began to shine again as the poor, now downtrodden, slope pilots began the return to the slopes of Purbeck and Shaftesbury etc., and yours truly decided it was time he started parting with some serious cash to invest in some new super smooth moulded jobbies - but which to buy? Well, I recalled salivating over a fully moulded model called a BLADE on the X-Models (ModellHaus) stand at Sandown this year, so a phone call by Dave Maskell (who had also seen the model featured on the ModellHaus Website, from where the pictures are taken) was made. Well, you know the usual sales pitch by the retailer, "I've only got two left and I don't know when I will be getting some in again". "Hmmmm" says Dave, and rings me up at work during a meeting - caused much confusion for those listening in on our conversation! "They want £279.00 each for them" says Dave, but I say "It says only £255.00 on the Website" so Dave rings them back and persuades Mr Barrow to accept less cash than he had previously hoped for - well done, Dave.

Dizzy With Anticipation
So the delivery day came. Well, after we had both finished kissing the beautiful moulded beasts, we set about the construction process. I say this in a very light-hearted manner as all you have to do is screw on the V-tail and install your radio gear. The most time-consuming part is making up a wiring loom for the four servo wing set-up.

The Beast In The Box
The BLADE is one of the most impressive mouldings I have seen. A very small seam is present on the Fuz - hardly noticeable. The one piece wing moulding is superb and follows the current trend of swept, sharp and up curved tips. The V-tail follows the same shape and style. Fuz is the usual sheath nose affair, with just enough room for two micro servos, eight-channel receiver and battery. Not much room for balancing lead but we got there in the end. Flying surfaces are all live hinged within the glass lay up, the carbon spar and further carbon reinforcement can be seen dimly inside the lay up of the Wing, Fuz and V-tail. The V-tail pushrods are also made of carbon. A very strong airframe indeed.

Confusion Reigns
As with many moulded models you do not get any C of G info or control throw info. I think they assume that if you can fly this type of model you will set it up in your own preferred fashion. However I do like to have some idea of a balance point, and my dad will back me up on this one, so Dave phoned Mr Barrow again to see if he had any idea. "Hmmmmmmmm" he says "I think it's around 75 mm", so round to Dave's I go and we look at this position. Err, no! "That's far too rearward, let's try 70mm" says Dave. Okay, it's agreed, and much lead melting and dunking of very expensive glass Fuz's into buckets of water before the nose melts continues throughout the evening.

Chucky Time
Dave unfortunately got first go as he manages on a regular basis to go flying during the week (Don't tell Mary, she thinks he is working at the garage. I'll take the fifty quid when he reads this before Mary gets her doctored copy, HE HE!)

Win Green was the venue and surprisingly many other members were there who should have been at work. Yes, you can blush now, I know who you are! Oh dear, why is Dave looking like Esther Rantzen? That's not a smile on his face! Hmmm, that C of G is still way too rearward as the beast speeds around the sky like a bucking bronco, Dave is now flying with full down trim and the Blade is still trying to tuck. Comments from the onlooking pilots on how fast the model is do nothing to calm Dave's less than pleasant test flight. Well, he finally succumbs to landing the beast, but this experience becomes even more of a fright as he opens the crow brakes and the Blade balloons skyward reaching for the heavens, after several attempts a very kindly wizened old man - oh, sorry, I got carried away there in story telling mode - a very kindly young man, a Mr John Campkin esq., offered to land the Blade. Brave man, out of trim, C of G wrong, crow settings wrong, so he lands it first time right at his feet. Dave kisses said feet and worships the very hallowed Win Green ground he walks on.

Take 2
C of G changed to 62mm from the leading edge, (where did 75mm come from?) Now I have flown mine and Dave has flown his, what can we say except 'superb'? The Blade tracks superbly, energy retention is as good as anything we have seen before. Pete Barrow kindly rang me with a revised C of G recommendation of 65mm when he returned from a holiday, but by that time we had flown both Blades successfully. He also reported that he had been racing against many moulded ships that weekend and even the hallowed Sambra Kobra, which was currently the most feared pylon racing model, was put to shame by his Blade.

Techy Bits
All up weight - 3lb 3oz
Wingspan - 1.9m (75")
Wing Section - RG 15
Full 4 servo crow wing
V-tail only.
Yellow and Red Colour scheme only.
6 micro servos as small as you can get. I used JR NES 371's (my fav's) but still had to use raised servo covers for the wings. Dave used Volz wing servos they fit superbly.

Closing
'Impressive' just does not do this model justice. The moulding is superb, it flies on rails, it goes like a rocket, it looks mean and fast just sitting on the ground. Who designed it? who else but the Italians, this is the FERRARI TESTAROSSA of the slopes. Go and buy one, you know you want to. Mind you, with a model that looks this good, 'er indoors is not going to believe it only cost £50 quid.