Official Black Horse Edge 540 V3 2000mm ARF Discussion Thread

[Aros]

Product page: https://www.motionrc.com/products/bl...-v3-2000mm-arf

The Zivko Edge 540 manufactured by Zivko Aeronautics is a highly aerobatic aircraft. Capable of a 420 degree per second roll rate and a 3,700 foot per minute climb rate, it has been flown to victory on the international Unlimited aerobatics circuit several times since the mid-1990s. A tandem-seat version is sold as the Edge 540T.

The Zivko Edge 540 is the most common aircraft used in the Red Bull Air Race World Series.

Our model is scaled to approximately 1:3.7 and attention has been given to providing a realistic appearance with outstanding flight characteristics. The model was designed for electric power but can also be flown using a matched pair of internal combustion engines of about 30-35cc displacement.

Features:

• High level of prefabrication right out of the box
• Lightweight, strong, and fully sheeted laser cut balsa and plywood construction
• Covered in high quality Oracover
• Recessed hinges on all control surfaces
• Large easy access fuel tank/battery/servo access hatches with sprung loaded latches
• Painted and detailed cockpit, pilot and interior included
• Fiberglass twinned control horns with ball link connector
• Pull-Pull control system on the rudder for precision control and authority
• comprehensive control and fitting accessories included
• Two-piece, plug-in wings simplify transportation and assembly.
• Fiberglass cowl and landing gear covers/pants
• Mounts for both electric and gas power options included
• Fully illustrated instruction manual included and also available for download (see tab above)

Includes:

• Black Horse Edge 540 V3 2000mm (78.74") Wingspan - ARF

Requires (Electric):

• 6 Channel radio - select a minimum 6 channel radio from our Radio Collection
• 6 Channel receiver - select a minimum 6 channel receiver from our Receiver Collection
• 2300-3300 Watt Brushless Outrunner Motor - we recommend the Admiral GP26 6330-245kV Brushless Motor
• 60-100 Amp Brushless ESC - we recommend ZTW Gecko 120A ESC OPTO High Voltage Brushless ESC
• 8-18 Amp UBEC - we recommend ZTW 18A BEC / UBEC
• 5x 45g standard servos - we recommend HS-625MG
• For 8S setup TWO 46 Cell 14.8V 5000 mAh LiPo Batteries with EC5 connector in series - we recommend TWO Admiral Pro 5000mAh 4S 14.8V 60C LiPo Batteries with EC5 Connector
• For 10S setup ONE 6 Cell 22.2V 5000 mAh and ONE 4 Cell 5000 mAh LiPo Batteries with EC5 connector in series - we recommend ONE Admiral Pro 5000mAh 4S 14.8V 60C LiPo Batteries with EC5 Connector AND ONE Admiral Pro 5000mAh 4S 14.8V 60C LiPo Battery with EC5 Connector
• 2 to 1 EC5 series adapter - we recommend Admiral EC5 2 to 1 Series Adapter
• Electric propeller 8S - we recommend the APC 19x10 Thin Electric Propeller
• Electric propeller 10S - we recommend the APC 17x10 Thin Electric Propeller
• 6 Cell compatible battery charger - select a minimum 6 cell (6S) charger from our Charger Collection

Requires (Gas):

• Engine: 30 - 35cc 2-stroke, NGH GT35R recommended or 38-42cc 4-stroke, NGH GT38 recommended
• Gas Propeller: 18x10-20x8

[cruiser]

Can anyone comment on their experience with this plane using the 10S setup?

[FlyinMike]

I started assembling this a couple of weeks and wanted to post my thoughts so far. When I opened the box the fuselage was wrapped in bubble wrap and taped down so it would not move during transportation. All of the hardware was bagged and labeled for the respective assembly. The control horns for the surfaces are of good quality.

I assembled the wing panels first and everything went together well. It was a little difficult on the first panel to locate the holes for the control horn especially on the top of the aileron with the multiple of layers of covering.

Next I started on the fuselage and followed the manual for installing the landing gear. This is where the first problem I had appeared. The plate that the landing gear should rest on is about 5/8" below the bottom of the fuselage. The way the landing gear is shaped I would have to cut away some of the side of fuselage in order to get it to sit on the plate. Even with removing the balsa sheeting that I could it was not enough. The solution that I chose is to put a 6 and 1/2 x 1 and 3/8 x 1/2 inch hardwood spacer on top of the plate for the landing gear to sit on. This spacer will be epoxied to the original plate.

While I am waiting for material to make the spacer with I decided to work on mounting the engine. I chose a Stinger 40 twin for the power plant. The mounting pattern for this engine is much smaller than either of the templates provided with the kit. It was easy to modify the template but then realized that because of the the way they cut an opening in the firewall that two of the holes were located in this opening. Why the designer created such as large opening I do not know. The solution that I came up with is to epoxy a piece of 6mm birch plywood behind the original firewall then cut another piece of 6mm birch plywood to fill in the hole on the original firewall. More to come

[FlyinMike]

I started assembling this a couple of weeks and wanted to post my thoughts so far. When I opened the box the fuselage was wrapped in bubble wrap and taped down so it would not move during transportation. All of the hardware was bagged and labeled for the respective assembly. The control horns for the surfaces are of good quality.

I assembled the wing panels first and everything went together well. It was a little difficult on the first panel to locate the holes for the control horn especially on the top of the aileron with the multiple of layers of covering.

Next I started on the fuselage and followed the manual for installing the landing gear. This is where the first problem I had appeared. The plate that the landing gear should rest on is about 5/8" below the bottom of the fuselage. The way the landing gear is shaped I would have to cut away some of the side of fuselage in order to get it to sit on the plate. Even with removing the balsa sheeting that I could it was not enough. The solution that I chose is to put a 6 and 1/2 x 1 and 3/8 x 1/2 inch hardwood spacer on top of the plate for the landing gear to sit on. This spacer will be epoxied to the original plate.

While I am waiting for material to make the spacer with I decided to work on mounting the engine. I chose a Stinger 40 twin for the power plant. The mounting pattern for this engine is much smaller than either of the templates provided with the kit. It was easy to modify the template but then realized that because of the the way they cut an opening in the firewall that two of the holes were located in this opening. Why the designer created such as large opening I do not know. The solution that I came up with is to epoxy a piece of 6mm birch plywood behind the original firewall then cut another piece of 6mm birch plywood to fill in the hole on the original firewall. More to come

I am almost finish with the assembly. The firewall issue was caused by me. I still used the 6mm ply because the Stinger 40 twin manual recommends a 1/2" thick firewall.

The design of the elevator installation is terrible, in my opinion. The installation requires that the elevator be inserted through the horizontal stabilizer opening before the stabilizer is inserted and glued into place. After the initial insertion of the elevator I noticed that the covering got scuffed and part of the covering was pulled up. A much better design, I think, would have been a dual elevator design.

Things I like about this model:
Hardware for the different assemblies were individually bagged and labelled.
The quick release for the canopy.
The twin 40 sits entirely inside the cowl with the exception of the extension tubes.

Things I dislike about this model:
The elevator design.
The cheap plastic wheel pants and spinner.
The motor box design seems to have been designed only for the two recommended gas engines.
The fit of the landing gear onto the fuselage.

Summary

While this is a good model it is not worth the price. With what I dislike about the model and the higher cost this has made me not want to buy another Black Horse model. If I had done more research I would have bought the 74" Seagull Edge 540