E-flite Commander mPd review

[dkalwishky]

I thought I’d give a little write up on my assembly of the new E-flite Commander mPd, I stole the format for this from Kloverzero. :)

Packaging:

The plane was packaged very well and nothing is able to move in box, the foam insert fits the plane and components very well. The different sizes of bolts were individually packaged and marked. The plane itself was in perfect condition, no dings or gouges and each piece was in its own protective plastic bag.

The Build:

I set all of the parts out on the conference room table at the office, it’s a nice big work space. :)

The landing gear is mounted first, two bolts and it’s on.

Next was the horizontal stabilizer. It has a spar and two bolts that hold it in position. The only issue I ran into was the spar for the horizontal stabilizer could be 1/8" shorter, I had to force the stabilizer to mate up with the fuselage with more force that I think it should have taken. One stab is about an 1/8" from being fully seated. I don't expect this will impact the way the plane flies but I may pull one stab off after I've flown it and shave 1/8" off the spar for a better fit.

The last item for assembly is attaching the wings, that was super easy and four bolts hold them on. I forgot to take a picture of the wing connectors but there is a set in the fuselage and the wings, they connect themselves when the wing is connected. If you want to remove the wing for transport it will be an easy job and there are NO wires to mess with for the flaps and ailerons.

This is a good looking plane; I cannot wait to get it in the air!

Finishing, Battery, and Balance:

I set up my DX 9 per the manual and then bound it to the plane. I verified all of the control throws and set my high, medium and low rates.

I put a 3S 3200mAh battery in the plane and got it balanced per the manual. She is ready to fly.

Closing Thought:

Other than the horizontal spar being 1/8” too long this plane went together quickly, it was an hour and 15 minutes from unboxing to being done with the plane bound and balanced. 8 bolts and no glue and she's ready to go! From everything I’ve been reading online everyone saying this is a really nice flying plane

[doctormike]

I believe that E-flite has become the very best when it comes to assembly and performance. Let us know how she flies! :Cool:Doc

[doctormike]

Ordered mine ! :):Cool:Doc

[dkalwishky]

We might actually get a flyable day or two in about a week. Looking forward to getting this one in the air.

[doctormike]

Yeah... It's looking better here too. Doc

[doctormike]

Just received my Commander. What a beauty! Those decals have to go, however. Doc

[Kloverzero]

Great write up dkalwishky!! Plane looks really good, I love the smooth round lines. I hope that Mother Nature cooperates and you are able able to get that bird in the air!!!

[dkalwishky]

After today we'll have some warmer weather but with that comes the wind.

There is a small chance I might get out Saturday afternoon for one or two flights. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[doctormike]

Did you maiden her? I have mine ready to go, except for replacing the wheels with low bounce. 3 coats of Varathane really brought the paint to life! I also turned the pilots head. This really turns the dummy looking pilots into life like. Doc

[dkalwishky]

I was finally able to get out and maiden this plane and got three flights on it. I love it! It's a fantastic flier, easy and gentle flier or you can ring it out with some great aerobatics.

Flying around at 1/2 - 3/4 power is plenty for general flying. Landings are nice and easy, she is a bit of a floater so she needs to be slow for a nice landing,

Normally on a first flight I keep it calm, not today though. Loops. Rolls and other aerobatics.

After 5 minutes of flying my batteries cells are at 3.80 volts each. I'm flying with the Admiral 3S 3300's.

This is a plane that will always accompany me to the field when I go.

[doctormike]

Good news...Thanks! Doc

[kdwhite]

Love the Commander but...
The stock servos are prone to failure. I learned the hard way. Don't wait for a failure. Upgrade before one fails.
After about 2 dozen flights one aileron servo failed. Nearly impossible to control. My "crash landing" resulted in broken prop, damage spinner, bent motor x-mount, additional stripped servos, one wing bolt pulled out, bent landing gear, damaged cowl, a gash in bottom wing where the landing gear/wheel struck, some structural wrinkles, and lots of scuffed paint.
As much as I like this plane, I can't recommend it unless you are willing to suffer the expense of upgrading servos.

I complained to HorrizonHobby about the servo failure and resulting damage to my new plane. Below is their response:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The servos in the plane have been tested successfully to work in the plane. The reviews you read on bulletin board is a fraction of people having issues. Reviews on bulletin boards never report the successes a product has had with consumers. We appreciate your review of the servos and can pass the information on to the developers.

David W
Product SupportHorizon Hobby, LLC
Hours (CST):
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Ticket Details

---

Ticket ID: GLV-755-29338

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I was not satisfied as they offered nothing that helps me. And they say the reviews are a fraction of people having issues? Huh? Do they mean there are more people having issues? Makes no sense. I responded to their "response" explaining my disappointment and dissatisfaction. That was 5 days ago and so far no response. I probably won't buy HH products in the future.

UPDATE 9/5/2018

Took about a week for HH to respond. They said I was welcome to send the plane to our service center for inspection. They can inspect the plane a make a determination as to if it was a manufacturing defect. They also told me in the email "If the item is within the manufacturers warranty period to include a dated sales receipt. ARE THEY KIDDINGNG ME? That would take half the cost of the airplane in shipping cost and there is no promise of any resolution. That's it. I'm done with HH and E-Flight products.

Oh, and they had the audacity to state in their email that I was prohibited from re-sending their email to me or from posting it on any forum.

MotionRC stands behind THEIR products. Never a problem. Not so much for HH in my experience.

[Rodrigue]

I had the same experience with mine, 5 servo broke. Got a similar answer. I order metal gear reverse servo from another supplier.

[Spark79]

I bought a Commander some time ago. Nice flying airplane. I haven't flown it enough to hazard servo failure like some have posted. It will do a vertical 8 using a 3-cell 2200 30C battery. I voiced the servo concern to a technician who gave a similar reply, something like there are thousands of them in service successfully and failures are infrequent. One failure is too frequent. I had a Timber that got blown off a table at the field, hit the rudder and stripped a gear. I replaced the servo, but found another brand that sold gear sets that fit so that servo is back working with a nylon gear in place of the one the failed. It think the nylon gear sets cost about $1.50. I like the idea of replacing servos with metal-gear versions. I've had good success with Horizon Hobbies when it came to a faulty receiver. They sent a new one and a free programming cable. I was impressed. Got the little Sukhoi 29 back in the air in fine style. I ordered the gears from Hobby King, the HTX900 replacement servo gear set, SKU 9225000036-0. Likely other companies sell similar kits. I think the list cost was 84 cents. The gear that drives the output shaft from the kit fits the Horizon 9 gram reverse servo.

[Skyboom]

What a drag. I accidentally blew a bind plug through a edf fan one time.

[BRGT350]

The Commander uses the same servos as the Timber and Cherokee. I think the 1.2m E-flite warbirds may use the same, but didn't verify it. I spent about 2 months researching servo issues on the Commander and Timber. I looked at every forum I could find and a number of Facebook pages. Having lost my Cherokee to a rudder servo failure and the research I did on similar failures, I have decided to upgrade my Timber and Cherokee servos with EMax ES008MA II reversed metal gear servos. While I agree that if you look at the total population of the Spektrum servos and the failures, the percentage is probably very low. However, when it is my money in the air and a $5 servo can make the difference between a pristine aircraft or a pile of foam bits, I will take my chances with upgraded servos.

[Woodcock]

Love the Commander but...
The stock servos are prone to failure. I learned the hard way. Don't wait for a failure. Upgrade before one fails.
After about 2 dozen flights one aileron servo failed. Nearly impossible to control. My "crash landing" resulted in broken prop, damage spinner, bent motor x-mount, additional stripped servos, one wing bolt pulled out, bent landing gear, damaged cowl, a gash in bottom wing where the landing gear/wheel struck, some structural wrinkles, and lots of scuffed paint.
As much as I like this plane, I can't recommend it unless you are willing to suffer the expense of upgrading servos.

I complained to HorrizonHobby about the servo failure and resulting damage to my new plane. Below is their response:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The servos in the plane have been tested successfully to work in the plane. The reviews you read on bulletin board is a fraction of people having issues. Reviews on bulletin boards never report the successes a product has had with consumers. We appreciate your review of the servos and can pass the information on to the developers.

David W
Product SupportHorizon Hobby, LLC
Hours (CST):
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Ticket Details

---

Ticket ID: GLV-755-29338

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I was not satisfied as they offered nothing that helps me. And they say the reviews are a fraction of people having issues? Huh? Do they mean there are more people having issues? Makes no sense. I responded to their "response" explaining my disappointment and dissatisfaction. That was 5 days ago and so far no response. I probably won't buy HH products in the future.

UPDATE 9/5/2018

Took about a week for HH to respond. They said I was welcome to send the plane to our service center for inspection. They can inspect the plane a make a determination as to if it was a manufacturing defect. They also told me in the email "If the item is within the manufacturers warranty period to include a dated sales receipt. ARE THEY KIDDINGNG ME? That would take half the cost of the airplane in shipping cost and there is no promise of any resolution. That's it. I'm done with HH and E-Flight products.

Oh, and they had the audacity to state in their email that I was prohibited from re-sending their email to me or from posting it on any forum.

MotionRC stands behind THEIR products. Never a problem. Not so much for HH in my experience.

I too am done with those guys. Poor quality, poor customer service, no parts. I could go on and on. But I'm done.

Woody

[Rodrigue]

I am actualy waiting on the phon talk to service representative. After one hour finaly a real person talk to me. they will send me 5 servos to replace the original one, but any other demand to repair my commander will not be on waranty. I am a customer for 5 years !!!|!

[GORILLASQUAD]

Typical responses. I actually was told that there is no known issues with the servos. All you need to do is do a simple search and failures due to plastic servos is all over the place. I replaced mine year or so ago and have never had one incident since. Imagine that. HH did send me a new commander to replace parts due to multiple crashes.