I had the chance to visit FLASH RC (www.flashrc.com) last week and participate to the unboxing of the Alpina Carbotec (Electro version) with Hervé who ordered it for himself.
First the packaging: The parcel arrived by carrier, in a big carton box, in perfect condition. However opening it shows only basic protection and the securing of the different components is far to be ideal for such a nice plane and large box: some tape here and there, light foam fabric around the components, and finally some air bags to fill the upper space.
So this is a warning to MPX: Please make the packaging even more secure otherwise you will have trouble with damaged planes and you will need to waste a big amount of energy to manage all this !
Now the Alpina : Well ... to be honest with you, what a nice surprise !!!
The Quality is really nice, with a nice finish and perfect fit. Many nice details here and there like the mounting system of the rudder with a long axis inserted from the top of the rudder, or the lock system for the wings. The Fuselage (reinforced by carbon after trailing edge) comes with cooling slits and cooling exit, as well as molded small flange to perfectly glue the fiberglass motor mount. The canopy is beautiful and is made of Carbon fabric with a very simple but efficient lock system. The joiner is square and plain carbon. The wipers are nicely made and the flaps can move up generously so Quaddroflaps is possible for aerobatics and maneuverability. Servo and battery trays are plywood with fiberglass on both sides.
We found the servo bay on the wings a little bit small. The trailing edge is a bit thick but we think it is on purpose, to get robust and reliable over the time. Wings seems very stiff and robust. The section looks like a revisited Ritz airfoil (10% thickness at the root and 9% at the tip according to MPX).
Overall, the kit quality is really good, especially regarding the very aggressive price for such airframe. Good job Multiplex! But once again don't destroy all this with a "so-so" packing.
Photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fe3nbzotawr3jFMg7
