...a rather disappointing introduction to Volantex I recently purchased a Firstar 2000 V2, my first Volantex product, and am sad to say that I was very disappointed in the quality, the EPO in particular. I've previously had several Lanyu products (Phoenix 2000, Trainstar and Phoenix 1600) which have all been very good quality.
The Firstar has several issues: Ailerons Warped - extreme warping. I had to add carbon fibre strip to try and straighten! They are now better but still not completely straight. Wing Bases Warped - curve where the wing halves join together. I have to force the wings together try and get the mounting screws in. Protruding Wing Reinforcement - aluminium tube protruding so the wing could not be joined. I had to cut this off with an angle grinder (my new plane!!) Dented Wing - minor blemish but another sign of poor Volantex quality. When contacted for comment regarding the poor quality, Volantex advised that "...weather of humidity and temperature will affect the plane deformation, also transportation will have influence." I get the feeling they don't really care...
...what's in the box The Firstar 2000 V2 arrives double boxed, with the inner being the stylish new Volantex picture box. Taking the lid off reveals everything to be very nicely wrapped and arranged, with a number of dividers and individual boxes. As per a number of the Volantex/Lanyu products (Trainstar and Phoenix gliders to name two) the wings and tail are EPO whilst the fuselage is a nice-quality plastic moulding. Something new from Volantex, the EPO is painted and I think this is the source of the problem; the aileron surfaces are extremely warped, the EPO has also shrunk overall, breaking the join around the flap mouldings and causing the wing bases to curve, meaning the wings don't join square. Anyhow, more on Volantex's declining quality separately.
The fuselage is large and roomy, happily accommodating two 2200 3S batteries side by side. The tail servos are located to the rear under the wing mounting, meaning that the whole of the front fuselage areas is free for batteries and electronics. There is a large moulded snap-on canopy, however I can see most people dispensing with this and mounting cameras onto the EPO cover section. This provides a flat camera mounting area up front with a moulded slot for a pan servo, and the moulding slips underneath the motor mount. The V2 motor mount is angled, pointing at the centre of lift, and screws onto the mid-section of the fuselage. The propellor is the familiar unit used on the Phoenix gliders, with the spinner modified for the pusher-role to prevent the props flipping forward. All servos, including for the flaps, are pre-installed but you need to mount the control horns and linkages yourself. So overall a nice plane let down by rather dodgy build quality from Volantex which they attribute to the shipping process...
