Samba RES Evo 2m

My experience with Hyperflight was excellent. Customer service, communication, shipping, and the product are the very best in my 38 years of building and flying model airplanes. I'm enjoying the build very much of this well engineered kit and look forward to flying her soon. I would not hesitate to purchase from this great company. If you are considering them for your next kit I highly recommend them.

precis

The kit goes together with the precision of a Swiss watch. Everything clicks snugly into place, except the empennage. I was puzzled by the wood choice—I could identify little moderate weight wood and no C-grain, so things were a bit crumbly, especially the empennage. I found it useful to flip back and forth between the Pike’s Peak step-by-step instructions, glidermang rcgroups’ build log, and Google translate of the included German instructions. I have not high-started it, and my electrification ultimately failed (see my review of the kit), but it flew well from the ground.

First impressions are stunning, beautifully kitted and packed. Attention to detail and quality look outstanding, can't wait to get started.

As usual from Hyperflight, good service and quick delivery. I pre ordered the Samba and was quickly informed of the estimated delivery date. It arrived on that date, in the usual bomb proof packaging from Hyperflight. Kit looks great, parts separately backed and taped to board to protect longer parts. I have been through the kit and identified all the parts. Full set of plans included. Instructions are in German, but the Hyperflight website has a download of some excellent English instructions from Pikes Peak Soaring, there are some great build logs on the web as well.
Looking forward to building.

Yesterday I made maiden flight. It flew nice just on the first throw. After five minutes my wife asked why she can't hear engine.
The build was easy even though I am not so experiences balsa builder.

I live in California. I order the kit Sunday and it came by Thursday. I cannot get airplanes shipped to me that quick form within the USA. Hyperflight rocks!
I just started to build it. It is like a puzzle, in that all the pieces fit together exactly, once you find them. The cutting is very precise and the material quality is high. The drawings are in German, so I use Google translate, but I've built many airplanes from drawings and this one is easy to follow.
Hopefully it will fly as nice as it looks.

I wanted to try an F3RES to get 'back to basics' with RES controls and at the same time have an airplane that could compete in local contests. I honestly chose the Samba because it looked nice in the pictures, and the price was very reasonable. I'd never had a problem with Hyperflight before, and still haven't. The kit showed up quickly, well packed for it's travel across the ocean. I had never built a laser cut kit, but this airplane is definitely designed to take advantage of the close tolerances available using laser cutting. The fuselage goes together easily, like a 3D puzzle, and while the wing is a little more conventional, it is also almost self jigging so everything goes together well. My only problem with the build was the outboard polyhedral joints, but it was as much a problem of translating the instructions (which are in German) as it was of me rushing the only tricky part of the build. It didn't cause a problem, but the gap between the two ribs is more than I'd like. I finally got to fly the airplane last weekend, and it is a dream to fly. It really likes smooth control inputs, (yanking it around only gets you on the ground quickly) and speed can be controlled with elevator trim very consistently. It also really likes to thermal and signals lift well.

Firstly why did I choose the SAMBA RES EVO, basically I wanted to return to building again and to build something different. I fly slopes mostly on Dartmoor where there are few flat sites to use but on those light lift days needed a lighter model.
The kit arrived very quickly from Hyperflight and was well packaged in two boxes with the parts logically bagged or in a smaller box with strips contained within the full size plan. I did not check the parts initially against the plan which i would recommend, because i found later that a tail plane part was missing. After talking to Neil i decided to make the part myself to speed up the build process, mistakes do happen of course and with the considerable number of parts in the kit involved it is unrealistic to expect Hyperflight to check a kits contents. I would recommend that a download and print off of the guide written by Leonard Mackey is also made as it has proved invaluable throughout the build. I have built in sequence as the guide suggested finding all of the parts to be incredibly accurate and very cleverly designed. I have not previously used CA extensively in kit building but it works really well and certainly quickens the build process. I did find that removing the char burning has to be done really carefully because if done too much results in loose joints. I have taken my time with the build paying particular attention to accuracy and weight of the tailplane structure and fuselage which i have really enjoyed doing. As this is not a competition model i have chosen to cover the pod with lightweight cloth and epoxy (1 coat ) and to install carbon snakes and guides (from Hyperflight). I am very pleased with the result and with just the wings (recently completed) to cover eagerly await its first outing.
Would i build another one or recommend the kit to others? Yes i would this is a quality builders kit which has given many hours of enjoyment in its build phase and i am sure will give hours of flying pleasure in the future.

Excellent cadkit. Great fun to build. A few misses with the diedhral at wingtips. Building instructions could be more comprehensive. Very satisfied

A beautiful kit. Everything fits precisely. Delivery time to the US from Hyperflight is nothing short of amazing. Very satisfied customer here.

This is German engineering at its best. Yes, this kit is a tad bit of a puzzle to put together. The instructions are in German, Google translate is only so-so, but if you look on RC Groups other folks have put the platform together so you can observe what it is supposed to look like..

The parts are simply magnificent. Everything fits with such close tolerance. The vertical stab took 5 minutes to put together. The horizontal stab even less. Thin and medium CA were used explicitly. What you have to remember with the kit is if you want to cut something you are not putting it together right. Step away and reevaluate or have another cocktail and reevaluate. With that said I made trimming cuts to the center section D-Box cover, just a few MMs to get it to seat by the notch in the top of the ribs. The center section took about 1 hour to build and the wing tips another hour each to build. The fuselage has not been started yet so no time there to give.

Overall the kit has outstanding parts and if you can interpret the CAD sheet all your questions will be answered other wise head to RC Groups to look at the pictures there.

The Samba EVO is proving a happy and impressive performer, displaying graceful handling qualities at all times so far. We have not had a chance to fly in really harsh conditions, but in conditions ranging from calm to steady breeze, it is showing us a very nice time. "Fun to fly" is what everyone says. Glide ratio is impressive, and it shows lift immediately and with authority. Handling, once we straightened out a minor construction issue (not a problem with the kit, but a problem with a negligent builder - myself) has turned out to be sensitive and quick, while showing no instabilities when left alone. I think this will be a wonderful airplane in a competition, that allows the pilot a chance to look around and think while the airplane takes care of itself. I think it worth while to mention the initial handling problem: the wing is not a full D-tube, and the outer panels may be subjected to twisting during the covering process. Once we straightened ours out, using a heat gun for a couple of minutes, the airplane has been impressing everyone. And no, there has been no evidence of flutter, at all. We only have one nit, and that is that the tail surfaces are fixed in place, which makes travel sometimes awkward. A small price to pay for a strong, light and slick design.

As part of our effort to look at a wide spectrum of F3RES kits, we acquired the Samba a couple of months ago. We have completed one, but not flown it yet. The kit has been exceptional for fit and finish. All parts are laser cut, and already freed from the carrier sheets, so there is very little to do. The fuselage, for instance, was assembled entirely without use of either razor blade or knife, until it was time to finish sand. Typically, all parts are separated into small bags, and once you figure out the logic, it is easy to find what ever part is needed. Sticks are even bundled: wing spars are in one bundle, fuselage longerons in another (and, they are pre-cut to proper length!). There is even a pre-bent wire for the canopy latch, and a nice little tow hook. Some of the assemblies, because I am alergic to CA, took some study to get right, but we assembled ours almost entirely with Titebond glue. Thin CA would make assembly very easy indeed. Parts all fit, and are almost entirely self-jigging for straightness. As a build, I recommend this kit very much. Final build weight: 392g/14oz. We are looking forward to the first flight opportunity.

great delivery service.... kit as advertised. Can't wait to fly it.

great delivery service.... kit as advertised. Can't wait to fly it.

Excellent kit the kit goes. together really well, also very good service from Neil.

I liked the looks of the Samba RES Evo so when it became available for pre-order I purchased it. It shipped on the promised date, and arrived in Oregon (USA) within 5 days. Everything arrived in perfect condition.

The build went quickly. The parts fit and finish is excellent, and they generally did not require any work prior to installation. The kit comes with a full size plan printed in color. As expected, the instruction manual is written in German, but that's my native language, so no problem there.

I like how the Evo is constructed and I built it exactly as instructed. The weight came in at 417g, which is a few grams lighter than advertised.

Today was the maiden flight and it all went great. I like the CG at the mfg recommended location. The Evo flew very well, despite it being a rather windy day. It takes quite a bit of up elevator to maintain constant speed when the spoiler is deployed. It will take a calm day to dial in that mix.

I am glad I built this plane. It was very enjoyable and it is fun to fly.