NRJ 1.5m DLG

This is my third DLG purchase from Hyperflight and things started off the usual way. Great service from Neil and speedy delivery on the order. The model was packaged really well and was really excited to build. The quality of the parts is good but I have seen better. The colours (i.e. the white) could have been little brighter (i.e. white looks a bit greyish) but nothing that would ever make me drop a rating point. The wing however had an issue where one of the flaps was sprung (i.e. always wants to point up). Not great but not horrible either.

The build of this model is where things got disappointing. The hardware package supplied with this model was incomplete and some of the materials where completely unusable. The tubing and push rods supplied for the flaps/ailerons had so much friction when you tried to move them they had no business being installed on this model. One set was practically seized and the other one had way too much friction. Although there is music wire (for the tail surfaces) shown in the picture of what will be provided my kit was missing this. When you spend this much money on a top end DLG I think it is fair to expect proper quality materials and for it to be complete. With hobby shops closed or poorly stocked during the pandemic it was difficult for me to find replacement parts.

The instructions that are available could really use a revision to make them clearer. As it stands they are more of a collection of thoughts on the assembly of the aircraft rather than step by step instructions. The horn supplied for the tail for some reason is too long and needs to be modified so it will fit. This is in the instructions but in my opinion is not clear enough. This begs the question, why wouldn't the model ship with the correct horn in the first place? I have built many models but this is the first time in many years where I had to redo several steps to get the model to work.

The linkage connection is not easy at all to do. Aside from missing parts it takes multiple attempts to get the required range of motion while not interfering with the movement of other servos. The method of securing the servos is certainly innovative but the elevator and rudder servo does not have a direct clear path as the flap servos are directly in the way. I think more work is needed to refine how to make interference free connections.

That said it is a beautiful aircraft once you sort the assembly portion out. It flies as described and launches and penetrates really well. I caught some great thermals with it today. I think with more work on the linkages, a complete hardware package and better instructions I can see giving this plane 5 star review status.

My first modern DLG having been flying an original Longshot I built in 2006. My expecations were very high and I was not disappointed. I fly on a fairly windy common with a lot of gorse and bushes so I went for the strong version. All the components are beautifully finished and wings are impressively rigid. The online instruction manual is excellent which is a pleasant surprise and almost everything you need is included. The crimps are a bit on the chunky side so I used Hyperflight's own and the only other thing I needed was some wire for the end of the rudder and elevator cables.

The plane came out at 230g with a FrSky XR4 and a Radient 1S 600 mah lipo in the nose. Space is pretty tight so I cut the plugs off the servo leads and soldered them direct and had plenty of room. My only real complaint is the nose cone is very flimsy and I damaged it first time out. My model needs a bit of lead in the nose so the nosecone could have had an extra layer of glass cloth.

Flight performance is excellent. Launches are a doddle even for a beginner like me and the speed range of the model is impressive. With no camber the plane penetrates very well and with the camber deployed it floats beautifully. I am still getting used to it and a bit of tweaking still required to get it setup to suit my flying style. Second trip out and my best flight was 12.45. The plane really responds well to lift and doesn't need much to climb.

Very happy indeed and no hesitation in recommending the plane.

Superb model from Anton. The finish on these planes is the best I’ve currently seen and I’ve tried a lot of other models, I have the strong layup and wing finish is like glass. And for a strong layup, my model still comes in at under 220g. Builds super fast, I had 80% of mine built with 2 hours of getting home from collecting.

The nose is a bit tight for space, but I can confirm that with a 350-380 sized 1s lipo that both the Spektrum ar410 (decased) and the Frsky G-RX6, RX4/6R fit nicely. With the Frsky rx’s you can get a 600mah gumstick shaped Turnigy Nanotech in there. Once released I will test the new Spektrum 6610T.

Overall a superb plane, coming from planes with 5.5 degrees of dihedral like Snipes, the handling takes a little getting used too, but I heard the same about the Flitz that Hyperflight also stock, but once you are comfortable with the plane it’s a serious weapon. The speed range of the NRJ is impressive too, pretty fast plane in Speed mode yet slows up nicely with 6mm camber and goes up in lift very well in this mode.

For me it took some time to bond with the plane but I would definitely buy another.