Snipe 2 1.5m DLG

Snipe2 build was a lockdown project so I took my time.
Finally got to maiden in almost dead air and what performance! My settings are C of G at 62/63, 55% expo and 90% travel on ailerons with 60% dual rate as it can be a bit twitchy. Speed/cruise/thermal modes alter the speed considerably. Only a few flights to set modes/trim but feels great already. I was worried it might be a bit tough to handle but not so and absolutely worth the price. Service excellent as always.

After several weeks of looking for a new glider I gave Neil from hyperflight
A call.
I was so pleased that I did because without his help in gathering all the parts that I would be needing, I think that I would have gone for something different.
Hyperflight is the place to go and Neil is the chap to help you with all your needs.
I would give an extra few stars if I could just for the support that he gave me.
Thank you for all your help with my Snipe Neil.
Don’t take my word for it.
Give him a shout.
Mike. 🤩

The Snipe 2DLG makes a good project to start during the lockdown period here. Quite straight forward assembly of the tail sections. The ailerons horns are a bit tricky but if follow the given instructions not a problem. I did not follow the guide on setting up the servos, it all depends on the battery and receiver that you intend to use. I set my servos slightly aft to suit the 1000mah 1S cylindrical lipo cell. Now just waiting out this lockdown period to test the Snipe2.

I now have 230+ hours on the S2, many contests and lots of flying. I have had a mid-air, hit trees and lost orientation where the plane ended up about three inches straight in like a lawn dart. I have been able to keep in the air with minor fixes for all of these mishaps with no new parts needed. Very well built plane that will hold up to the real life of a contest plane.
Mike

Service from Hyperflight was excellent as always. The kit was packed securely and delivered within a few days of ordering. I also ordered a couple of items which proved unsuitable and which Neil promptly exchanged for better choices - I should have talked to him first.
The kit was complete down to the smallest detail, like the Kevlar thread to bind the throwing peg. If this is your first or second build, I strongly recommend you access the build instructions on Vladimir's website, and then dry-fit and double check before applying cyano. It's not difficult, but a little forethought will prevent errors. I used KST 08 lugless servos and a 300Mhr battery which gave me a CG of 66mm with no ballast required. Total weight was 224 gm. I applaud the inclusion in the kit of a set of Snipe wing tail and fuselage covers. Unprotected carbon surfaces are easily damaged. I look forward to some decent flying weather.

Great model shame about the running of hyperflight by a condescending ignorant person with absolutely no customer service buyer beware

having been flying a Blaster2 for about a year, I decided to have anew DLG for this year, Snipe 2 was a nervous choice, mainly because of cost, but I ordered one anyway, the same excellent service from Neil, next day delivery of my kit in a box so strong you could bury your granny in it !! what a fantastic kit this is , fit and finish 2nd too none , assembly is the usual plan before gluing or cutting; the only fiddly bit is the aileron horn too pushrod fitting, 3 hands would be useful as you need to hold the wing in position and screw the ball socket to the hinge from under the fuselage, cross threads would be easy to do ! all assembled and C of G set at 66mm back, test flight beckons , slightly nervous I javelin launched my Snipe away into a gentle head wind ,WOW ! it flew away straight ahead for what seemed ages before a gentle landing , I did test a couple more times, before doing a gentle discus launch , I need not to have worried she sailed skyward at an incredible rate ,so smooth and responsive in flight , this model is on another level , REALLY worth the cost, every flight is magic ,,

It is a light aircraft that is good

Flew for the first time today. This is my first competition level DLG. The build was not too hard but there should be a good time allowance set aside to build it unless you have done a few planes like this. The only real nit was getting a battery that would fit, I made a 200mA 2S that fits in front of the servos. Had just over an hour on both batteries but with all the new stuff to me going on I did not look at the voltage before I took them out. The low volt warning did not go off though.
AUW came out to 226g.
I liked flying it as much as I thought I would--great fun to fly-- now to get ready for my first F3K meet.

There is only one word to describe the Snipe 2: stunning - yet even that barely does justice to the sheer beauty and impeccable fit and finish of this glider, which is surely the Rolls-Royce of DLGs. I have been flying Vladimir’s Models for about 10 years and have always been impressed by their design, faultless production and superb performance. But the sight of this thing took my breath away.

There is plenty of information on Hyperflight’s and Vladimir’s sites on the differences between this and the original Snipe, differences that are confined to the fuselage and control linkages, yet I feel the Snipe 2 is greater than the sum of these changes. The fuselage is a completely new design that is much stiffer, very sleek and slender, and the interface with the fin has a greater gluing area with the result that everything aligns perfectly without need for adjustment.

Although I haven’t started work on my Snipe 2 yet, I have given some thought to the installation of the gear - and some thought and foresight are needed here, for due to the very slim nosecone things will not fit quite so easily as on the original Snipe. Although there appears to be plenty of space, if the battery, four servos and receiver are installed in-line there is a strong likelihood that the battery will slightly snag the front of the nosecone (at least, all the batteries of adequate capacity that I know of). I don’t like the thought of that. I have seen a photo on a forum of a very neat installation, but the front edges of the battery project beyond the width of the fuselage. Contact with the nosecone is surely inevitable. However, I found the answer from a pic on Vladimir’s site: mount the rx inverted on top of the rearmost servo, and this is an example I will follow.

I shall be using 4 x MKS HV75K-N servos, 1S or 2S battery, and a Storm S603 rx. Although suspiciously cheap, I now use the S603 on all my gliders. They have all performed faultlessly and have a huge range.

As I said on my review of the original Snipe, no ever regretted buying the best. With the Snipe 2, to coin a well-used phrase, the best just got better.