VilogaRC E33 S.E.5A 800mm Wingspan Foam RC Airplane for Adults DIY Fixed Wing Biplane Warbird KIT+Power Combo - (KIT+Motor+ESC+Servos)

This kit should not even be sold and if so it should be should as a model not an rc one because the ailerons do not turn the plane had to turn with rudder to have control of the player he had zeros turn authority with the ailerons sad really a little better design as in the airfoil in the wind design should have two ailerons should be wider top and bottom wing! And you would have a good aircraft that was fly halfway decent and be true to the design!

When I first opened the box I was a little overwhelmed, between the instructions and the kit itself. I then went over the picture grams a few times and I could see how everything fit I will say this build was very special to me BUT it’s a very complicated build, you have to have built quite a few models before tackling this kit. I will say it’s coming out just fine , I can’t say how it flys I haven’t reached that point yet, it is a beautiful model nevertheless.

I bought the ARF version, which includes the servos, motor & ESC. My comments relate to that version. The materials are high quality, as is the engineering (part fit) of the kit. I'll reserve comment as to the quality of the electronics until I've had a chance to fly it a few times. But there is one catastrophic error in the design, if you intend to fly this plane. And the instructions are pretty bad, and wrong in some cases. The instructions are pictogram for the most part. They incorrectly match the wrong wing part number to the internal rib structure. Thats easy enough to sort out, since the ribs are sized to fit in only a particular wing set; upper vs lower. They also would have you installing the wing servo after having fully enclosing the inner rib structure into the foam wings. If you do that, you'll have a frustrating challenge in trying to feed the servo lead back through the internal structures to the wing root opening. The catastrophic design flaw is with how the motor mounts and the angle the motor PTO makes relative to the planes longitudinal axis ( axis of roll). The design has the PTO aligning precisely with the roll axis. The rotation of the motor inherently makes the plane yaw to the port. An airworthy design would angle the PTO to the starboard a few degrees to offset that affect from the motor spinning. And the drag from that large upper wing will tend to pitch the nose of the plane up when flying. Again, a flyable design will have the motor PTO angle down to counter act that drag from the upper wing. These can be corrected by shimming the motor mount with washers to achieve the appropriate angle on the PTO. But it takes a bit of trial and error to tune that angle for best performance with test flights and adjustments to the motor mounts. This will be a challenge to make into a good flying bipe. You'll need experience in kit building and RC aircraft design before attempting this build. Especially if you intend to fly the finished plane. Update (6/12/25); My preliminary build is done. Other than the angle of the motor PTO, I did some other corrections/mods. If you look at the photo of the internal structures (near the empenage/tail) you'll notice I added some trussing to stiffen the tail structure. I also split the foam skin down the center. I did that so I could line up key openings on either side of the fuselage, like servo openings and cabane strut holes. Then I buttoned up the top with gorilla glue when I have all correct. That way I kept good alignment of that skin with the opening, which is not possible if you attempt to stretch that uncut skin over the top and to the other side. I also left the front fuselage closed with ace bandage clips so I can open it up later to add an electronic gyro....if the test flights goes well. Also, note on the head on shot that the motor PTO angles down and to the starboard for reasons noted on the initial review. Other than that, make sure you read the special instructions and program the ESC so you get max rpms out of the motor. All sub-assemblies aligned fine with attaching the wings and struts, and the electronics seem to work fine. I'll take it out for a test flight and share a video of success or maybe a crash. Stay tuned.

needs to have better instruction could not complete wings did not line up

So far it’s been a good build. Parts seem to fit nice with a little sanding. The foam / bass wood hybrid model kit it very innovative and should be a sturdy air frame. Will up date once complete.

Just What i was looking For - Thanks Ed

Sean C. identified many of the issues building the model, which was very helpful. I built balsa and tissue models years ago, but haven't had experience with foam, which caused the most problems. The wood is heavier than balsa, maybe bass or some composite. The wooden parts are well cut and fit together well - liquid CA glue held quickly. I used a razor blade or x-acto to free some parts. The foam caused problems: it is stiff and folded in the package. I used a hair dryer and repeated coaxing to get it to fit on the fuselage, being careful the various holes lined up before glueing. I didn't have to cut it. Getting the foam to match the leading edge of the wing was even harder. Unfortunately, all the manipulation takes off some of the paint. I found the 3M 77 glue let go after a day, so I wound up using a glue gun in many places. The little 'paper hinges' for the control surfaces are too small after you cut 45 degree edges, so I made some longer, wider hinges using fiberglass fabric (for spackling) and CA. The motor was new to me: built to be as light as possible, its outer shell rotates, so keep cables away! To angle the motor (see Sean C. and P-Factor) I tapped the outer holes #6 in the provided motor bracket giving more latitude in screw length as a longer screw might reach into the innards of the motor. The motor is attached to the bracket's inner holes with the short screws provided, and I used the outer holes for angle adjustment. I added a Spektrum 637T receiver and 3S 1400mAH G-Tech battery and a BWine B112S for FAA compliance. The battery is heavy (4 oz), so I might downsize. Startup: taxi pulled hard left so I added two washers. Still pulls a bit. Noses down trying to take off from grass, one less washer? Attempt at throwing also nosed down, and one upper wing strut pulled out of the wing - I'll strengthen the attachment point and check CG. Control surfaces and servos worked fine. Solid, inexpensive, high quality, good looking.

Cheap junk the wood is flimsey the instructions are terrible just like the plane