Hello,

I decided to start this thread for several reasons #1 I couldn't find another one #2 I purchased an engine that I know nothing about #3 I purchased from a small company trying to make a name for themself in this industry...

So here it goes... After a lot of research and looking around I narrowed it down between two airplanes, my first choice is the 50cc goldwing Su-26 (the only dealer in the US I could find was from Top Dawg Aviation) Blaine Austin is the owner, purchased the bus from Dietrich. He informed me he has them in stock.

On Friday July 30, 2010 I called Blaine at 8:30pm and was happy to hear him answer the phone, so far so good. I bought the combo package, a 53ccTmm engine and 50cc Su-26 package for $825. When I asked about shipping Blaine said the most expensive he has seen, has been $125 for shipping out to Maine. Since I am in Minnesota, I thought about $100 would be the cost. (Blaine didn't have that info) Blaine assured me a receipt/invoice would be sent out via e-mail Monday and the plane would ship that same day.

Monday - nothing

Tuesday - I got an e-mailed message from the wharehouse stating the shipping cost would be $133 from Denver! WHAT? I left a couple of messages for Blaine asking why so high? Tuesday afternoon I got a e-mail from Blaine Austin saying he needs to get a new wharehouse in MO and that shipping from this one is too much money. (no discount however)

Wednesday- Still no receipt or confirmation of shipping. Checked my credit card activity and it shows no sign of purchase. It does however show the purchase I made at Lowes this morning. More phone calls to Blaine, just get an answering machine. Sent another e-mail asking the status of the order.... To be continued....

Update... Wednesday afternoon, received receipt and info that it would be shipped today. Looking forward to getting the tracking info but things seem to be moving forward. Shipping was actually 122 for airplane and 11 for engine. So, not as bad as I thought since they are coming from two different places.

Just my 2 cents, but it sounds to me like Blaine is on top of the game!
I mean, I know he has a day job as well, so answering your requests within a 24 hour period seems fine to me!
(I know most of you think running an airplane business = BIG BUCKS.. but that's not the case for 95% of these companies, so day jobs can be a must!)

I have met Blaine on several occasions and he is a fixture in the 3D/ Giant Scale scene since .. well long before I think he's want me to mention.

So... basically chill a little. Blane will take care of ya!
He is 100% Good People.

I'm going to go with SleepyC on this one.. I meet Blaine at an event in TX early this summer and he was just barely taking the show over.. Give the guy a second and I am sure he will get you handled..We did talk about housing his stock, He was looking for the most cost effective way to store and ship..I got a quote for 200.00 from CA for a 30%..

Blaine is purdy dang good stand up fella!He'll get ya fixed upHang in there!

I have never done any business with Blaine. I can tell you one thing is that I have got the chance to meet one of his sponsored pilots "Colton". I am sure that he is a stand up guy if Colton is dealing with him. Things take time give him a chance.

On another note. The 3mm is a awesome engine. Is it the V1 or the V2? Doesn't matter which to me. I had the 1st version which was an awesome engine from pretty much day one. I did install a few after market parts before ever running the engine. I had recently sold the plane and engine. Now I wish I would of kept it. Great engines!! I am sure the airplane is quality also. Good luck with your new purchase!!

When you get it you will enjoy it, have a look at this vid.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MW3D?fea.../2/5NuAYfBefUI

I have known Blaine for a few years and just got a 50cc Edge and TMM 53 from him. Blaine is a real stand up guy and will take care of you. My Edge flys great and the TMM runs great too.

Can't agree with you guys more. Real good guy. I wouldn't support him if I felt otherwise. Top Dawg is still pretty new and he's busting his rump to get prototypes refined and get everything in order for the new product line for next year as well as handling current orders. We all know that once you open the doors, you gotta make things happen if you want to be successful. He's all over it. I know you could pay me enough to own/run an rc plane company, but I'm still not sure what the price would be. Pretty high. LOL. Glad to see he's getting you taken care of. He's pretty good about responding to emails. I'm sure that's the easiest way to get in touch. Busy busy guy.

Al, this is Steve from the Top Dawg warehouse. I would just like to clear some things up here just because Blaine is a stand up guy that treats his customers and employees great. It's a huge improvement to say the least from the way the former company that was bought by Blaine treated their customers. Blaine has done wonders for the website navigation and purchasing and making sure he has items in stock.

Now for your shipment. Blaine emailed us for a shipping quote per your request on 8-2-10 at 2:53 pm. Due to the fact that we do have 2 warehouses 1 under our control and 1 not. Getting a shipping quote for you on Monday from the warehouse we do not control and getting your shipment out the next day Tuesday is very good on timeframe. Blaine indicated that there were a few phone calls between you and him and some emails before you sent him your approval and payment info. So again I think we did a very good job getting your product out once we had all your information to you that you wanted about the plane/engine combo.

Any way I think you will be very happy with the plane and engine combo. The GW planes do fly great and the TMM engines run great. I'm sure if you have any questions the FG crew will be glad to help out. There are a lot of the GW planes out there flying. So I'm sure those guys will chime in on questions if you post any.

Okay... it sounds like I may have jumped the gun, so here's the deal. Obviously (see all the posts) Blaine has a stellar reputation in RC and as a businessman. I also need to mention that he provided me with a killer package deal that he didn't have to do. And... since I haven't owned, rented, or had anthing to do with a wharehouse before in my life, it might take a couple of days to get the paddles rowing in the right direction. I am sure that I will be really happy with the plane and engine (thanks by the way for the above comments about that). Will take some pics and let you know when it gets here... I have received follow ups from multiple sources from Top Dawg concerned about this post. As you can tell, they really care about their reputation and concerns of their customers. My goal here isn't to hammer anyone, just to tell my experience. That's it!

Good luck with your new toys!! If ya have any question about the engine feel free to ask or pm me... If ya got the V2 then they are a little lighter that the v1. They also shaved 1mm (i think) off of the base of the cylinder. These are sweet little engines.. I think that I may have to try the 106 and the canisters in a few months! Post lots of pics!!!

Hey Hollywood... Thanks for the note, I don't know what version I got to be honest. Also, would like to get your rec on servos, I am leaning toward the 7955tg's all the way around but would like options and viewpoints. Also, Blaine is testing the 106 right now and might have some valuable input/info on the 106 if you need it. He seems to like it from the little we talked about it. What is the best way to tune the TMM or just do what I did for my Zenoah?

PS... bat setup would be great to know as well.

Al

Originally Posted by Alerberg

Hey Hollywood... Thanks for the note, I don't know what version I got to be honest. Also, would like to get your rec on servos, I am leaning toward the 7955tg's all the way around but would like options and viewpoints. Also, Blaine is testing the 106 right now and might have some valuable input/info on the 106 if you need it. He seems to like it from the little we talked about it. What is the best way to tune the TMM or just do what I did for my Zenoah?

PS... bat setup would be great to know as well.

Al

7955's all the way around would be great. As for batteries, I used to use lipo's and regulators, and then switched to A123's and haven't looked back. I personally use 2 A123's with the Wolveringe switch and love it. You could also go with 1 A123 and an HD switch and keep it real simple. I would also recommend a simple nimh 4.8V for the ignition.

A battery for the ignition, a battery for the receiver, and a battery for the smoke system. I am going to have more batteries in this thing than my kid has in her mini four-wheeler. I am worried about the weight with having a smoke system installed.