Aerobatics & 3D Can Become An Obsession !

 


Weston UK Obsession Freestyle
By 'Disc'
The Weston Obsession has been around for a season so how is it….

Well for a start it's not aimed as a second plane… This is aimed at flyers that are ready to do there ‘B’ or after something that can do 'Everything out of the Box'. It can do 3D flying or stunning aerobatics taking it all in it's stride. It's an ideal first large plane is how I wopuld label the Weston UK's Obsession Freestyle.

So I bought it.. let's see how is it really?

Out of the Box
Well I have to say out of the box the parts just scream quality well almost all the parts... more on this later. The wings and fuselage are well covered and nothing needed re-ironing down. The manual... well to be honest, read the C/G and then it's like building most planes.

Weston UK ObsessionBuilding
Now I have to say I've always disliked building and still do. But we begin with the wings and servos.

Now you noticed in most kits you offer a servo to the space allocated for it and it never fits quite right. You end up having to do a lot of jiggling to make it fit. Well on this model the servos went in with no hassles at all.

You will need a servo extension lead to get the servo lead to reach into the fuselage. I taped the join up well and truly so it cannot come disconnected.

 

Servos placed into the body went in just as easily as those in the wings, a bit of a shock to be honest. The tail area also went together fine.

All ailerons and elevator hinges need their holes making wider to take the hinges but they're big and strong and the quality shows again.

When you look at many kits these days you take one look at the links and hinges and you need to change them. No need at all with the Obsession.

Now I had to stop the building for a while and it would have taken a lot longer to finish if it wasn’t for Paul Horton at my Club, continuing the build for me. Paul did the push-pull control set up for me.

Weston UK Obsession

 

Weston UK Obsession

Most Weston UK kits come with a clear plastic dummy cowl which allows you to cut and shape it for engine fitting thus allowing you to get it right before you start cutting the actually cowl. It's a great thing to have!                 

Paul also fitted the engine and muffler and we then agreed a day to meet at the club for testing.


Flying
We met at the Club and ran the engine up on the ground. The ASP120 FS seemed to have the power on the ground, so it was time to get the Obession airborne. I set the control throws to give the ailerons 20mm up and down. The elevator was slightly more at 30mm.

I wasn’t over impressed at all with the ASP 120 FS up front. It lacked power to my mind, having to fly around on full power left nothing for looping and other manoeuvres.

Weston UK Obsession

Weston UK Obsession

So to rectify this I ordered a West Magnum 180 FS. Post build fittingwas a bit of a pain as the servo needed moving to the other throttle servo space and the bulk head needed re-drilled.

But after an hour it was it all sorted out.

Back to the Flying...
We now ran a tank of fuel through the new West Magnum engine. It ran very smoothly and had a nice pick up. We ran another tank through it, in the air. During the second tank Paul took the plane up so I could get some photo’s.

After the fourth flight the engine was getting better and better and I look forward to flying this model into 2008. It seems it will handle anything I can throw at it!

Even More Flying...
I find the plane now a real joy to fly and I have bought a new 18x8 prop for it and a new spinner and the Magnum 180 is now really beginning to come to life.

The Obsession climbs vertically with no problems, prop hanging is also no issue, You can knife edge all day long if you wish. It does everything smooth a precise and I find it easier to fly than some smaller models as well.

I have rates set for normal sports flying and then into 3D flying and considering the plane's style and size it 3D's nearly as well as my old Hype 3D did!

I hope to do my plane 'B' later in 2008 with this plane as it just fly's so well and is more than up to the job... probably more than I am.....



Weston UK Obsession Technical Details - Weston UK Obsession
Manufacturer/Distributor Weston UK
Aircraft Type: Sports Aerobatic/3D
RRP RRP £239
Wingspan 1828mm (Two piece wing)
Motor 1.20 to 1.80 Four stroke
Target Weight 4.5Kg
Number of Channels: 4 Channel Radio (5 servos)
Control Functions: Elevator, Ailerons, Rudder,Throttle
Construction ARTF - Balsa & Lite Ply
Likes Dislikes
  • It handles very well and is smooth. It flies very slowly without doing anything daft.
  • I would advise something more than a 1.20 up front though. Don’t make the same error I made.
  • If your looking at a larger model to add to your fleet I would recommend the Weston UK Obsession.
  • Price £239 for a quality plane is not over the top.
  • You can feel the quality as soon as you open the box.
  • Weston UK do not do cheap and stack 'em high they just do quality and a fair price.
  • Now the one part in the kit that was a let down for me. The wheels, yes I said the wheels. They are foamy and under the weight of the model. If the model was stood in your shed the squashed wheels would soon get a flat spot and when you turn them you'd just get another flat spot.
  • I changed the wheels and that’s the only part in the kit I would change.




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Weston UK

 

 

 

Info Panel
Weston UK
Obsession Freestyle
Comments:
You can feel the quality as soon as you open the Box.
Price:
Approx. £239
See
Technical Details Below