ARF XEBEC 19-35 from CRAFTLINE - Japan

[Kafin Noe’man]

I’ve just acquired a new ARF from Japan, XEBEC 19-35, made by a Japanese brand Craftline. It’s a profile fuselage plane and is very light. The wingspan is 48 inch, and the length is 37 inch. Based on their website, the weight of the plane itself is about 18 oz and the finished weight should be around 30 oz to 35 oz. I did try to check the weight of the whole package (with the cardboard box and bubble wraps) and it weighs around 39 oz, so the plane is definitely going to be very light. To my surprise, the fuselage is a foamcore, meanwhile the wing is a fully built-up balsa.

Another thing that surprised me when the package arrived was the size of its packaging. It was so small yet compact. The size dimension is 26 inch x 13 inch x 4 inch. It is no wonder because Japanese is known for its creative solution when dealing with such small/limited spaces.

The wing is a two-piece, and so is the fuselage. This way, they can reduce the need for a bigger packaging size. I think this is a very good idea to deal with the crazy shipping cost we are facing now.

Although it’s an ARF, the parts inside the box are not as complete as we would get from the Brodak ARF. The missing parts are: hinges, wheels, and tailwheel (they do have a disclaimer about it though). The other thing that kinda disappoint me is the slots for the wire joiner and hinges are not there. I personally expect that they already did the slotting and drilling especially the wire joiners holes since it’s quite challenging for me to get it staright while getting it right for the hinges slots is easier since I have the slotting tool. It’s very crucial to have those slots and holes right in order to have a level inboard & outboard of flaps & elevator.

Despite the cons I have mentioned above, I’m really happy with the crafstmanship and its precision. I must say it is a very well-built ARF and I can’t wait to assemble and fly it. I bet it will fly great.

I’ll try to make a documentation of my assembly process, and I’ll keep you updated with the progress.


Best,
Kafin

[Perry Rose]

What is it covered with?

[Kafin Noe’man]

What is it covered with?

It’s covered with Monokote

[Robert Zambelli]

What engine do you plan to use?

[Kafin Noe’man]

What engine do you plan to use?

I think I’ll use OS LA 25 or FP 25

[Dennis Nunes]

What engine do you plan to use?

CRAFTLINE of Japan has two ARF's. The XEBEC 19-35 is the smaller of the two . According to their website the XEBEC 19-35 profile is for a .19-.40 engine with a ~49" wingspan and ~503 sq. in.

The larger profile the CRAFT 2100 is for a .52-.62 engine with a wingspan of ~61" and ~666 sq. in. They are available at: https://www.powers-international.com/e-inter/index-english.htm

I have seen the contents of the larger CRAFT 2100 and it looked well built and cleanly constructed.


Dennis

[Crist Rigotti]

The 2100 costs about $450 delivered according to their website.

[Walter Hicks]

Good to see someone getting one of the very best quality ARF out there. I have the larger one and did a writeup with pictures several years ago.

These are worth every penny you pay due to the quality and performance of them. I know that some look down on people who use ARFs but for profile

Stunt there is no appearance points and for those who do not like to build but would like to fly this is one of the best hands down. My 60 sized ARF

has 680 sq inch wing , 60" span , with an OS SF 46 , with everything prop, tank, tip weight etc it weighed just over 50 ounces . YES with a digital scale.

flies excellent . So YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!!! Enjoy your new plane .

[redout]

Nice find Kafin ! I'll be tuning in to see how you go with this.

Let us know about the quality of the control system ( bellcrank connections, etc. ) if visible.