Thank you!

by

Patrick-supriced

<-My face on the morning after making the shop live.

Thank you to everyone that ordered a Tricopter V3 kit!

I never imagined to sell 200 tricopters in the first 48 hours of opening the shop.  I’m very grateful and freaking out at the same time. The tricopter kits are almost now sold out. I didn’t think that so many people wanted to buy one. I’ve ordered more parts but it will take 2-5 weeks before I get all the stock up again.

I’m currently packing all the orders and unfortunately it’s going to take me a couple of days before I can get the kits out the door now that so many people ordered. Please be patient.

Everyone that ordered a tricopter so far (2014-09-28, 19:00 CET) is going to receive the limited signed edition.

There also seems to be some kind of bug on the webshop at the moment;

For some people, adding a product to to cart works well until you actually click on the “view cart” button. Then you get to an empty cart.

I’m working on the problem, but have yet to find a solution. A workaround is to create or login to an account before adding the items to the cart.

That seems to work for everyone so far.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you all for being awesome!

158 thoughts on “Thank you!”

  5. Holy… that’s $19,000 usd in 48 hours not counting any spares people ordered. Hahah, hope your wife can help you with the shipping 😛

    By the way did you ever try getting her into the hobby? My girlfriend wants nothing to do with any of this stuff… Sad I know…

    • David’s wife (Johanna) writing:
      Well, I actually have some plans on learning, as it would be great to have some fun myself and not only stand by watching/filming when David flies. So far, I have tried flying some basic foam-planes, but no multi-rotors yet. I must say that I don’t have enough patience and that I’m a bit too afraid of crashing…
      In the future (perhaps next summer?), who knows, but right now I’m just helping out folding boxes, packing orders and doing the book-keeping 🙂

      • Hi Johanna, thank you so much for replying! I told my girlfriend about your answer and it certainly added some motivation for her to try flying something. I am a bit worried though as she REALLY enjoys crashing on the simulator, I think the comedic crunching sound is to blame for that hahah. Let us know how you get along if you start learning as I can use it to motivate my future wife to do the same. And if I get her flying I’ll share a video with you and David. By the way, I think we’re around the same age as you two, I’m 28 and she’s 23.

        Anyways, thanks for helping with the tricopters! I look forward to mine, hope we hear more from you during your trials in flight! 🙂

  7. wow thats amazing if Dade sold only those V3 kits and nothing else it would be madness with V3 flying all over the place. just see all of them flying lest and right and maybe Dade could buy a factory.

  11. Super excited to be the proud owner of a V3 signed by the master him self… Can’t wait to receive it!

    Not sure if this is the place to mention it, but…
    Is there any plans for a brushless gimbal to suit the V3?
    I’ll pay for mine now if there is 😉 Thank you!

  12. Bummer just got the chance to come in to buy one and they are all sold…
    one thing unless the signature costs yo very much think about having it as a “feature” on all your products. it’s a great touch and exudes quality and care!
    have fun

  14. I leave town for one weekend… And I miss out.

    That’s okay. David, I am very happy for you. I will be buying one of these. Looking forward to them being in stock again.

    All my best.

    Brian

  15. Congratulations David!!! I had a feeling there were a lot of people like me that would be more than happy to support your efforts! Thanks again for everything. I take great joy in your success, and I don’t mind waiting at all!

  16. Most of the world already fly your tricopter, myself included, we just want your official products now. I downloaded the files since I have a 3d printer but wanted to support your store but now i can show off my limited edition frame too 🙂

  17. Great work David! I left home friday but was pleased to see your webshop was a great success!

    I’ve cut your first gen copter from G10 on my mill but will soon be cutting and printing the parts for this machine.

    Beautiful work as always and I wish you all the best with your next run…I also wish your ears well if you managed to cut all the plates on your lillasyster cnc.

  18. Awsome work! Have been following Flitetest and subsequently your work and I really like your approach and build video 🙂 Love that you have released the source files under the CC4, allowing people to print their own from scratch (although at $95 there really is no need to!) or print spare parts as they are needed! Keep up the good work 🙂

  20. Excellent, and all before I’d heard the store was open!!

    Didn’t I tell you I thought your business model was the best of all? I doubt FliteTest makes this much over a week, let alone a weekend.

    Now I’ll have to wait for the second wave…

  21. Tjenare David.

    Does the 95USD includes swedish moms/VAT?
    Most webstores inside the EU that I buy from subtract the VAT. You should look into that, it will get cheaper for us who live outside the EU.
    95USD incl. 25% swedish VAT + S&H and 25% norwegian VAT on top on that + customs fee that the postal office charge. A 1105,-SEK tricopter frame shipped to Norway.
    I will probably get it shipped to a co-worker in sweden when I order.

    I only have 3S batteries, what would be a good 3S setup?

    And will my 3S Turnigy 5000mAh and Multistar 5200mAh batteries be too heavy for this copter?
    I also have 2200mAh 3S.

  22. At the bottom of the kit description there are some recommended electronics.

    I paste the highlights for you 🙂

    3S setup:

    * 1200kV motor rated at 18A and up (like 22-16 stator size or 28-30 can size)
    * 9X5 E style propeller (Like the Graupner E props or HQ E props)
    * 3S battery with 3200-4200mAh up to 370 grams recommended (20C is enough)
    * 20-30A ESC

  24. Hi David,

    I think all of the lucky guys and girls who ordered the kits before they ran out are having a question.
    Or at least the ppl in Sweden 😉
    Will you be able to send them before wednesday? (so we’ll get it before the weekend, and have a copter to build 😉 )

  25. Very impressive kit. I tried to order yesterday (Sunday, USA) but was unable due to your bug. I hope to get the signed copy even so. Are you charging prior to sale or when the kit is shipped?

    Thanks, Bob

  26. Thanks David!!! Missed having you at FliteFest. However glad to see your getting organized back home.

    Just ordered mine now (didn’t even know they were out!) so hopefully I also get a signature edition.

    Keep up the great work and if your ever in Ontario, you’ve got a place to stay for free!

    Cheers
    Tim

  28. Ahhh!! I missed it. ANy chance we can get a counter or something to see how many more people want to purchase one this year?

    Also, maybe a mailing list for when items are back in stock would be nice!

    Thanks

  32. I’ll definitely be ordering one of the kits when they are restocked! Just let me know. Great work on the vids and the builds. Your work inspired me to get out there and start flying!

  33. Hi David, just a question, will I receive my limited signed edition of the V3 tricopter? I only received a mail from PayPal sept 27th that I have payed 101 $ but my bankaccount says payment was withdrawn today 29th.
    So for me it looks like it took 2 days for the payment to go throw.

  35. Awesome! can’t wait to receive mine…

    Keep up the Good Work!

    for those with the signature not showing problem:

    haven’t got mine yet but i’m going to see if i can inverse the one with the signature and put it on the bottom.

    alternatively: i will scan the signature and make a decal or maybe make a stencil and spray paint it.

    who knows…maybe someone finds a pinstripe master…just use your imagination guys..but yeah i get it, i wanted to show it of too…lol.

    Happy Crashing!….mine’s gonna be the pyro-version bwahaha!

  36. I’m not at all surprised mate, it looks like a solid, clean, well designed piece of kit that I can’t wait to get my hands on! So glad I was able to snap one up 😀

  37. Congrats David!!

    Your new tri really looks great. I actually liked so much the square woven CF booms that I wanted to order a couple but says backorder: is the 2-5 weeks you mention above also applying to just a couple of Those CF booms?

    Waiting for your answer,

    diastrus

  38. You’re welcome! I’m happy to show my support and I thank you for the wealth of knowledge that I’ve learned over the years, from your website. Patiently waiting for my backordered kit.

    Cheers,

    Brian

  42. A suggestion for the next product launch: collect emails of interested people and notify them when it goes live, maybe even a day or two before as it isn’t very healthy to feel you have to check email more than once a day or so.

  43. How do you know when your order has shipped? I understand its going to take you while to pack all these awesome tricopters David, but are we gonna get an email or something? 🙂

    • You should be getting an email as soon as the package is shipped. Your package will most probably not be going out today though :/ It will be in with the shipment on monday. Sorry about the delay. Shipping packages takes so much more time than I thought

      • I’ve been following your blog for a while, already did the Tricopter v2.5 and now waiting for the v3 body.

        I just received the tracking number, thanks so much for the work you are doing, it must be crazy these days with all these orders!

      • You should have expericed this before in the US, but then again this is your enterprise and that makes it a whole other game 😀

        Are you going for a gimbal? I heared roumors… in your previous live 😉

  44. Thanks for the update, I’ve been been diligently de-shrink wrapping and soldering wires to my Afro esc’s. 🙂 I am looking forward to putting this together. Very much.
    I just learned its cinnamon bun day tomorrow in Sweden!? :0 happy day! Is that really a thing? I’m moving. That settles it.

  45. I’m really looking forward to this when it arrives…so far I have on order SunnySky motors, Afro 30A ESC’s, tons of 18AWG Silicon wire, and an APM 2.7 controller for it. :-)as well as appropriate LiPo’s so when it arrives it’ll be ready to put together.

    Well done, David.

    Cheers, Bob

    PS I assume that I didn’t make the first cut?

  46. Hi David!
    I received a mail from the swedish post. From the postnord:

    “Brev på väg till dig!

    Ett brev har nu skickats från RCExplorer AB och är på väg till dig.

    Brevet kommer att delas ut i din postlåda. Går brevet inte ner i postlådan eller om du inte är hemma, får du ett nytt meddelande om att hämta brevet hos ditt Postombud.”

    So I assume I will receive another mail saying I am welcome to pick up my package at the local postoffice store. Same happend last week with the same sentence when I shopped another RC stuff from another shop.

    Regards from Lars

    • “Brevet kommer att delas ut i din postlåda. Går brevet inte ner i postlådan eller om du inte är hemma, får du ett nytt meddelande om att hämta brevet hos ditt Postombud”

      That more or less say they it will be delivered. If it does not fit the mailbox and you’re not at home, you will get a new message asking you to pick it up.

  47. If you really still want a kit you can cheat as I did…bought all the spare parts of the kit but the arms which i will buy when in stock again…in the meantime i will mount alu arms from mikrokopter..predrilled and anodized in black..great :).
    really happy to see again lots of activity in your webpage David..i have been a great advocat of yours

    Petronio A.

  48. Well I’m going to take a stab at it and say I did not make the first round. As i have not gotten an email, but i do get 100 plus emails a day so I’m hopping I just over looked it.

    • Well, your order was actually sent out today (packed it and printed the shipping label Saturday) and you should have received an e-mail from Posten about half an hour ago.

      For some reason, even if I leave the packages at the post office in the morning, they don’t register them in their system until about 8.30 in the evening… And I suppose that the e-mail isn’t sent until then.

      As soon as I print a shipping label, I update the order and send a customer note with the tracking number, which you should receive in an e-mail. The tracking number won’t work until it has been registered by Posten as well though, which as mentioned above can take some time, but at least you know that it’s been packed and is ready for shipping!

    • The following just applies to Swedish customers/addresses:
      Om inte lådan går in i din brevlåda så kommer den gå vidare till ditt postombud. När den registreras som ankommen hos postombudet kommer du då få ett mail som ber dig komma och hämta ditt “brev”. Paketet kommer till ombuden tillsammans med “stora brev”, normalt på kvällen när posten hämtar dagens sändning av brev från ombudet. En del ombud är inte så snabba på att registrera in ankomna stora brev, så du kan alltid (om det inte är för långt att åka) ta med dig Kolli-ID ner till ombudet och fråga om det inte kommit med dagens “stora brev”. Annars gäller det at hålla koll på mailen 🙂
      Ditt paket skickades ju i fredags och sorterades i Nässjö i fredags kväll, så det borde vara framme nu.

      • Yeah, I know this process David. Don’t worry.
        I checked my mail but nothing about postage pickup. I also checked my local post office yesterday at Sunday and they actually checked all their package for my name and sender but nothing received. But I assume it will be on their shelf either day this week.
        Thanks anyway David.

  52. Ive done some calculations on a DIY 2D gimbal, and it would weigh around 150g. Can the frame and 3S setup lift that kind of extra weight, and what will it do to the CG? (Can the battery be shifted far enough back to compensate?)

  53. Dear David,
    Do you know, if I order the V3 frame now, approximately I will have it ? I live in France btw 🙂

    Also, I tried to send you an email but it seems it does not work… I’d like to show you a project I can I send it to you ? 🙂
    Thanks !

  54. Hi David,

    My kit arrived today! Fantastically well packed and everything looks top quality. The 3D printed parts look amazing too, I’ve not managed to get quite such high quality from my printer, what printer do you use? All required parts from HK came yesterday so I’m good to go.

    Cheers

  55. Got my kit yesterday.
    Used all day to put it together and took the first flight today.
    Really like your kit, perfectly packed.
    Never flown a tricopter before, more into planes.
    Got myself a Hubsan mini quad to “learn” on, but the tri flies much cleaner.

    Have kept an eye on your webpage for a while and really wanted to build one but never came around to it.
    when i saw this kit i just couldent resist.

    Thanks for all the inspiration and help, wish you all the best.

  56. hi david i war wondering when my package is coming. Posten dent me an email that i has shipped, but it is not here yet and the tracking code you gave me still says its in Nässjö. i understand that its hard to send that many over mail, could you please clear this up for me.

    • I think so, i dont know where u live and i dont know when you got your email but probably tomorrow or the day after.

      I got my email in friday and my kit was in the mailbox monday.

      //Björn

    • Not sure then, i live in Sweden about 200km from Nässjö.
      Mail to the us might take a bit longer, not sure.
      What i do know is that swedish mail service didnot update where my package was, hopfully thats true for you to.
      If youre lucky the package is already in the US, hard to know if they don´t update the tracking info.

  60. David, sooo cool to see all your vids and misc post. I have now lived in US for 12 years and I got a kick out of reading your writeup of your experience out this way, I totally agree…
    Hälsa Sverige!
    –Emil

    • For some reason some of my post did not come through….

      I have all parts on order from HobbyKing, now I “just” need to wait 4-6 weeks until you have parts again, I missed your first 200 with a few hours…

  65. Pulled the trigger on the Hobbyking parts! Figure I can build a TriCopter V2.5/V3 hybrid and learn to fly, before I upgrade to the superior carbon frame 🙂 Being a Phantom 2 Vision “pilot” (more like ignorant bystander while it does what I pleases!) I figured the money I would have to spend on two new “intelligent” batteries pretty much sums up to the price of a RCExplorer TriCopter, which seems to be so much more fun 🙂

    Can’t wait till the kit is back in stock 🙂

  67. My kit arrived in perfect condition (Colorado USA) today!!! Beat the HK parts from China that I ordered at the same time that I ordered the tricopter. Well done, and thanks again Dave!!!
    Steve

  69. What email did you all get your tracking number in? I’ve gotten multiple emails from David and the Swedish post but none have had a tracking number.

    • Apparently the Swedish post doesn’t include the tracking nr in their e-mails, but you should have gotten it i a “customer note” regarding your order. It seems as if it isn’t updated very often on the tracking site though. The latest on your parcel is still from last Friday. Your package ID is UA187655090SE.
      I have chosen this kind of delivery to keep down the cost of shipping, but I might have to rethink this choice if you all wish to have better tracking abilities… The shipping cost would go up a lot though…

  71. I just ordered one yesterday. Cant wait till November When you receive no stock.
    What plans do you have for the future? Maybe our carbon fibre Quad copter? Now that would be good.

    • Super nice design, if the strength is there, talk to david, maybe he can sell them 🙂 I love the mounting method and aerodynamic sleek design of it.

      • The design is no match to the super light and strong design with zip tie failsafe that David sells. It is only meant to be a temporal fix. The strength isn’t really there although I haven’t had the heart to break one, and they are heavier that glass fiber ones (rear with zip tie is 10.63g front one is 10.39g) Davids complete motor mount plus leg only weighs a total of 9.3g. Davids have way less drag, since both designs are parallel to the booms my solid design actually creates more drag, although looking like the fin of a fish. Plus they take forever to print. I put a couple of sets in the printer before I go to bed, and they are done in the morning. But they work well as a display stand 😉

        As you might be able to read between the lines, I am not trying to take business away from David. They are CC4, print them for your own use if in a pickle and wanting to fly before the ordered set of spares arrive 🙂

        – David, we need a forum 😉

  73. Mayday mayday..is it possible for you David to send all the items but the landing gear that is backordered..? I will buy further items when you have full stock of everything but do not want to wait until then for all the remainder items that i bought a couple of days ago and that are in stock..many thanks..

    • I ran 3s on the original recommended 800kv 2213n motors and with 10 inch props it was very punchy but the battery was not up to it (2200 cheapo from HK). It was nearly silent though and had the coolest sound when flying overhead. Keep in mind you need a higher C rating and you should be fine.

      • That’s good to hear 🙂 I plan on running it on one or two 3S 2200 40C batteries (from my Bixler 2) with the recommended NTM Prop Drive Series 28-30 1200kv motors with the recommended 9x5E Multistar Carbon Fiber Propellers, and one Afro ESC 30Amp Multi-rotor Motor Speed Controller (SimonK Firmware) in the back, and two Afro Slim 20Amp Multi-rotor Motor Speed Controller (SimonK Firmware) in front. That way the Rx won’t get BEC from more than one ESC. Hope I have got the theory down, since I come from… a P2V (“We don’t fly, we observe”) 😉

        • I have thought of using Sunnysky V2814 700kv with 13″ on 3s or Sunnysky V2216 900kv with 11″ props.
          i know i might need a bit higher C rating. Found an ultra light 4500mAh battery on HK with 65C and 100c burst i think.

  75. Hi David,

    today I received the tricopter, nice card and btw YOU are awesome. 🙂
    That orange card made me smile. Thank you for that.

    I am looking forward to the build. Tell me/us when you are in germany I would love to throw some DLGs with you!

  76. There we go, got mine earlier this week, just waiting on the electronics. Might have made a small boo-boo.
    I looked at the v2.5 items when I ordered most of my stuff so I got DT750 750kV Motors, but I am not planning on running any fpv gear in the beginning, just learning to fly the tri, so I hope it will be ok as a start and I’ll switch out when going fpv.

  78. Hi David,
    just received the tricopter, nicely packed in a small and light parcel 😀
    Thanks for this awesome product!

    Would you recommend sealing the carbon fiber edges with epoxy (against weather) or is it not needed?

    Best wishes

          • Well it won’t hurt. Just don’t overdue it. Use a thin ca don’t squeeze it just get around the edge capillary action will get your CA applied.

            Just be carefull. I personally hate CA usually I get the CA almost everywhere, just not at the place I actually want to glue something. 🙂

            • Ok, thanks ^^
              Sadly I only have thick CA atm, I planned on using 5min epoxy for this.
              I think I will try the epoxy, if it doesnt look good I can simply peel it off before it’s fully cured.

              Was just wondering if carbon fiber sealing is a common thing since I only came across 1 person who recommended it.

  79. Just got mine in the mail today. Live in the U.S, received exactly a week after Posten sent me the email saying a letter was headed my way. 😀 super excited!

  80. Soon 4 weeks, any words on the backorder?

    I’m up the walls, excitement is building up. I have all electronics, gopro4, FPV and a lot of desire, I just want that package from Sweden.
    – Emil

  83. Hi David
    Just wondering whenThe next batch will be sent out?
    And when will you be making the video for the naza32 setup
    And while I remember.Nice acting on Rotor DR1 you look as if you have attitude
    Thaks

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