So how is the mass Limit Ex Mk 3 build getting along?

Hello to all our mass builders and mass watchers of the mass builders!!
I started my Limit Mk3 in the middle of last week and Rob had already started his one. My first impressions of the kit (which has to be said it was just the short kit - just the bare bones of the kit) was not fantastic. No Instructions, No proper plan and what seemed like very thin balsa cut parts.
The plans are sent by email to buyers of the kit and care has to be exercised when printing them as they can end up the wrong size depending on your print options.
Neil Hussey (the kit supplier) kindly supplied Rob and me with a lot of help with the printing.
Rob kindly went to SMC and got us both the additional balsa  needed to complete the kit and away I went.
As I have said before, I am not a builder. No patience, you see, but instant Cyano glue has helped get stuff done and fast when needed. The first job was to set up and glue the ribs to the main cross member (Web) - not sure what you call it as its not a spar. The kit parts went together very well and the wing ribs / spar can be built over the paper plan easily.
The you add the LE and TE pieces (not supplied) to make a rigid structure.
Then I glued two sheets of balsa together (not supplied) to make a larger piece that would span the whole top and bottom surface (not 1/32 as per the plans, but a slightly thicker metric equivalent).
Below is a picture of the ribs etc glued to the bottom skin.

The next big problem I had was cutting and gluing the top skin on. This proved very difficult and fiddly and having to bend the balsa in all sorts of directions.

Rob overcame this by sheeting the top in 2 halves -  left and right halves - making the job a little easier -

After this nightmare I moved on to the far easier fuselage. This was fairly straightforward except the very poor quality formers (F1, F2, F3). Rob and I both broke F2 & F3 trying to bring together the fuselage halves with the required curve - which resulted in us making two completely new formers which where up to the job.
Rob has contacted Neil and he will make them from Lite ply in future.

The fuselage was pretty easy and came along fast.

The tailplane is way too flimsy (the plan says use hard balsa, but that isn't what is supplied) and I expect the first landing in the rough or a small cartwheel and the tail plane will be off or broken. I know Rob has made a new tail plane out of ply - as below -

 I imagine that will be much stronger.
Anyway, then came a bit of sheeting the fuselage top and bottom and sticking on  and shaping the nose cone. That brings me pretty much up to date. So this is where I am now:

I have had to order some trailing edge from an online store because I couldn't get this from SMC. I can't do much more until I get the TE to make the ailerons and TE proper.

Beware that some of the dimensions and measurements on the plans have to be modified to suit the wood available to you. Rob has made his own LE and TE to fit the wing.

Remember to fit your battery in the nose before you glue the front top section on. We have used a AAA 800mah Eneloop RX - https://www.overlander.co.uk/panasonic-eneloop-800mah-aaa-4-8v-rx-receiver-battery-pack-square.html or on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panasonic-Eneloop-800mAh-NIMH-AAA-4-8v-Receiver-battery-pack-Square-2823-/281813883294?hash=item419d6a999e:g:D0IAAOSwsB9WC9KC this battery fits in just perfectly as the space is not very big.

For those guys building their own models at the moment please share your experiences with us all on the blog and this will help others -  but is also a good insight into how you are getting along.
Rob has sent updates to the 5 people who are building the Limit Ex so that they can avoid the problems that we have encountered.

Overall, so far, we have both found it enjoyable, not too difficult and the kit kind of does what it says in the advert ! Also, Neil Hussey has been a real help to us and a great guy to do business with - (he's registered on the ShoutBox if you want to contact him).

Paul