CNC alum. vs plastic weight?

[Brian]

Hi everyone, awsome forum :) I'm a new blade CP pro owner and I was wondering if anyone could tell me how the CNC parts compare to plastic in weight and if they are worth the purchase (frame, tail gear box, rotor head, etc) . I don't plan on upgrading immediatly as I'm still learning to fly and I may never upgrade the blade if I get a trex later on. I was just really curious how aluminum compares to plastics for flight time. Thanks for any info :-D

[swatson144]

Welcome to HeliTown Brian.

IMO for a micro RTF the best upgrade is a real transmitter.

You are right on the metal upgrades on the micros. There is nothing good to come from it on the motorized tails. Other micros can tote the weight with a driven tail to compensate for the torque and drag of 254mm blades and really high head speeds but even then it's probably as well off with plastic.

You sound like you want something bigger if so just gather nickels while flying the RTF and enjoy the hobby. Some people really enjoy the micro's close fast and personal traits, they tend to upgrade by getting a better micro heli Maxir, 3DX, etc (any brands not mentioned aren't being diss'd I just don't keep up with the micros as much as I used to).

Steve

[The Broker]

A big welcome Brian :D
I totally agree with Steve on buying a good TX, that was the first thing I bought after my co-axial, it will allow you to set up your heli better and have all your heli's on one transmitter and believe me you will start to collect them even if you don't realise it at the moment :lol: :lol:
A good transmitter is a must have.
Sue

[G-MRM]

Hi Brian, I find when your in your LHS and there is nothing that you 'need' but see a metal upgrade you just have to have it ! 90% of us won't feel the diferance in flight but looks good !

A good Tx also looks cool AND you will notice the change.....

Martin

That said, I did order a set of metal r arms for the T-Rex 600n :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Brian]

awsome, i'll start shopping around for a good transmitter. :) Does anyone have any suggestions? Should it have all the LCD readouts and programability for pitch curves, etc?

[swatson144]

14MZ would be a good good choice, but you could easily settle for something less. Us poor folk seem to slum with a 9chp Super just fine.

SS via the DX7 might be a good idea when starting but you'd want to read up on it 1st. Plumbing the rx into your 4n1 would be simple.

There is really no hurry so download manuals and read through them and see if the methodology makes sense to you. I sold a Hitec because it made as much sense as tax law to me. Nothing wrong with Hitec and you could have the same problem with Futaba.

Pretty much all the name brands are great and it's more what you like. Consider it a 5yr investment so do it up until it hurts. Trying to save 50$ or so is silly. shop, research and get the one you want.

Steve

[basic]

i couldnt' agree more on this one, a good TX is a great investment. I have a BCPP and it's a totally different bird when you can actually set it up correctly with subtrims and expo and throttle/pitch curves.

that being said. i have 2 tx's. one for the t-rex and one for the BCPP. I'm using a hitec eclipse 7 for the bcpp because it seems to work with the stock rx and 3 in one, but it should be noted my blade has the brushless motor upgrade, so it's an external ESC.

My other TX is my JR 8103 and i love it. I have used the JR way of stuff with my land-based rc's (spektrum dx3 controls all my rc trucks) so i was used to how they labeled stuff. i bet if you talked to someone who used futaba the JR stuff would make no sense at all.

[eddiemoth]

I vote DX7 for the first choice and Futaba 9C for the 2nd choice.

[Sleepstalker]

I'm glad you like the XP8103 ...Awesome TX...Sleepster... 8)

[ranger306ci]

I bought steves hitec optic 6; it is my first programmable. I like alot, easy for me to program(I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once). I think it is the cheapest programmable out there with 5 point curves. In the future I may upgrade to a 2.4ghz system. But yea, what has been said above, the transmitter makes all the difference in the world.

[swatson144]

I'm glad you are liking it. I liked it fine as a TX but never could get my mind wrapped around the programming. Heck I'd of had to carry the manual around in my phone and refer to it to change models. :oops: That was all just me though as my mind don't stretch too far.

Steve

[Brian]

Is there any reason I should get a DX7 over the DX6? What would I use the extra channels for? Thanks for the input guys, it's nice being able to get good info from experienced people :) by the way, love your signatures!

[ranger306ci]

The you need a minimum of 6 channels for a cp heli with a remote gain gyro. The reason you should get a dx7 over the dx6 is because the 7 has 5 point curves for throttle and pitch; the 6 only has 3 point curves.

[ranger306ci]

Not to hijack the thread back to the ORIGINAL question; I was thinking of a mircoheli aluminum head for my compy.
What do you guys think of microheli? I want to remove the slop !

[estarter]

Can you post some pic or link of the mircoheli aluminum head.

[estarter]

Is there any reason I should get a DX7 over the DX6? What would I use the extra channels for? Thanks for the input guys, it's nice being able to get good info from experienced people :) by the way, love your signatures!

I have both the DX6 and DX7 radio, the difference is the last digit.

Just kidding, the DX7 has more advance feature like model match, servo sync, speed and response is faster, ... and is DSM2.

If you fly mostly electric fixed wing parkflyer, the DX6 is fine. Helicopter with CCPM, DX7 is the one.

[swatson144]

Not to hijack the thread back to the ORIGINAL question; I was thinking of a mircoheli aluminum head for my compy.
What do you guys think of microheli? I want to remove the slop !

With microheli it often depends on the version. If it's V2 or V3 it's probably OK to great. They seem to design something and put it out for the customers to beta test. They make a fine product when they get it right. I have the V2 pro tail on my x400. Sure glad I din't buy the V1.

Steve

[estarter]

I have the Sonix V1 and V2 CNC alloy head in the W#22e, I went back to the stock plastic head, you probably can guess why.

[estarter]

Somehow the V1 head works better, the V2 head is a downsize Trex look alike, it's top heavy and difficult to balance, vibration city, needs a super strong and rigid shaft.

[estarter]

Side by side comparation:

[estarter]

The left one is the V2 head

[basic]

does look just like a trex, but the one on the right looks like a bigger version of a blade CP's aluminum head to me, or maybe it's just the angle.

[estarter]

Yes, the V1 looks similiar to the BCPP and works great, it's heavier.

[estarter]

Well, the only minor fault besides the weight is the fly bar control linkage rubs the blade grib sometime, I don't know what's the side effect to the flying. They should have make the loop wider in the first place.

[basic]

that's one of the gripes i had with the blade cp pro head, the little 0 shaped pieces that connect the swash to the flybar are too narrow and make it hard to get the blade grips on. i'm sure there's some reason for making the clearance so small, but i'm not sure what it is; less slop maybe?

[estarter]

They also make the replacement plastic hoop with metal ends.