Lama Pilot Looking For 1st I/C Heli

[Gunner]

Hi,

You guys helped me out loads last time and, after following your advice, I bought my little XRB Lama, which I've been having loads of fun with. I now need to take the next step - buying my first I/C Heli kit.

Firstly, I went to my local club today and it was great. The guys seem very experienced and are extremely helpful. The guys mainly run Futaba radios, so I'll follow that route. Nobody seemed too keen on my idea of going for a Raptor 30. They all suggested that I go for the Sceadu Evo and to go straight for the 50 size - it's apparently the same size but with the larger engine mount and different gearing. This setup appears to be the norm with most of the guys at the club - even amongst some of the novices.

Cutting to the chase, this is what I'm currently looking at:

Hirobo Sceadu 50 size Heli Kit
OS 50 or OS 50 Hyper Engine
Futaba GY-401 Gyro
Futaba FF 9 PCM Transmitter

What do you guys think ?

Is it worth paying the extra money for the OS 50 Hyper or should I just go for the standard OS 50 ?

Is the FF9 an overkill for me ? I'm looking at starting a little bigger in this area so I can "grow" into what I've got. The FF9 should stand me in good stead for the future whereas I've read that I may soon outgrow a lesser model such as the FF7. The FF9 does not have a ratchet throttle, which is what I'm after and includes fail-safe functionality, which I need before I'm allowed to fly at the club.

Apparently, the stock pipe that comes with the Sceadu is not that great. Any suggestions for a decent replacement ? Not sure I want to meet the prices of the Muscle Pipes etc, so something a little lower down the ladder is what I'm looking for - still gotta be half decent though.

Your help will, once again, be greatly appreciated.

[Dedcalm]

My Futaba 9CP (FF9 as its known in the UK) came with the ratchet in place but a couple of minutes and the ratchet part was reversed so the action i smooth. This was a UK spec 9CP rather than the more dedicated 9CHP or 9CAP.

I thing the FF9 is a superb radio, far better than the FF6 that I had before. I believe that the FF7 runs cut down software from the FF9 though so may still be worth considering especially if you cant think of ever using the 8/9 channels with it. I am using 7 with my raptor due to 401 gyro mode and governor speed/enable channels. Not yet found a use for the 8th in PPM or 8th and 9th in PCM mode yet although a remote glow could be one :roll:

I like my Raptor 50, it is essentially the same as the Sceadu, i.e. a 30 with longer boom and blades and a different gear ratio.
I reckon spares are probably cheaper than the Sceadu as well although not actually looked. I guess if the Sceadu is the heli of choice at the club then that is most likely to be helpful when it comes to setting up etc.

The Hyper is a good engine, mine runs strongly although it is a thirsty beast in comparison to the standard 50.

Futaba 401 gyro is a great starting point, make sure you get the 9254 servo to run with it. Also it is worth thinking about the servo's as a 50 size machine will require more expense in this area as you expand your flying envelope. I run 9252 digitals on the cyclic and pitch and a 3001 standard on the throttle coupled to a TJ Pro governor, ideally this will also be upgraded to a fast digital to get the most benefit from the gyro (e.g. 9254 or older 9253)

Good luck

Rob

[Butuz]

Sounds like a nice setup - 50 size should be nice and stable, and FF9 should keep you going for a long time. You will only outgrow it really when you get to professional level, or, if you go scale heli's and need extra servo's for lifting wheels up and stuff.

Make sure you let us know how it goes and post some pics up if you can!

Butuz

[antsis]

One thing to consider is the repair costs. Raptors are popular because they are cheap to fix. That doesn't mean the're weak models though.

Depending on what you plan to do with the heli once you're solo, stick with the standard 50. The hyper puts out roughly twice the hp which you're not going to need when you're learning. I've got the Century raven with a normal 50 SXH and I'm not a wild 3D pilot, but the model has more than enough power to do conventional aerobatics, including vertical rolls.

The FF9 is a good all round radio. If you can afford it, get one.

[Disc]

Hi
The 7 can have the rachet backed off in less than 5 mins.

I have the 7 as the 9 is just to much money unless as the guys
have said you need channels 8/9.

The 7 can handle Gyros/engine cut/throttlehold/ and revlock or
govener if you want it.

Only reason to totally splash on the 9 is extra mixing and retracts
if you go scale one day. But then dont fit a govener to scale so
7 becomes retracts. 9 is nice if you can afoord it though.

Personelly get the 7 and use the money saved getting that get a
digi tail servo 401.

Raptors are not easy to break and parts are so cheap which is why so
many people fly them. We had a min fly in and well all raptors bar
1 shuttle showed up.

50 and 90 raptors do fly so well.

[Ade_Law]

The 9c is a much nicer radio and worth the extra money. It has a more quality feel to the gimbles and 7c is a good radio too with not much loss in functionality for helicopters.

The OS50 hyper not only has more power but is also a little better on fuel too.

Ade

[paddy]

twice the power??? its only 0.1hp more, hyper is 1.9, standard 50 sxh ring is 1.8hp, personally stick with 50 sxh, not worth the extra money in my eyes. I do 3d with my sceadu, its got a 50sxh with mp2q puscle pipe.

[Dedcalm]

I find my Hyper runs quite a bit cooler than a similar standard 50 both in Raptor 50's. Mine is warm to the touch after a 5 minute hover. The other is quite a bit hotter although certainly not running lean. The Hyper is on a standard Raptor 50 muffler whereas the standrd 50 is on a MP2... not sure if this would make a difference.

Rob

[Thomas]

Just a thought, but I've met a few people now who bought the Evo and wish they had bought the Knight 50, metal head and frame, well built, very stable at a good price and cheap on parts too, only down side is that you can't get parts locally but the reseller always has a good stock and will get them to you next day.

[Gunner]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm all sorted now and am gonna stick with my initial list, which is:

Sceadu Evo 50
OS 50 Hyper
Futaba GY401 Gyro
Futaba FF9 Tx

Popped in the local hobby shop today and had a chance to look at both the FF7 and FF9. FF9 just feels so much better and should stay with me for considerably longer than the FF7.

I know Ade likes the Knight 50 and it does sound like a very nice heli. However, I know the Sceadu is also a good heli so I'll stick with it as most of the other guys at the club have got them as well.

[Ade_Law]

good choice on the radio and gyro. Sceadu is an excellent machine the knight does appear to be more durable tho. (sorry had to say that :-)

now... what servos, receiver and battery are you going to use?

Obviously your going to use the 9254 that comes with the 401 gyro but you have 4 other servos to think about.

Personally I like the 3152 for begginer to intermidiate pilots. They are only 25ukp each and only a little down on power and speed from the 9252.

battery should be a 4 cell 2000mah or more sub-C sized nicad or nimh battery.

lastly the other thing that is often overlooked is the switch. The Futaba heavy duty switch is very durable.

Ade

[Gunner]

You've really gotta stop doing this Ade. I've already sold the cat and half of my wifes wardrobe....lol.

You ask "what servos, receiver and battery" am I going to use ? Well, I was going to use the 3001 servos and receiver that come with the FF9, as I was thinking of buying the kit. I did some shopping round and did figure that I can get TX, RX & Servos for 20 less if I buy seperately. However, I like the idea of buying the whole kit from the same supplier. The guys at the club assured me that I'll be fine with the 3001's whilst I'm starting out. In fact, a couple of the guys even told me to stick with the 3001 on the tail at the moment and buy the 9254 at a later date once I progress a little. As far as the battery is concerned, I was looking at 1700mah. However, 2000mah is not going to break the bank over the 1700 so if you reckon that will be more suitable then that's what I'll go for.

Now for the switch. Do you mean the switch that activates the receiver ? If so, I assumed that it would come with the receiver itself.

[Dedcalm]

If you bought the full radio set then you would get a switch but I dont think it will be a heavy duty switch. The thing to remember with heli's is that all 5 servos are always working all the time. This is not so true in planes where the standard switch is ok for most standard aircraft.
Also a large proportion of people have digital servo's in their heli's and these draw more current than analogue servo's.

Personally I would gp with the 9254 for the tail, it works very very well with the 401 or 502 gyro's. Using a slow 3001 would not do you any favours at all.

I would also recommend shopping around, you can always haggle the price for everything down based on other places prices... it does work as they will want the business Also if you are keen on the hobby it is cheaper in the long run to buy the best you can afford/get.

Note that the Rx pack should be Sub C sells rather than the AA packs that are normally included with radio sets. The Sub C cell can source much higher current than a same capacity AA cell. I have a 3300mAh sub C GP cell pack from overlander.co.uk (a highly rated battery supplier).

Hope this helps

Rob

[Ade_Law]

3001s for the cyclic/collective/throttle are "ok" for a 30 but do lack torque and resolution even for hovering. The main issue is the collective servo the others work fine. With the 3001 it will tend to make the model feel soggy in collective and be difficult to hold a nice height in the hover. the Futaba 3152 is an excellent servo for 25ukp

As deadcalm said, get the 9254 with a 401, the package of the 2 is around 160ukp and a good amount cheaper than buying them seperately.

stock switch isnt really up to the job long term although I did use one a while on a fully digital model and it worked fine but that doesnt mean it would always be like that.

Same with the battery, a sub C nicad pack is well over speced for the amperage we draw and thus, holds its voltage throught out the charge better.

Ade