MFA 500 Sport

[Topgun1981]

Guys and Gals,

I have wanted an RC helicopter for years but i've never had the money or the time to get the ball rolling...
But a few day's ago a colleague at work handed me from the boot of his car a very dirty and sadly incomplete MFA 500 Sport (or at least i think it is)
I've had a look around on the net and from what i can gather they are a bit of an old relic these day's
What i need is sound advice.....!
From what i can see it's missing some pretty vital components;

Engine
rotor blades
cockpit

It does have i think are all the servo's wiring, belt, the main structure seems fairly sound. but it's all very very dusty and dirty.

Am i flogging a dead horse or is it feasible to get this thing fixed and air worthy again??
I don't have any plans/instructions so i wouldn't know what i need to complete it or what parts i need. does anybody know where i could find this information? or does anybody have some lying around??

Any help with my dilemma would be greatly appreciated! either replying to the thread or email me direct

Thanks
Keith
krdavis@hotmail.co.uk

[Mart61]

Hi there and welcome aboard.

I'm not expert on this model but I note that the member Asid have one in his sig. perhaps, if you dropped him a PM, he may help?

Here's a link to his profile: http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/members/asid.html

Perhaps try Gav too: http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/members/gav.html

[lloyde]

Keith

Many years ago (20 to be exaxt), I was very interested in getting an RC Heli, I saved me pennies and was aiming to buy a Kyosho Concept 30, but being a bit naive at the time, in the magazing was a guy selling an MFA500 Collective for £200 with everything to fly less radio. I brought the heli and found it had the wrong engine, therefore £80 for new engine, had to buy all the radio gear, etc. The heli never flew properly, the club members tried and tried but it never worked. The clutch kept burning out, the blades would never track. In the end I sold it to a model shop for spares. Personally, I would keep saving your pennies, invest in the Phoenix Simulator, buy a good entry level computer radio, Futuba FF7 for example and get some simulator time in over the winter period, and if you have the money by Easter, invest in a good quality heli, nitro or electric, TREX type or similar and find a good club. That way you will progress. The MFA is a load of rubbish, and I can say from experience. I bet you would end up spending more on getting it flying than the cost of a new heli. Hope this helps.

[Topgun1981]

Cheers for that lloyde you've made my mind up for me!! A new one it is! Any suggestions on a good all in one ready to fly kit? Radio transmitter the lot? 3D one maybe!?

[POLAR BEAR]

Ok so you wont some sound advise, so lets not beat about the bush!
Its an out dated pile of cr*p dont waist money on it!! just save some money and get a modern heli that you can get parts for and put modern gear it it that you can rely on but hey thats just my opinion!!

[Mart61]

Cheers for that lloyde you've made my mind up for me!! A new one it is! Any suggestions on a good all in one ready to fly kit? Radio transmitter the lot? 3D one maybe!?

Can you give us some idea of your budget?

[Topgun1981]

As it's my first one £200-£300 all in ready to fly

[Gav]

MFA 500!! The first heli I ever owned!

I got another one couple of years ago to restore. Let me know if you need any help or information on parts etc as it is still quite fresh in my mind.

Heavy mechanical beast - needs constant care and attention before each flight but it will fly lol.

I soon sold the one I restored as it really was aweful to fly compared with modern helis! If I were you I would probably leave it unless you are keen to get it working again. It is a museum piece.
If you do get it working you'll soon be after a decent heli lol



here was one of the first hovers I did with the one I restored from the sorry heap I bought it in - bit wobbly as the main blade dampeners were shot.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUbvTKd2Gu0"]YouTube - MFA Sport 500 1st Hover[/ame]

[Mart61]

As it's my first one £200-£300 all in ready to fly

Is this your very first heli? If so, take a peek at an earlier response I posted:

http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/beginn...tml#post353653

[Asid]

A long long time ago in a galaxy........

OOps sorry

Many years ago i wanted an rc heli. The shop sold me an MFA fixed pitch. I built it. Got it checked over and......IT WAS CRAP!!!!!

Things kept falling off (i used red threadlock strongest possible). Things would crack or break.

I was convinced to buy the collective conversion.

Built and managed to get it off the ground. Things fell off and cracked .....

This is my advice with that heli

Run and keep running.

It will be like



Buy something current.

Did i say the MFA was no good? I was wrong its worse.

Regards

[pchristy]

Did i say the MFA was no good? I was wrong its worse.

They were so bad that at one time even Maplins couldn't shift them!!!

--
Pete

[Asid]

I figured out after spending loads of money and time on the thing what MFA stood for:

MY F&*%$&G AR%E

It is a good model yeah MY F&*%$&G AR%E

[Biggles]

Complete the lot with a nice MDS engine!!!!

[SRH990]

My first heli too in tasty fixed pitch version. Never got a sucessful flight out of it, once had the throttle linkage fall off and the POS Irvine 40 motor in it had a spring loaded barrel which defaulted to WIDE OPEN! Damn thing climbed to a great height, motor started to overheat, heli came down, engine picked up again etc. etc., finally Mark Leavsley grabbed the skids when it got low enough - not recommended!

Next heli was a Kalt Cyclone, one of the early ones that used a smooth tail belt - don't get one of these either!

[DT39]

As it's my first one £200-£300 all in ready to fly

Hi welcome to the forum.
I would say go for a Blade 400 as you get DX6i with it everthing you need for £299.00 but you would need some more lipo's.
I would not go for it without at least having a go on a sim or a coaxial to at least get some idea of what goes on, this is assuming that you have not done any flying before.
Also you can't beet joining a good club for help and the best start into the hobby.

I had the mfa sport many years ago and it ended up in many bits on it's first outing that is the first outing where it i did manage to start it!