Blade Vs Lama - Advice sort

[withnail]

Hi All,

I was lucky enough to be given an Esky Lama V3 for Christmas as a suprise present and have been bitten by the bug!

However, I've been having some problems. I get a lot of "glitching" with interference causing a loss of control every now and then. After learning the basics of hovering outside I've started flying indoors. This is where the glitches have become a problem. They have been the direct cause of one crash and have helped two others along the way. I have already spent over half the cost of a new Lama on spares.

Having read the advice on this excellent forum I am considering ditching the Lama and going for a Blade CX2 for the better radio gear and general quality. Obviously I could get a lot of Lama spares for the £120 the Blade costs and I do have a tight budget. So, what would you do in this situation? Any thoughts would be very welcome.

Cheers

Mark

[r.carder]

You could consider a twister medevac for around £85.
I have flown mine over a 100 times and its still going strong. When you
crash the parts are available quickly at a good price

Good luck with whatever get.

Roger

[Boggy]

before you ditch the lama try rerouting the ariel wiremake a small hole in the tip of the tail and route the wire through it and allow the remainder to hang free that may help.

if not the blade cx2 is an excellent heli and 2.4 defo helps

[moonmanflyer]

Don't fly around near tv's etc when they are on, turn them off as they can cause interferance.

[andy1974]

make sure the ariel on the tx is fully out and dont stand too close to the heli

[withnail]

Thanks for the advice. I have tried routing the ariel all over the place to see if I could solve the problem that way. It certainly reduced the interference when the ariel was well away from the motors, but it's still an issue. I hadn't realised a TV could cause problems, although it has always been off when I've been flying. I need at least 100% of my concentration on the heli!!

Is there anyone who has seen them both that could comment on the general build quality? The Lama isn't bad (especially considering the price tag) but looking at photos etc the Blade does look better.

Finally, if I do decide to splash out (and I think the 2.4 radio gear is swaying me towards it at the moment); which online store would people recommend? I don't like using ebay and would always go fo the most reliable rather than cheapest (as long as the difference wasn't that huge! ) I have been very happy with the parts supplier I have been using, but they don't stock the blade or it's spares.

Thanks again for replies

Mark

[Boggy]

strangley the blade makes alot more mechanical noise than the lama . but feels much better to fly. iwas going to say far more stable ,but to be fair a bit more stable would be acurate!. as far as price goes i think you'll just have to bite the bullet mate. they are so popular discounts just aint around! 2.4 ghz is the answer to your glitch problems every thing i fly uses it and exept for a battery failure ive had no problems at all.

look herehttp://www.hobbyhangar.co.uk/catalog...ew.php?pid=517for a starter

[M0nkeyj1m]

My blade is brilliant.. bought it from Midland Model Center bought spares from them too. Done some business with Birmingham Model Center mainly spares. Pays to shop around you can get 10 - 15 quid off the stock price.

Steer clear of Stockton Modeler completely un-helpful.

[scallybert]

[...]Having read the advice on this excellent forum I am considering ditching the Lama and going for a Blade CX2 for the better radio gear and general quality. Obviously I could get a lot of Lama spares for the £120 the Blade costs and I do have a tight budget. So, what would you do in this situation? Any thoughts would be very welcome.

I prattled on quite a bit about a LamaV4, Co-comanche and a CX2 at http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/showth...363#post106363 . Very much from a beginner's perspective.

It possibly doesn't answer your question, but might be useful.

In your position, I think I'd stick with the Lama at least a bit longer, as I reckon the crashes will be cheaper, and even if you fix the glitch issue, you're still likely to have some crashes.

[withnail]

Thanks to all who have posted a reply. I also have some good (fingers crossed) news. After reading Boggys advice on routing the ariel via the tail, I thought back and realised that when I tried this, it was only for a short time. A non-glitch induced crash led to me replace the tail and I reverted to having the ariel at the front of the heli. I have now threaded the ariel through the tail and have left the remaining hanging from the rear. So far so good - no glitches at all, not even a twitch of the blades when the TX is at minimum throttle. It will be a couple of days before I am 100% sure this has solved the problem as the interference didn't occur every time I flew.

I have also upgraded the blades. I had been given some spares from a friend who bought a large bag of them cheap on ebay. I don't think they where very well balanced as they iincreased vibration and reduced control. In the spirit of giving my Lama another go before ditching it, I got a set of the white extreme blades. The difference is amazing! A lot more lift (so lower RPMs) and only the slightest adjustment was needed to get the tracking right. They are also easier to see which helps a newbie like me.

So, I am back practicing my hover and spot landings in the front room with not a care in the world as to the weather outside. It's my birthday in a couple of months so I may still ask my beloved fiance for a Blade CX2, but in the mean time I am back in the air!

Thanks again

Mark

[Boggy]

glad you near sorted mark! one more thing ..basic, really even though your indoors pull your tx ariel right out. (alot of people think this is not needed at close range with obvious results!!)

[withnail]

Thanks - Although I remember from my C.B. Radio days back in the mid '80s, that you should always fully extend the ariel. Apart from anything else, a semi-extended ariel can cause damage to the TX