Performance comparison between a Goblin 570 and Trex 550

[chrisleematt21]

I have been thinking about getting another Heli, I like the size of the 550's and I really like the look of the Goblin 570.
I would probably have a 6s setup rather than the 12s.

I would really like to know if the Goblin is "that" much better than the trex. Is there much of a performance difference between the two heli's as the Goblin 570 and the parts seem to be quite a bit more than the Trex, but is it worth it?

I would really like opinions from people of have flown both and have done a true comparison.

I have only ever flown Align helis so dont really know what the other brands are like.

I have looked to see if the question has been asked before but I couldn't find anything.

[tomatwalden]

I haven't got those two helis, but I had a Trex500 in the past and now have a Goblin 500 and 630.

"Performance" isn't the right word, since that's very much more dependent on LIPO, ESC, Motor etc. ... nothing to do with the heli as such.

It's just a different beast. The engineering on the Goblins with the two-stage reduction gearing and the servo layout is a nicer IMHO and the belt drive makes for a very distinctive sound in-flight.

Personally I find the big boom of the Goblins makes them easier to see in the sky than traditional pod+boom models, which seems to make me fly them better, but that's very subjective.

Ultimately, the Goblin can't do anything that the Aligns can't, and an Align with a better power train will out-power a Goblin (and vice-versa of course!).

FWIW, I really like the Goblins!

[chrisleematt21]

As you say performance probably is the wrong, im just curious to find out if a goblin is worth the extra money? I like the idea of it being more visible. And i have seen various images and it looks like its easier to work on. I have heard though that even a light crash can damage far more on the goblin than the same crash on a trex so are they as durable?

[tomatwalden]

Well, I've only crashed my G500 once, and it wasn't that big. I flipped inverted in normal mode (won't make THAT mistake again!). The total damage was £30 ish. The booms are held on by break-away plastic bolts (as are the landing skids). If they do their job, damage can be quite minimal. In my case, both went and I ended up replacing a landing skid, breakaway bolts, and a few other odds and sods.

A light crash therefore will possibly cost you LESS than another heli due to those break-away components.

There's no getting away from the fact though that the big wrap around canopy and carbon fibre boom are more expensive that Align equivalents. But then, the Align's aren't really equivalent. Also, non-Canomod booms and canopies can be had much cheaper now from places like helidirect.com

That lovely engineering around the gearing also is more complex / more expensive than a simple pinion and main gear on an Align or similar.

If money is really a concern, perhaps consider a second hand G500. With the G570 now out, they can be picked up fairly cheap. Stick 520mm blades on them, and they're only just barely smaller than a 550 anyway!

[cupracing]

I find the goblins very inefficient but can take big power. There is something about the goblins though, they are just really special and get a lot of nice comments on them.

they are helis I will never part with even if I gave up the hobby

[chrisleematt21]

Well, I've only crashed my G500 once, and it wasn't that big. I flipped inverted in normal mode (won't make THAT mistake again!). The total damage was £30 ish. The booms are held on by break-away plastic bolts (as are the landing skids). If they do their job, damage can be quite minimal. In my case, both went and I ended up replacing a landing skid, breakaway bolts, and a few other odds and sods.

A light crash therefore will possibly cost you LESS than another heli due to those break-away components.

There's no getting away from the fact though that the big wrap around canopy and carbon fibre boom are more expensive that Align equivalents. But then, the Align's aren't really equivalent. Also, non-Canomod booms and canopies can be had much cheaper now from places like helidirect.com

That lovely engineering around the gearing also is more complex / more expensive than a simple pinion and main gear on an Align or similar.

If money is really a concern, perhaps consider a second hand G500. With the G570 now out, they can be picked up fairly cheap. Stick 520mm blades on them, and they're only just barely smaller than a 550 anyway!

IM SO GLAD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS DONE THAT!!!I did it a couple of weeks ago with my 550 luckily there was no damage, it floated down and kept it level plus I fly in a hay field so a nice soft landing.

I like the idea of the break away parts could save a bit on crash costs.

[ragge1]

Well, I've only crashed my G500 once, and it wasn't that big. I flipped inverted in normal mode (won't make THAT mistake again!). The total damage was £30 ish. The booms are held on by break-away plastic bolts (as are the landing skids). If they do their job, damage can be quite minimal. In my case, both went and I ended up replacing a landing skid, breakaway bolts, and a few other odds and sods.

A light crash therefore will possibly cost you LESS than another heli due to those break-away components.

my advice , setup your normal mode to do stunt flight , I don't have normal mode on any of my helis
with this you can enjoy three ( if you got N : st1 : st2 ) different HS and fly 3D even in Normal mode

[tomatwalden]

my advice , setup your normal mode to do stunt flight , I don't have normal mode on any of my helis
with this you can enjoy three ( if you got N : st1 : st2 ) different HS and fly 3D even in Normal mode

The problem is I have auto-bailout on my ESCs. They all work by having throttle hold at non-zero (eg. 15%). You then need something at zero to arm the ESC. So, three stunt modes won't work as the ESC will never arm.

My only alternative is to either disable bailout, or having normal mode as a flat zero.

[chrisleematt21]

The other option is to remember what mode we are in.... probably the easiest option lol....

[Bavers777]

The goblin feels a lot more locked in to me and is quite slippery in flight, the sound is very aggressive and I have to agree with the others here its an amazing heli both in terms of engineering and pure pleasure to fly. The trex 550 always gets great reviews and I'm sure ultimately it's much cheaper to repair in a proper crash. Loading batteries in the goblin is a bit of a pain but apart from that its awesome in the air.

[Bavers777]

Ps most importantly go for what your heart desires as anything less will be second place.... Both helis are very good...

[chrisleematt21]

Good point, I think I might get a goblin as it looks cool, sounds like it flies well and might as well try something different. Can always sell it if I don't like it. I looked at the logo as well but the parts don't seem to be as readily available as the goblin and the trex.

[Bavers777]

If you don't like the goblin I would be amazed its not really like anything else out there.

[maddog7]

I've got a G570 and trex 500/600/700 (but not 550!)
The Goblin is defo different and what Bavers says makes a lot of sense to me when he he talks of heart desires.
It's defo more visible (well my yellow/red one certainly is!) and the deep boom section really helps to see it.
It's heavy though, compared to my logo 500 which is only an inch shorter it's noticeably so and feels like it has more inertia in the air. Not necessarily a bad thing, again just different.
The design is nice and the two stage transmission sounds great but I have to say I don't think the build quality is as good as modern Align. To give an example on the machined parts of the Goblin you can see the tool entry and exit points very clearly, something you can't with Align parts. It's still a lovely heli though and is a pleasure to build. SAB are also still king for blades IMHO.

Depending on your character type and how flush you are you might want to consider that the more expensive and beautiful the helicopter the less likely you are to "fly it like you stole it"

If you don't already have batts, I'd take a look into going 12s. Less stress on the system all round and better long term battery life. Oh and more power!

If you do go G570 be careful with motor selection, if you get something too tall it won't fit under the work of art canopy and you'll either have to look for something shorter or hack the cano (nasty)

You couldn't really go far wrong with either TBH............
Cheers
D

[bladeboy400]

i have just gone with the goblin, 570 with a 6 s set up, pyro 650 1030kv and a jive esc, 23 tooth pinion idle 1 at 60 percent full on for 4 mins 30 and there is plenty of power, tic tocs and climb outs, hurricanes funnels, piro flips the tail speed is so constant its great. I got this as i have a 600 nitro basher and wanted to try another heli and it looks cooler, I do love align for out the box and go fly it though. they are good and the spares are cheap, that depends on how hard it goes in though. happy flying bye