doing it on the cheap

[Cagey]

I'm fed up with paying top dollar all the time for Align parts, especially as I'm getting so good at smacking 'em in ( My 450's had more bangs than Kate Moss ! )
So with that in mind, not the Kate bit. What is the general consensus of opinion regarding HK 450 flybarred kits ? I've seen a few fly, even doing mild aeros like loops, rolls flips and didn't give too bad a performance.
Given that they're cheaper than chips and claim to be 99 % compatible with Align, can they be worth a punt ?
Anyone got experience with them and can give positive opinions, I'd be grateful for any feedback fellows.
Cheers cagey.

[GIXERMAN]

I'm seen them for sale in the past, and the ad normal reads most parts have been changed to align!

[Granpappy]

The cheapest option is probably not to crash it so much. My 450SE V2 is a bit of a wild thing but I generally manage to keep it off the deck until I land it.

I guess the best bet is to try the HK parts when you need them and judge for your self.

[waveydavey]

Top dollar for Align parts, you want to try Synergy

[dillwhacker]

HK machined metal parts are mostly sheet I reckon.
Bearings, shafts, swash, grips, pitch-links etc are poorly and inaccurately machined out of an alloy that resembles a mix of Plasticine and Lead.
IMO.

[kenny d]

I have 3 align trex pro's that I use for pushing the boat , The answer for me is to use Chinese consumables at a fraction of the cost , a crash cost me around a £7
a typical carsh would be Main shaft , feathering shaft , main gear , 1 dfc link & tt gears , Total. Around £7
a lot less than a crash with a 180cfc !!

main gear £ 0.52p
tt drive gear. £ 1.50
F/G main blades. £ 3.00
tail boom £ 0.50
tail supports. £ 2.50
tail stabiliser £ 2.40
Canopy. £ 7.00
skids. £ 2.00
feathering shaft. £ 0.20

i buy everything else align , I've been doing this for years , works for me

[Mikej]

Kenny makes a very good point there - a lot of the "consumables" can be bought very reasonably and are good enough - which is all that you need.

All clones are not equal though - the Tarot is much better quality than the HobbyKing as are the spares - some o fthe HK stuff has a lot of slop.

To be honest there are so many good deals on secondhand Trex 450s - I would go that way, and use Tarot spares for consumables (main gears, shafts, booms, belt / Torque tube), get bearings from RCBearings.

This is based upon having 1 x Trex 450 Pro, 1 x Tarot 450 Pro and one generic HK 450 Pro (plus a Copterx 450 SEV2, a generic 450 SEV2 and 2 x Trex 450XL previously).

Cheers,
Mike

[Grumpy]

I had a HK 450 Pro DFC... The qaulity of the 'fixed' parts is generally fine but parts like the swash and tail mechanism I found tend to wear out very quickly compared to genuine Align components, ao I'd avoid those. Also the gears I found tended to strip easily which caused me a few crashes, so I'd avoid those too.

[woodsta888]

Maybe an investment in a flybarless unit with rescue could pay for itself quickly. I don't know how good it is but the Neuron at ~£99 would be cheap enough for a 450 size heli. Save hrs of down time repairing too. Align parts are relatively cheap compared to other manufacturers and easy to procure usually. Hats off for continually pushing yourself - albeit into the ground! Must be an expert in 450 rebuilds - only positive from crashing regularly.

[mole hunter]

If it's 450 stuff you're after you can do a lot worse than Tarot.

Tarot 450 PRO V2 FBL Flybarless RC Heli ARF TL20006 Flybarless Tarot 450 PRO V2 FBL Helicopter Flybarless [61751] - $119.00 : ooModel.com

I've had my 500esp (no longer available) for about 4yrs now and it's been spot on. Some say that they may even come out of the Align factory and are aimed at the far east market. The quality of the components is on a par with Align in my eyes.

Cheers,
Marty

P.S. OOmodel are good to deal with and delivery is normally 1 week.