What to do now: Repair or Replace?

[andylinney]

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I had a mechanical failure on my Sceadu, well despite threadlock and checking it on Saturday the screw holding the ball onto my pitch servo came off and as a result my heli ran out of sky and bit the dirt... The crash was in fairness quite light and the main blades survived as the heli came in skids first.

My shopping list has totalled £144.90 for the bits that need replaced (Bloody Hirobo spares prices!!!!)

So, here's the thing.

With a bill like that I'm almost into new kit territory (about £200ish) and with what I've got left I see that Sceadu spares get reasonable money on fleabay (cos I'm sad and keep an eye on this sort of thing) so I reckon I might rustle up a few quid on there with what's survived.

So do I repair the current model or replace with another kit. I know that if I change to another kit that the T-Rex 600n is top of the pile (spares pricing as much as anything else). I'm in no hurry here as we're also getting married in November so it may have to wait but I'm turning to you lot to see what you'd do in my position.

[Leebert]

Sorry to hear that the Scooby-doo hit the dirt

As you already keep an eye on, and know what spares go for on ebay, I would go for selling the parts.
Then, with the money go for a 600 or a Knight Sport kit, both of which, IMHO, are great value for the money. Both are cheap and the Sport has excellent support.

Make sure you get it well before November though - you might not be allowed afterwards
Congrats mate

[Ade_Law]

leebert you forgot the knight 3d :-)

Ade

[Kwickkwack]

Sorry to hear of your crash, Is your repair costs for airframe parts only? if so then a new kit may be the way to go, other things to consider would be.
Spares, Do you a lot for you Scooby if so a new kit will render them useless to you
If some of the repair costs are for electics etc you will need to add these to the cost of the kit if they are.
Ultimately I guess it is all about what you want and what you are happy with.
Which ever way you go enjoy it.

[jiberjaber]

A knight sport would leave you with plenty of spare(s) change. I think there about 150 ish quid.

[andylinney]

It's all airframe spares unfortunately so a new kit may be the best option I think. The engine , pipe and electronics all seem fine so it'd be a simple transfer of bits. I'm not wanting to (or in a position to) spend a fortune on an airframe. I'd considered the Knight but it seems there's a fair bit of work to do on them (although I must confess to being impressed by the transparency of RSP Blakes posts, always seems honest and helpful).

Really I'm looking for something that's steady like the Sceadu in the hover with reasonable performance. I don't need a rocket just yet. Would consider 2nd hand too to be fair.

Andy

[barney]

Well..Andy If you opt for moving away from the Sceadu you are also looking to get 3 matching servo's for a CCPM system for a Rexy 600 etc. circa £200!

If the Sceadu is not the limiting factor (unlikely) a repair would be a better option as it will take a quite a number of crashes to make up the difference to get close to breaking even...

Trouble is every crash is different and while the Mainshaft/spindle/boom etc are cheap... if you break the 600N frames your looking at close on £100 for them alone.

I currently have 2 x 600N's but no personal flying experience of the Knights/Vibe but If I was to buy another 50 my short list would be as follows with the reasons..

General crash costs, parts availability 600N. Vibe 50 Expensive but good quality (had a good nosey at it) parts supply possibly a bit iffy. The Knight 3D..middle of the road prices ( apparently flies great) again parts availability is unknown to me.

Note there ALL CCPM models requiring those 3 new servos ££££'s
To me the Knight 3D is an unknown qty, not even seen one in the flesh yet...I would really have to try one before I reached for the credit card + satisfy myself on parts support. Vibe..Na ££££'s I'll chuck it in the dirt sooner rather than later anyway.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the road etc etc

[Leebert]

It's not that bad! Mrs Leebert's Sport has Futaba 3152s on the CCPM and they are around £22 each, possibly less if you order from HK.
The Sport flies well with them and is responsive enough for me (rolls, flips etc).

I was going to mention the 3D Ade but IMHO the Sport takes some beating for value.

There are a couple of issues but they can be eradicated at the build stage. Since Rob give Mrs Leeberts Sport an 'MOT' it's been as good as gold with the only issue being a tail vibe that was traced to a bent tail output shaft after a heavy landing.

[andylinney]

well I think it's decided - I've got a bunch of stuff to go on Ebay so I'll get the auctions on during this afternoon and see what comes in. Time to start looking around for a good deal... Looking on Ebay and around the main stores for a rexy 600n or Knight if I can find the right deal (2nd hand or new).

[xygax]

I can recomend the knight i have one and its a good strong heli and the bits are reasonable.

Steve

[Jamez]

You won't find another heli that fly's like the sceadu.

[Ade_Law]

i think you will find there isnt much difference in the spares prices between the 600 and knight and certainly cheaper than the sceadu. One thing i love about the knight is that its got a couple of weak links that when you crash it hard it will break those. I have never broken upper/lower mixers in a crash only the odd blade grip here and there. the belt is neigh on unbrakeable and ball bearings in the grips are the same as the synergy uses so they are pretty damn tough too.

the point is that ime, you break less on a knight which makes up for the marginally higher individual cost of parts.

as for availability? sure a lot of LHS dont stock compass parts but a lot of LHS dont carry any heli parts other than a couple of raptor flybars! fast lad and evo RC carry a full stock of parts both are very quick to ship..

finally compass team as you have seen are very eager to help. Im almost always available on the phone as is rob then of course there is climbout themselves we dont cover up problems which leaves you knowing exactly where you stand with your heli rather than having to read between the lines and info from fellow fliers.

hope this helps.

Ade

[jiberjaber]

Not wanting to sound too pro-compass, but the after-sales support I have had is second to none.

I was in a similar situation a couple of weeks ago after decapitating the raptor at 100 feet, from the three candidates T600n, Vibe50 or Knight. I had a 240 ish quid repair bill excluding main blades.

• The Vibe was too expensive for what it was at an average price of £405
• T600n Sport seems to need a lot of after-purchase upgrades to fly OK (apparently) and weighed in at 224 average price
• T600n Pro has all the additional parts needed but costs an average of 320
• The Knight Sport comes in at 159 average price
• The Knight 3D comes in at an average proce of 266

The K3D came in around 260 ish plus a couple of quid for the YS50 motor mount and seemed the better option of what was available for around that price band.

Not sure if there are any/many post-purchase fixes you need to do to the knights to be fair, the 'mods' I have done are moving a couple of metal posts around to different locations as suggested by Rob when he popped in the other day, but this is on the 3D, the sport may be different.

Crash kit for the 3D is only 15 quid, thats boom, supports, flybar, main and feathering shafts - half the cost of the raptor crash kit for example.

The only annoyance I have had is the 'jesus bolt' on the main gear being a bit fiddly to get too, but this is being looked at as I understand from Rob.

Obviously this is all IMHO, YMMV and it is easy to oversing something because you have made the decision to buy it, but I do think it is a nice heli.

[fatmantom]

i can recomend the knight 3d. specially for some one that might not be so clued up on how heli's work... the support available is invaluable.

they also fly quite nicely!

[Andy from Sandy]

If that £144 is just helicopter bits or does it include electronics? If it is just for the model then you are £36 short of buying a brand new Sceadu from Inwoods and I think about £20 short of a Knight Sport. At the cost of those spares it sounds like a right off to me. You could check out RC Power Supply in HK as the cost of the parts will be substancially less.