Goblin 380 vs Trex 470LM

[muscleflex]

Hi all - does anyone have a photo comparing the two? I want to see mainly size and height difference. I kinda fancy a new heli so trying to decide on the two.
Thanks

[miskin]

Align 470 LP alongside a Devil 380 (SAB 380 Clone )





Anthony

[muscleflex]

Perfect!
How come your Devil looks smaller? I saw a youtube (nitrokyosho) comparing gob 380 to 450L and the goblin was bigger. Is the 470 a whole lot bigger than the 450L then?

Also can you PM me where you got your Devil from? What do you think to it? recommended or not?
Thanks

Align 470 LP alongside a Devil 380 (SAB 380 Clone )





Anthony

[miskin]

To be Honest I think its the camera Angle . They are Both roughly the same size . The 380 looks taller but I think thats down to the upgraded Skids. I purchased them as I will be mainly flying from Grass.

I also purchased the SAB Swashplate as when I was installing the balls I dropped the swash and snapped the Ball . I Tried to get it out but I couldnt . I just gave up and brought the original SAB one .

I Did email the company and they have sent a replacment free of charge .

I would Rather Build the SAB/Clone over the Align to be honest it was just a nicer build.

I have Only had a hover of the Devil 380 in the Garden. I was planning to have some flights last week but Havent had the chance yet .. Ive flown the 470 and I never had any Issues in the 4 flights I have had with it .

Anthony

[glenflyer]

Here's my 380 and the 450l

[DaveG]

SAB for me, Align have become a follower rather than a leader! the goblins are leaps ahead of anything they are producing at the moment in terms of innovation, quality and design.

Align are good but they have lost the edge, and they lack the ability to innovate so just regurgitate the same models over and over with borrowed ideas and trends from other manufacturers. SAB have that innovation in spades.

I would go with the 380 or the 420, the 380 would also give you the chance to stretch to the 420 at a later time with no change to the power plant or batteries just minor parts change. Food for thought on that point.

[Grumpy]

SAB for me, Align have become a follower rather than a leader! the goblins are leaps ahead of anything they are producing at the moment in terms of innovation, quality and design.

As an owner of both SABs and Goblins I take your point in some respects, except for the quality comment (I don't think there is very much in it in that respect TBH).. However what does need to be considered in all of this is price. Innovative or not, Align make some really good helis at a price point that in Super Combo format is about 1/2 to 2/3 of what buying and equipping a SAB (or most other brand) would cost. The 470 is a great example and the 700X is another, both fantastic helis at great prices. Admittedly not all the helis in Align's range are great, but IMHO best to judge each model on it's merits, not on the brand name.

The 'lack of innovation' is an accusation that you could level at most heli manufacturers out there at the moment. Even SAB have been recycling the same design for years (though they do admittedly have some very different new stuff in development)

[Varelco]

What about Mikado??? They have been churning out those boring rubbish plastic framed helis for years.......

I wouldn't place SAB any higher than Align tbh, having owned both, they are both very different, each have their merits and downfalls, going from my experience SABs build quality is definitely worse than Align. Whilst you can't dispute the innovative side of SAB, they way the look, the way they fly, the mundane Trex range is the work horse of this hobby and that can never be disputed.

I'd still own both, I know where I stand with each brand

[trillian]

So has the 420 now become essentially the same size as the original Trex 500?

[Grumpy]

So has the 420 now become essentially the same size as the original Trex 500?

Yes, near enough the same size.

[cjm180]

When I came back to this hobby I went from a raptor to an align 450L, then up to a 600L. I love both the helis and to be honest have flown fantastic. I have not crashed either of them in the two years of ownership. The only work I have had to do on either of them was change the blade dampers on the 450l.I recently bought a 570KSE, and I can say the build was a lot easier, miles easier in fact, with a fantastic manual. But that's not to say the align manuals are not good enough, as they are, just not as clear as the SAB stuff.Quality wise everything on both my aligns were fine on the build and as said fine since. The 570 however I had a bad swash plate right out the box. It had excessive play in it, the stationary part moved excessively to the rotating part. Long story short I got some replacement bearings. When I got the old bearing out, it was completely missing the bearing guard from side that's facing into the swash. So basically if I had not of noticed the play, the swash would of failed quickly anyway, as nothing was on one side to hold the lubricant in or stop debris going in. That's a massive quality failure for me, as the bearing has been installed faulty from the beginning. A little bit of care and looking at the bearing you would of seen it straight away.Everything else on the goblin build went well!I also do like the fact there is gearing options on the goblins, but not on the aligns!!

[cjm180]

But quickly to add, grumpy is bang on with the price. And that is a good thing. The aligns are great machines and very well priced. Is the differences between the 380 and align big enough to warrant the extra cash!

Personally for what my aligns cost I think they are great machines

[scallybert]

When I came back to this hobby I went from a raptor to an align 450L, then up to a 600L. I love both the helis and to be honest have flown fantastic. I have not crashed either of them in the two years of ownership. The only work I have had to do on either of them was change the blade dampers on the 450l.I recently bought a 570KSE, and I can say the build was a lot easier, miles easier in fact, with a fantastic manual. But that's not to say the align manuals are not good enough, as they are, just not as clear as the SAB stuff.Quality wise everything on both my aligns were fine on the build and as said fine since. The 570 however I had a bad swash plate right out the box. It had excessive play in it, the stationary part moved excessively to the rotating part. Long story short I got some replacement bearings. When I got the old bearing out, it was completely missing the bearing guard from side that's facing into the swash. So basically if I had not of noticed the play, the swash would of failed quickly anyway, as nothing was on one side to hold the lubricant in or stop debris going in. That's a massive quality failure for me, as the bearing has been installed faulty from the beginning. A little bit of care and looking at the bearing you would of seen it straight away.Everything else on the goblin build went well!I also do like the fact there is gearing options on the goblins, but not on the aligns!!

Yes.

What I've liked about the 500 Goblins is that you can build the heli you want, rather than what Align have decided is in fashion at the time. This is largely down to gearing flexibility, but some other things, too.

When I first got a T-Rex 450 Pro, I was rather taken with it. Mine are subsequently a mass of upgrade parts, but they're good. Possibly my main bugbear is that I've always struggled to replace the umbrella gears &/or bearings.

The Align super-combos have a massive price advantage; but maybe you get what you pay for wrt servos, etc. MKS & BK do seem to make a difference.

Not good about your 570KSE swash.

What really put me off Align was my experience with a 550L, where the pack choice seemed limited, and I seemed constrained to a high head speed (due to the tail gearing). This was where I jumped to 500 Goblins.

So, I wouldn't avoid Align - provided they make the heli you want to fly (or you can get aftermarket parts to custimise, etc).