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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 24, 2012 20:03:48 GMT
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Crispy
500+
"Done me wrong," it's the same old song" - forever
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Post by Crispy on Feb 24, 2012 20:30:39 GMT
Mike, that sure looks a bloody strong piece of kit, not like the rescue helicopter below
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2012 20:30:51 GMT
They look really nice, Mike. I've been toying around with the idea of one for a long time but stuck with the Sky Taxi.
Did yours get whacked badly then? Mines' still going strong but only one extremely calm days or in a gym.
It is really nice to have one that you feel secure with that's big for outdoor flying. The little ones just disappear once you get 40/50 feet away. You kind of feel that you've lost contact with them, but the big 'uns not only look fantastic in the air, but are easily seen.
BTW, the receiver is 6 channel and the transmitter only 4. I wonder whether the gyro can be switched up and down with one of the channels like on the CX3? Very handy. I have no idea what the 6th channel could be used for. (Landing gear?)
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 24, 2012 21:22:24 GMT
No no.... I gave it to Shaun in the bike shop, he loves flying them but his partner doesn't like him buying them so I gave it to him... I think he's smacked it a couple of times and awaiting new blades.
I kinda went off the "big bertha" / flying walrus outdoor coaxials buit for some reason fancy one again... according to the guy at KoolToyz, the Big Lama is fit for outdoor duty... the sky taxi was a bit, erm, predisposed to plummet out of the sky making a clattering sound at the slightest hint of a breeze and, thus, not fit for dedicated outdoor duty IMO... the spares were also a pain in the butt and those comedians who sent me a new shaft / flybar in a jiffy bag / (their main suppliers) which arrived MORE "bent" than the parts they were replacing... they told me that Ansmaan sent "them" the parts in a jiffy bag etc. etc. etc... a bunch of absolute jokers... the likes of RC choppers and Kooltoyz send EVERYTHING in a stout cardboard box.
I think it's very important to consider after sales / spare parts availability and Ansmaan are just useless in that respect... KoolToyz are probably the best I have come across with regard to unbiased advice, full range of spares and general EXCELLENT customer service... the guy who runs the joint actually flies them and is really passionate / helpful (unlike John Cleese, sorry "John Cleeve", at BuzzFlyer.... he's a pompous, patronising oaf) It's good to know that if things go tits up help, guidance and spares are only a phone call away and KoolToyz inspire me with confidence in that respect.
I bought a set of extreme blades from them just before Christmas (for the MCX) and they were DIRE! Far from an upgrade, the MCX flew like a dog with them attached.... I mentioned this today and he AGREED that they were shite and have stopped selling them... if that was John Cleese he'd have accused me of baking the blades in an oven or something... KoolToyz have a good working relationship with "extreme" and they actually interact with them when some of their "upgrades" turn out to be downgrades resulting in improvements... Buzzflyer just tell the customer he's flown the helicopter over a cooker and melted it.... that John Cleese guy reminds me of a traditional (bad type) boutique audio salesman.... all knowing, all seeing, all doing, pumped up like a peacock little shite who thinks he is doing YOU a favour selling you something... telling YOU how it should sound and (if you don't like the sound) telling you there's something wrong with your hearing, your listening room, your taste in music, your interconnects, your job, your lawnmower, your dress sense.... no WAY could it possibly be the equipment itself that isn't up to scratch......
Anyhoo..... I'll be back with a full rundown on the Big Lama Pro as soon as it arrives (Monday I hope).
Mike.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 28, 2012 20:28:33 GMT
She arrived this afternoon! Charged up the battery and took a vid of the maiden flight (it's uploading now)... absolute piece of cake to fly, very similar to the MCX2 but obviously a much larger version with more power. I haven't flung her about the place (yet) just a gingerly flight to get acquainted.... I'd imagine this would be superb outdoors as it has the oomph (and weight) to bite into slight breezes. The build quality of these ESKY helicopters is superb but the Big Lama is not as elaborate as the Honey Bee CP3 in this department... no heatsinks on the motors (don't need them, it's not as fast) and a slightly less rigid feel to it overall.... only two screws holding the canopy on so maintenance will be easy, just a case of removing the blades and popping the canopy off. For me, this is more of a behaving like a normal helicopter type thing rather than one that flies upside down and loops the loop... this will look good up in the sky just "hovering" Seems pretty easy to control indoors too, nowhere near as flaky as the Sky Taxi... pop her up and she's pretty precise... nice and smooth, steady and agile when need be. I'll definitely be taking it along to the helicopter club on Sunday... only the "one" battery for it at the moment but a few more on their way... battery is simple to insert / remove so you can replace batteries within seconds which is good... you basically slot it into the frame and the battery mates with a piece of velcro (battery has a piece on the end of it) nice idea.... simples. I'll post the maiden flight as soon as it has uploaded to youtube.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 29, 2012 8:10:08 GMT
Here she is
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2012 8:52:05 GMT
It looks quite a bit more nimble than the Sky Taxi, Mike. The Taxi doesn't have enough power to fight breezes outside and can be difficult to keep still in the slightest puff. That looks as though it might be a lot better.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 29, 2012 9:14:46 GMT
It doesn't go forward like a rocket but will do as soon as I bring the battery forward as per these mods: It goes like a rocket "backwards" which proves the battery needs bringing forward to give a bit more oomph when flying forwards.... I love it, my favourite coaxial so far
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2012 21:42:05 GMT
Same problems as the Taxi - bade slap and slow forward. That makes the Taxi hard to push through breezes but brilliant indoors.
I think the Lama flies with a bit more enthusiasm than the Taxi which lumbers about pretty slow in comparison.It looks as though it's lighter in weight as well.
I haven't had problems with the Taxi but I think that the Lama is a better flyer.
I think it's just a bit smaller too isn't it? I really like the look of them.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 29, 2012 21:50:12 GMT
Absolutely LOVE it now! I've had two flights with it since it arrived and it's a great buzz holding her in the air.... I see what Ian means now about learning to "hover"... it's not too difficult to throw them about the place but hovering in a set spot is very hard to master. I took the Lama into the bike shop today and couldn't even take off in the confined space.... we are talking maybe 1.5 metres wide (one point five metres) with bikes either side.... quite literally a 1 squared "metre" zone to hover in.... I asked Sam if he'd like a go and he was his usual "no, I may crash it" type of self.... I said "go on!" He managed to hold it perfectly in hover for over two minutes in that extremely confined space.... maybe 5 inches "MAX" drift at times.... that showed me that I have a LOT to learn.... his stick control is just sublime... to be able to hover "someone else's" helicopter in a confined space (with an audience watching) having NEVER set eyes on that helicopter or transmitter before is a sign of pure class.... He was his typical "It must have been a fluke" type of unassuming / eccentric type self but anybody watching KNOWS that he's a master he's an inspiration and I'm going to really practice with the Big Lama so I can hover it in that small space too.... it's a discipline and I have NEVER been good at that, I always want to fly before I can hover.... probably WHY I've crashed so many times in my life, in so many ways.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2012 22:00:50 GMT
I agree, Mike. It's a basic requirement and gets you out of a lot of troubles. I kind of set myself targets. Small ones at a time but at the first sign of trouble, I instantly get it back to tail in hover to recover. Today, I set myself two things outside. a) Hover the 120 sr a long way up and just hold it up there in order to get used to controlling at longer distance when it look tiny up there. It takes nerve to hold it way up - especially as it's a single Blade fixed pitch. Then down smoothly for a slow landing. That one was easy. b) Fly the MCPx outside in a circle. That was hard. As soon as I felt it going out of whack, I slung it straight into tail in hover to get it back under control. That's my safety position and it stops crashes. So the first thing is getting a good hover. Not easy with a Lama close to the ground. The blowback is quite big if it's like the Taxi. The most common things are over compensating and not reacting fast enough. Get that hover right and the heli will last longer before it gets whacked. I spend a lot of time on hover with new helis and don't move it anywhere much until it's right.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 29, 2012 22:12:35 GMT
Same problems as the Taxi - bade slap and slow forward. That makes the Taxi hard to push through breezes but brilliant indoors. I think the Lama flies with a bit more enthusiasm than the Taxi which lumbers about pretty slow in comparison.It looks as though it's lighter in weight as well. I haven't had problems with the Taxi but I think that the Lama is a better flyer. I think it's just a bit smaller too isn't it? I really like the look of them. It's a wee bit more compact than the Sky Taxi Ian but more "bulky" than the Honey Bee CP3.... the blades are like mint cracknel (remember that?).... they basically "shatter" if you so much as glance at a wall.... all good as the blades are taking the HIT but, shit, they are a bit too brittle IMO..... you can buy 24 for £7.51 shipped www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140361033572?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648 so they are not an expensive item to replace..... I've bought 24 of them and a set of the durablades www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200709689166?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649The Big Lama is a keeper so I've also ordered the Xtreme motor set www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380407096312?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 Sam reckons you'll get two hours out of the stock motors (before they pack in) so I'll keep them in situ until they die then fit the Xtreme motors. You can replace the brushes in the Xtreme motors. The "forward" battery tweak is essential for outdoor flying IMO.... we tried it outdoors today (16mph wind) and it struggled.... it needs more nose weight.... the "stock" battery placement is ideal for learning with but for forward (speed) flight it will need to be shifted forward a bit... the durablade will also help with outdoor flight as will the 15mm extension (lessens the likeliehood of blade slap)..... I'm keeping the "pro" setup as stock and am going to pass on the 15mm extension.... it's a pity they didn't add 15mm into the "pro" build.... I like the look of the purple alloy gear and will be mostly flying the Big Lama indoors (in big rooms) so am in no hurry to set her up for outdoor duty. Ian, trust me man, you would LOVE this 'copter!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 29, 2012 22:26:15 GMT
By the way..... third flight lasted about ten minutes so GOOD times from the stock battery.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2012 22:32:52 GMT
Is that all? 24 flights? Not a lot is it? My MSRx has done way over that.
This motor thing is strange. A lot of people on the internet are complaining of low number of flights on the MSRx with the motor collapsing after 25 flights!! Mine has just kept going.
In any case, it's a dead easy replacement to do. I had to replace a worn out swashplate on my old MSR today. It lost one of its balls!!! ;D Very fiddly but repairs on the Lama will be a lot easier.
The blades are really cheap. It's good that they shatter on contact, Mike. Takes the stress away from the motor. You may find that tougher blades could transfer the bang to the motor so if they shatter easily, the motor in effect is saved.
If you push hard forwards in a breeze, you could get blade slap then. I've read that pushing them hard in a breeze could cause it. Landing too hard with the Taxi causes it.
I must admit, I do fancy one. It looks really nice!! One day.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 29, 2012 22:55:43 GMT
The "motor" thing is open to interpretation (as is anything).... if you fly HARD (on a daily basis) then they "may" pack in a lot faster than a few minutes per week type flying.... it's all relative.... two hours of hammering a motor as opposed to a gentle fly past every now and then are two different things....... I doubt that "our" style of flying will warrant frequent motor changes Sam does some very strange things which stress his "motors" (flying upside down etc)..... I reckon we should get a fair bit more than two hours.... possibly 15 hours if we don't stress them out. They (the motors) are operating at their maximum limits.... they have a finite lifespan BUT there are a lot of variables involved.... a motor will last a lot longer in Iceland than it will in California (ambient temp.).... It will last longer with a higher "C" battery, it will last longer if it's not abused / overdriven..... so many variables man.... sensible / responsible usage always pays dividends and seperates us from the knuckleheads
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2012 13:52:55 GMT
The highest 'C' batteries also run cooler which is nice. I always notice that they come out of the heli nice and cool.
With the MSRx heli, because it's a bugger to fly, I do wonder whether lots of guys are crashing them and the motor remains on while the blades are trapped so the motor gets damaged quicker.
I'm amazed how long mine has gone on for because I fly at least 10 batteries every day on it. (Since before Christmas)
The sr120 batteries are just about starting to puff up so will get replaced soon but the motor seems fine as well.
I think it's because I always try to take off and land nice and smoothly and is always the first thing I work at from the start with a new one.
That Big Lama flies well though. For a first flight, that was pretty good.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2012 20:10:43 GMT
Crikey, talk about coincidence. The old MSRx motor gave out tonight after about 600 flights. The batteries were lasting something like 30 seconds since I had to hold the stick at 75% throttle in order to hover.
No problem though because I had a spare and it literally took seconds to get the old one out and the new one in.
I think my Miniaviation are giving out though as well so I may have to get a fresh set soon.
It pays to have spares in the box ready. Motor, tail motor and boom, Blades, rotor blades and blade connectors.
My helis are starting to show signs of wear now. The old MSR had to have a new swashplate yesterday since the old one lost a ball joint. Just wear and tear.
It's really good the way that they're put together so that repairs are generally nothing major. You just need eyes like a hawk to see the blasted screws.
No problems on something like the Big Lama with everything being so much bigger.
Mike, with the trims on the Lama - were they set right? On the Taxi, I found it hard to hold it at first and I found that the trims were quite a long way off. Once they were adjusted, it hovered easily.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 1, 2012 23:10:15 GMT
I went to show the MCX2 to my friend Pete today and it went crazy (was also demoing the Big Lama and Solo V2)..... one of the motors started "pulsing"... I swapped them over and the motor is OK, seems like it's a mainboard problem..... I've had her from day one, no probs at all.... quite sad that she's knackered.... I don't think it's worth paying for a new main board as I don't fly her much now. Pete bought along his latest and greatest... the Walkera LM180D01... by FAR the best helicopter I have yet flown, absolute CLASS on a stick..... I whacked it into the dremel stand (on the workbench) and took out the tail and blades... so embarrassed and now looking for a tail assembley in "green" Ian.... very much like a playstation.... the base unit is quite reasonable BUT the games are where the money is to made.... it's all a racket and "NO WAY" is this a cheap hobby... we are at the mercy of built in obsolescence with chancers charging us £10 for a quick "plastic" fix... the secret is "NOT" to crash but you, I, AND them know that a crash is on the cards at one point or another..... Like everything else (these days) it's an "expensive" and (at times) frustrating "hobby".... keeps us off the streets though
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2012 23:32:45 GMT
That's a VERY nice looking whirlybird. Keep us posted on the mods!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 3, 2012 20:20:25 GMT
That's a VERY nice looking whirlybird. Keep us posted on the mods! I fitted some Durablade 3D blades.... YES, they're durable BUT they tend to make the Big Lama slightly wobbly in flight, I think they're maybe a wee bit too floppy, the stock blades are pretty hard and brittle (ie: they will shatter if you make contact with a wall) whereas these are a bit more flexible. Anyhoo.... here's 11 minutes of her basically hovering about.... I didn't want to throw her around the place, just an idea of battery time... I reckon about 13 to 15 minutes but landed in the same spot I took off from after 11 minutes. Best viewed full screen / 720p.... the small bird next to it is a Nine Eagles Solo Pro V2
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2012 21:13:00 GMT
Mike, you're flying that really well. It looks great. It's more graceful than the Taxi. You're getting me thinking now .............
I've always fancied a Big Lama!!
The blade thing is tempting .... put tough ones that don't shatter, but you could be transferring any impact further down on the next smack. The Taxi blades also shatter, but in a way, it saves the guts.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 3, 2012 21:54:29 GMT
Ian.... check this puppy out (TRUST me, you'll end up writing a song about it, it's THAT good).... slick as fekk. rockgrotto.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rchelicopters&action=display&thread=7832The ESKY Big LAMA blades ARE the best but they shatter on impact... the secret is not to "impact".... the Durablade 3D are pretty shite "in flight" and very expensive in rip off UK, they'll take a knock or two... that's about all they're good for. I've had three 10 minute sessions with the Big Lama and, on the second session, whacked it on a dustbin and took out four stock blades... it's a piece of cake to fly so I won't be doing that again... 24 blades for £7.50 shipped seems to be the way to go www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140361033572?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649The Durablade 3D "does" make the Big Lama sound realistic though... like a real chopper, especially when you give full throttle, left rudder and yaw... she sounds quite intimidating For outdoor flight the battery MUST be positioned nose heavy.... I've tweaked mine with a velcro battery platform and will upload detailed pics in the next few days.... She's primed up all ready to go for the helicopter club tomorrow.... I'll probably show off and wreck her ..... I'll take the camcorder along and hopefully get a few vids of the other helicopters in action.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 4, 2012 10:20:56 GMT
Meant to say.... the Xtreme motors arrived yesterday and they look really nice quality, not sure whether to fit them now or wait until the stock motors burn out... decisions decisions.... Good flight time so instead of moving the battery forward I may try adding a bit of weight to the nose, a big blob of that butyl rubber would work. Ian, I made enquiries and it's only £5.50 per hour to hire the village hall! It's HUGE with a really high ceiling... not £5.50 "per person" but £5.50 for the hall... I was thinking of starting my own alternative chopper club... could have a "nude flying" evening, "syncronised flying" evening, "line dancing" evening etc. etc. Charge the punters a tenner to get in etc. could also hire helicopters out for a tenner, sell helicopters, repair helicopters... it could turn out to be as big as Glastonbury with me flying on the equivalent of the "pyramid" stage... thousands of people chanting "Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie!" Yes, sounds like a plan
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 12:02:30 GMT
You know, Mike, you'd really enjoy that. Something really enjoyable for you to do. It would be nice if a business could give you one of each line so you could allow people to see them and get the shop more sales. Then they could pay you a percentage. Nice shop in Edinburgh might do it cos they're big.
I was thinking of getting some jeweller's lenses for repairs. My eyes struggle with the tiny screws.
Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using ProBoards
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 6, 2012 21:42:26 GMT
I smashed those "durablades" in a blade clash (3 minutes into an indoor flight)... they're CRAP.... avoid like the plague.... same as the stock blades but have "Durablade 3D" printed on them.... durafekkinripoff more like.... I popped the canopy off (remove blades, remove flybar, unscrew a load of screws and wangle it off) as I was eager to fit the Xtreme motors.... took me about 20 minutes. The stock motors in situ: The Xtreme motors: The leads on the Xtreme motors aren't long enough to reach the control unit so it's easier to desolder the leads off the stock motors and just solder them onto the Xtreme motors.... what the hell type of "upgrade" comes with leads that aren't long enough? Seems to me that most of these third party upgrade outfits are just "winging it". Anyhoo.... got them fitted.... did an initial test and they seem to be working ok, I'll fire her into the air tomorrow for a workout.... she sounded a bit "louder" on the bench so the motors appear to be different from the stock ones.... I'll report back after an actual real world test. Mike.
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