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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2013 12:11:50 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 10, 2013 20:19:50 GMT
Just bought one from Arrow models Ian..... I would have bought it from Kings Lynn model shop BUT they say they only use a courier and are not able to deliver to the Scottish Highlands (and other parts of the UK). Well, stupid them, they have just lost a sale AND many potential further sales by refusing to be sensible and use Royal Mail like Arrow models do..... Arrow models are charging £3.50 for 1st class Royal Mail delivery and that will likely be with me the next day. I don't understand why some of these companies entertain couriers? Royal Mail delivers across the entire UK and does not impose any surcharges... as soon as you get north of Inverness these couriers just cannot compete and charge crazy surcharges. For Kings Lynn models to say they ONLY use a courier service is absolutely BONKERS, there's nothing stopping them using Royal Mail to ship to the parts of the UK that the couriers can't.... it really annoys me big time! As I say, it is their loss (not mine), thankfully there are still plenty of companies that DO want my custom and have the common sense to use the best postal service in the UK..... the Royal mail! As you know, I run the local helicopter club up here and if the Hubsan (or any copter) is any good they'll be asking "where did you get it from?"..... I'd love to say "Kings Lynn" (as you really rate them) but they don't ship to the Highlands of the "UK" so I can't..... Arrow Models.... £3.50 P&P, Royal Mail 1st class..... if they can do it, anybody can!! BTW....... 11 people in the club bought Big Lama Pro copters from Kooltoyz in Edinburgh last year after seeing my one..... 11 x £149 PLUS repeat orders for spares etc. is not a figure to be sneezed at..... guess what? Kooltoyz uses Royal Mail too Looks like a fun little thing Ian, will report back once I get to grips with it..... its first port of call will be the bike shop for a once over We are starved of things like this up here and all the more reason for companies to use ROYAL MAIL.... those that don't are shooting themselves in the wallet! Mike.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2013 20:31:10 GMT
Great Mike. It's a nippy little thing and really tiny. The blades turn quite fast too so it's pretty stable.
The other one I really rate is the Twister. Terrific thing to fly outside. The only thing with the Hubsan is when you send it up and away, you can lose sight of it!! You have to listen for it buzzing!!
These quads are like coaxes on steroids. I have three of them now. What surprised me was that guy in the video, following his Hubsan, doing 25 mph. For such a tiny thing, that's rocket speed.
I do fancy a big quad with a camera onboard. Put the glasses on and drive from the cockpit. (In virtual reality)
I didn't know you were still running the club. Great that there is interest up there. I've always fancied trying a Big Lama but also tempted to fly a Blade 450x. What puts me off is the expense (and time) for crashes.
The quads are a real fun fly. You'll love whizzing that around.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 10, 2013 20:59:32 GMT
Great Mike. It's a nippy little thing and really tiny. The blades turn quite fast too so it's pretty stable. The other one I really rate is the Twister. Terrific thing to fly outside. The only thing with the Hubsan is when you send it up and away, you can lose sight of it!! You have to listen for it buzzing!! These quads are like coaxes on steroids. I have three of them now. What surprised me was that guy in the video, following his Hubsan, doing 25 mph. For such a tiny thing, that's rocket speed. I do fancy a big quad with a camera onboard. Put the glasses on and drive from the cockpit. (In virtual reality) I didn't know you were still running the club. Great that there is interest up there. I've always fancied trying a Big Lama but also tempted to fly a Blade 450x. What puts me off is the expense (and time) for crashes. The quads are a real fun fly. You'll love whizzing that around. I hope you'll mention my observations regarding postage to Kings Lynn models the next time you correspond with them. Mike.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2013 21:19:40 GMT
That looks like some cheap fun!
It's been too windy here for ages to fly anything outside.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 10, 2013 21:24:32 GMT
That looks like some cheap fun! It's been too windy here for ages to fly anything outside. Cheap until you fire it into a tree or a wall.....
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 10, 2013 21:35:20 GMT
Chris.... no such thing as "cheap" when moving parts are concerned...... if you are 100% sure you will NEVER crash you're an idiot, if you are 75% sure you will never crash you're an idiot....... you WILL crash, 100% sure of that!
The original "£=bargain" purchase price may turn into a "what the F am I paying so much in parts for this?" piece of plastic.
It's all bollocks.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2013 21:41:49 GMT
Yeah, a lesson we all learn early on! Unless of course it's "supercopter"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2013 21:52:02 GMT
That's brilliant, Chris!!! I must admit, that did make me chuckle. I will mention the postage thing to King's Lynn, Mike. I had a to do with them concerning a transmitter way back and I have to say, they weren't that good about it. They went into denial which I didn't like and put me onto Blade. In effect, they didn't want to know. Blade then contacted them and they then got back to me and asked me to return the transmitter. They didn't like it, but I couldn't help the fact that it wouldn't bind with anything!! I only use them if the heli is cheaper. They charge £3.95 I think for postage. The crashing thing lessens with time. I rarely dump my helis nowadays. Mind you, being slightly 'anal', everything in small steps helps. In fact, I look for 'quirks' first before sending it off outside. That really paid off with the MSRx which can be a bugger to fly nicely. However, I can fly it really calmly now and find it quite easy. The biggest problem is I send it up outside and then lose sight of it. It's so tiny. The Hubsan is the same. Minute little thing. However, it's really quite fast so you have to watch it and it can also flip quite easily leaving you wondering how the hell you did it!! You go forwards (or back) quickly to tilt it and then ram the stick in the opposite way. The Twister is dead easy to flip. This one is a bit more fiddly. The MQX is mad.... it goes off like a bloody rocket if you're not careful. I do like the quads though. Like coaxes but fast and fly better outside.
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leo
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Post by leo on Feb 11, 2013 17:57:12 GMT
I was going to get one of these but went for the bigger Quad Twister after Ian's review and advice. Quite a few places sell the Hubsan X4's, they was about 40 quid when I was looking at them. It seems there was a few bad batches of the little Hubsans, hopefully thats all sorted now. I'm still tempted to get one just for the backyard
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Post by cyclicpete on Feb 11, 2013 18:29:09 GMT
Oh Man !! I've just watched some of those vids...... and I REALLY want one now ! ANOTHER flying object in my house ?? My wife will go nuts !!
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Post by cyclicpete on Feb 11, 2013 18:42:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2013 20:42:39 GMT
That was brilliant. The quad underneath is what I was considering actually. Quite expensive and will take a camera up. Fast as well. What I enjoy about the quads is the real ease with which they fly and how they cope with wind. They are more stable than an FP heli. They still rise up when faced with a front wind but are less twitchy than the small helis. The big helis just fight it so they are actually more stable. You just have to have the guts to make them take off. Leo, I love the Twister. I know it sounds weird, but I even like flying that in the evening. I'm so glad I haven't got close neighbours - they'd think I was mental. The only one that's close is a pianist called Richard Stilgoe and I don't care what he thinks!! The Twister is brilliant at night time because the front lights are white and the back flash red and blue. So you always know which way it's facing. It's quite funny having that high up in the sky. You just see these moving lights so it does look a bit 'alien' like. I'd say that the Blade MQX is more difficult to fly well. It easily runs away with itself and has no lights. Up in the sky, orientation can be a problem. I fitted a different canopy (The Twister spare one) because it's a bit easier to see which way is forward with it. The Twister is just lovely. I treat that one with care. Great value and such a pretty looking quad in the air with its lights. Flies like a dream too. Dead easy to flip. The MQX is more complex to flip and needs controlling, while the Twister flips so easily. It has an inbuilt sequence that allows this. The X4 is minute. Can't fly it too far away. It's a bit nippy and with it being small, it can disappear in the blink of an eye. Its blades spin faster so it sounds like a little gnat. I got it just for a bit of fun. They did drop in price, which is why I put it up here. IMO, it's a great way into flying. It's stable, fast and can cope outside, but don't let it go too far - it loses the signal and drops. I did that once. Then again, I tend to fly at quite large distances. I find that more challenging. It's easy to fly and you can just relax and have fun with it which is what it's about really. It's all very well having these white knuckle machines, but it helps to have something to just fly and relax with, where if you smashed it into the local cow's horns, you'd just say .... I'll get another one at that price!! I also think that things like this would attract more beginners and it won't be long before I start sky fights in the local park!! This one is SO tiny, the wife would think it was a fiver!! (Although I don't have that problem!!) I would love a proper scale model but the cost is extortionate and I just wouldn't enjoy holding a few thousand pounds worth of gear up in the sky, ready for a crash. Please though ..... if you are a beginner and you get one of these, they don't fly themselves. You MUST take it easy. Start with getting the props spinning and do short hops and land. Then hover at say 3 feet. Then try maneuvering before you even think of going outside or high up in the air. Just getting your bearings and actually steering the right way is a challenge for beginners and it's way harder than it looks. Then you have the accident and it becomes prematurely defunct. It is a learning curve and I think being an anal musician makes me work on minutia before I take chances and drop it on someone's car or something like that. Even then, my 120 SR spent a few days up a massive tree. I was flying it high on a lovely summer's evening when it broke a dog bone and went shooting off into a tree and got caught up there - at about 40 feet. Yes ...... I had to climb the ferking tree. (at my age) 40 foot up is bloody vertigo land. (It may have been further, I'm not sure because it's on a raised bank. Anyway, the X4 is fun. Tiny. Harmless. Cheap. Gets you flying in and outdoors. Twister gets you flying further away!! Leo, have you taken it up yet?
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Post by leo on Feb 11, 2013 20:53:54 GMT
Thanks Ian, guess I'll be picking one of these up at the weekend The cat is in for some fun Still not had chance to take the Quad twister anywhere yet because the crappy weather etc. Our yards only smallish so could see it flying over the hedge onto nextdoor so would like to take it somewhere a bit more open. I tried it a few times in the house but it was hard getting it to hover, it keeps going either to the left or going forward so I need to play some more with the trimming. Unfortunately the rooms are not big here.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2013 21:07:48 GMT
Well, at least you're getting it off the floor!!
Presumably, you turn it upside down, plug the battery in and DON'T TOUCH until it lights up. That way, the heli is calibrated. That can help a lot.
What I do to sort it, is land ..... move the trims by 3....back up ..... land and then, if it's starting to go the opposite way, trim back by 1 or 2, depending on the speed at which it wanders.
All helis wander to an extend and you have to hold them with the sticks. When a heli flyer says stable, it often means that they are holding it with ease!!
I fly mine round the front room but mine is about 30 foot long by 15. I find 40% is better than 20% which is too unresponsive, even indoors. Outdoors is a lot more hairy; even in tiny breezes. You'll find it never settles in one place. Outside you need to set it at 60% or better, even higher in order to fight breezes, or else it'll float away out of control.
I think with more experience, you tend to not worry so much about trims and just hold it. I know that I often fly with the trims probably slightly off, but it doesn't actually bother me any more tbh. As long as it's close. Beginners tend to think it will stay exactly in one spot if trimmed which often isn't the case.
Sometime, the props have moved slightly up the motor shaft. If you grab one of the props and gently pull up - if it moves and there's play, that can cause the wandering. If you have a prop that moves too much, turn the heli upside down with the prop on the carpeted floor and push gently on the white wheel. You'll fin it moves up the prop and the play will have disappeared. Not too tight though, or the prop won't spin freely. Sometimes, that causes the wandering in hover and can vary with battery power because friction is causing it.
Mind you, Collective Pitch helis take permanent holding. They can go all over the place and it's like a balancing act with a plate and a stick!!
Glad you got it off the ground though.
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leo
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Post by leo on Feb 11, 2013 21:43:41 GMT
I'd first hold it upside down, plug the battery in and then put it on the floor whilst the main lights came on, the centre red light then flashes quickly. Soon as the red light flashed slowly I turned the transmitter on. Thanks again for the advice on the trimmers. I found 40% setting better too even in these small rooms, I managed to do a few laps around 5ft off the floor. Some attempts was a lot better than others , a couple of times I just crashed Must say though they are tough little things, the teeth on all the drive cogs are still intact even after a few collisions. I'm hoping I'll get more confidence with it once I'm outside, should at least cause less damage Anyway it should be interesting to see how the little Hubsan compares.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2013 22:12:30 GMT
Leo, turn the transmitter on first.
Place heli upside down.
Plug in while heli is on the floor until it links with the transmitter and the red light stays on.
Then it's ready to go and the gyro is 'leveled'.
They are quite tough but a big crash can do them nicely. I haven't crashed mine yet.
You could find the X4 a bit tougher. It's bloody fast and responsive. If you get one, be very gentle on the sticks!!
Outside can be tricky. You hit random puffs of wind which make you have to really hold the heli. Best time is at dusk when the breezes have gone.
Outside, it'll wander more and also rise and fall depending on what winds hit it. They only have to be slight to make it feel much more unstable.
I took my Sky Taxi out once (a big coaxial heli) and it got caught in a very slight breeze. Before I kn ow it, it was so high in the sky and drifting away, that I had a helluva job getting it back. Eventually, I had to bring it down as best I could and just land it quickly about quarter of a mile away.
Have any breeze blowing into your face. That way, it gets blown towards you if it gets out of control.
I must admit, the real fun for me is outside, but it's a lot more tricky.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2013 17:52:09 GMT
Aaarrrrrgh. Crashed and broke a prop. Shite.
It takes quite a lot of concentration to hold it and my mind went somewhere else for a few seconds. Bang!!! New ones only £1.50 but a pain.
It's not as easy to fly as the Twister!!!
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Post by leo on Feb 12, 2013 19:32:14 GMT
Leo, turn the transmitter on first. Place heli upside down. Plug in while heli is on the floor until it links with the transmitter and the red light stays on. Then it's ready to go and the gyro is 'leveled'. They are quite tough but a big crash can do them nicely. I haven't crashed mine yet. You could find the X4 a bit tougher. It's bloody fast and responsive. If you get one, be very gentle on the sticks!! Outside can be tricky. You hit random puffs of wind which make you have to really hold the heli. Best time is at dusk when the breezes have gone. Outside, it'll wander more and also rise and fall depending on what winds hit it. They only have to be slight to make it feel much more unstable. I took my Sky Taxi out once (a big coaxial heli) and it got caught in a very slight breeze. Before I kn ow it, it was so high in the sky and drifting away, that I had a helluva job getting it back. Eventually, I had to bring it down as best I could and just land it quickly about quarter of a mile away. Have any breeze blowing into your face. That way, it gets blown towards you if it gets out of control. I must admit, the real fun for me is outside, but it's a lot more tricky. Thanks mate, I'll give that a try. Could be why its been drifting all over the place Its been quite windy down here lately so won't risk it on the backyard, I'll try again in the house and see if I can manage not to crash . Its nice to see spares available for most of these small copters, especially handy for folks like me
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 12, 2013 19:32:20 GMT
Got one of these for my Friend Shaun and had a quick fly of it today.... piece of cake to hover but turning left or right seemed a bit weird as it seemed to go in the other direction! I think I'll try the twister Ian, the Hubsan is a bit "too" small for my liking.... nice little thing though
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2013 19:49:15 GMT
Mike, the X4 tends to go backwards and out on turns.
The secret is to use aileron so if you turn left, use slight left aileron and forwards at the same time. (Diagonal) It's something that happens with CP helis too and is a pain.
It's twitchy alright.
The twister is way easier to fly and it is one of my favourite fliers. Lovely thing!!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 12, 2013 19:56:19 GMT
Mike, the X4 tends to go backwards and out on turns. The secret is to use aileron so if you turn left, use slight left aileron and forwards at the same time. (Diagonal) It's something that happens with CP helis too and is a pain. It's twitchy alright. The twister is way easier to fly and it is one of my favourite fliers. Lovely thing!! Just ordered the Twister from Arrow Models (great firm!!) and two spare batteries from cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281063386119&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160 those batteries seem decent at the price unless you have already sourced them cheaper?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 12, 2013 20:02:04 GMT
BTW...... Ordered from Arrow models on Saturday and it arrived today, beautifully wrapped in brown paper..... they seem a really nice firm operating out of Scarborough: There was even a little handwritten note thanking me for my order..... that's the type of firm I like dealing with They use Royal Mail too!
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Post by leo on Feb 12, 2013 20:02:19 GMT
I paid a fiver each from Geedee in Notts. Thing I noticed with these I got is that the black plastic collar came loose so I had to glue them back inplace. Mine are made by ip-battery.com
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leo
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Post by leo on Feb 12, 2013 20:05:07 GMT
BTW...... Ordered from Arrow models on Saturday and it arrived today, beautifully wrapped in brown paper..... they seem a really nice firm operating out of Scarborough: There was even a little handwritten note thanking me for my order..... tht's the type of firm I like dealing with It makes all the difference !
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