Well, the kit has arrived and the build is underway. Unfortunately, due to a mixup the frames and bottom plate were missing from the box. The kit came from RRE Models and a call to Bobby Smith got it sorted out and the replacement parts are on the way and should be here in a day or two. In the meantime, I’ve managed to get the head assembled and the tail assembly is completed too.
The kit is the Align T Rex 500 ESP kit #KX017011 which includes the new 500M motor, the Align ESC, 3 Align DS510 cyclic servos, an Align DS520 servo for the tail and the Align GP780 gyro. I won’t be using the gyro, and will be installing a Spartan DS760 instead. I just trust it more. In fact, the Align gyro has already been sold.
I am building this heli out of the gate as a flybarless model, and to that end, have chosen to build the head with the Mikado T Rex 500 flybarless head conversion kit. The control will be done by a Skookum Robotics SK360 module, donated by my 600E. (The 600E is slated for upgrade to the SK720 unit in the near future). RX will be a Spektrum AR6200. Power is being supplied by the new Hyperion G3 2600 mAh 6s 35C Li-Poly pack, which will also be reviewed separately.
Check back for more details. I’m planning on having this build done soon, since I’m hogging up the kitchen table with it and the wife is not going to let that continue for too much longer!
Yes, it’s been a while, but we’re still here! We’ve had a busy winter / spring, and the summer is filling up fast, but I still wanted to bring you some current stuff.
To that end, we will be posting a build log / review of the Align T-rex 500 ESP in a flybarless configuration. The kit is on its way, and a pair of shiny new Hyperion 2600 Mah 5C lipos are sitting on the bench waiting to be used. Knowing what I’ve got coming up next month (I’m getting married), I won’t over -promise, but I want to get this puppy up in the air and get flying, so the review should be up relatively soon. As always, stay tuned!
If you’re looking to get into a great performing battery without blowing the month’s helcopter budget, check out this review of the PowerEdge RC 3s 2200 mAh LiPo pack. You’d be hard pressed to get this kind of performance out of a Zippy, and although it’s not as inexpensive, you get what you pay for. To top it off, their warranty is outstanding! Click HERE or find it on the REVIEWS page at right or up top.
The HeliGeek’s Blog now has a Facebook Group! Anyone with a Facebook account who cares to can join up and post question or comments, and read those of others. Just log into your Facebook account and search for ‘The HeliGeek’s Blog”. We can’t wait to see you there!
We’ll be the first to admit that it seems a bit odd to do a review of coffee here on HeliGeek. Nevertheless, the staff here (pretty much me) consumes its fair share of java on a daily basis, and when a coffee came on the scene with a connection to the RC Helicopter hobby, we jumped at the chance to try some out. We were very surprised by what we found. In a good way.
Checkout the review HERE or click the link at right or from the Reviews page at top.
Hey folks, we’ve designed a new logo for HeliGeek.com and we’re kicking it off in style! What better way to show your support than by decking out your ride, your laptop, or your flight box with a cool HeliGeek decal? This is the first design available, and there will be another coming soon, so be sure to check back. All proceeds (if there are any) will go towards supporting the HeliGeek’s Blog. Click the link in the sentence above, or click on “Goodies” at the top of the page.
I’ve also got a few more ideas brewing for more cool schwag, so again, stay tuned.
Also, for any of you that wish to donate to help support The HeliGeek’s Blog, we’ve set up a Donations page as well. Click HERE or on “DONATE” at the top of the page. We leave the amount up to you and we thank you wholeheartedly for your support.
Okay, so I should have been better with getting flight videos up. I admit it. It just seems like I can never get anyone to record any of my flights. I could have gone the hat-cam route, but I think having one person fly while another shoots video is a much better idea. In the future, I’ll try to coerce my girlfriend into doing the videography, since she’s already said she would, but I’m worried about what it’ll end up costing me (just kidding, baby). Actually, I enjoyed the editing process, though I’m still getting used to my software of choice (Adobe Premeire Elements 2). Additionally, this is the most I’ve used my camcorder since I bought it 3 years ago, so I’m sure the image quality can be improved.
In any case, here’s a short video (NOT….ten minutes, sorry) of me casually tossing my 600 NSP around this past Sunday. I’m not very happy with the flight as it’s pretty sloppy. It was my first flight in a couple of weeks outside of the sim, it was a bit gusty, and something just felt not quite right with the helicopter. It was falling out of tailslides where it never did before, and I had to keep fighting it to get maneuvers to be recognizable. After the flight, I went over the heli and found out that my flybar was not centered as it should have been. [Read more →]
The third time (and second unit) were indeed the charm! Yesterday the flybarless T-Rex 600e took to the air without incident and flew beautifully! With James Kovach (sparx) at the controls, she lifted off and was summarily wrung out to make sure everything was working as designed. The previous two crashes had me a bit frazzled, admittedly and I wanted someone more experienced to take the helm on the latest attempt, just in case I was doing something wrong. The flight proved to be an uneventful one, which is a good thing. All evidence from the two previous, unsuccessful flights point to my original SK360 being faulty. I’m still waiting to hear back from Art at Skookum Robotics to verify this, as he is checking out my original controller. I can’t really fault Skookum for this, since it’s an electronic device. Anyone in the industry will tell you that there will always be the faulty device that slips though. It’s my luck that I seem to attract them quite a bit. Besides, Art has bent over backwards to ensure that I was not only back in the air quickly, but safely as well. Back on topic… [Read more →]
Its been a while in the making, but I finally managed to browbeat the hosts of the InsideHeli Podcast, Chris Boultinghouse and James Kovach, into answering some questions for the HeliGeek’s Blog. These questions were some that I thought would be of interest to all my readers. Something that you might ask them yourselves, if given the chance. (Actually, you do have the chance, all you have to do is drop them an email….but I digress).
Along with a mini-review of the InsideHeli Podcast, you’ll find the “interview” with the hosts that I conducted via email (ain’t the ‘tubes great?) by clicking the link at right, by clicking through to the review on the “Reviews” page, or by Clicking HERE (See all the options we give you???).
Just a little something to tide you over while you’re waiting for the Knight 3D build log, I hope you enjoy!
I would argue that I don’t just have issues, I have a subscription! In any case, If the number of helicopters that one owns is an indication of mental health (or lack thereof), I may indeed be a bit touched. However, I choose to view this as a good thing. Sort of a show of dedication to my hobby. At least, that’s what I tell the girlfriend. She’s falling for it so far, so I think I’ll keep going with that.
Many of my readers have asked what helis my “Fleet” consists of, and others of you have suggested that I put a page up to keep track of them and what components are installed. I believe that’s a pretty good idea, so I tossed a quick oage together to do just that. Check out the link to “My Fleet” at right, or CLICK HERE if you’re the least bit interested in what’s flying around here at HeliGeek World HQ.
As always, feel free to comment and tell me just how sick YOU think I am.
