MsDarla

If I have enough fun with it and it still flys after a month I will say yes its worth it.
Quality seems okay.
Today I flew in 9 mph wind which was not easy at all.
Forward flight & manuvers flys like it should.
The radio is not a 2.4 and the throttle is the racheting style.

The way it handles reminds me of the Helimax Axe CP that I use to have. [&o]

douglas4

I would love to try my DX6i system on this heli with the same ACRO settings as the CX2 I have programmed in it. Maybe we wouldnt get the slight little tail wag you get when using the CX2 with the DX6i....? I think the Esky 2.4 gig system would be a better option.

pgroom_68

Hey DD,
If you're really bummed out about the ratchet on Throttle sticks of original Tx, why not undo the four screws of Tx and slip a piece of fuel hose over it?
It's a great mod and well worth the five minutes - it makes mine feel "tighter" somehow!?!

Peter

DumbDawg

My Feedback: (3)

pg - did that very shortly after I got the Tx... I'm a little 'surprised' that ESky didn't put this whole system onto the 2.4gHz radio... They are slow learners because the 'ratchet' on the Tx isn't suitable for planks or heli's and yet they continue to supply a, VERY simple fix, Tx with a ratchet.... "People put tab other way round"

oh well... happy fly'n

pgroom_68

Sounds to me that they are wanting to do that in the future (around 2 years away) - but see how well these sell in the first couple of years as FM first. Well, that is the feeling that I got from RCHelicoptershop.com's reply to my emails (I'm amazed that they still reply after I flood their inbox with questions. Must be because I leave a small fortune with them every couple of months) Of course, I didn't get that from Esky, so it could just be hearsay!

Peter

USHobbySupply

Just got notice that I will be getting a small shipment of the blue outdoor lamas! Cant wait, trying to convince the wife to let me play with one !

M

MsDarla

It seems to have held-up pretty well today while flying today in 5 mph winds and snow falling.
It took a nose dive into the ground from about 8ft high while flying in circles around the yard. []

Only damage is a cracked section of nose of the body which I used scotch tape to mend.

USHobbySupply

Tracking shows possible delivery tomorrow!

Doker44

Can somebody tell me why LHS's dont get these Esky's. Not that I would buy from them they always sell things for more on most items. Is it because the Esky's are lower quality? Another thing I have noticed is some items seem "price fixed" ex: CX2 while other items dont ex: nitro cars.

Anyway heard nothing but good things about USHobbySupply and when I decide to get some Helicopters in the future I will use them. Are parts going to start showing up for these Big Lama's?

USHobbySupply

Hobby stores that sell Eflite (CX2 , Blade 400) are locked in on price by the distributor (Horizon Hobby). They have an agreement to sell at the MSRP, no wiggle room. They also have a huge minimum (first) order and a very large monthly order quota. All but the biggest hobby stores would not want to sell other products because that would mean that they might not make the monthly quota.

If you ask me, the b400 is made in the same factory in china as the Esky stuff, I have no doubt.

Big lama kits are in transit to me, parts to follow soon.

tkeeg

Hello everybody,
I have been flying mid size and 25% size RC airplanes for the past 2 ½ years and just got into coaxial helicopters a few weeks ago when I got the Esky Dauphin. I love it and have learned a lot with it. I wanted something a bit bigger & stronger to fly outside so when I heard about the Big Lama I just had to try it. It just got delivered 2 days ago and man is it beautiful! It is about 25% larger than the Dauphin with gears that are about twice the size of the Lama Series gears. The servo arms are also longer with the pushrods being connected in the 3rd hole out from the servo giving enhanced, and much more sensitive control. (I found myself wishing that the transmitter had expo controls built into it. Of course I can just put in a Spektrum receiver and use my DX7 transmitter, then dial in all the expo I want.) There is also about an extra inch of space between the upper & lower rotors as compared to the Lama helicopters. I am hoping the extra space will help to greatly reduce blade strikes. (So far I haven’t had any, but I not good enough yet to really push this big helicopter inside the house).
I have not had a chance to fly her outside since the weather has been so windy here in New Jersey, but I was able to hover it perfectly and fly it around in my big living room. In my opinion the Big Lama is awesome and has much more of “real helicopter” feel than my Dauphin and is much more powerful. It has a great sound and really pushes some air with those big rotors. The stock battery had plenty of power and it ran nonstop for a full 10 minutes. I would think that unless you are really skilled with flying these helicopters or unless you have a pretty big room, one might have their hands full in a small room with this Big Lama. For me It is much easier to fly the Dauphin around a smaller room then the Big Lama, (because of the Big Lama’s sensitive controls), but it is easier to hover the Big Lama than the Dauphin. A more experienced helicopter pilot would probably not have any trouble at all controlling it in a small room.
Looks like it will be several days before the weather breaks enough to try it outside.
In case anybody missed it, in MsDarla’s earlier post, she found this site that has many of the Big Lama parts in stock: http://www.helidirect.com/index.php?cPath=38_235_622

Disney1

Morning:

For all of you wondering here is a size comparison picture between the Big Lama and the Lama V3.

R[8D]N Sr

Doker44

Interesting...I have never worked in retail so I didnt know how it worked. So these LHS have a monthly quota for "the right" to sell CX2's? Well once these Big Lama's become more common as well as parts I will pick one up, they look like fun.

Disney1

Dorker44:

That is the way Horizon has their agreement, each company is different.

tkeeg

I thought that I would post some photos to show the difference in size between the Big Lama and the Dauphin.

MsDarla

Big Lama & Blade MCX.

I wouldn't dare fly the Big Lama inside the way I fly the MCX.
I fly figure 8s backwards and other weird stunts with the MCX. [sm=what_smile.gif]

My fly time with the Big Lama outdoors I would not recommend flying in over 5mph winds.

tkeeg

MsDarla,
Thanks for the heads up about the wind speed.
What did you do with the wound up antenna wire? Did you feed it through a straw in the tail ?
By the way, nice pictures.

pgroom_68

Hey tkeeg.
I have a red Dauphin also, but just made a new axle out of a nail and ordered another set of back wheels to "double up". I used fuel tubing spacers between the wheels. It is pretty stable now! I also am still waiting for my Big Lama to arrive - so am buying parts for it NOW, so I don't have to wait in a few days time. What parts do I need to buy for it?

Peter

tkeeg

Hi Pgroom_68,
On the day that I had ordered my Big Lama I went to this website ( http://www.helidirect.com/index.php?cPath=38_235_622 ) and ordered 2 extra batteries, 3 extra sets of blades and most of the other spare parts such as a swashplate, blade grips, pushrods, bearings, inner & outer gear sets and battery holder. I would have also ordered another body, but they didn't have any in stock at the time. I figured that it would be better to have these spare parts handy then have to wait for them later.
As far as the batteries go, so far I am happy with the stock batteries, however I have checked several websites looking for a slightly stronger battery with the same dimensions as the stock one, but so far can’t find any. The exact measurement of the battery that comes with the Big Lama is 2 3/4" long, 11/16" high and 15/16" wide. Looking at the battery holder I would guess that the maximum battery height and width that would fit in there would be 3/4" high and 1 1/8" wide. Bear in mind that the battery has to be at least 2 ¾” long to fit across both ends of the battery holder, however it can be longer than that, just not shorter.

Forgot to mention that your wheel modification looks great!

pgroom_68

Thanks again tkeeg,

The website that you mentioned has not got so many parts left in stock now[]. I went [link=http://www.miracle-mart.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=80_204_212&products_id=2794]here[/link] for an Xtreme battery - for some reason they are cheaper than originals. Get 'em while they're hot! The dimensions that you mentioned are important!

Peter

tkeeg

Hey Pete,
Thanks for the info about the battery. Looks like it will be perfect… and less expensive too!
Tom

pgroom_68

No worries mate. I have Xtreme parts for my Dauphin already & can vouch for the quality of these products. Just ask Michael @ UShobbysupply.com - he also sells Xtreme upgrades. They are the best!

Peter
P.S. The "Goldslinger" flybar (US$19.99) is always a good buy for your Dauphin - but they are out of stock right now @ UShobby I see (search function within website). It is worth clicking "Notify me when Available"

[Maybe I should asking re. Big Lama stuff on this thread - oops!]

pgroom_68

Hey again Tom,
I hope this is not to many questions for you (or perhaps MsDarla could answer some) Do you have to keep trimming the rudder as you run down the battery? How many holes are there in the servo arms? ('cause you say that they are in the 3rd at present) Do the servo arms hit the fuselage at full extension? Do you think the original motors could lift 1 extra ounce weight of one of [link=http://hobby-lobby.com/video-camera.htm]these video cameras[/link] ?? [That is enough questions]
As you can guess, I have a lot of time to wait for my order to arrive from HongKong and planning to use it for work.

Love the pics by the way from you and MsDarla and Disney1 - thanks

Peter

MsDarla

Yes the tail needs adjusted as the battery gets low,Its the same for the other helis I have had.
I do not have a Dauphin heli to compare to yours.

tkeeg

Hi again Peter,
Never too many questions.
The rudder control does need to be adjusted as the battery wears down, but just a little bit, much less than my Dauphin (which is essentially a Lama 4, just in a Dauphin different body).
There are 3 holes in the servo arms, and the linkage comes already in the outermost hole, (3rd hole out) from the factory, hence the extra sensitivity to any stick inputs.
No, the servo arms do not hit the body, there is plenty of room in there since the body is very wide.
I haven’t tried lifting anything yet, but it would be my guess there is plenty of power to lift that camera with no problems.
I have a similar camera for my airplanes, I’ll try attaching it later today and get back to you with the results.
Tom