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New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

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New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Old 06-27-2006, 08:32 AM
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Gary Morris
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Default New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

For the past several weeks I have been testing the new Falcon 3D helicopter offered by Hobby-Lobby Intl. of Brentwood, Tennessee. This new helicopter will be geared towards those that want to get into helicopter flying on a limited budget while still being able to have a Mini sized helicopter that's capable of 3D flight. The street price is expected to be around the $299.00 price range and will be ready to fly out of the box! I will include pictures and dimensions and will try to answer your questions should they arise.

Here are the specifications for the Falcon 3D Helicopter.

Specification

* Main rotor diameter: 630mm 24.8"
* Tail rotor diameter: 152mm 5.98"
* Length: 670mm 26.37"
* Weight: 530g 18.69 Oz


Packaging

The Falcon 3-D comes in a very attractive box that not only protects the helicopter but will also serve as a carrying case if you like, it even has a handle on the top. It is well packaged in foam, which should protect it from anything but a Gorilla deliveryman. The kit contains the following parts.

1. The helicopter and blade holder, 30 Amp brushless speed controller, brushless speed 400 class motor with heat sink, 6-channel micro receiver and heading hold gyro. Four micro servos to control pitch, yaw, rudder, and collective.

2. 6-Channel Transmitter with two switches and two rotary knobs to control pitch. Note: you will need 8 AA Alkaline batteries to power the transmitter.

3. Lipoly 1300 Ma 3-Cell pack made by Art-Tech.
4. Training gear complete with ping-pong balls, carbon rods, wire ties and fuel tubing to hold the balls on.
5. Lipoly 115V Wall charger.
6. CDROM with videos of various aircraft and helicopters that Art-Tech manufactures. The CD Also has FMS Flight Simulator on it and there is a cable included in the kit to plug into your transmitter and computer, a nice touch.

7. A small bag of tie wraps, (to attach the training gear to the skids) and two Allen wrenches. There is also a set of stick on decals so you can decorate the canopy if you like. And instruction booklet with exploded views of the various parts. Note: The instructions are written in broken English but the important information is covered as well as some diagrams and pictures.


The blades are constructed of wood covered with white heat shrink. NOTE: Be sure to balance the blades prior to your first flight! The tail boom is made of aluminum and the landing gear are constructed of some type of very strong yet light plastic. The frame is made of the same type plastic as the landing gear and appears to be very strong. This material should be able to take hard landings without breaking or cracking. The tail is driven by a steel torque rod with plastic bevel gears on both ends. This type of drive system is tried and true and has been used for a number of years. The canopy is constructed of a very light yet strong plastic and the windscreen is slightly tinted and looks attractive. The tail fin and horizontal fin are a tough plastic with cutouts to reduce unnecessary weight. The color of the canopy is a nice color of red which should aid in being able to keep orientation during flight.

The only thing needed are 8 AA Alkaline batteries for the transmitter and it’s ready to fly. I opted to use some rechargeable 2250Ma NIMH AA's instead of using alkaline batteries. There is a charging port on the side and standard wall charger plugs didn't work, I had to find one with a larger diameter hole in the center of the plug. As with any helicopter the proper setup of the controls and balancing of the main rotor blades and tail blades is critical. I found that the main blades required two strips of scotch tape placed on the CG of the blade to properly balance. The tail blades were balanced and required no weight. I strongly suggest you invest in some good quality jeweler’s screwdrivers so that you don’t strip the very small heads on the Phillips screws. Radio shack has them at a very reasonable price and I found a set of 5 for under $5.99. After checking all of the controls I found that they needed no adjustment, everything was centered except the throttle trim, it was at its lowest position which is correct.

First Flight

The first flight consisted of hovering the helicopter at head height to check blade tracking. The blades were in track and required no adjustment. At this point I did several strong climb outs to check the gyro authority. On full collective stick there was no tendency for the tail to loose lock. After hovering approximately 5 minutes the motor was warm to the touch and the battery was just barely warm. The speed controller was also slightly warmer than air temperature. Prior to the next flight I removed the back of the transmitter and turned the ratchet on the throttle over so it would glide smoothly and give a nice feel on bringing up the throttle. I personally don't like the racket action on the throttle for helicopters since it always seems that one click more of throttle either causes it to climb or descent.

More Flight Testing

After charging the battery I flew the helicopter and switched to idle 1 on the transmitter after reaching 50% throttle. Please note: You want to be sure you have the throttle open to at least 50% prior to switching to idle 1! If you were to switch to idle 1 upon initial startup it could cause the helicopter to spin or loose control since it would not have time to spool up correctly! After switching to idle 1 the RPM increased substantially and the heli felt rock solid while hovering! I then flew several figure 8's and circuits getting a feel for the helicopter. I have to say that it flies like a much larger helicopter, it tracks true with no tendency to pitch up. The heading hold gyro works as advertised and held the tail with authority.

I have now had a total of 20 flights on the Falcon 3D with no issues. I did purchase a slightly larger battery pack so I could get extended flight times. I am using the Thunder Power 2100ma pack and it just fits in the battery bay, albeit tight. The run time on the stock battery is just a shade over 6 minutes, with the Thunder Power pack just over 14 minutes. The Thunder Power pack is 3 ounces heavier than the stock 1300ma pack but it seems to fly just as well. The Thunder Power pack makes the helicopter slightly nose heavy but I did not need to change the trims and I had no problem holding a steady hover with the larger pack.



Conclusions

The Dragon 3-D by Art-Tech and offered by www.hobby-lobby.com would be a great addition to anyones fleet. With its good looks, great handling characteristics, small size, and price I think it will fill a niche that presently does not exist. A novice can purchase this helicopter and gain useful experience at a bargain price while learning and gaining their flying ability. I know from buying and flying helicopters during the past three years, I've spent more on one radio than the cost of this complete helicopter. If you’re looking to enter the exciting world of micro helis nows your chance, I just wish this had been available when I was starting out. As time goes by I'll keep you posted on how it goes, and I'll post my findings here. I will also include a video when I can get my camera lady to shoot it!

The Falcon 3D should be available this week for ordering!

Till next time keep em flying!


Gary Morris
Nashville, TN
Old 06-27-2006, 02:35 PM
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21cwsuper6
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

$300 seems a bit pricy for a micro, even one that goes 3d.
Old 06-27-2006, 06:57 PM
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Gary Morris
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

When was the last time you priced a ready to fly collective pitch helicopter with battery, transmitter, servos, heading hold gyro, receiver, charger, training gear and various other parts? Actually $299.00 is a very low price!

Gary
Old 07-06-2006, 12:06 AM
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bossxii
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

I have to agree with Gary, for 299, that will be cheaper then buying the Blade CP (219.00) the added pak for "3d" or at least inverted flight is another 22 to 25 bucks. Lipo at 1100 around 60+. This will easily be over 300 and the Blade CP I have seen at the hobby store didn't come with training gear, another 16 bucks. I'm thinkin I may wait to see if the local Hobby Lobby has this in the store soon.
Old 07-07-2006, 03:20 AM
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tiredofchex
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Is that a real post or is it an advertisement?

I really find this line odd:

"For the past several weeks I have been testing the new Falcon 3D helicopter offered by Hobby-Lobby Intl. of Brentwood, Tennessee."

Who starts a thread like that? I mean no offense but it sounds like you're getting paid to advertise for hobby-lobby.

If I'm wrong forgive me.
Old 07-07-2006, 08:09 AM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Hi Gary,

What frequency is the falcon on, we fly on 35mhz here.

Thanks,
Ross
Old 07-07-2006, 10:38 AM
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jhunter68
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

I'd say it's clearly an advertisement. The only thing missing is a jingle.

Odder still is that the on falcon on the Hobby Lobby site as of today 7/7 is a rc jet. No falcon 3d. Which I guess makes it seem less like an ad.......?
Old 07-07-2006, 12:33 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

I could find no helicopter on that site named that.
Old 07-09-2006, 02:34 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/falcon.htm

I think this thing looks like a winner. I'm flying a Blade CP right now and I'm getting a bit board with it. You can do loops with a Blade but with out a head holding gyro your in trouble as soon as put any torque on the blades. I like the fact that this heli comes completely ready to fly w/ a head holding gyro and doesn't have a tail rotor motor that will burn out. At $300 I'm not sure you could go wrong.
Old 07-09-2006, 04:15 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Radioflyer,

I think the $300 for the Falcon 3d is very reasonable. I watched the video of the Falcon and it seems like a good bird, about 3/4 through the video you can hear the wind blowing in the mic. Looks pretty stable if the wind was blowing like that.
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any place to order spare parts.

Dave / Choppersrule
Old 07-09-2006, 08:31 PM
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Raylon
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Very reasonable ineed. ALmost too reasonable. Seems fishy to me. Why is this thing so cheap if it already has brushless motors, HH gyro, a shaft driven tail? If this is the real thing and good quality then say goodbye to the CP. If they can get the word out about this thing then it is a winner. First though it has to be put through the paces of some good R/Cers....Still seems fishy to me though.
Old 07-12-2006, 02:43 PM
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Ge Force
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

im tired of people always looking for the lower prices in this hobby lemme tell you , you get what you pay for, pay less get junk simply as that
Old 07-12-2006, 05:16 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Ge Force,

I don't want to seem rude, but a lot of the folks on the forum are on a limited budget, some are kids that have to wait for months to save 50 bucks for parts. Myself included, I'l like to upgrade to a T-rex or go nitro but it just isn't in my budget right now.
I have family responsiblites first, then the helis.

Dave / Choppersrule
Old 07-12-2006, 09:01 PM
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Ge Force
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

yea i know it sucks but this hobby isnt cheap, but it dosnt mean you still cant have fun just make sure you dont buy junk if your on a limited budget, long time ago when i was really poor i went on ebay looking for the cheapest heli, course the heli never got off the ground it and the motor smoked after a couple of tries... so if raptor 50's are too fancy for you and want a good beginner heli that first timers can fly i would get a blade cx they're not that bad only $200, have fun with that until you can get money for better machines
Old 07-19-2006, 08:56 AM
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Gary Morris
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Sorry for not checking back in, but I see now that the Falcon's have hit the market and so far all reports have been positive. Someone posted that the price was fishy? Well if it's fishy then I like fish! Mine is still going strong with zero problems. The post may have sounded like and ad but aren't all post about new products ads? I wouldn't have given this heli rave reviews had it not deserved them, I call them like I see them, had it been a piece of junk I'd be the first to say so! I'm not sponsored by Hobby Lobby or affiliated with them, I just wanted everyone to know about them.

Gary
Old 07-19-2006, 09:51 AM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Is the heli available on 35mhz? Can I use my own transmittor?

Thanks,
Ross
Old 07-19-2006, 12:47 PM
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Gary Morris
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

I don't beleive it's available on 35 Mhz, you could buy it and put your own receiver in it but then you'd be stuck with a Transmitter and receiver on 72 Mhz


Gary
Old 07-21-2006, 04:26 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Gary,

I just got my Falcon in the mail today. Can't wait to give it a whirl.. Few questions if you don't mind considering you seem to be the source for info on this.. Just a quick note about me, my GF got this for me for my B-Day. I am currently in the process of getting my Rotary rating on real birds and she thought it would be cute if she got me this.. Great girl!

Anyway here are my questions:

1) I have no clue how to balance the main blades. Can you help me out on this?

2) The SIM software seems to not be working.. Do you have a link for that guide?

3) Two wires hanging on the belly.. Battery and another one. Two prong.. Any ideas?

4) Battery charging. 2 hrs?

5) Start up procedures?

These are just a few that I have to start.. I am a newbie to this and would love any help..

Thanks in advance..

Curry
Old 07-21-2006, 05:20 PM
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medic99
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

So I took the bad boy out for the first time. Could not wait.. Here is what I ran into:

1) How do you control the tail rotor?
2) I am not sure the controls are configured correctly. Left Joy stick controls the throttle? Right controls rotor pitch? I cant get the bird from spinning?
3) I got her off the ground but had a hard landing.
4) The tail rotor blades are not locked tight. Do i need to screw them tight?
5) Main rotor blades are tight but how tight do they need to be?

Thanks
Old 07-21-2006, 05:24 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Hi Mecic99,

I've been eyeballing the Falcon 3D since it's been available.
Keep us posted on how it works out for you.
It has some nice attributes, if it's well made then it could be a nice machine.
If you get a chance, take a couple of pics of a few different angles with the canopy off.
I've seen the photos out so far, but more is better.

Best of luck in getting things set up and balanced. I've heard that the documentation is pretty much a joke, but that shouldn't be a big problem once you get the initial stuff figured out.

I'm sure owners of other models can help some too, the principles are still the same even if the hardware is slightly different.

Good Luck!!

Dave
Old 07-21-2006, 05:29 PM
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medic99
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

I will take some pics and post on Sunday.. The manual is the biggest joke in the world. You have any clue how to balance the main blades?

Side Note: Where you in the 82nd? I was 10th Mountain from 1999 to 2002 and then Carson from 2002 to 2005.

Old 07-21-2006, 06:09 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Skyup,

I purchased one also, about two weeks ago. I was able to fly it out of the box with just some trim settings. I was impressed with the quality of the heli. It's somewhat larger that the Blade CP. The CP has a 20 inch main rotar and the Falcon 3D is 25 inches.

The transmitter that comes with the Falcon feels and looks like a toy, but works great.
You only get 6 to 7 minutes of flight time with the stock battery, but I plan to upgrade to a 2200 mAh battery down the road. I'm still new at this hobby, six months, started with the Blade Cx, then the CP and now the Falcon. I've got 4 flights on the Falcon and haven't crashed yet.. Parts are resonable too.. I'm a back yard flyer and don't plan on any 3D stuff, so this heli is just absolutely great for me.

I've attached some pictures for all to view.

Dave / Choppersrule
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Old 07-21-2006, 06:15 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

If anyone wants a picture from a different angle or a closer view of some specific part.. PM me, I don't alway check all the threads.. not enough time in the day. I will post it on this thread.

Dave // Choppersrule
Old 07-21-2006, 06:44 PM
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SkyUp
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

Choppersrule,

Thanks for the info and great pics. Congrats on the new purchase, it's great to hear from those that have the Falcon.
I think this is the least expensive way for me to get a RTF with heading hold gyro and brushless motor. I actually was intitially attracted to the Falcon because of the shaft drive tail. I like the linkage from the servo back to the tail, as it has a ball joint instead of the often used "Z" connection at the idler arm at the tail.

In one or two of the videos that I've seen for the Falcon it seems very responsive, I thought I saw a slight vibration in the tail during one of the takeoffs, but that could easily just be the operator at the controls making some slight correction. Have you detected any (notable) vibrations or gitters?



Medic99 - Yup, (Airborne!) I was in the 82nd Signal Bn from 1971-1974 ... I was a generator mechanic/paratrooper ... probably what got me into in all things related to flying, mechanical and electrical. "SkyUp" is what we always used to say when we had to leave (i.e. "I've got to skyup, catch ya later.")
Old 07-21-2006, 07:05 PM
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Default RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!

To All:

Actually, this Falcon 3D seems very, very stable. Once in a great while(rarely) it will twitch and inch or two, but just for a second or so.

But nothing drastic or notable.

This can be caused by radio glitches and I suppose all helis, regardless of size, cost etc. will encounter a glitch here or there.

Put the training gear on until you get the feel of it.

Dave // Choppersrule



I was in the Air Force, spent time in Viet Nam, 1967 and 68. I was an instrument tech, and worked on all the instrumentation on the KC-135's and the B-52 Bombers. I look back on it and just awed at the whole experience. (nope, no helis)


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