Tanner Hall

My Feedback: (1)

hi,

what's the consensus (if there is one) "best" micro for indoor & outdoor 3d? what do you think? hopped up shogun or t-rex? other? i've looked at the new viper cpx (at helihobby.com) - and i really like the all-CNC concept - but i'm not sure about the tail rotor setup. [sm=confused.gif]

i'm open to any suggestions.

thanks!!

VinceHerman

You are asking for a fit with conflicting requirements.

3D and Indoor do not go together.

Oh, there are 3D electrics that many people have flown indoors, but I bet that someone has also flown a nitro heli indoors just to say that they had done it.

I think that the first thing to do is define your needs.
- Are you an experience heli pilot? Hover, nose in, and curcuits?
- Are you really looking for indoor and 3D in the same heli?

My recomendation, is to get 2 helis. One FP bird for indoor (with separates, hh gyro, brushless motors main and tail). One CP machine for outdoor. I will bow to experienced 3D pilots for recomendations here. I am not there, yet.

If you try to combine them into one heli, you will be compromising performance in both areas.

Tanner Hall

My Feedback: (1)

thanks for your input. i'm an intermediate pilot, i guess. i'd just like a 3d capable heli for indoors and outdoors. i'm no where near talented enough to fly inverted in the house! (is anyone?)

the thing is...i finally have the money to buy any model i choose and i was hoping that there'd be a clear "best" choice. maybe i'm expecting too much...

VinceHerman

Not expecting too much, but if you want to buy the best, don't compromise on the goal. Indoor/Outdoor is a compromise. I think that anything that is 3D capable is not an indoor candidate. High headspeeds on a 3D setup make indoor crashes damaging to the house. Get an indoor machine that is the best indoor machine. Get an outdoor machine that meets your other requirements.

Sabot

Yes I agree with VinceHerman.

If you're going to go with one heli for indoor and outdoor with some 3D capability from what I've heard the shogun/zoom sounds most suited to what you want.

PencilShavings

the ms composite hornet 2 out performs the shogun

rustler08-delete

and the trex out performs the hornet 2

Tanner Hall

My Feedback: (1)

thanks to all for the input. it sounds like the t-rex and shogun are the best choices for me. i just don't want to try to learn the nuances of two helis (indoor and outdoor) at the same time. i'm leaning to the shogun at this point due to reported problems with t-rex motor/pinion selection. the shogun seems to have better upgrades as well.

p.s. with respect to the hornet 2, i read a recent thread on RCU in which a guy who owned a hornet 2 AND shogun said he preferred his shogun by far.

Erich_F

Have you stopped to wonder WHY the Shogun has so many upgrades?
One good crash with the Shogun, you will pay for an entire T-Rex kit.
The "problems" associated with the T-Rex motor/pinion selection is just many people nit picking or over-analyzing the system. The Stock Align 400S (or L) and ESC will do all you say you want to do.

I have read many stories on other forums of people selling off or retiring their Shoguns by at least a 3-1 margin, in favor for their new T-Rex.

As they say, live and learn...then get a T-Rex

Erich

Tanner Hall

My Feedback: (1)

huh, interesting. are you saying the shogun is more expensive to fix than the t-rex? or, are you saying the t-rex perfroms better? if it's the latter, please elaborate. i'm still open to advice.

Erich_F

Both. I crashed my T-Rex once and all that was damaged was the feathering spindle. $5. I actually bought an entire kit for $169, just as a "master crash kit".

The T-Rex has a much more powerful cyclic. Flips and tumbles (and bailouts) happen much quicker. With a proper setup, a true 3D pitch range is available, and you can hammer on the tail without worry of tail gears stripping out. You will not see a Shogun with grass stains on the tailblades for very long. The T-rex is a larger heli, and even has a stretch kit available (tho not needed IMO), and flies in moderate winds very well. I was flying today in 15 G 18mph winds. Not fun, but good practice, and she can take it.

Kit comes with three sets of blades, blade holder, and two plastic building boxes for parts as you build/maintain. Metal balls on all but the tail grips, not plastic most everywhere like Shogun. Lots of little things that sold me on the T-Rex.

Shogun is a great little heli. It had it's issues, and most have been corrected through aftermarket bling bling. Align, maker of the T-Rex has incorporated at least 3 pilot reported changes to the kits in the past three months. Now that is standing behind the product and responding to customer issues.

As a disclaimer, I do not own a Shogun. However, I was the only CP micro flying at a recent event...two Shoguns stayed on the benches...my T-Rex flew 6 times. I really wish I could have seen the Shoguns fly, but I guess the pilots had their reasons.

Erich

Sabot

Take into consideration that its possible a that its just a high head speed which causes it damage.

PencilShavings

the shogun is bigger then the H2, and the trex is even bigger then the shogun

tanasit

With good TX, any CP with 3D capability can be programmed to act like a FP and you can change the pitch curve and/or the throttle curve to get much slower head speed for indoor flying. In fact, I do my hovering with lower head speed and once transition into forward, I flip on the idle up 1 which gives me more head speed with slightly less cyclic control than the "normal" (hovering) mode.
I set my T-Rex that way.

RE: T-Rex: Metal balls on all but the tail grips.

I just landed my T-Rex indoor with the tail hitting a stack of video tapes and broke one of the balls on the tail grips. I placed the ordered from 2 dealers who have them in stock but didn't want to wait, so I came up with the idea. Going through my old parts and found some metal balls from the Kyosho Concept EP. First I ground off the broken stem, drilled a small pilot hole at the same stock angle on the spot where the plastic ball used to be, then drilled a larger hole 1/3 way in just a tad smaller than the self tapping screw and screwed the metal ball in. This works perfect and stronger than stock because when I tried to break it using the same force as when I snapped the stock plastic one, it still stays put.

gamegeek

My Feedback: (11)

From what I've learned about using different idle ups, I thought that you could probably use a mode with a lower headspeed for indoor flight. Do you have any links to where I could find the thottle and pitch curves to get me started programming for indoor?

This had sold me on the Trex. There just doesn't seem to be an option that is close to it. I'm still a beginner heli pilot but if the gassers start out on collective, I want to too. I've had a FP hummingbird and didn't like it. I want something that flys and looks like a gas heli.

chris

tanasit

http://www.futaba-rc.com/faq/index.html

This is a good place to start. Most helicoprer TX has the idle up switch that you can set the pitch and throttle curve. In normal mode, both pitch and throttle curve are somewhat linear i.e. from low to high corresponding to stick positions. You may want to reduce negative pitch at the bottom of the stick so that when you chop off the throttle stick suddenly the helicopter won't drop too fast and you may want to reduce the highest pitch so that it won't load the motor at top stick.
Idle up basic, at low stick you want more throttle so the curve will look like a "U" shape, which is similar to the pitch curve. If available, you may want to adjust the pitch to rudder mix or gyro sensitivity too.
Some computer have 5 points, some up to 13 to adjust.
Get the best TX you can afford.

swashplate

Hey have any of you guys seen those duzi videos? I mean realy, the question was[:-] MONEY IS NO OBJECT (which is what i like to hear [8D] ), so check out www.duzi.cz cause i havent seen ANYTHING that can perform like that HANDS DOWN, except for those jet copters which are like a a real gazillion dollars and a now way inside type of thing[:'(]. LEARN ON SOMTHING CHEAP AND BUY A HORNET2.
just my 2 cents.