Scoubidou

My Feedback: (17)

What's the difference other than color with the ZDZ-80 blue head and old serie? Any ignition or other upgrade to justify the 20$ extra cost?

The prop hub on the shaft seems to be different on the blue model?

Daniel
http://www.rcshowcase.com/html/engines/zdz80.html

Big_Bird

My Feedback: (1)

Other than a different hub design it looks like the main difference is the blue. The specs didn't change. Twenty dollars seems to me to be cheap to be the first at your flying field to have a blue head ZDZ80RV. You could be the center of attention with all those fliers clustered around admiring your new ZDZ engine. Of course you would want to have it on an un cowled plane like a Big Ugly Stick to show it off. [sm=thumbup.gif]

Brison, on the other hand, got rid of the color on their engines. Seriously, I wouldn't pay the difference for a blue ZDZ. Sometime back ZDZ changed to another brand of ignition when they had a parting of the ways with Falkon.

Ken

mbiedul

My Feedback: (3)

The specs of the 100NG models show a slight increase in weight for the blue head version, I guess from the paint and the nickel plating on the case. The cost difference is slight as well, but I think the smooth texture blue version should be easier to keep clean. The bare casting is not absorbant of course, but does have quite a texture. I'm of two minds about it. I am buying the plain one off the shelf from the local RCShowcase dealer, but would take the blue one if it were immediately available. Saito has that black-knight black ceramic-like coating on their engines as an alternative and they do seem to run slightly cooler. Saito says the black coating gives off heat better but I sure don't understand why; it would seem to me the coating would act like an insulator. I would think in the case of the ZDZ that the texture adds surface area and the blue head might rin insignificanty hotter. I suspect the blue coating is just an answer to all the pretty coating the other manufacturers have, and is seen by ZDZ as a marketing requirement. I do think the prop hubs are identical, at least on the 100NG, except for the anodizing colour. Plain or painted; either is a terrific engine. -Mike

3D Joy

My ZDZ has the same hub as the blue one from your link above. It is not blue though... I think the one with larger hub is a photo from an earlier version of the 80. If I were to buy again, I would get the blue only for the cool factor [8D]. 20$ is not all that much. It is said that they are identical engines apart from color. You get, as said above, easier cleaning when the engine eventually gets dirty. Weight diff. should be negligible IMO, if it actually helps cooling.

rmh

I just received a new blue 80 -now to design a plane that allows the pretty scheme to be visible when installed .
I think I have it ----------