Can someone tell me if there are a set of metal or stronger skids supports for the Axe CP? I keep snapping the plastic ones like toothpicks. I snapped a set and I wasn't even flying. I know I'm strong but come on!

I think others are using different skids but I am not sure which ones. Not much help there is it? I have broken mine twice. I CA glued the breaks with a light coating so it would grip and hold. I then went back and glued over the top of that to get a bead/bulge whatever and let it dry overnight. I then put black tape 2 or 3 wraps around the break. Those have not broken again. Try CA glue until you decide on getting a new set.

Thanks for the help. I did tried ca glue but it doesn't hold well at least for me because I still get a hard landing in now and then.

Yea, I've heard that the Trex or MX 400 skids can be fitted. I'm still using the OE skids though so I can't give you a how-to.

I've went through a few myself. I think one particular day I broke three (it was windy though ).

I will say this though. If you put on beefier skids you may end up breaking the tabs on the frame that secure the skids. Something has to give in a crash. Personally I'd rather just stock up on skid supports for $2.69 a pair then have to go through all the labor and expense of replacing or trying to makeshift repair the $21.49 frame, but that's just me.

Yeah, I hear you on that one. I just hate having to unscrew, unravel the antenna wire, and then do it all in reverse.[:'(]

I've switched over to the MX400 skids. You have to cut off the mounting tabs on the new skids and drill new holes in them to fit but it is well worth it. Wider stance and it makes the AXE sit a little lower too. I'll post a pic or two in the morning.

Bob..

You know what I didn't even think about that DK.

Right after I first bought my Axe I did away with that crappy stock antenna set-up. With what I have now I can just pop off the antenna and do an R&R on the skid supports. It only take me five minutes to change them out. If I had to mess with that entanglement they call an antenna wire I'd get peeved too.


Here's my set-up. A modified [link=http://helihobby.com/html/extras.html]Micro-Z antenna[/link]. I used the OE antenna tube for mounting and added shrinktubing to the outside of it to increase durability. Aside from the $13 for the Micro-Z there is no downside.

Thanks. I may try that mod. Even though the plastis are cheap, jate having to keep replacing. Don't get me wrong, the Axe is great nad I am someone who is big on mods just to personalize my rc's.

[8D]Me too. Most of my Axe is modded. There aren't many OE parts left at all.

I been checking your mods. My next will probably be to go brushless once I build my comfort level. I am going to stick with my CP for a while. THere's a lot of room to do things. What you think about the belt drive from that company in Australia? How much of a difference is belt drive? Will I need to swap out all the electronics?

You'll like the BL upgrade. BL motors are really cool.

The belt drive is pretty cool. It gives much better tail authority. In fact collective driven tails are the ultimate for tail control. If that's what you want then a driven tail is the only way to go.

You will have to change everything out though. The 3-in-1 wouldn't work in that app. The only thing you could use is the Rx. The motor would have to be upgraded because it would need to be more powerful to drive the tail. You know how hot it gets now. How hot do you think it would get from all the extra drag and load of a belt system and tail rotor? You'd also need a gyro and tail servo.

If I wanted a driven tail heli I think I'd go for the barebones HB King V2 from Helidirect for $88. It was designed for with a belt drive and it has a one way bearing for autos (I think). I don't think that mod from Freestyle allows for a one-way bearing. If I was going with a set-up like that I'd want the heli to be able to do anything I could think of including autorotations.

That said I really do like the tail motor set-up for it's simplicity and it's sleekness. I like the fact that it doesn't have linkage hanging out and I think it's easier to repair. Plus I like to go the road less travelled. I guess it's a character flaw.

My goal is to get a tailmotor heli to perform like a driven tail heli just because it's hard to do.

Here are a few pic's of the Helimax MX400 skids on my AXE. One other thing you have to do is route the ant wire to the other side as the ant tube mt is on the left side. They are thicker then the stock AXE landing gear too.

Bob..

I put the landing gear for the Align 450 on my AXE CP and it looks and works great. Best of all, much stronger than the stocks. Here are some pics, tell me what ya think:

That's looks pretty cool DK.
I may have to do that as well just because the aluminum skids look so much better then the stock ones.

I replaced the skids one time but really haven't had a need since then. More than a few hard landings before it broke the first time and now I really haven't crashed it hard enough to break them again. IMO they are strong enough after you get over that initial stage. I did replace the styrofoam balls off the training gear with some from wal-mart that are practice foam balls for golf. A bit bigger and good light fuzzy foam that I am happy with, absorb shock better and don't try to spin.

On a side note, dont pay attention to the video when it tells you to glue the rods for the training gear on to the skids. I replaced the main gear and just wanted to use my old skids but had to buy them too because I couldn't get them out of the old gear without em snapping like twigs

I got rid of the foam balls too. Went to Sports Chalet and got the plastic practice golf balls that look like "swiss cheese" and they work great. I like the low pro of the Align skids and they are very strong and do look good with my some what custom paint.

I actually found a LHS near my job with the G 3.5 sim on display and tried out the Axe CP on it. I did pretty good. It's a lot easier to fly something you don't care about crashing. I felt like a pro!

I played with the sim the other day as well and was thinking the same thing about it. I really don't buy the realism bit. The sim is good for controls and learning the basics but really seems easier than the real thing to me in some aspects and more difficult in others. Too small to see the heli when it gets away from you on the sim and hard to tell what orientation. Not so bad on the hover but I did love it for practicing the 3d stuff. I want the sim but still have a hard time coming up with money for it when I could almost buy the heli I want.

<---broke as hell from working as an intern for World Airways

you might as well go with gorilla gear, the mx gear is a real hard plastic and breaks real easy.

I purchased gorilla gear, its the last landing gear I will have to buy.

gorilla gear

please supply link for the gorilla gear that is mentioned in this post.

Thanks
Tom

http://www.grandrc.com/inc/sdetail/31106

this is where I got mine

Just buy a new set of plastic landing struts...
Then BEFORE you mount them..
Boil them in water for about 10 minutes..

That makes them very soft and pliable..they
bend but don't snap.

Try it... you'll like it.

Bob

How Well does this work, I have broken my stock gear so many times that I gave up counting lol. I am looking into getting different gear but I don't know what the size would be ie 300, 400, 450 etc. Any help you could provide would be very helpful.

Thanks
Tom

The Align gear I put on my Axe CP works very well. I have no regrets about switching to the T-Rex 450 gear what so ever. I paid about $9 for the set.

Before you mount your nice new plastic gear struts
boil them for about 8 or 10 minutes in water.

You'd be surprised how nice and pliable that makes
them. And they don't break anymore.

AB