[&o] I've been reviewing alot of info regarding the LM Corona, 117 and Century Hawk sport. I like the fact that the LM helis are durable and use 4 channel radios.
My point is that I like the performance of the nitro verses the need to upgrade the electric to match flight times. Then comes the engine of the 117 . This would be so easy, and I would buy the 117 as my Lhs has one, if it were not for fear of the engine and no real upgrade option. Even needing the 6 ch radio the Hawk sport is appealing because the heli is bigger, engine upgrades if needed, varible collective and the heli with engine is about the same price as the 117.
It's called competiton and I don't deal with the anxiety of engine woes without solutions or options. So I'll be here in limbo until my lhs tells my they have a source for the Hawk sport and parts or LM heli gets the engine options out.
I hope you're listening Lite Machines.

Still looking

Well said.
Mark

I agree with Mark again, I like my LMH I really do but to tell you the truth if I had research before I bout the LMH I would never had gotten it. I already had a computer radio with aircraft and heli. so that wasn't a deciding facter for me. Now if you have to buy a radio then a few bucks more and you have a computer 1 ready to go.. As far as parts go the parts are as cheap and some cheaper than the LMH. Good luck Alan

well, your source for the Hawk sport is Century Helicopters not your LHS, and while there have been several cases of bad engines, there have to be more people out there with them working than not,,and personally I dont think offering up an "or else" proposition on your first post is a great way to start out.. I have a 116 and wore out the .061 motor trying to practice hovering (mine was used when purchased) and it came with the .074 for an upgrade, I just havent gotten around to it yet,,,,because I like planes better...Rog

You may be correct about the aggressiveness of my first post. My argument stands. If I'm not mistaken, Century offers their Hawk sport for just over $600 with a radio. That's about the same as a Lite machines kit. Dont get me wrong, I have'nt ruled out the Lite machines. I can't overlook the toughness off the thing.

okay lets start over then,, If I'd had a 6 channel radio, I wouldnt have bought an LMH (certainly not new), knowing what I know now, I would not buy another, yes it is tough and certainly a certain amount of fun,, but with the micro electric heli's coming out for $300 with tx and the glow heli's as cheap and nice as the Hawk sport ///... for the money ..get the sport
once you have trained on it(with help) it can do so much more ...if youve been watching, you'll see that the experienced LMH folks are leaning towards the Hawk too... I like the 1/2a forum myself and the small planes,, and only got caught up in the LMH because of its low cost and bought one on ebay for ?$300 and it had almost enough extra parts to make another one. already had 2, 4 channel radios, and now a 6 channel futaba..do what you want but... my advice would be to go with the Hawk....Rog

True the toughness of the LMH will save you alot of money when it comes to crashes. Most crashes with the LMh heli cost little next to nothing. If you spend 20 bucks after a crash, you had a really bad major crash. I few crashes with a hawk sport, I dont think you can say the same thing. The only thing about the LMH package I dont really like is the Radio being a four channel radio. Id go with a six channel radio that will have Heli mixing at the least so that i wouldnt have to buy another radio when I move up to a larger Heli. Yes, It seems that there is a problem with the V7 engines on the lite machines but you will not no if you have a bad engine unless you get the kit and find out. Besides that, Lite is pretty good at replacing the bad engines. Its just fustrating when you hear that dreaded "clink" sound. Then you know you will be grounded for about a week and a half. You never know, you may get the kit fire it up and two years later say this baby is still running fine. Personally I dont know how wide spread the problem is. Lite says it isnt as bad as returns on other manufacturers engines. Just my two cents guys. I went through four engines the forth has about three gallons through it now and its a charm.

All true about the toughness of the LMH this is what sold me on it. But also concider this, LMH rotor blades here cost $9.95 each. A pair of hawk blades cost $ 18.95 hummm same as the tail fin, the hawk fin 3 times the size as LMH's is less money. True that you may damage more on the hawk if you crash but also think of this, the hawk has a 48 inch rotor and there for is way more stable than the LMH nitro. Even the main rotor shaft is the same price as the LMH. Over all even the cost of the hawk is less. But if you flop it over as I have my LMH the hawk will brake a blade, parts do break on the LMH also, but you could get help and also use training gear. Of course my 2 cents worth Alan

Thanks all for your info and help.

Great topic guys..

I have been considering an LMH Corona.. I can't decide between that or the MSComposit Hornet II.. Same price, but the hornet II has CP. It's smaller, so wouldn't handle outdoor flight as well. But, it could be close to being as durable.

The main things about the LMH that make me think it is the one to get over the hornet are:

1. Size - not a "big" full-size chopper, so it doesn't take as much room, won't crash as violently, *in my opinion* smaller choppers are safer. But, it's bigger than the micro choppers, so hopefully more stable.
2. Durable - LMH has proven itself to be nearly indestructable. The micros are tough too since they are so small they don't have the kind of heli destroying energy that the big ones do when they crash, but the micros are not as durable as an LMH.
3. MADE IN USA - This is a biggie for me. What can I say, I'm alarmed at the trade deficit these days, and I am happy to see that some things are still made in this country.

The main things about LMH that make me leary to buy one are:

1. Seems to be a stop of innovation on the part of litemachines.. It's like they create this new style of R/C chopper, and set the R/C Helicopter world on it's ear, then they close the book. No CP option after I'm sure 1000's of requests, No move to a user friendly engine (Say what you want about Norvel's strong reputation for performance, they are NOT easy to use for people that are not VERY experieced with engines). How long have they been promising new crutches in aluminum? Do they actually have one yet? How about carbon fiber? How about that Arlton Gyro for the Corona?
2. Not very strong sales channels.. Why? I've said it here before, if I want to buy something with my hard earned money, why should I have to work to find the product I want, and then just be patient and hope it comes in the mail!! I should be able to go to my LHS and pick one off the shelf and pay for it, and then go play! Very few stores actually carry these, and NO big online stores carry them.. I've said this before too: If they sold these at TowerHobbies (who I trust from lots of transactions going seamlessly), I'd have bought one already.

Here is what I fear: The only reason people are buying LMH helis right now is because there isn't anything exactly like it on the market right now. At first, these choppers were untouchable, but with the Raptor and the Hawk Sport, now the price is no longer an advantage for LMH.. Pretty soon someone else will make one the same size that is just as durable, and then LMH will be obsolete in my opinion.. Don't get me wrong, I like LMH choppers, I really do! I like the company and the story of it's beginnings. I want to support this company with my dollar votes. I just feel like they are loosing ground against the other companies fast, and it bothers me to see that!

**WAKE UP LITEMACHINES** Time to start improving your product. Time to start better marketing and better business sales channels. Time to come out with a micro heli to cash in on some of the micro craze (and plant the seeds for "brand loyalty" when the new micro heli pilot wants to upgrade). Time to use a common engine instead of these finicky Norvels. Big deal that an OS10 weighs a little more for the same power? A little more weight would bring higher rotorhead speed and more stability, right? Plus, OS engines use more standard fuel, easier to get parts for, easier to break in & run, more reliable, etc.. Time to actually make available the things that people have been asking for (or that you have promised) like different crutches, CP, Arlton Gyro for the Corona, etc..

Jason

Ive been around and flying the LMH helicopter for a few years now. The Lite machines heli in a sense does pay for itself if you would caculate the crash factor. i had the same gripe about the cost of the LMH heli when i first started flying it. My attitude was really bad about it. I stated the same thing about the Hawk Sport . But then I started fiddling with the heli and I found it to be one really tough helicopter. Ive crashed all kinda ways. Ive even put the helicopter into the ground upside down on an asphalt road which I couldnt believe it suffered no damage. I have broken blades sliding around in my garage and striking something with a sharp corner. Im still using the original tail rotor blades amd most of the mechanics. Now Im pretty proficient in flying, doing very aggresive maneuvers. My thing is I like realistic flying. Ive done loops rolls (more like barrel roll) extreme banking maneuvers. precision maneuvering such as between and around objects (sometimes not intended. If you are starting out I highly encourage the buying of the LMH heli over any other as a first helicopter. Over at the EZONE (RCgroups.com)
you will find alot of people are not satisfied with the micro helis such as the hummingbird and the piccolo as a first helicopter. Almost everyone say it is much harder to fly than the LMH Heli. you will go through alot of parts. And for the Hawk and the Raptor many find they are much easier to fly only after they have learned to fly the LMH Heli. Though parts may be cheap for the Hawk and or Raptor, in a crash you will definitely have to replace more parts thus you really cant say that it is cheaper as far as crash survivability. If the wind blow you over with one the the hawks or raptor you are basically guaranteed you will be replacing blades and even a flybar.$$$ Dont even think about flying in any wind conditions with the Micro Helis, especially as a beginner. If you were to go with the LMH Heli, theres one thing I would change about buying a package deal. Buy a six channel radio with Heli mixing for when you do go to a larger helicopter. I dont regret getting my LMH Helicopters and even though I move up to another bigger heli, it will take a surgical operation for me to let go of my LMH Helicopters---Yes, I have more than one.

nu2rc,

If you have some building experience, you have an option that I and others have used modify! It is not hard at all to mount an OS 12 car engine on the LMH.
There is a concern on the rotor speed, but, that is with-in ones own hands to control (max engine RPMs).

I and others have posted info on this site on doing the conversion.

I fly larger Helios and the LMH is by far the easiest to maintian. Also, the amount of fuel consumed is far less than with larger engines.

I have had a lot of trouble with my nitro LMH but to tell you the truth if you are deciding on a carona or other micro for your first,, go with the CARONA hands down I have a carona and for a short while had a hummingbird. The carona flys so nice and the humming bird is so snaky.. I am sorry to say I would not recomend a nitro LMH anymore just my 2 cents.. Then after you have become good with the carona then get a hawk..I love flying the carona over the nitro anyday. Now on the other hand with some help and training gear the hawk would be a good buy too... Alan P.S. I have to agree with you on the litemachines stuck in the OLD days they did come out with a good heli years and years ago and that was it even their web sight has not been updated in a very long time. No one has reviewed their product in 4 years.

I have a Dragonfly (hummingbird clone) and a LMH 110something. The LMH is easier to fly and in an entirely different clas of durability. You can really beat the crap out of the LMH in a flying session and the worst punishment you suffer is a dented tailboom. The Dragonfly has a lot of tiny, fragile parts and can be difficult to get trimmed correctly. There are also a handful of mods that need to be done to get it to fly well. The LMH is really pretty decent out of the box. Having said that, the LMH is a great last-generation helicopter. It would be PERFECT to have such a durable machine for learning 3D and inverted flying. Thunder Tiger and Century are YOU listening? Just imagine a 10 sized heli with CP and symetrical blades. A mini raptor or Hawk, now that would be cool. Hmmm, anyone know where I can get a TT .10 cheap?

Kristopher

Jason, the metal frame conversions are available for the 116/117 and 120. You have to use the shopatron at Lite Machine's web sight to find them.
Mark

I agree with fiat 100%! My experience with my nitro LMH was not a good one. I had all kinds of overheating problems with mine. Couldn't get a decent flight ever. It flew stable, which is why I later bought (and recently sold) the Corona. It is as tough as they say it is. I also fly a Hawk Sport and recommend it to anyone wanting to get into helicopters.

It comes down to want you want out of your heli. If you want to fly in any kind of wind, get the Hawk Sport. As good as the Corona is in wind (much better than a micro) it can't hold a candle to a 30 size nitro heli like the Hawk. When I fly fly my Sport in front of my plank flying buddies at the field they're amazed that I can fly it in such strong winds. They don't fly helicopters so they don't know that there simply is no better aircraft to fly in wind than a helicopter, at least a bigger heavier one like the Sport.

If wind isn't as much of an issue and you looking for tough, get the Corona.

Hope this helps,

Mike

My HAWK is here, and what a beutiful machine it is. I started to assemble it tonight and I love it's design. My wife helped me unpack it and she is as excited as I am... More later I am tired Alan

Seems like a popular heli pilot career path. I ordered my Hawk on Sunday night. Now if I could only get heli-world to let me know if they got my order!

Kristopher

Well, I think the LMH is a great heli.

I have had a 110 for about a year which I bought second hand and the .061 engine never missed a beat (although I am on my 3rd plug ) I also have a Piccolo FP eco, Piccolo CP PRO brushless and a Nexus 30.

A crash with any of my helis breaks stuff, except the LMH. I have NEVER broken anything on the LMH and its been cartwheeled a couple of times.
Forward flight is pretty good and great fun with the LMH, its WAY more stable in FFF than my Eco piccolo and I dont stress about it like with the PRO or the Nexus.

I am currently converting it to electric with a home made carbon crutch and Mega brushless motor, with a ready to fly weight of 26oz. I cant wait to fly it indoors

Short answer is that the LMH is great stable heli for learning to hover, but its an exceptional heli to learn fast forward flight with. It wont pitch up like smaller FP helis and is less stressful than the CP helis.

Every one agrees that the LMH is a great little heli. but the nitro vesion dose have it's issuse. Some people do get lucky with the engines but it seems more don't. The engines are hand fitted at the factory so it's a shot in the dark that you get a good one. Alan

Notasme & gang,
I have a little fabrication and machine shop experience, however, my r/c model building experience is limited beyond some chassis mods I did on r/c cars years ago. I'm comfortable with idea as long as I know which engine to start with.
It's interesting that you mentioned the car engine because I had researched that after reading the post about your impressive work. I did come up with a few things and any info regarding these would be appreciated:

Which car engines are the best or easiest to mount?

The car and some plane engines I considered had a top RPM of 18,000. Is this a issue?

I also noticed the car engines have pull starts, which would negate the starter cone and shaft fab to adapt a engine.

I did see a engine that had a muffler that swiveled but it appeared that there was not enough clearence for the boom.

Are most prop shafts the same length on airplane engines, allowing for adjusting the pinion gear to mate with the main drive using spacers?

I also thought one could fabricate a motor mount out of a plastic material or adapt one made for the particular engine they use.

I feel quite confident that I could build a crutch or adapt one on based our my views of the Corona.

Thanks for you interest in my post. To be honest I don't plan on worrying anyone beyond fact finding on this site til I buy a heli. I would have a Nitro LMH now if I were'nt concerned about the Vmax7 or if there was a bolt-on option. It's a shame they don't offer a options like the 30 size heli's.

Thanks