I currently have a Raptor 50 V2 and am in the market for another heli to add to the hangar. I would like something a bit more advanced than the Raptor for 3D and still stay in a 50 size machine.

I am new to helis and certainly not ready for 3D but I would like to have something that would keep me challenged for the future and not be looking for another heli in a year or so.

Any input will be appreciated.

Well I'd be surpised if you found something 3D the R50 V2 couldn't perform, but the only other heli I cna think of that would fit the bill would be the Hirobo EVO 50. The Tiger 50 might be good as well, but certianly not better than the R50 from what I have seen.

To put that in perspective I have only flown the R50 V2. I really what I have seen and read about the EVO 50 though.

Chris,

The Sceadu Evo and the Tiger 50 seem to be the prime candidates right now. I just want to make sure there aren't any others that I have not considered yet. I am also checking into a Gohbee, but I don't know anyone personally who flys one.

Thanks for the input.

Yeah me either. The only thing I can say with respect to the 50 size helis on the market is that the Raptor having the majority of market share, upgrade/replacement parts are plentiful and reasonably priced and assistance with it is also easy to come by. It's not perfect, but it is a nice heli.

FWIW, I saw the JR Venture 50 and was not impressed with it. When I got my R50 V2 I was also considering the Venture 50 and in hind sight I'm glad I didn't get the Venture.

We have a Tiger 50 at the field. Its nice, ccpm and all but I don't think its any step above the Raptor.

All the 50 size heli's have thier pluses and drawbacks but I think you need to have a lot of empty fuel jugs behind you before you need to step up from a Raptor 50.

If equipped with a hyper engine and good servo's the Raptor is right at the top of the class, maybe a slight edge to the Evo in some areas but I dont think its that much better and I believe the parts cost more.

How does the Tiger 50 compare with the Raptor 50V2 and JR Venture 50 as far as quality, durability, design, etc.

The Tiger and Venture are both CCPM... is the Tiger very similar to the Venture?

The Raptor is a good heli for sure. I just would like to have a second heli to fly in case something happens to it and I really don't want to buy another Raptor. As they say, variety is the spice of life!

I have a second heli now that I have never flown yet. I bought it because it was a good deal for the electronics if nothing else. It is a Hirobo GPH 346. I have seen it fly and it flys nice, it is just getting a little outdated. It is a good heli to start with but I am not sure how good it is when I want to advance. I am thinking about whether to sell it complete and ready to fly with a different radio or just sell the heli and engine. Any thoughts?

Wow I just sold a whole box of parts for the GPH 46


The Tiger seems like any other plastic 50 heli. I like CCPM, this one wouldn't hold pitch between what we set it to on the ground and what it seemed like in the air for some reason. It flew well enough and seemed well made. I have seen people have fits with a Venture but I never set one up so who knows if it was the heli or the builder.

I know the 299 deal on the Tiger seemed nice till you started adding some metal parts a header tank etc it wasn't any cheaper than anything else.


Bayou, I know the variety thing, I just built a Concept 46VR out of a kit I had laying around just for something to do on a rainy weekend.

I almost bought a GPH 346 about 2 years ago, but the deal with a previous co-worker went bad after I actually had the heli. So I returned the heli to him. It was a nice looking heli, it appears that parts can be hard to come by now days though.

Ya know Andy I forgot to mention I am jealous of your flying field. At least the pit area is beautiful. The shade must be sweet, it would make it a lot easier to deal with warm days.

Oh its georgous. Paved runway and taxiways. Building with men and ladies rooms, kitchen for contests. A cop lives on the property so we don't get unwelcome visitors.

The neighbors all wear cool orange jump suits and don't complain about the noise.

The only downside is that its 26 miles from the house.

http://www.gatewayrc.org

26 MILES!!!![X(] The closest heli field around here is at least 50 miles and the one I fly at is 75. Barracuda, I sure wish I had the drive you have.

As for parts for the GPH there are some around if you look. If I sell this one I suspect it will be someone who already has one and wants it for the parts as well as a flyable heli. If I can't sell it, I will fly it until the ground comes up to meet it and then retire it.

There's actually 4 club flying fields within a reasonable drive, 6 or 7 if you expand the radius to what you drive, maybe more.

I'm actually kinda spoiled in that regard.

These are my sentiments exactly and I have had a couple of "back-up" helis over the months and yet I have repeatedly gone back to my Raptor so, in some respects, I wish I'd have spent my money on a second Raptor but, in other respects, I just couldn't bring myself to do it - until now. See, if I had two Rappies, which would I chose to use AND I live in hope there is something better but there ain't.

Well, at least I know I am not the only one out here with this dilema.

Okay so the 26 mile drive to the flying field bites, but it sure is a nice field. My field is not very nice, but it's adequate and it's only 3 miles away by road, 1.6 by air and break my heart I have to drive by the regional airport to get there. The local mostly heli field is about 15 minutes away, but I am not a member there since my kids don't like the field. It's got only 1 runway and it's tough to land on with tall trees very close by on 3 sides. My plank landings there always start with a splt S for approach.

Hehehe, the neighbors with orange jumpsuits is a nice way to put it. I guess they don't complain, who'd listen if they did.

Yea, its actually a prison farm. Every now and then you will see a little bit of bright orange among the cows. Then we get a real close look at Jacksonville Sheriff Offices' Jet Ranger. Its how I got the closeups for the scale job I'm working on.

I'd like to see the pics of the Jet Ranger when you get it done.

I Know we all agreed on not getting a JR Venture 50, but for $405 shipped with OS50 and it's all brand new it seems like a good deal to me. Check out this Venture for sale here on RCU.
[link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=117937[/link]

It is a different heli and they do fly well, so at this price it may be worth considering.

Sounds like a good deal for someone, but I am just not a JR kind of guy.

I had to replace some parts in my Venture 30 head with some Ergo parts, and install thrust bearings to solve my tracking problem with that heli... tracking would go in and out from flight to flight. Seems OK now, but it cost me $50 or so for parts and shipping. If the Venture 50 head doesn't come with thrust bearings, you'd probably have the same tracking problem with that.

Anyone know if the Tiger 50 has thrust bearings in the head?

Here is a link to details on the Tiger 50 from their site. There are several pages to it. Make sure you check out all of them as there is no link to the next page on the bottom of one of the pages. I found it by accident and I couldn't find a link to it again on their page. Luckily I still had it in history on the computer.

[link=http://www.audacitymodels.com/details1.htm]Tiger 50 Details[/link]

bayou, what do you find lacking in the rap 50? what engine are you running?

Tanner,

I find absolutely nothing lacking in the Raptor and will probably upgrade it as my skills improve. I have it powered with an OS 50SX-H now and that is more than I need at the moment. I just want a second heli for some variety and backup in case something happens to the Raptor and I figured that as long as I was buying I would try to find something a little more advanced if possible. It's not that I don't like the Raptor, in fact it will still be my primary machine, I just don't want to own two of the same thing. Does that make any sense to anybody but me?

I have a Hirobo GPH now for a backup. I bought it used for a backup and have never flown it although it is fully ready to fly. I have seen it fly since I bought it and it flys great. It is just getting a little out of date and I wanted something more modern. I am thinking of selling the GPH as either a heli and engine combo or ready to fly with a Futaba 7CHP and GY401 and servos. It would be a good heli for someone to learn on or keep for parts if they already own one. When I decide what heli I want to buy, I will list it in both versions on the classifieds and see what happens.

I have some friends at IRCHA now and I want to talk to them when they return and see what they have learned about new products before I make a decision.

Bayou you say you have a Hirobo great heli,I have the Hirobo Eagle Freya 60 you might consider the Freya X-Spec I have heard great things about it and it is really sounding like a winner,I think that the X-spec 90 might be my next investment although I am looking at the Hyperaptor from Heliprozs also,just my two cents but I really think that Hirobo makes a great nitro bird.

Spoken by the person who would "never" buy a nitro bird!

How you been Moe?