MadHeli17

Hello everyone, this is my first post. I would greatly appreciate any help I can get. I have been flying small heli's for a while now. I had a friend ask me if I wanted to buy a heli he had but he didn't know anything about it. This is my first one of this size. He had no idea what model it is other than its a thunder tiger raptor. If anyone could help me identify exactly which one it is so I can start learning about it I would be grateful. Also it has no transmitter so suggestions on what I should get for a beginner of this size would also help. Thanks!

etpompea

What you have is a Thunder Tiger Raptor V2, with a OS 50SX and a Curtis Youngblood Muscle Pipe (muffler), JR DS821 servos, a Futaba GY401 gyro controlling a Futaba S9254 servo for the tail, and a Spektrum AR7000 DSM2 7-channel receiver, Maverik carbon fiber blades, and some upgraded parts on the tail. Most everything looks pretty good EXCEPT for the DS821 servos. JR (Horizon Hobbies) did not reccomend using these on any heli bigger than a .30 size. Something to do with the geartrain/susceptibility to vibration. Give Horizon a call and ask them about the servos. If you want to keep the receiver a good transmitter to start off with would be a Spektrum Dx6i. You can usually find a good used one on Ebay or the for sale forums (rcuniverse, helifreak, runryder) for under $100. You can find spare parts almost anywhere (http://www.rcheli.com/ (you can also download a manual from them) http://www.amain.com/rc-helicopters/c2?fb=41&lg=fb0. The raptor is a good flying heli, and very tough. You will find it a lot more stable than your small helis. Try to get some help from someone who know how to tune up the engine if you're not familiar with nitro operation.

MadHeli17

Thank you so much for the info!! Was starting to think nobody was gonna respond to my post. So is this a .50 size heli? I bought a spectrum DX7 on eBay for a really good price. Now I just need to find someone or some info on how to set it up so I can fly. I know there is a lot of settings and I am not very knowledgable (yet) on how to set it all up. I am very familiar with nitro engines as I have been running large scale nitro trucks for about 18 years so tuning is not an issue for me. If you have any suggestions on setting up the DX7 I'm all ears. Again thanks for the info you have already given me!!

etpompea

I'm about 95% sure it's a .50 size. To be 100% sure you're going to have to remove the muffler. Under the exhaust port will be one of three numbers-32, 37, or 50. If it's 32 or 37 then it's a Raptor 30. If it's 50, then it's a Raptor 50. Also, measure the blades. Measure from the blade grip bolt to the end of the blade. If it's 550mm it's a .30. If it's 600mm it's a .50. If you didn't get a manual with the heli here's a link: http://www.ronlund.com/mm5/part_find...V2Manualv2.pdf The manual lists pitch and throttle curves. The DX7 is a good radio. Hopefully you got a manual for it. The manual is pretty good. Just remember when you're setting it up that your swashplate type is 1 servo, non-eccpm.

MadHeli17

Awesome thank you! I will measure my blades when I got off work today. I did get a manual with my transmitter so that's good. Also one more thing I thought of, do I need a special heli nitro fuel or can I use my odonells 20% that I use in my nitro trucks?

etpompea

You need a fuel that contains 18-23% oil. Looking at the specs for Odonell fuel I see figures like 7.5% oil which is way too low. You don't have to use 30% nitro heli fuel for the kind of flying you"re going to do, regular 15-20% nitro airplane fuel will do just fine. Just make sure it has at least 18% oil.