Archive for September, 2009
This is a continuation of my last post on the choices and types of RC helicopters available for beginners and veteran pilots as well. From RC Toy helicopters to RC Jet Turbine helicopters there are great choices for great fun. We’ve done our thing with the RC Toy, Micro coaxial and Electric helicopters, so let fly into the world of Nitro, Gas and Jet Turbine RC helicopters.
If RC electric helicopters have a competitor in terms of popularity, it’s RC nitro helicopters. If you want a RC helicopter that is tough,can stand up to punishment, and is the lowest price choice for a fuel powered RC helicopter, then this is your choice! Their durability been demonstrated over and over again! There are different opinions on the best RC Nitro helicopters but, the amazing fact that the RC model nitro engine sometimes called a glow engine powers these wonderful machines is mind blowing. These small engines can produce so much power for their size and weight making it a great choice for so many RC enthusiast.
There is often confusion between RC Gas and Nitro helicopters, but take my word for it, they are different because they use different engines. All RC gas helicopters use the same mechanics but have different gearing ratios to keep the rotor speed correct. The engines used in gas RC helicopters are similar to single cylinder two 2 stroke gasoline engines, you know, like the engine in your weed whacker. They use regular gasoline mixed with two-cycle engine oil just like your garden-tool variety gas engine with a similar size with the most popular being the 2-stroke gasoline in the 20cc-30cc range. If you choose a gas model engine, you will also have to decide on kind of ignition system to use. Gas powered RC helicopters are large with rotor diameters usually over 2000 mm (80 inches). They are generally more stable and can handle high wind conditions. You can see them much easier when flying which allows for less disorientation. A large RC Gas helicopter is the way to go if you don’t want to break the bank on a turbine RC helicopter. Oh, let the buyer beware; a large gas RC helicopter is clearly not the best choice for your first RC helicopter because of the higher cost of the kit and engine, and maintenance. It’s is best to start with RC electric or nitro helicopters).
RC turbine helicopters are not very different from gas or nitro RC helicopters but they do differ in size and oh, do they cost more. They are about the same size as larger gas helicopters with rotor diameters in the 2000-2500mm (80-100 inch) range weighing about 25-35 pound range. Even the controls, mechanics, and how they are built, are close to being the same! Some larger helicopter kits have been designed to run gas engines can be fit with turbine engines with minimal modifications.
Well that’s your choices ! Which one is for you is a personal choice, and I hope theses summaries has added to your understanding of this wonderful hobby choices.
Looking for a RC helicopter for your kid, a friend or yourself? Need a simple breakdown of what’s available? If so, you should know that there are a number of RC helicopters available for beginners and seasoned pilots in a wide range of prices that continue to decline as technology marches forward. Today’s RC helicopters can be found in a variety of models that encompass Toy, Micro Coaxial, Electric, Nitro, Gas and Jet Turbine. Great you say, what does that do to help me choose the right RC helicopter? You have a point since choosing the right RC model depends heavily on your understanding of the technical characteristic of these aircraft. Without this understanding you are asking for disappointment, frustration and a haste decision about failure and what it means to your continuing in the RC hobby world. Here is a brief description of two of your hobby choices. I will continue with RC nitro, gas and jet turbine choices in my next post!
RC Toy Helicopters have made it possible for anyone to enjoy flying RC Helicopters. They are not complicated, they are surprisingly easy to fly, and most are very inexpensive. Sure, the controls are not the same as real or hobby grade helicopters, or micro coaxial RC helicopters, but so what! They are fun RC helis. If you want to make your controller function a little more like a hobby grade RC helicopter controller, you can possible make a modification to the throttle stick. These are RC helicopters that all ages will enjoy flying!
RC Micro coaxial RC helicopters are one of the greatest and most enjoyable products to hit the RC market. They have introduced a large number of people to this exciting world of RC helicopters and sales continue to grow. The cost is not to prohibitive and the excitement is worth every dime. Beginning pilots are entranced with this awesome rc machine and old timer like me, get hooked on their favorite models like the. Simpler to operate than a single rotor hobby grade RC heli, they are east to fly and skills you learn can be transferred to single rotor hobby grade RC helis. Hover, fly forwards and backwards, left and right, you can do this! How about some nice controlled pirouettes? Thanks for a very functional and controllable bird. This is the major difference between a micro coaxial RC helicopter and a simple 2 channel toy RC helicopter with limited directional control.
RC Electric helicopters are my favorite and have experienced the strongest growth in the RC helicopter hobby segment. Better battery, motor, and micro electronic technology has made the difference! This growth will continue because of these improvements. Electric helicopters have caught up with nitro with reference to performance. Here are my reason for loving RC electric helicopter. They don’t pollute the air like their gas counterparts and are quiet in today’s environmentally friendly world. You don’t have to join a flying club to fly. There are no limitations as to where and when you can fly! Even your home living room! RC electric helicopters require low maintenance as compared to nitro/gas helicoptersand are lighter, smaller, and can survive most crashes with fewer problems. They are very easy to fly, unlike gas RC helicopters, that often stalls out in mid-air and are very temperamental. RC Electric helicopters have a smooth and predictable power supply and are incredibly reliable, almost never quit in the air, and the motors need next to no tweaking. Put this together with a low starting price and you have a real winner.
Short course RC electric, desert trucks, or the CORR truck craze has hit the RC world in a huge way! 1/10 scale platforms like the Traxxas Slash, and Associated SC-10, and now 1/8 scale 4 wd. trucks like the Team Associated’s SC-8 and so on.. I bring this up because yesterday, I had a chance to test drive another 1/8 RC electric desert truck model that I have heard about. Redcat Racings 1/8 scale RC Brushless Li-Po powered Aftershock 8E! I already own a Team associated SC-8 desert truck but you know me, can’t help but check out the unknown. As I understand it, Redcat Racing released the 1/8 scale Brushless Li-Po powered RC desert truck Aftershock 8E in RTR, 4WD form, based on the 1/8 scale buggy platform that has proven quite durable and user friendly. I was curious to try one out. So here is my take after seeing the packaging and taking a awesome test drive.
Simply, the Aftershock 8E is a blast right from the box. It’s ready to run and comes with 4 different videos for you to enjoy. Handling was sharp with quick turn-in on all surfaces. Traction roll on pavement with high speed passes made me nervous, well, I had a couple of bad roll-overs at 40mph, but there was no breakage! Now that’s what I call tough! Although, I never reached it, I believe, the 50mph. claim is valid if you roll on the throttle to avoid spinning all 4 tires, especially on clean asphalt. Running on dirt is where this baby really shines, as it power slides with the full time 4wd. diff. that has so much power. The rear mounted batteries and front mounted electronics deliver excellent chassis balance.
Ok, I was surprised, so if you get a chance check it out and be prepared to be impressed with the superb value, excellent durability, and incredible performance. You get great runtime of 20-25 min., with inexpensive parts to replace. What’s not to like? You tell me.
RC car or truck maintenance is critical to the productive life of your RC electric or nitro vehicle! What a time we had at this weekends RC wheelie bash! After the event it was a very important time for all who participated. Yes that’s right, performing the proper maintenance on our RC cars and trucks. RC cars and trucks require regular maintenance so take heed and try this maintenance routine that I have used for years to help keep my RC electric vehicles looking good and performing at a high level.
Wipe down the body with paper or shop towels and blow out the undercarriage with a lightly stream of compressed air. Use a small brush for areas that you cannot reach or where the air does not remove small debris. This will allow you to take a good look for parts that are broken, loose screws, body cracks or tires that may have come unglued. Check your tires for any damages such as cuts or gashes. Tighten screws and re-glue the tires to the wheels if they are not tight to the wheel. Give the shocks and suspension a good visual inspection. Add oil to the shocks if necessary. You know how the suspension takes a beating after a day of long jumps, hair-raising turns, and other rough activities like doing wheelies or bashing. Check you batteries and battery packs. If you are storing your RC for a week or more it’s best to remove the batteries from the controller as well as the RC vehicle this will help to prevent any mishaps such as corrosion that can result in costly repairs. If you plan on using your RC vehicle the next day, then there is no need to remove the batteries just charge the battery pack(s) the night before or the day before you plan to use your RC thus insuring you will have fully charged batteries at your disposal.
Try these tips and if you have others, let us know about them. Take care of your RC electric vehicle and it will make you proud!
I can’t wait until this weekend, taking my HPI RC Wheelie King Monster Truck out to our annual wheelie bash. Every year, a group of us wheelie fanatics get together and do our thing for bragging rights. For those that don’t know what doing a wheelie is or have never tried it, here is my take. Performing a wheelie is when the front tires of your RC car, truck, or other wheeled vehicle come up off the ground and the RC is driving on only its back wheels! Most RC truck enthusiast love to pop a wheelie and brag about their skills. I am no exception, although I must admit, I am only average and get my clock cleaned most of the time. Don’t let that stop you, even beginners can do wheelies and with practice and the right RC truck you can learn do a long stint of driving on two wheels. Just remember during practicing that doing wheelies without losing control or flipping over takes the right combination of vehicle, torque, traction, and driving skill.
Find yourself a smooth dry surface such as asphalt or concrete to get the traction your RC truck will need. Make sure it’s not slick with oil or loose dirt for better traction or you will spin out of control. If you have a RC monster truck or truggy you can do wheelies in grass or dirt, but I prefer a smooth surface. Now, give your RC truck a short burst of throttle in reverse and immediately follow that with full throttle forward. This will allows the front wheels to come off the ground due to the slight reverse momentum accompanied by the power and acceleration of the rear tires. Simple but effective, so try it and pop some wheelies for great competition and loads of fun!
The 1:16 Traxxas 1:16 E-REVO VXL Monster Truck has taken the market by storm and are well worth the price you pay for this great RC monster truck. But please don’t act foolishly trying to see if it is really waterproof. I truly believe that for the money you invest, the deliberately attempt by some owners to prove the clam to being waterproof sometimes goes too far. Let’s say putting your valuable REVO EXL in a pool of water, not doing proper maintenance afterwards and then complaining about the rusting of screws is to say the least a experiment in failure. Running the REVO EXL RC monster truck in snow and then setting it aside without any maintenance effort will surly bring you bad results.
I know that waterproof means exactly what it states but you must do your maintenance after a deliberate or none deliberate wetting of any RC vehicle. You must blow out the water and dirt afterwards and then spray all screws, bearings and pivot points with WD40 or some other oil to help prevent rust. I have ran the 1:16 REVO after a rain storm and it had no ill effects on the truck. Op’s, I did the maintenance afterwards, but to be sure, I would never deliberately submerge it in water or snow. Just saying!
I am all for RC car racing because it lets you hear the cheering crowd, the roaring of the engines, the adrenaline rush of the racers and the build up of crowd and racer anticipation that overcomes the event. Putting it all together RC Car racing is well on it’s way to becoming a world past time.
RC cars, are also known as remote control or radio control cars. They are the topic of conversation in hobby racing arena’s in the US and around the world. This hobby is coming on like gang busters because of its popularity with young and old. The pure excitement and nerve-racking thrill has launched a new era in RC car racing! For those that are not yet hooked on this wonderfully new racing phenomenon, why not give RC car racing a good look and discover the pleasures of this fast growing hobby.
If you start with beginning level hobby grade RC cars, you will find that you enjoyment of this hobby becomes more additive over time. Both men and women of different age groups enjoying the excitement of racing RC cars and this has become quite a common scene at the race track. Today, RC racing is being transformed to a higher level of racing involvement where all can participate. RC car being produced that can be fined tuned and people willing to hone their skills are becoming professional RC racers. This can be viewed as more than just a coincident but the coming of age of the RC car racing.
My friend, who for years, I have hounded about getting into a RC hobby finally decided to give it a go and asked for my advise on a RC Buggy he liked. He had checked out the Redcat Racing Volcano Epx Pro Brushless Buggy and wondered if I had any experiences or thoughts on how it performed. Fortunately, I attended a RC buggy outing a month earlier and could give him the benefits of what I observed about this tough RC Buggy.
My observations and inspections showed that the Volcano Epx Pro RC Brushless has great diffs that can totally handle its power. The downside is the drive shaft and dog bones and stub axles. The main drive shaft will tear itself apart where the rounded ends fit inside the aluminum tube because the pins come lose and start widening their holes. Redcat has started to shrink wrap the pins, hopefully this will prolongs its life. You have to be steady on your landings or you can bend your dog bones or twist the heads right off, especially on 3s. The spur gear holds up well but, it is big and exposed so it picks up fine rocks and that takes a toll on it. Overall, it’s a great beginner RC buggy for newbie’s and kids to get a feel for brushless. Except for the dog bone issue no complaints. If you can get get a good price, the Volcano Epx Pro RC Brushless is great for bashing, which I like to do! How about you? Go for it!
When talking to RC beginners and friend about RC car and truck parts, I make a point to explain that I am talking about hobby grade RC cars and trucks. As a general rule you cannot expect to find parts for toy grade RC cars and trucks. These toys are factory made and pre-assembled and have a limited life span. They are great for kids to learn the basic controls but trying to repair them is a no win game. This is different with hobby grade cars and trucks and there are quality parts available to repair or to upgrade your vehicle. Don’t get confused with standards and use your common sense. Here are a few tips to help you in choosing the right RC parts
Always think of compatibility as some RC car and truck brands can only be used with specific parts. Before you buy any brand of RC car or truck parts, make sure that they are compatible with your RC product. This is especially important if you are just beginning With RC hobbies. You must strictly follow this rule to avoid damaging your car or truck!.
Watch the price! This can be an expensive hobby before and after you start. Always search for the best price and decide before your search what you are willing to pay. Don’t buy the first part you see, do your research and understand that prices will eventually come down. This will save you a bundle of cash. If you are into RC Racing then, I would give you the same advice but I would suggest you get the best parts for competition. I have a couple of Traxxas RC trucks that I sometimes race so, I usually stick with the standard Traxxas RC parts. When you can, only buy quality RC parts and only those that will improve the life and performance of your RC car or truck. Remember, if you buy cheap low quality parts that’s what you will probably get. These are just basic tips for in all buying decisions, you must decide!
k8597dsqai