RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS - 2003/05

IT’S ANOTHER GREAT month to be enjoying the sport of
Radio Control (RC) helicopters! I’ll delay the flying-site
discussion I started in the last issue as it applies to helicopters
because I have one new product category and a new version of an
old product to write about, and that will no doubt use up my
allotted space.
Last month I wrote that Thunder Tiger’s US distributor—Ace
Hobby Distributors—had announced that the Raptor 50 V2
(Version 2) was due to arrive soon. Well, it has. The 50 V2
should be a good choice for 3-D performance at a lower price
than the 60-size machines. As did the Raptor 30 V2s, the new
Raptor 50 V2 has many improvements and a higher price tag.
As for improvements, the Raptor 50 has all of the changes
that the 30 kits have in the V2 format: new clutch and bell,
improved frame set, one added bearing in the start-shaft system
and a larger start shaft, and the head changes that make the 30
and 50 V2s fly more smoothly with a wider range of blades. If
you have seen or flown the 30 V2, you already know what a
significant upgrade in performance you can expect.
The 50 already had a metal swashplate, a carbon lower frame
brace, a full set of 49 bearings, and the “60 style” tail hub, and
they remain in the new version. The 50 V2 has the mount, fan,
and gearing for the Thunder Tiger or O.S. .50 engines and the
longer tailboom and belt that allow you to run blades as large as
600 millimeters (mm) in diameter to make use of the huge gain
in power that the 50s offer. In the head block are the new, firmer
blue dampeners, and the 50 V2 has the new, better-looking
canopy that the 30 V2 uses.
Some packaging changes are new and unique to the 50 V2.
The V2 kits include a nice-running and rugged muffler that will
fit the Thunder Tiger .50 or the O.S. .50. They also include a
header tank with plastic bracket. I don’t care for the Thunder
Tiger tank; it slips in the bracket, and I wonder about including a
muffler in every kit when many buyers will be upgrading from a
Raptor 50 V1 (or other 50 machine) and don’t need a muffler.
The muffler is good and runs great, but it really should be an
option, which would allow a lower price for the kit.
May 2003 115
Eric Hawkinson, 319 Yellowstone Ave., Billings MT 59101; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Missy, the newest cat in the Hawkinson herd, gives a size
comparison to Altech’s new helicopter: the XRB Lama.
Thunder Tiger’s new Raptor 50 V2 offers many improvements
over its popular predecessor. US kits include 600mm blades.
A nice standard upgrade in the kit is the split-gear constantdrive
arrangement. (This part can be added to the Raptor 30 V2
as an option.) This means you have full tail authority during
autorotations.
At press time I was informed that a set of 600mm carbonfiber
blades will be included in the kits that come from dealers
who buy from the US distributor. This is a great value, and it
appears that kit pricing will be affected by only approximately
$10-15 for this upgrade. (People who bought their kits early and
did not get the carbon blades should contact their dealers.)
All things considered, the Raptor 50 V2 should prove to be
popular with the 3-D crowd. The kit’s street price should be in
the $370-$390 range, which puts it on par with the bladeless
Hirobo Sceadu 50 kit and nearly $100 less than the awesome but
expensive JR Voyager 50. For that price you will have a model
that offers much higher performance than a 30-size machine, has
moderate parts costs, and autorotates much easier. The engine,
muffler, fuel, and repair bill will be a bit more than for a 30-size
machine but significantly less than for 60- to 90-size helicopters.
My Raptor 50 V2 will be flying shortly. I chose the O.S. .50
for power because it is almost perfect in every way; it’s
powerful, smooth, and consistent. I have several helicopters
flying with the O.S. .50. Although the Thunder Tiger .50 is a
legitimate choice and offers a bit of savings, I wanted the small
amount of extra power and user-friendliness that the O.S. offers.
That’s the same reason I have an O.S. .70 in my Raptor 60.
Having written that, all three of the new series of Thunder
Tiger helicopter engines have been working well. In the case of
the .50 and .70, you will have other choices and you may prefer
to spend a bit more on the O.S. versions.
However, my shop has many customers who are using those
Thunder Tiger engines and are pleased with the performance and
the lower price. This is worth noting mainly because that is
different from what we experienced with the first-generation