the starscream raptor is now under $10 and they have a gps unit for less than $100!!!!
When things started staying cold or windy (blustery as Pooh would say), I decided it was time to evolve from my Air Hogs Havoc to something with 3 channel control. I happened to have some credit at Amazon, and liked the look of the Micro Mosquito. I decided on the v3, since it was supposed to be 3 channel (or function that way), and should be more maneuverable than the Havoc. I thought I was ordering a Syma, as they are supposed to be the best of all the versions out there.
When the box arrived, I was dismayed to see it was an Alany. I didn’t know any better though, and thought that it might work out ok (I try to be optimistic). Turns out I was wrong. In it’s stock form (pictured above), the helicopter cannot be trimmed. When in the air, it just spins and spins basically out of control. Further, something with the forward/ backward control is messed up, as the rear propellor spins when the controller is at rest. Cheaply made, but what else could I expect for ~$20 I guess.
There is mention somewhere in RCGroups.com about upgrading the rotors to “flybar” blades. The source for these, TheParkNShop.com has them listed at $12.99, but UPS Ground shipping is another $11. That brings the total price of the Alany to more than what you can get a Syma for from DealExtreme.com - $31 with free shipping.
My recommendation is to stay away from the Alany. If you do shop for one of these at Amazon ($26.13 at the time of this writing)
, make sure that you are getting a Syma. I’d just recommend going with DealExtreme.com - $31 with free shipping - and be done with it. I can see where these could be a lot of fun, but the Alany sure comes up short.
I updated the price index, and haven’t seen much change in prices (other than a few going up). The notable exception are the Cox RTF planes, down to $59.99 from $89.99. These seem like a steal at that price, and I might be ordering one soon. In the meantime, I am preparing a review of the Micro Mosquito v2. If you are looking to buy one, you won’t want to miss this. Watch for it in the next few days.
Spring is in the air, and that means sales are starting on a number of items. See the Micro Airplane Price Index for details - there are too many things on sale now to list them out.
We are now seeing some of the newer items showing up for sale online. Toys R Us has the Jetscream and Gyro Havoc online and on sale. See the price index for more details.
This canard Aero ace( though not labeled as a Aero ace) with xlcrlee’s wonderful modification(http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1712427) is a wonderful aircraft, in no time i was i was flying in 8 ft circles around my friends head, and low passes, provided with that mod, this aircraft goes were you want it to, climbs high, and my unit never went out of a range even though i would fly it to a speck. And not to mention that canard look is quite amazing to see in the sky. Durability is outstanding, this thing was in a tree fro a month during 2 rain storms, i had about 100 or more flights on mine before i did something really stupid and lost it on a guys roof. A great aircraft.
i was really excited when i first go this aircraft, i mean, a elevator control for looping and other stuff, just couldn’t pass up on it. i went to the local park, and i was amazed…. at how hard it was to fly!!! this thing loops at half throttle without elevator and death spiral 70% of the time, not cool!!!!!!! i added one small paper clip to the nose and wow, much more stable, no death spirals, and doesn’t loop at any throttle setting unless you use elevator. the elevator just adds another dimension to flight and the landing gear is really a gem to fool around with taking off and landing. intensely maneuverable and climbs fast with plenty of power( 21 grams of thrust to 25 grams of weight). I really recommend this aircraft.
-Jack
“Electronick” over at RCGroups.com posted some pics of things coming soon. He saw them at the London Toy Fair. Of most interest to me is a small 3ch Chinook based on the Picoo/ Havoc platform. Looks pretty cool. See the whole post at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=811208
My apologies for not having a new post in some time. Between bad weather here in Colorado, and a tremendous workload at my day job, there hasn’t been much time for flying. This weekend looks to be pretty nice though, so I am sure you can expect to see something new on Monday. Thanks for your patience.
Been working on a number of updates to the Micro Plane Pricing Index. There are now over 95 items listed on it. As I was researching updates for it today, I came across this gem:
Mini Mosquito v2 (3 channel) - $24.47 from Amazon 3rd Party
You can bet I will have one of these on the way soon!
Also, I added, where I could find a reliable one, list prices so you can measure what sort of deal you might be getting. Have a good weekend.
A co-worker discovered that I have an interest in r/c planes. He came to me last week with a story about how he had won a plane at some industry function he was at (he is in ad sales for a major Colorado publication). He flew it a couple of times, never really got the hang of it, and pretty much forgot about it until recently. He indicated that it had been crashed and might need some work, but asked if I would be interested in taking it (for free!).
That was a no-brainer. Of course. These things retailed for around $150 when they were on the market a few years ago, and hobby shops still carry parts for them.
He brought it to me on Friday, and I took it home. Turns out is was an Aerobird Commander IIst Saturday I spent some time working on it while my daughter was taking her nap. I had never been inside one of these before, but it was surprisingly easy to take apart. Once I had the controller board out (and charged the battery), I plugged it in to see what was going on.
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