Helicopter PHOTO Gallery and Discussion: Post Yours

The weather has been mostly lousy here for a couple weeks now.  We did in fact have a day a few weeks ago that we ran the air conditioner.  Our weather report is showing rain for the weekend.  Grrr. 

Some more progress at last.
After replacing the damaged bits and fiddling with the TX a little more and getting my brain around the Beast a little better, the heliplank is ready for her new suit.  ;D
I still have a nasty vibration coming from some where but the Beast is tolerating it pretty well. Hopefully Ill find it as I am making the switch.

Is your tail a torque tube or belt drive?

Torque tube.

Everything is installed in the fuse and a new battery tray built to replace the stock one so the battery can be moved forward enough to balance the heli. Just have to paint the tail fins to finish up....except..... I'm going to have to remove the mechanics from the fuse again to check the pitch servo. I may have messed up the gears because of some binding that was going on I didn't notice. There is a place in the throw in forward pitch that has a little jump in it. 
And I thought I was all but done with this.  :

I did a little video clip of the lights just to see if I could remember how.
You will probably notice the photo at the end was one I posted some months ago. 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=VSFxBs6nTIE[/youtube]

It's looking really good Bill.

Video made me think about the size of scale kits. Made me think the bigger they are the better they look!

With you in the shoot I get a feeling for it's size, I like ... Me want but teh "baby needs new shoe's" ... Some day I'll get me a really BIG one ... My dream is for a scale 600 or even 700 --- Like this ---> http://youtu.be/VkqaomNncSg

Nice heli.
I'll bet he had to clean the bugs off the blades after that flight. 

Bugs on the blades? Oh yeah, we can get bugs on the blades  8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXec7zBaPxA

(close up of the blades at the very end)

What a mess. 

The sun came out so I couldn't resist getting out for a hover before tearing it down again.
The first photo show the new battery tray which balances the heli perfectly.
The others, all finished less the tail fins.

haha, I didn't even notice the bugs I was so fixated on the helicopter. What I liked about the video is it actually showed off the heli better than most. You can actually see it as opposed to a black dot buzzing around way off in the distance. Which basically shows us nothing except maybe for their crappy taste in music {LOL} J/K

• Manufacture: Century Helicopter (index) - AS350 Ecureuil A-Star

The FUSE looks like it was made for NITRO but I'm sure it could be converted to electric easily enough for those who prefer. Anyhow the link shows the KIT's details and the source of the video

NICE, I like teh photo's Bill. This shot being my favorite ----> http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/GPBill/MD500E/IMG_1483.jpg

Keep em coming
    [size=1.1em][shadow=grey,left]w00d[/shadow]

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GP  Wow!  That thing is beautiful!

...Tiger

Thanks Tiger. 

Is your battery a little puffed or is it the camera angle? In the second shot it look fine ...

It does look that way, but it's in good shape. 
I have several batterys that for some reason seem to have the shrink wrap puffed a little. You can push it down and feel the void under it. Don't know if the battery actually puffed then returned to normal of if it is caused by something else.  ???
That particular battery probably has 12 or 15 flights on it, and all timed and well short of 80% of capacity.

I have the heli nearly together and ready to fly again. I had striped the servo gear on the pitch control and the LHS had a set in stock.
With the Beast, you set up all the cyclic throws as one of the steps in the setup. I did this while the heli was mounted to the board and had it set to where there was no binding any where. Guess what, it did not work that way when installed in the fuse. That long ball link was able to actually get it's self out over the top of the fuse and hung up there. I did't see it happen but heard the pop. The second time I caught it but by then the servo gear was toast. That is the last bit I have to do, reset the throws while in the fuse. 

With the cyclic throw set-up as it should be what are the chances that servo with the busted tooth will ever reach that position again!?! Meh, probably wouldn't even need to fix the gears, with the proper throw it would just stop short of the damaged tooth, wouldn't it Oh wait a min I guess it depends on which gear is broke? With the proper throw is the servo skipping or staling at any time? Assuming you haven't already fixed the gears?

Yes, the skip, jump in the servo was at the very top of the throw, right about where it should have ended had I done it correctly the first time. I probably could have gotten away with leaving it alone. Ya don't need near the cyclic throw with a scale bird but I fixed it any way. 

LOL, It's the one job I HATE doing the most, too much like "work" ... Most times especially with the really small servos I simply buy a new one 

I ended up filing a small grove for that long end of the ball for the pitch to go up through on the fuse. It didn't leave enough through otherwise.

Now that she is finished, I am having to build a hanger for the other two Trex's to hang on the wall. The new heli will get the spot here above the PC.
I've come up with a plan that will be a hanger for the birds and also a platform for them to ride on in the back of the truck. I'll snap a couple shots when I get it finished, and if it works.