# Christmas Shopping Find



## rake60 (Nov 23, 2008)

Saturday's shopping trip included a stop at Toys R Us to find a few things for the grandchildren.
It didn't take long for me to become bored with the Barbie section so I was off to the model area.
I like models of any type. If they move that's great. If they fly.... Well...

How about a $30 mini scale RC helicopter?






What 48 year old, model crazed kid could pass that up?
I can even get it to fly all over the living room!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTtSt3_P-d0[/ame]
*(I should add the fact that I was actually trying my first attempt at a hover there...)*





It *is* a great stress reliever for those moments when a _relaxing_ hobby gets a little too intense.

Rick


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## Brass_Machine (Nov 23, 2008)

Those are lots of fun! I have 2 of them. Both broken :big: crashed a few too many times.

Eric


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 23, 2008)

I stepped into a ground wasps nest once, and it seems to me they made the same noise and were about the same size----not nice!!!


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## wareagle (Nov 23, 2008)

Those things are a blast! We've got six of 'em. That way four can charge while the other two are being flown by me and my boy. Mrs. Wareagle sometimes doesn't see the humour when we are buzzing her!!! ;D


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## jack404 (Nov 23, 2008)

cool!!!


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## tmuir (Nov 23, 2008)

I need to get myself a new one. Mine must got about 8 hours of flight time out of mine and have warn out the lippo battery in it.


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## Kludge (Nov 23, 2008)

Oh, jeez ... now you've hit another hobby - r/c aircraft. Now I have to get several of these to take apart and dig into the innards to see what I can do with the radios. Range isn't a problem - bumping the transmitter power up a skosh is no big deal - but I'd like to find out how the actual controls work in the choppers. I suspect there's one motor directly driving the tail rotor as well as through a proportional drive between the two main rotors for rotation, lift, and other little details.

Unfair, Rick!

BEst regards,

Kludge


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## CrewCab (Nov 24, 2008)

rake60  said:
			
		

> How about a $30 mini scale RC helicopter?
> 
> What 48 year old, model crazed kid could pass that up?



Your just a barmy old beggar ;D ................ then again ............. so am I ....... this weekend we will be trying to find those over here ........ just to keep the Grandkids happy you understand 

CC


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## tmuir (Nov 24, 2008)

Kludge  said:
			
		

> Oh, jeez ... now you've hit another hobby - r/c aircraft. Now I have to get several of these to take apart and dig into the innards to see what I can do with the radios. Range isn't a problem - bumping the transmitter power up a skosh is no big deal - but I'd like to find out how the actual controls work in the choppers. I suspect there's one motor directly driving the tail rotor as well as through a proportional drive between the two main rotors for rotation, lift, and other little details.
> 
> Unfair, Rick!
> 
> ...



They have 2 'pager' motors in them.
One drives the rotor and the other the tail.
When you first left off you have to trim the tail rotor to get it to hold steady and they have a slow forward movement by having the nose slightly heavy. You only have up / down and turn left or right controls on them but for the price they are great and nearly indestructable.


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## DICKEYBIRD (Nov 24, 2008)

One of the young flat-bellies at work has one & he flings it underhand (power off) up close to the 28 ft. ceiling in our shop. Just as it starts back down he throttles up and it sorts itself out in a couple oscillations. He then cruises it around near the roof beams, hither & yon. As the battery starts to lose it's "edge" he flies it around in slowly descending figure eights until it won't sustain flight any more. He says the initial fling to altitude saves a lot of power and he gets to play longer.;D

It is quite the incredible little machine for the money.


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## bentprop (Nov 25, 2008)

I've got one of those things,but I can't for the life of me trim it into straight,or even mildly straight flight.It just goes around in circles.Still fun though.Hans.


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## rake60 (Nov 25, 2008)

We just had to get another one. 
It's a little bigger and easier to control.

The wife is getting pretty good at it.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePgMyIzaZpo[/ame]


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## wareagle (Nov 25, 2008)

We are visiting my BIL this year for Christmas. Between my boy, myself, and he and his boys, and another BIL that will be there, three of these things will be airborne in the house at once probably for a week straight  SWMBO can hardly wait.  :big: :big:


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## ksouers (Nov 25, 2008)

Ok, I gotta get one of those!!

It will drive my parakeet nuts!! ;D


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## Metal Mickey (Nov 25, 2008)

I bought one each for my son and son in law last Christmas they were such fun that I went and bought one myself. They are great and ran it for months before I had a problem. If you want to know how to repair one I did a page on my website http://www.mikes-models.com/picoZrotor.html. I was surprised at how easy it was to get spares.

They are great! :big:


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## rake60 (Nov 25, 2008)

Great info there Mike.
That page is an immediate bookmark here!

Today the wife brought a 3ed one home.
It's a slightly different design.





I wonder where I put the phone number for that therapist? 
Perhaps I should schedule an appointment before this obsession gets out of hand! 





Rick


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## Kludge (Nov 25, 2008)

tmuir  said:
			
		

> They have 2 'pager' motors in them.
> One drives the rotor and the other the tail.



Cool! I have a bunch of those motors from BEAM robot projects (including ones I sent Noelle in the pre-Yogi days) so I'll have spares should something become broken. THis is becoming coolerer and coolerer.

BEst regards,

Kludge


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## wareagle (Nov 27, 2008)

Well, I have orders to go get seven of these things in the early morning. I don't think SWMBO knows how much I hate holiday shopping crowds. She said she'd make it worth my while...


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## rake60 (Dec 5, 2008)

It does warn you on the box that these are for ages 8+

Don't let that scare you.
Even an old buzzard like me can figure it out, given enough time. 
 :big:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR2VjN1xVCo[/ame]


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## wareagle (Dec 6, 2008)

I think they missed the age requirement by a mile!! My young boy (4 years) can fly the stuffing out of these things! And they are built very tough! The abuse ours have taken is tremendous. They got it right when they designed 'em! 

We have a blast with them here in the Eagle's nest!!


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## Maryak (Dec 6, 2008)

I came home with 3 of them for the grandkids my own and my 2 step grandsons.

The OHS Police (Wife and Daughter), stepped in and they are now back in the store : : : : :

Best Regards
Bob


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## jack404 (Dec 6, 2008)

Geez Rick 

fit a WiFi camera to that and the thought police will have a great weapon

good control skills mate!!! got me dead set worried now

Bob sorry to hear about the OHS cops  thats just SAAAAAAD 

i sent my gas powered (31cc engine, same size as my chainsaw motor) one to Novosibirsk for Alex and everyone there loved it! 

Tanya and Alex fight over it and they are out today with it again , 2 years after it first got there

Tanya said she wish Alex would hurry up and lose interest in it so she could play with it all the time :big:

jack


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## wareagle (Dec 6, 2008)

Bob, you did it wrong buddy! You are supposed to wrap it and then give it straight to the kids. For criminal intent, never let the OHS police know what you are up to!!!!  :big: 8)


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## Maryak (Dec 6, 2008)

W/E,

Thanks for the tip, I'll do it your way next time ;D ;D

Best Regards
Bob


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## Brass_Machine (Dec 6, 2008)

If ya got the Picco Z version of the RC Helicopter... there is a very cool mod page HERE.

Eric

Check that... they have mods for several versions of the indoor helicopters.


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## baldrocker (Dec 6, 2008)

Hey Rick
Was the early part of that flight at "operational ceiling"? ;D
Br


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## rake60 (Dec 6, 2008)

Naaa When it reaches maximum operational ceiling it lets you know! LOL


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