dkshema
rrProfessor
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
| Why would it "get a lawsuit and go out of business"? A lot of helis have come and gone over the past 35 years. Most due to poor design, poor support, or bad distribution, not lawsuits.
I got one from my wife for Christmas. It's all built, but waiting for some odds and ends (motor, ESC, batteries -- and a few less sexy parts) to arrive via the Big Brown Truck.
From a design, design execution, and build standpoint, I have been fairly impressed with this little kit. There have been a few clinkers along the way. I thought the swashplate to be a bit cheesy and stiff for this little heli. The note in the box that told me to dismantle the swashplate, clean all the stuff off, and reassemble it using super glue tells me there have been problems with the darn thing coming apart (borne out by other posts on this thread, by the way). When reassembled, it seemed a bit stiff. I'm replacing it with a CNC swashplate as a result.
I had the threaded hole in one of the two flybar arms strip out on me (also seems to be a common problem reported on RR of late). Parts are on order, and in the meantime, to my surprise, I had a 3mm tap I don't remember ever buying...the flybar control arm problem is fixed for now.
The heli builds quickly and everything FITS! Its size, coupled with the fact that it's made of gray plastic, gave me the impression I was building a 1:32 or 1:48 scale Revell/Monogram Plastic model kit, however.
The biggest unknown with the Trex, in my opinion, is what motor, pinion, and battery combo to use to make this little heli perform consistently well. I settled for the Align 400S-2800KV motor, but haven't picked out a battery yet. I figure that if I pick up a decent set of batteries, the motor and pinion is something I can experiment with at reasonable expense.
If this heli lives up to its potential, it could be one of the few helis I've ever owned that I would feel justified in adding aftermarket "bling" to. An upgraded CNC head and TR assy, along with good CF blades could make this a fun to own, tough little chopper.
Dave |
