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Mikado Modellhubschrauber . GrandRC . CanoMod

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e-Align T-REX 450-500-600 > Align USA issues
 
 
Fred I
Senior Heliman
Location: Irvine, CA

I bought a bad Align battery and the hobby shop told me that I have to have Align USA authorize the exchange. Called them, explain that we'd tested the battery and they authorized the exchange - just like that. So I'm pretty happy. I'm going to visit their store front to check it out.
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
TrexZ28
Heliman
Location: San Diego, CA, USA

Quote 
One more thing (LOL)...which goes to the heart of this thread...I ASKED them about the ESC heatsink when I was voicing my displeasure with the kit (SE). They said that it was placed on the outside because it will still work a little like that and it is not really needed for that ESC anyway.


I'll agree that the way they mounted the heatsink is really lame. I took a different route though. Instead of wasting my energy whining about it, I took the time to research and just fix it.

I guess if the Rex really is that bad maybe a Hirobo Lama or Blade CX is more suitable. Those fly out of the box.
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
quattrokid73
Veteran
Location: Huntingdon Valley, PA, USA

The hirobo lama is incredible. not only does it fly out of the box and is awesome to play wiht around the house...the thing takes crashes like no other. the foam blades are fine for indoor flight, but a blade strike wont strain the head components. that said, the head components themselves are very resilient. my brother has one and it has taken TONS of horrible crashes. he is young and it was his first heli before any of us knew anything about helis (xmas gift).

Adam

Aero-Model/Hacker Brushless/Mikado 2007
04-07-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
jcrack_corn
Senior Heliman
Location: Lafayette, LA

i believe there are about 6 vendors in the US, nearest one will be in Dallas to me (only 8 hours)...

And some of you are missing the point and frankly are accepting too much. I DID fix my Heatsink, my tail hub, my swash, my tail pulleys so belt doesnt fray (which funny enough, the new Krauss video shows him spraying WD-40 on his belt, I'm sure Andy will love that), etc....I am an endless tinkerer and have disposable income for helis and started with nitro. The problem is that Align pretends they dont have problems until people start getting hurt (tail hub screws!!)....and for other common serious quality control issues, they prentend they dont exist.

The problem could also be that my nitro bird was a hirobo so I might be used to a level of quality that is just superior....lol....

Some of you need to not accep that it is "ok" to have to glue the swash, swap out the tail hub, swap out the gears, swap out the pullys, swap out the aluminum balls, fix the esc heatsink, screw/pin the 430 endcaps, CA the edges of the CF frame, upgrade the screws to stainless (instead of aligns proprietary metal/plastic amalgum they call screws, lol).....for a 500 dollar kit they need to see how thunder tiger does it. You can get a r60 for that price and change the dampers to red and you are good to go, lol....what a mess.

I love the T-rex and I love its fan base, but c'mon guys, the fun nature of this bird makes us forgive its company too much. If you bought a 50,000 car (just 100x'ing the kit price) and the same things were defective you would have a lemon law claim!!!!!!

anyway...this is therapy.
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
jcrack_corn
Senior Heliman
Location: Lafayette, LA

No, I love to fix and repair and tinker and make better than stock.

I dont like when the company denies there is a problem. Thats when they are saying I'm a liar (and all the other thousands of people with problems).

What chaps me the most is ANDY telling me last week that he has never heard of a tail belt problem, and then the new JK video shows him telling ANDY and the crew that wd-40 fixes the tail belt issue.
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
shanimal
Heliman
Location: canoga park Ca. U.S.A.

in a perfect world

asking any company to admit to short comings in there product? your kidding rt !!!!! its not a cost afective way to do bissness .acknowling shortcomings in disign and or Q.C. of a product by the manufacturer might make you feel better jcrack_corn the legal ramificatoins that would come with it could be devistating. never mind the sales reps !
Know this though they are aware of the problums w/ ther product and as they find cost efective solotions they will put them in the next model and indoing so make new problums to solve .so deal with it or get an Rc blimp i can hear that post in my head "lypo and hydrogen ooops"


my first heli was a wurelybird the t-rex lands in the shag carpet better now if i could get align to put a hook and orange roadblock
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
clive45
Veteran
Location: NSW Australia

?/

I think this post hit a nerve, its been getting a basking today
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
Pistol_Pete
Elite Veteran
Location: Tampa Bay non-Buccaneer

Quote 
And some of you are missing the point and frankly are accepting too much


I agree with Jcrack on this one...conformity is not a solution to QC nor lagging customer service. There are plenty of folks looking for jobs...hire them to attend these issues.

Quote 
I DONT have a problem finding problems and fixing them.... thats what a hobby is.... Maybe Jcorn wasnt around 30 years ago where you better had been prepared to do that and more!


Neither do I...but just because it was a custom to do things a certain way 30 years ago does not justify having to do it now given all the technology available. It should not be accepted. Charge for it accordingly. Lipos is a perfect example product in this hobby that is grossly overpriced...but because we are willing to pay...so be it.

Maybe the 50k car analogy might have been way off but indeed I got the point.

A company that acknowledges its QC per say, is a company that will get a loyal following. CENTURY did with the swift and are responding. Despite of what had been written in here in their past, lack of personnel to handle the volume...they have my business. Haven't heard of anyone suing them for such acknowledgement.

Some post are obviously bias in here.

BTW...bitching IS a means of communication...If it wasn't for such, we would not have many of the laws that we do in place...but unfortunately it might be the wrong way for some.

<><>...the lunatic is in my head...<><>
04-07-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
clive45
Veteran
Location: NSW Australia

??

Hi Bob, Whats the next video in production?????

Cheers

Clive
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
clive45
Veteran
Location: NSW Australia

??

Sounds great, suit me down to the ground.

I will keep a lookout for it tomorrow LOL.

Any time frame , as you have mentioned that some of the video clips are from the major production.

Also I have just taken the heatshrink off my Align 25 amp ESC and 2 out of the 12 FET's are not covered by the heat sink and 2 at the other end are not fully covered . I think a new heatsink will be required, also one with better fins.

Cheers

Have a nice weekend
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
1Funflyer
Heliman
Location: here

I am new to heli's, but I feel a need to comment here. Align's quality may not be the best, but you aren't paying Align the best price either. They are making a decent quality heli and offering it at a decent price. It's made in Taiwan or China or wherever, and the quality isn't going to be the best. If you wanted only the best quality, you would have bought a different heli.

When it comes to product changes, I don't think people realize what it takes to change a manufacturing process. First they have to identify a problem, then confirm the true root cause of the problem so it can be properly fixed. The last thing they want to do is make a fix that causes more problems. Research, investigation, and design all take TIME. When it comes to actually making the part they may need new dies, tooling, and possibly whole machines to make the new parts. Align isn't just widdling these things in their garage. They can't just snap their fingers and have a new product.

Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I think it is good to be able to see all sides of a story. However, it is a little unfair to rake Align over the coals again and again when they are making changes to improve their product. At least until you start making & selling your own helicopter kits...

My 2 cents.
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
lsnover
Senior Heliman
Location: Bath, PA

I'm sorry, but the XL CCPM was a hack.

It works well enough, but it is just poor policy to put out a heli where you KNOW the Canopy will not even fit on the completed product. And some of the parts like the T arms are not up to snuff, and just snap.

It's not a bad heli for the price, but, they should take a little more pride in what they put in the box. Instead of giving everyone a fancy Aluminum box, why not put that money into better QC, and parts that actually FIT what they are selling.

Whoever made this decision on the Canopy should be ashamed of themselves. And I don't care what nationality they are.

Cheers!
Lee
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
Pistol_Pete
Elite Veteran
Location: Tampa Bay non-Buccaneer

Just a canopy makes the product a hack?

Canopy issues were handled in here with a heat gun to reshape its shortcomings.

The T arms? Im presently running mine with one of them missing an arm...more like a 7 or L...but this was due to a bad crash...as it is plastic.

I DO dislike the fact that I can't purchase JUST these arms unless I go CNC...anyways...SOMETHING "has to" break.

An all metal head...blades loses...while an all metal head with plastic grips...blades usually win.

Of course not crashing everyone wins!!!!

<><>...the lunatic is in my head...<><>
04-07-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
lsnover
Senior Heliman
Location: Bath, PA

Pistol_Pete:

Yes, the CCPM "feature" was a hack. They just tacked it onto the HDE Frame, and made very little proper design changes. The Canopy is just where that poor design work shows.

They took care of this with the CF Frames, but that's an additional option. The CCPM kit should have a properly redesigned frame, or they should make the CF Frame standard, or AT LEAST fix the stupid Canopy to fit.

I fixed my T lever with JB Weld, and it's stronger then when it was new. But I hate the hacked up Canopy, on a model I put so much time and pride into building. It's like haveing a big ol dent in a brand new car. Really pisses me off.

Regards,
Lee
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
Tintin
Veteran
Location: Akershus, Norway

The CDE won't take any Hitec servo without modifications but it will most probably take the Align servos without modifications and if you mount the others from the behind, which is not a problem, then there is no need for any canopy adjustment.

Ok, I agree, they should have seen that most people prefer other servos than the Align ones and made a solution that would work for the masses but honestly it's not the construction that is the problem, it's your choice of servos. If you buy and use servos that fits the model you won't have a problem with the canopy. When you insist on using servos that don't initially fit, well that's your choice and you have to deal with it, don't blame anyone but yourself, you chose the servos....

imho...

To take it to the extreme, would you blame Align if you absolutely wanted to use the Hitec HS-81 and couldn't get them too fit? I don't think many would.

Align makes a product for the masses at a reasonable price as it's said. Well for a reasonable price you get reasonable quality. Everybody yells for more stuff and Align cough up the stuff as fast as they can to meet YOUR demands and yes from time to time they should have had more ice in their stomaches and tested more, they are learning...

Just go out and have fun. I know I will. I'll go home now and pack up my car with skis and 2 Rexes for 10 relaxing heli days in the mountains.

Supposedly a leftie :-)
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
lsnover
Senior Heliman
Location: Bath, PA

TinTin:

I beg to differ. It has nothing to do with the servos. I don't care what servo you use, the T Arms will interfer with the stock canopy in stock form.

It's a hack, plain and simple. A functional one that works pretty well, but still disappointing for a commercial, mass produced product.

That's just my opinion. But I know I'm right.

Cheers!
Lee
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
jcrack_corn
Senior Heliman
Location: Lafayette, LA

Good try Bob, but dont misrepresent my bitching!! After over a year in the hobby (from planks), I am in for life...The t-rex is a revolutionary bird, a cheap heli! However, the SE kit has the price of a premium kit and is advertised as one....the company needs to own up (and i dont want money or parts or anything, I want them to admit they are lying to people)

Why dont you scour the world for video clips of exploding t-rex's due to swash failure or tailhub/screw failures. Then find videos of tail lock ups from belt shredding, a video of tail faluire from front pully melting, a video of PUFF of smoke ESC and one with crash due to 430 deciding it was time to spread out a bit. Make a complilation! That would be GREAT!


Quote 
Hmmm not sure? Maybe how to bitch at Align to make things better?
Or how about a "I give up" video?
Maybe, "This thing sucks and I aint going to take it no more" video?
Or I could do a nostalgia vid "Jimmy crack corn and I don’t care, Jimmy hates the Trex and I don’t care"

No just kidding.

How about a HDE set up top to bottom!

That is what it will be

Coming to a RR theatre near you

Bob

Too many hobbies, Not enough time
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
lsnover
Senior Heliman
Location: Bath, PA

Yeah:

Even an inexpensive XL can add up to over $800 once you fix and outfit it a bit. My JR Venture was like $350.00, and it's WAY better quality hardware, and alot more of it. Surely Align can do better. People are willing to pay for the quality, so why not own up and deliver the goods to a willing group of customers. I'm a noob to the TREX, but not to RC, and in most of the RC market, this quality would not be tolerated.

Align is the "Windows OS" of e-helis. They got enough momentum early on that everyone is buying there stuff, despite dubious QC.

If they get this much support and dollars from marginal equipment, think what they could do with a decent quality product?

Cheers!
Lee
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
Tintin
Veteran
Location: Akershus, Norway

The T-arms doesn't interfer no matter what servo, the servo horn does. Try Align servos and you'll change your mind....

It's not built with Hitec servos in mind even if everybody wants them. If it had they would have made the servo tray slightly bigger and made 2 holes each side not one....

It's only on a late cf frame version where they have made rooms for Hitec.

It's ok to critisize when critic is due but here there is in fact a solution that works even if "nobody" want's it, you are not even willing to see it. I've used the Align servos on one of my Rexes, they are a perfect fit, of course.

The wheels of a Range Rover won't fit a small Toyota without rebuilding something no matter how good you think they look and no matter how hard you wan't them

The Rex isn't made for the HS56's no matter how much you wan't it to be and no matter how grumpy you get. If you still wan't to use them then that's your problem...

Supposedly a leftie :-)
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
TrexZ28
Heliman
Location: San Diego, CA, USA

Quote 
of exploding t-rex's due to swash failure or tailhub/screw failures. Then find videos of tail lock ups from belt shredding, a video of tail faluire from front pully melting, a video of PUFF of smoke ESC and one with crash due to 430 deciding it was time to spread out a bit.


Did ALL of that happen to you?

Quote 
the company needs to own up (and i dont want money or parts or anything, I want them to admit they are lying to people


Taking it too personal dude.. Fly a Lama and be happy
04-07-2006 Over year old.
 
 
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e-Align T-REX 450-500-600 > Align USA issues
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