jbeech
rrAdvertiser
Location: Sanford, FL (Orlando area)
| We're out of stock on the aluminum swashplates (PDR0081) right now, but we hope to have them back in stock in about two weeks. Anyway, Marty is spot on about the effect of the metal swashplate.
Further to this, in addition to the aluminum swashpate we have the aluminum rotor head block (PDR0045) and the aluminum seesaw arms (PDR0085) as options. They're both in stock.
Interestingly enough, individually none of these seem to make a huge difference, which is a testament to how well the basic Pantera holds up in the first place. Cummulatively, it's another story as they in fact make a significant difference in how the machine handles. More interesting still, it's something everybody can feel regardless of their skill level.
Thus, theory and practice come together because this is pretty much in line with the thinking behind these offerings in the first place. I.e. many pilots are new to the sport and it doesn't make sense to spend much money on a heli when you're tearing it up learning. Yet what we quickly learned was some newbies called for the parts soon after they bought their Pantera and could tell a difference! Hence, while some may think they don't fly well enough to notice the difference, as it turns out, pretty much everybody "does" notice the improvement.
However, since eveybody doesn't feel it's worth the cost, we continue to believe it smarter to offer the basic Pantera at a very good price and let those who want to make the most of themselves and their Pantera get the upgrades later. I.e. why make everybody pay for what only some folks care about?
Finally, part of the issue is these upgrades are called bling by many, which implies it's just eye candy. However, the fact is they make a substantive improvement, which is why we offer these pieces in the first place. Thus, if you're the type of guy that wants to do your best at anything you do, we have the stuff you'll need.
Best of all, these upgrades aren't too expensive. For example, the intricate rotor head block, which instead of anodizing we actually polish to a mirror finish is only 35 bucks. Similarly, the seesaw arms, which include 4 ball bearings and the stainless steel balls, are only 35 bucks as well. So we're affordable, not just with the Pantera itself, but even with our upgrades as well, which is especially important in times of $4 gas and the difficult economic conditions we face!
Regards,
John Beech - GM (and janitor)
Audacity Models |
