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Miniature Aircraft Nitro/Gas Helicopters > Xcell 60 Custom

Ralph
Senior Heliman
Location: CT

I'm curious to find out what other people think about the older xcell helicopters! I have enjoyed flying my Xcell 60 Custom so far but when I went to set it up for 3D, I had nothing but problems. This thing was a real pain in the butt to get right. The directions in the back of the manual for normal to 3D flight are inaccurate. I finally got it close to the way I want it. Through lots of trial and error. I was planning on buying a Fury, but I am not sure if I want to buy another MA product. You would think that MA would take the initiative to fix the inaccuracies in the manual.

I'm almost thinking of selling my Xcell and buying a Vigor! It looks like a real nice machine all around (building, maintaining, and flying).

02-22-2002 Over year old.

z11355
rrMaster
Location: 10000 is enough time wasted.

The Vigor is a great machine.

Until you crash it.

Then take a 2nd mortgage and a tube of KY Jelly
and your ready to pay for the parts you need to fix it.

JR puts the 'over' in 'overpriced'.

02-22-2002 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

Naomi
Elite Veteran
Location: Ontario, Canada

Xcell 60 custom

I am flying xcell custom. it has an OS61SFN-H ABC engine with Hatori engine in it... I bought this one from a friend of mine... it's an Old xcell heli but so far i haven't have any problem yet. I am ready to try the 3D stuff on this machine. SO I hope it will be holding up ok

Photos of my xcell is in the gallery

Naomi

02-22-2002 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

BladeRunner
Elite Veteran
Location: Ontario Canada. Member of "some sort" s

Xcell 60

z11355 nailed it, although I haven't even built my Vigor CS yet I do know they are expensive to crash judging by the price of parts.

However, there is hope on the Horizon (pun intended) I've read that they want to increase sales of the Vigor so they plan to lower the cost of many parts, that would certainly put things more in line with other helis out there. If that is true then the Vigor would be an even better choice than it is now and there just might be more of them flying.

02-22-2002 Over year old.

Futurac
Key Veteran
Location: Belgium , Europe

xcell custom

6 years, with xcell custom, os sfn h with AAC piston sleeve.
the most smoother machine i had.
if you want really the best, use self al. clutch, carbon frames, and all other stuff, it will be so light machine, like 46 size.
if you have it already , stick with it. In usa you have a good service, japan helis are a problem of import.

good luck
Alex

02-22-2002 Over year old.

GM1
Elite Veteran
Location: Tallahassee, Florida US

Custom 3D

Ralph, realize that 3D when your model was kitted is not the same as 3D now. We have much more available power so we are using more extreme throws than was ever originally envisioned for that particular model. With time and patience, the "Custom" is indeed fully 3Dable. The new Fury, on the other hand, was designed form the beginning as a 3D killer and is easy to set up and go. Mine has done everything I asked it to and is waiting for my skills to improve so it can do even more. The Miniature Team Demo pilots put on unbelievable shows with the Fury and the model hangs right with them. I know the Vigor is a good model but Fury is a pound lighter and flies well.

On a dog sled team, if you're not the lead dog, the view never changes.

02-22-2002 Over year old.

Naomi
Elite Veteran
Location: Ontario, Canada

Enough power for 3D?

Hi GM1
What do you think... so is this old engine enough power to do some 3D stuff? I have the origninal aluminum t/r hub.. would that be a concern for doing 3D??

Naomi

02-22-2002 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

GM1
Elite Veteran
Location: Tallahassee, Florida US

SFN

Naomi,
I had a custom with an SFN and it had plenty of power to do loops, rolls, and flips, so yes, you certainly can 3D with it. I would "droop" the flybar control arms to keep them from hitting the bottom of the blade grips in hard cyclic maneuvers.

On a dog sled team, if you're not the lead dog, the view never changes.

02-22-2002 Over year old.

Ralph
Senior Heliman
Location: CT

Xcell 60 Custom

GM1, I realize this machine was designed X amount of years ago, but I purchased it new in 2000. In the back of the manual there is a section for- Normal to 3D flight. It states that with these instrcutions you can achieve +/- 6 degrees cyclic input with +/- 9 degrees collective. That was exactly what I was after. I made sure I followed the instructions exactly. In fact I repeated the whole process 3 times to make sure I was'nt making any mistakes. I knew I needed to offset the flybar control arms. But I still could not get away from binding (fly bar control links and washout arms hitting the tabs on the swashplate). I ended machining a little bit off the washout arms that connect to the swashplate and put a slight bend in the flybar control links. This allievated most of my problem. My gripe is that the instruction don't allow you to accomplish what they are stating. To me this is a blunder on MA's part. I don't know about you, but when something is layed out for you in the manufactures maunual you expect it to be right. At least pretty close!!! As a manufacture they should have proved these things out!! I have no problem with, that they made a mistake, but at least make an effort to fix it!!! I purchased an Xcell Gas Graphite about 3 months ago and it has the same setup instructions. To me the average person with mechanical skilIs should be able to set up this machine pretty much on his own, from a good set of instructions. It not like we don't pay a lot of money for these helis. I'm not trying to put down MA because I do like there machines, obviously I have two!! I'm just trying to get a point accross.

Ralph

02-22-2002 Over year old.

GM1
Elite Veteran
Location: Tallahassee, Florida US

Hmmmmmm

Ralph,
The last of the bent frame custom's was produced in '96-7 or so so even in 2000 the kit would be 3-5 yrs old. The problem you had is strange, I had a custom (in 95) that had -10 to+12 pitch range and +/- 6 cyclic without doing anything unusual other than drooping the flybar arms and changing one ball on the Bell mixer and using the 0614 mainshaft to give swash clearance on the upper frames. I did take a #11 Xacto and put a notch in the mixer links but that wasn't necessary as the swash wore a notch in them after a little use anyway. MA has since come out with a redesigned link (Y shaped rather than triangular) that does not have that problem. We use them on all models now including the Pro and Fury.
Of course I now fly Pro IIS and they have 27 degrees of available pitch, with full cyclic and no binding. I haven't looked at the custom manual in years so I guess that it's possible to be wrong.....

On a dog sled team, if you're not the lead dog, the view never changes.

02-22-2002 Over year old.

Ralph
Senior Heliman
Location: CT

Xcell 60 Custom

GM1, This Custom has stacked alumium frames! Not bent.
Ralph

02-22-2002 Over year old.

Jeff H
Key Veteran
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Sorry to bust your bubble guys but I have 2 stacked frame Customs. They were both bought in '99 but might have been a'98 model. They do not include the neet 99 series parts like the gold clutch bell.

One of my customs is now a CT, beautiful flying heli, although the conversion was expensive.

02-22-2002 Over year old.

GM1
Elite Veteran
Location: Tallahassee, Florida US

Stacked frame Customs?

Did these models have graphite frames? If so they were NOT "Customs" , they were "Graphites". It was a common mistake to call them graphite customs and a bunch of us did but that was not their official title. All of the production metal stacked frames ever made were either STs or CTs.
The "Customs" were kit #1003, the "Graphites" were Kit #1004 and the SE was #1004 SE. I still have a '96 catalogue .
In the new catalogue The ST (Sport trainer) is kit #1001ST, and the CT (Competition Trainer) is the #1003CT and they are both stacked aluminum frames.

On a dog sled team, if you're not the lead dog, the view never changes.

02-23-2002 Over year old.

Phil Cole
Veteran
Location: Redwood City CA

I have one of these mystery Customs too.

It was bought as a #1003 Custom in early 1999. It was the current model
at the time, for a bit over $600. It's not a CT, which came out a few months later.

It came with stacked aluminium frames, plastic head block, twin boom struts, fiberglass canopy, push-pull elevator and collective with plastic bell cranks, and no split gear or slipper clutch. The swash anti-rotation was a link from the swash to a ball mounted on a bracket that stuck up through the top of the canopy.

All I've added is a rear servo mount, 0844 head block and slipper clutch, and a slot-type anti-rotation device. With nice, shiny canopy it gets mistaken for an SE quite a lot.

02-23-2002 Over year old.

GM1
Elite Veteran
Location: Tallahassee, Florida US

Oh, Wow.

I must admit that I never saw or even heard of one of these being sold as a kit although I knew they existed in prototype. I bow to your superior evidence and acknowlege their existence.

On a dog sled team, if you're not the lead dog, the view never changes.

02-23-2002 Over year old.

Ralph
Senior Heliman
Location: CT

Xcell 60 Custom

Then this machine was only available for a short period of time. Maybe thats why there are some issues with the manual that have never been addressed. I'm going to check and see what length main shaft I have! I think with a couple of inexpensive upgrades I can make this thing easier to set up. I guess the best thing that has come out of this is - It has been a good learning experience.

Signing off!!!!

Ralph

Beam me up Scotty.

02-23-2002 Over year old.

Jeff H
Key Veteran
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Hey GM, I've still got the plans and instructions. The plans have a copywright date of 1998 and says Custom right on the plans.

Phil is dead-on with the Custom specs. It had a chrome chutch bell, plastic head, dual boom supports, plastic radio tray, gold anodized push pulls on coll and elevator, pro 1 paddles, and a SE style glass canopy.

I have one that is almost stock and it flys really well, but the one that I converted to a CT is awesome.

02-23-2002 Over year old.

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Miniature Aircraft Nitro/Gas Helicopters > Xcell 60 Custom

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