Steve Campbell
Elite Veteran
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
| You jogged a memory bit; the entire frameset IS different, while both use the same boom. The upper frames on the 46 extend back farther behind the main shaft to provide the extra length. The tail rotor servo location on the 46 has also been moved, to eliminate one very annoying idiosyncrasy of the MyStar 30: if you don't install the t/r servo before joining the upper frame pieces, you have to basically disassemble the servo to get it in there later.
I built all three (30, 46, 60). The 46 and 60 were marvelous machines; relatively easy to build, and super precise. The 30 was a flaming PITA to build, mainly due to the complexity of the front servo structure, and whle it flew leagues above the plastic 30s of the time, it was still on the squirrely side. But that 46 was probably the most bang for the buck in a model helicopter I've yet to see.
Let's see... The 46 blade grips use 4mm bolts (3mm on the 30), but the heads are indeed otherwise identical. Same tail rotor pinion assembly, tail box and tail rotor on all three; just the length of the blades changes. The 46 and 60 came with machined delrin main gears; one was available as an option for the 30, which featured a molded black plastic gear stock.
That's all I can think of right now. Man, I sure do miss those things. Even the adulterated kits I got from Irwin were top notch. By the time I made that discovery (that what I was getting from HHI was NOT the completely genuine thing), rumors of the company's demise were getting stronger, so I sold them all.
I would love to go back about ten years, with a few grand in hand. I'd buy a half-dozen each 46 and 60 kits from Silas (that way, I'd know I was getting everything genuine TSK) and a sack full of critical parts. And I would never worry, ever again, about what is the latest/greatest THIS week?
Not that I do, now... but you know what I mean.
Steve |
