Ralphw
Key Veteran
Location: Spring, TX
| Mi26expax,
I'm not very familiar with the Concept EP, but I do have a VE and can provide some feedback about it.
The VE is a nice solid heli with pretty good manners. It's major shortcoming is it's motor which will fly the heli but not with an excess of power. The stock motor is also somewhat hard on brushes. If you get a VE, forget what the box says about flying on 7 cells. While the heli is fairly rugged, but that adds up to extra weight. With 8 cells (and a headspeed above 1400) the heli will fly OK despite the weight and you can use the stock motor and ESC until you get tired of changing brushes  . Just remember lighter is generally better with electric helis as excess weight reduces flight time.
The mechanics of the VE are fine for learning and basic flying and can be modded fairly easily to provide limited 3D capability. The best upgrade you can do for the heli is to dump the stock motor and drop in a brushless type (I use the Hacker C40-8L, but others will work). This upgrade alone makes the VE a whole new heli.
Repair parts are easy to get and are pretty cheap...I use HeliProz for almost all my repair parts but again there are others out there with good parts stocks.
If you are a tinkerer like I am, and enjoy the process of improving the capability of a heli, the VE is great. There are boat loads of upgrades available (some useful and some just nice to look at) and with some effort (and cash) you make the VE into quite a flyer.
The one comparison I have heard about the VE and the Concept was that the VE was bit more stable when it gets a bit gusty. Hope that helps.
Ralph W.
"Life's Short, Fly Fast"
|
The good old Bell 206 Kiowa LOH always flew while the younger Blackhawk was grounded because of computer glitchs 
