HBK2 worth buying

[jeffreydc]

I have a couple of Trex 450s but was wanting something a little smaller to throw around in the backyard. Is the HBK2 easier to fly than the trex in smaller spaces?

How tough is this little bird anyhow? You cant beat the price of $59 bucks from Helidirect since I already have all the electronics.

Any advice would be appreciated.

thanks,

Jeff

[Sublime Snot]

I haven't flown a Trex yet; the HBK2 is the only real heli I've flown besides the Blade 400. Nonetheless, I'll offer my opinion.
The King 2 is a good bird when you got it tuned in right, but to have it as a heli to "throw around"... not so sure it'll take too kindly to that. If there's any heli to be thrown around, it's probably the Honeybee FP.
I wouldn't consider the King as a backyard flyer either. It depends on how big your backyard is (and your flying style), but in general, the King isn't for the backyard and can take up a considerable amount of space. I fly my King at my local park often in the middle of my neighborhood, but feel a bit cramped and limited as to where I can go with it.
But considering that price...it probably wouldn't hurt much to try it out. The King is capable of basic 3D and not much beyond that. If the worst happens, and you don't like the King, you could always just steal the electronics off of it and use them one another bird. The choice is yours.

[bjkv]

Originally Posted by jeffreydc

I have a couple of Trex 450s but was wanting something a little smaller to throw around in the backyard. Is the HBK2 easier to fly than the trex in smaller spaces?
How tough is this little bird anyhow? You cant beat the price of $59 bucks from Helidirect since I already have all the electronics.
Any advice would be appreciated.
thanks,
Jeff

I would say it's a good idea. I have my HBK:s just for this, to toss around in my back yard (which, by the way, is rather big...) I wouldn't say the HBK is any easier to fly in small spaces. It's definitely harder to fly when flown high and far away. The HBK2 is a very fast moving heli when headspeed is cranked up a bit so it can make a large back yard appear small...

Honey Bee's are a bit tougher than the 450, mainly because it's lighter so you can get away with just broken blades in a crash but usually, the typical amount of damage is just about the same as a 450. The repair bill will be very much smaller, though!

[DumbDawg]

I fly mine in the backyard.. Obviously ur not going to be doing any radical crazy 3D stunting unless you can pull then in real tight and have some cat like reflexes...

I have a trex 450 clone and its much easier to fly than the K2. The K2 is very nimble and fast lil heli... But its also a whole lotta fun too. It may surprise you at what it will do and how quick it is, thats why its exciting too. For a heli to toss.. good choice IMO as its a LOT cheaper to fly it like you stole it than the trex.

But thats just my opinion...

happy fly'n

[jeffreydc]

Great replies and thanks. I was kinda hoping it would be tougher than the trex since it is lighter. Plus, if I crash, it will be on grass to minimize the damage. I won't be doing any hardcore 3d just some basic inverted, flips loops, etc. and wanted something lighter so I wouldn't have to spend too many hours repairing from a crash. My trex crashes are usually pretty extensive due to the weight. Not so much the cost but the time involved changing and repairing everything. I may have to give this lil bird a try. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than the guai 200 or trex 250.

thanks again

[jh1947]

IMO the king is a great backyard flyer, but to echo what others have said, it's quick. And to be clear, if you're flying idle-up, & crash, think you should expect to replace the blades, MG. feathering shaft, flybar, & flybar see-saw. You'll probably be faster than me, but a post-crash rebuild usually takes me a couple hours to get it dialed back in.
On the upside, if you don't crash, you can fly daily, for months on end, doing nothing more than charging the battery between flights.

[Big E]

Yeah the price is right but I've never been able to go back to my HBK2 since I upgraded to the TREX 450V2. There is almost no comparison in flight characteristics. You'll spend most of your time just trying to get it to fly in a stable hover. Brushed motor, plastic head, weak gyro, basic radio. By the time you put the money into upgrading it you could go with the GAUI 200 or the new TREX 250.

One alternative would be to consider getting one of the Eflite MCX's RTF for $129. The are great fun for flying indoors and are small enough that when you crash they seldom break.

[racin06]

I think where the HBK2 really shines is when being flown in a large flying area. I've been flying the HBK2, my first CP heli, for 8 months now. Yes, the King can really move! Below are a couple of my HBK2 videos flying in a large area. The HBK2 also does quite well in the wind. Loads of fun!

E-sky Honey Bee King II in 8-15 mph winds - Flight #1 (5 min 19 sec)

E-sky Honey Bee King II in 8-15 mph winds - Flight #2 (5 min 12 sec)

My setup -

- E-sky 3900KV Motor w/11T Pinion
- Dynam 30A ESC
- Park BEC
- Hitec HS-55 Servos on Swashplate
- Hitec HS-50 Tail Servo
- Telebee HH Gyro
- AR6100 Rx
- DX7 Tx
- Mega Power 11.1V 1350mAh 15C Lithium Polymer Battery
- GuruZ Fiber Frame
- GuruZ Main Shaft
- Stock Head
- Stock Tail Boom
- Stock Tail
- Stock Skids
- Stock Main Blades
- Stock Flybar and Paddles

[cbrian4]

Its a great heli, today i successfully completed my first roll. After that i was doing rolls and flips till i thought the battery was tired. Really great fun but i need to get my head speed up, i don't seem to have the collective response that i want.

[bjkv]

Originally Posted by cbrian4

Its a great heli, today i successfully completed my first roll. After that i was doing rolls and flips till i thought the battery was tired. Really great fun but i need to get my head speed up, i don't seem to have the collective response that i want.

Good idea! I run 3000 on my head (it isn't the plastic, mind you, and nor is it wooden blades, so watch out!) and it's a surface to air missile. I get +-13 on collective and +-8 on cyclic and NO BOGGING! Even with my big 2400mAh LiPo it's a real blast to fly!

[Sublime Snot]

I need to increase my headspeed as well. The stock plastic head and wooden blades can only do so much, but now I feel that they're really limiting me on what I want to try and do with my King. Flips and rolls are possible, and maybe an inverted flight, but sometimes I need the extra collective response when I want to get out of trouble.
According to my setup and ReadyHeli's headspeed calculator, I'm running a little bit over 2500RPM's. A bit slow for the King, isn't it?

[cbrian4]

Originally Posted by bjkv

Good idea! I run 3000 on my head (it isn't the plastic, mind you, and nor is it wooden blades, so watch out!) and it's a surface to air missile. I get +-13 on collective and +-8 on cyclic and NO BOGGING! Even with my big 2400mAh LiPo it's a real blast to fly!

What number is that on the swash mix? im running my swash mix at 85 on both ail and elevator and 80 on pitch. Is this too much? Whats yours set at? It gives me a little more response.