I just got my EVO 50 today!!

[Hulley]

Is there anything special I need to do before I build this bird? any little mod or something the manual left out?

[Kinger]

Congrats man, you will LOVE the heli. Nothing special you have to watch out for. Just follow the instructions and away you go. I would spend another $15 if you can and pick up a set of the Carbon Extreme dampners for the head as they make a BIG difference on how this heli handles in the air.

[WillJames]

Those EVO's seem to be great flyers!! Congratulations!!!

[elviswl]

You may also want to get a set of 0414286 FREYA SKID FOOT (LOW HEIGHT). They look good and they are much better than the stock.


The CX dampners are great.


-elvis

[pilotError]

wait for upgrade opportunities (aka crash) to do anything to the machine. It needs nothing out of the box to fly great.

After the first crash, look at upgrading the landing gear to the freya low gear (direct bolt on) or the MA tuff strut II's. They look better and are a little more stable than the stock gear.

The only other thing you may want to do is go to the metal slide block and radius block. (404-730 and 404-731).

Burn fuel and have fun, your gonna love it!

Mike...

[mainblades]

3rd bearing block. Take out the bearing. Clean both the bearing and block. Put a dab of 30 min epoxy on the bearing to help hold it in the block.

Get a 402-523 bearing block and a 5x13x4 bearing and put it on top of the Pulley/counter gear stack. There is provisions in the frames to accept this.

[Hotshot Charlie]

Hey Hulley,

Congrats on your new bird ! I have heard good things about the Evo's. How about giving us a "play by play" of your construction. Photos if you have a digital camera. I think this helps a lot of newbies, plus us not so newbies in selecting a new heli project.

Have fun and again, Congrats !

[Steve Campbell]

I'm curious as to why the recommendations for different dampers, bearing blocks, etc.

I'm familiar with four of these machines. All were built bone stock, and all have been exemplary. One has over 15 gallons through it, and aside from replacing the plastic main gear at about the ten gallon mark, still is all-original and flys just fine.

Rob, you would not regret getting one of these. Hirobo got it right, big time, with this one. It flies almost like a 60; i.e., very solid and stable.

I'm taking my X-Cell 60 to the field today, because it hasn't been flown in months and the engine/bearings/servos need exercising. The EVO is as delightful to fly, a bit smaller, and has much less EDF- Emotional Debt Factor. In other words, when I fly the X-Cell I always have, in the back of my mind, the knowledge of just how involved and expensive it will be to repair if I dump it. Flying the EVO, I simply don't think about that. Its a plastic helicopter.

As I said, mine is bone stock. The moldings are crisp, the parts fit is excellent, the overall quality superb. It is a bit tedious to set up, due to some of the bizarre geometry on the control system. But if you take your time and follow the detailed instructions, your reward will be a very nice machine.

My grandson is beginning to make noise again about wanting to learn helis. If it looks like he's serious this time, I intend to get an EVO 30 for him.

Hulley, there are a couple of special balls that go in specific places on the bellcranks. The instructions do not give you a heads-up about this. These balls are hollowed out so the retaining screw fits flush inside it. They go on the inside of the cyclic bellcranks, where a normal ball with the screw head protruding would bump the frame.

Find those special balls and study the bellcrank geometry, and it will be very apparent where they go.

Enjoy your new machine. IMO, it is the best overall value in a model helicopter I've seen in a long time.

[pilotError]

I'm curious as to why the recommendations for different dampers, bearing blocks, etc.

The radius block tends to slip over time especially if you overtighten the nuts. It causes the heli to go out of phase and could be a pain if you don't know what's causing it. The metal version has 2 set screws which really grab the main shaft. The slide block tends to crack in a crash.

Mike...[/quote]

[dugd]

I would have to agree that the EVO flys well. How come no one ever mentions that it autos like a BRICK. I spent most of yesterday swapping out the Vblades for TT from my Raptor and doing comparison flying/auto practice.

Results, my Raptor 50 flys well on both sets of blades, autos OK on the Vblades, autos very well on the TT carbons. The EVO 50 flys well on both blades autos heavy on the TT blades and like a BRICK on the Vblades.

For the money I have in the EVO, I would have rather finished my Raptor 90 SE!!!!

[elviswl]

My EVO50 with tt600 autos like a dream. Low inverted roll-out autos are not a problem with this heli.

.

[Lee Taylor]

I have to agree with Elvis...mine has the TT 600's right now, and autos like a champ. Can even do slow decents and maintains head speed pretty well for a smaller bird. I haven't tried inverted pushovers yet though...but like elvis said, the rollouts are impressive for this size heli. Just my 2 pennies... :mrgreen:

[BC]

Hey guys. I have Sceadu 50 (not EVO) kit Im building. Do you have any recomendations for it.....I was going to upgrade the head to the evo after breakage. Are the newer side frames worth changing to? Is the spindle really soft? I have the 3rd bearing block for it. Its going to have a 50sx, 401/9253, and maybe CDX blades. For the muffler Im goin to experiment between a couple older 60 size mufflers and a maverik muffler.
thanks

[the collective]

I would have to agree that the EVO flys well. How come no one ever mentions that it autos like a BRICK.

A couple of things come to mind... the EVO likes a fairly loose belt tension, if you stick an allen wrench beside the belt just in front of the boom it should deflect easily almost halfway across before it resists moving. It shouldn't take much force to get it halfway.

Another thing to look at on the EVO, especially if it's been crashed once or twice or the tail blades have hit the ground is to look at the belt pulleys and see if there's belt "dust" clogging the teeth. My EVO started autoing like a cinder block and nothing I did with the tension would get it better til I took the front and rear pulleys out and found them clogged with crud between the teeth. I picked the crud out and the friction disappeared.

[Lee Taylor]

BC,
I've had an EVO since September '04, and love it. I also recently learned about how much this bird loves a slightly loose tail. It auto'd nicely the way I had it set up, the belt wasn't too tight, but it was also not as free as it is now. I always wondered why the head wasn't quite as 'free' as I liked them to be, but once I was informed about the tail drive belt, it's like a whole new heli. I fly v-blades w/ v-paddles on it now, and it does inverted roll-outs and PUSHOVERS very easy, with plenty of head speed to hang for about 3 seconds...maybe even wring 4 or 5 out of it. :) That's quite a bit for a 50 doing inverts.
Aside from the tail belt issue, mods aren't necessary, as this heli flies great bone stock. But a couple of mods that make it even sweeter are; the Delrin gears. These are smoother than your stock main gear stack. The metal washout...there is a tad bit of play between the pin block and the washout...this set will eliminate that. Also, I've heard from many people that the Carbon Xtreme dampers make this a totally new heli...very, very crisp. I've got some of these on the way. And though not necessary, because the stock swashplate is very tight(new, at least) I think I'm going to upgrade to a metal swash soon.
If you're interested in part numbers for a later date, let me know and I'll hook you up. Hope you like your Sceadu!! :mrgreen:

[Lee Taylor]

I also do my inverts within 10 feet of the ground...usually a little lower. This is why I only get about 3-5 seconds hangtime. If you were to perform these up higher, you'd get a lot more hang. Just thought I'd correct myself. Also with upright autos, you have plenty of time to get comfortable, and pick you spot on the ground. Nice autoing bird regardless of what some have experienced. :wink:

[Kinger]

Hey Lee,

You will DEFINITELY like those CX dampners on your Evo :) Tic tocs with no wobble and they are still stable all the way down to the end of your rotorhead speed in an auto.

So are you using the allen wrench method outlined above to set your belt tension? I should check mine to see if I've been running too tight.

Mike

[Lee Taylor]

Mike,
Yeah. When I was down in GA for Mac's FF, I had someone show me how it should be done. And now, I can check for it without the wrench. Can't wait to get my CX dampers! I hear they are 'da BOMB! Are you going down to GA for Clint's FF? Take care man!!

[Kinger]

Sorry Lee, GA would be about a 12 hour drive for me from Columbus, OH :) I'd like to come down to one of the Freak events though sometime next year. We'll just have to see what works into the schedule.

[claysmith]

12 hours aint that far, come on down and we'll show everybody what these EVO's will do. Try to make it if you can.

[Lee Taylor]

Clay,

It's gonna be a blast! Hopefully by then I'll be 1/2way proficient with MY EVO. You put on a helluva show down at Mac's! Maybe by then I'll have that Hyper 50. :mrgreen:

Hope you get the chance to make it Craig...and anyone else who's thought about wanting to attend a FREAK INVASION! They are a GREAT time!!! You won't be disappointed.

[jhodges]

As an EVO owner myself, I'll chime in also. Now, I'm nowhere near as good as Clay and Lee (They can ROCK these birds). But this machine is simply awesome. The absolute best value in a .50. The crash costs are not bad (maybe a little more $$ than Raptor) and the quality is superb.

The flying qualities are excellent. It is a very stable and precise ship in a hover and can tear up the sky (see one of Clay Smith's videos) when need be.

:glasses2: