I got my new Pantera 50 - anyone else?

[Espeefan]

It's been so quiet in the Audacity forum, I thought I'd let everyone know I have recieved my Pantera 50! Yes, it really does exist! :mrgreen: Has anyone else gotten their's yet?

Being a total newbie to helis, all I can really say is the Pantera 50 seems like a really nice, well thought out machine, which is typical of John's engineering, from what I gather. I am still waiting on some other goodies - mostly the build tools and a GV-1 gov. before I start to build it, and it will be my first heli ever. Upon opening the box, I was a bit surprised the parts count seems so small! The canopy was larger then I thought it would be too! This 'ought to be fun!

Anyway, my thanks to John for this machine. John's a great a guy to talk to over the phone and I can't wait to build it.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/Espeefan/Pantera50.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/Espeefan/Pantera50backbox.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/Espeefan/Pantera50topbox.jpg

[skew]

I got mine on wed. I am about halfway through my build. I was hoping to fly this weekend but I don't think its going to happen just not enough free time to build just yet.

[Gearswinger]

I've been flying one of the production prototypes for a month and a half now, it's the same as the ones that the magazines got for review, so it's essentially what you have, but with different colored gears, and a few small things that were cleared up on the production models.

Mine has been a great heli. It has a nice smooth and stable hover, and incredibly fast cyclics when I push it. It can be tuned to have slower cyclics as well, I set mine up very aggressively. It's a neat design, and easy to work on, and survived a pretty bad crash with very little damage. I'm really pleased with mine, it flies more like a larger heli like a Fury than the average 50 like a Raptor.

About the only thing on it that I'm not a fan of is the tail fins, the vertical is kind of short, and broke in my crash, where most plastic fins survive whatever you throw at them. The swash has a bit of play in it, so I'm going to swap it for a metal one at some point. Neither is all that big of a deal, and the swash doesn't seem to effect the flying, maybe I just want some nice shiny bling. I'm also considering getting a set of metal seesaw arms for it, as they both snapped in my crash, I think they broke too easy, but we'll wait and see how it takes the next unplanned, violent landing before I invest in a metal part.

[Espeefan]

Nice to hear the Pantera is a turning out to be a great ship. Which manufacturer makes metal parts that can be made to work with the Pantera? I assume you are thinking about adpating metal head components from a Raptor, or maybe a Hirobo?

[armsmaster]

eurylokhos, Espeefan,
You can use the complete head assembly from rjxusa.com on the tiger or the pantara, that includes the swashplate. They also have a metal tail gearbox that works as well. Otherwise for seesaw arms try the ksj seesaw arms. The audacity arms are overpriced at $14.99 per pair when they are gauranteed to break in every crash. The cost of the metal arms will pay for themselves in the long run. The stock seewsaw arms for the Airskipper from JR will also work. They sell for only $7.99. I just do not figure where JB came up with $14.99 for such a small bit of plastic an especially when they break even in a hard auto landing. Good luck!!!
Perry

[Gearswinger]

Why bother buying a heli if I am just going to change the whole head? Just doesn't make much sense to me to take a $370 heli, and drop another couple hundred bucks on it for a new head, when the stock head works great, and the price of the add ons puts it in a ridiculous price range. May as well go add $15k to a Honda Civic. :roll:

That said, those seesaw arms are ridiculous. Look at them wrong and they break. I've seen a pic of a Pantera with metal arms on it, and the owner said that they came from RJX. I don't know the price, but when the replacement plastics cost $15, the metals have to be worth it. Plus, the RJX is silver, as opposed to the purple KSJ. That would make me choose those every time.

Other than those seesaw arms, the head is a really solid design with great stability and very lively cyclics.

[Foxden]

Hey Nick,

The RJX seesaw arms are nice, here's the part number at the RJX website HN60868A Alum. seesaw arms/w hardware $29.99.

look at what Align did when they came out with the 450SE blinged out T-Rex, I paid $520 for it and I also have a 450XL all plastic with CDE CCPM the plastic XL flys just as good and my pricy SE, I bought it because of all the bling, there are others that will do the same thing, the price of the heli won't matter if someone wants the metal parts they are going to by them period, I agree the Pantera was designed with 3D in mind, but if the swash is the same one that was on my Tiger it got loose after a few gallons of fuel and I went to a quick UK swash for $75, RJX offers a swash of the same calibur for $59.99

I'm just saying that there is definetly a market for the aftermarket metal parts and after talking to Rusty the other day after he put the entire metal head setup on his Tiger it tightened everything up and made it super stable.

[Gearswinger]

That's an awesome price for the seesaw arms. WHen I get my Pantera back in the air, those will be on it.

[hoot]

May as well go add $15k to a Honda Civic. :roll:



You sure you didn't mean Hyundai? :lol:

I case some of you can't read between the lines this line of helis is made by Hyundai (JR Venture50, Robbe Ornith46, Tiger50, Pantera50), and are basically the bottom of the barrel 50 class helis on the market today.
Yes Hyundai the auto manufacturer.

For $300 you can't expect them to be in the $400 and $500 class of 50 helis and they are not.

This isn't a bash on the Tiger/Pantera, it's just reality.

I have to agree though that if you are paying $300 for a cheap heli than the parts should cost "CHEAP" also. Especially the ones that break in every crash.

By the time I was done crashing and modding I finally moved on. I didn't realize any cost savings in the end.

[Gearswinger]

Now there's a guy who knows his production facilities! :glasses2:

[hoot]

Went to Audacity's website... didn't even see the Pantera there.

Oops found it.... $369

[Gearswinger]

Now you're just trying to stir things up, hoot.

[hoot]

Maybe a little. You guys talk subliminally, I talk out loud.

For $369.... how does it rank along with similarly priced units OUT OF THE BOX?

One thing that really stands out.... this line of helis has been in constant development. This is good. I had an early Tiger50 that was the pits and that's putting it mildly. That 's where my opinions started.

A lot of issues have been addressed since I left this scene but the bad swash and washout arms are still a standout.

[Gearswinger]

Hey, you know my feelings from our other conversations on RR.

[hoot]

I see the Pantera, being an all new design, going through similar evolutions. At least it has the upgrades incorporated in it from lessons learned on the Tiger.

Is everybody having fun getting the friggen blades in the grips? It's like you need a special tool to spread the grips open.

[Gearswinger]

The Pantera grips are 14mm, so they are too big for standard blades. They use spacers to take up the extra 2mm.

Man, this is the most action this forum has seen in years!

[hoot]

The Pantera grips are 14mm, so they are too big for standard blades. They use spacers to take up the extra 2mm.

Man, this is the most action this forum has seen in years!

Yea I had the upgrade 6mm flip grip setup that I had to use spacers with. I believe these are the same parts used on the Pantera. I bitched everytime I had to install a set of blades. You have to pry the darn things open. I ended up CAing the spacers to the blades to help hold it all together and line it up. I don't get paid for this and I'm not sponsored by anyone. I just like stuff to fit reasonably well and not be worn out before first flight.

Why in the HELL are they larger than standard blade grip thickness anyway? so you have to use spcaers all the time and that once in a lifetime nonstandard blade might fit?

I love my EVO. Blades slip in like they should. Standard blades at that. I didn't have to up grade the head for that to happen.

[Gearswinger]

Huh, I've never had a problem with it, it's the same way with a lot of 90s, maybe I'm just used to it.

[hoot]

Maybe they made some changes in the molding process since my set. Seem they closed up out on the ends after molding. It was posted about way back on RR before I got on the scene.

OK I'm sounding like a spoiler here. Sorry. My experience comes from one Tiger50 I owned but have since sold. I've read the postings and they follow many of my experiences to the tee.

My Tiger flew really well. That's about all I have good to say about it.

See you in another forum :noteworthy

[grwarlock]

Makes ya wonder what he thinks of the 219.00 tz 50 thats all the rage now.
It to must be a piece of S... in his eye's.

Sorry , people like what they like. The pantera is as much a performer as all the rest. I own 2 and have owned the other and not much is different. It realy boils down to a marketing machine , the bigger hype the better it sells.

Moral is , dont come in a thread bashing there heli's let them do it there selfs :)

[F6Hawk]

You DO realize you replied to a thread that is almost 3 years old, right?
:glasses2:

[jbeech]

We were gone to RR for a while, hence the gap in time, but I am providing more and more support here as well now. Consuquenlty, it's easy for this to happen. Anyway, no sweat, it's all good.

[grwarlock]

I knew that ,,,ya thats it ,,, I knew that :)

[F6Hawk]

I knew that ,,,ya thats it ,,, I knew that :)

Stick to yer story, M8!! I know I believe ya, and haven't found anyone else that matters more, IMHO! :)

JB, why the move from RR to here? Been both places, I tend to prefer here for some reason. Like the forum layout, and there seems to be a tad less "attitude" over here. My 2 ¢...

[jbeech]

We provide ongoing support on RR - makes little difference to us as we're simply providing a service to our customers as best we can. Basically, the message is what's important, not the meduium.