Raptor 50 Titan

[Kamikaze]

Im looking for my first heli and i've been looking into the Raptor 50 Titan. I know that most people usually start with the 30v2 but I wanted a 50 size. Could you guys tell me what you think of my choice and tell me what electronics I should pick up, and is there a combo package that I should buy? Also I already have a DX7 TX with a AR7000 Rx so I just really need servos, gyro, and an engine.

[ClayK]

One of my first models was a Raptor 50. I can't remember if I got my TRex 450 SE before or after :dontknow

Raptor 50 is a fine starting place. Some will suggest the 30, but my opinion is to just get the 50. Parts cost difference isn't that much. Where you save money between 30 and 50 is in blades. 30 size blades are a hair cheaper. But, after a little learning curve, you shouldn't be crashing that much and you would be looking to upgrade to a 50 fairly quickly. Most go directly to the 50, as did I.

Most distributors have some sort of package, I know Heliproz (http://www.heliproz.com) does but there are others. I fly Futaba, so I'm going to recommend Futaba electronics. JR and Hitec have similar components, but I couldn't recommend anything specifically by them. Futaba 9252's on the cyclic/collective is a pretty good start. If that's too expensive, you can go with 3151's, but they are a bit slower and a little weaker. I stripped one out in normal flight. My 9252's have run strong since I put them in. I would also recommend a GY401 for the gyro with a 9254 handling the tail. The gyro and servo come as a package and separate. The package is cheaper than buying individually.

Some might recommend a governor. I didn't install a governor on my Raptor until just recently. Throttle curves should be sufficient for just starting out, eventually you will want a governor though.

Not sure if you are looking at engines at all, but most recommend the OS 50 Hyper. The 50 Hyper is a good engine, but you should be fine with just the regular 50. You can always "upgrade" to the hyper later with a simple carb change and a cooling head installation.

Welcome to helicopters. :hug:

[Kamikaze]

Thanks for replying in detail and your information will be very helpful with my first heli. If anybody else would give their input on this that would be great.

[BarracudaHockey]

What Clay said. Word for word. Though if you are going to forgo 9252's I'd get 9202s they will hold up better than 3151s they just arent lightning fast.

401/9254 = best bang for the buck, IMO the way to go till you need a 611 or high end gyro
Hyper = yes absolutely
Pipe= stock will suffice for a while, an Hator SB50 or CY MP2 will make a nice upgrade at some point.

[C!ph3r]

As a noob and forgoing my idea of a trx 450 xl as my 1st heli i have decided to also go with a raptor 50 titan with a dx7 radio. I figured this would be a good place to ask my specific question in stead of starting a new thread. I am going with the GY401 + 9254. I wanted to know if the DS821 servos that come with the DX7 will work on this heli?

Thanks for the help and sorry to hijack the thread.

[ClayK]

Posting here is fine, both posters are asking questions about it, so it seems logical to be here.

I haven't really heard anything great about the DS821 servos. That isn't to say they aren't good enough to start with. The specs are comparable to the 3151's. You can start with them, but if you fly with any frequency, you will outgrow them once you start hitting circuits. I found the 3151's to be a weaker, slower servo. They can do the job, but hard pitch changes and a higher head speed will strip the gears pretty easy and you don't get a good reaction out of the model. It was like the model was in slow motion.

[C!ph3r]

As a new pilot with 0 time on the stick, do you think they will last me through my learning phase?

Also just as an FYI, i will be spending a large amount of time on a sim first.

[ClayK]

I think they will last through the learning phase.

When you start doing some basic loops, rolls and stall turns is where I think those servos will need to be replaced. The problem is their speed and strength. They don't really have the holding power when coming from a pitch change to 0 pitch. If your headspeed is high, they'll strip.

[C!ph3r]

Thanks a lot ClayK. That will save me a little of start up cash.

[enahs]

I bought the Raptor Titan this summer for my first heli. I would agree with everything that has been said thus far. A simulator would be very helpful too. It's helped me a lot with nose-in hovering.

I considered a 30 at first but I'm glad that I bought the 50.

[C!ph3r]

Just ordered my Raptor 50 and my DX7 on tuesday. Nex on the list is the sim.

[Rickenbacker]

These days a lot of people start with a 50 rather than a 30. About the same initial cost, uses a little more fuel but is SO much more capable once you start learning.

[comeflywithme]

Poor Raptor 30's noone seems to like them anymore!

I actually started out with a 30 and although I have recently got myself a Titan too, here are a few points why current starters who bought a 30 shouldnt bang their head against a wall and think they made the wrong choice...

-Lower power on a 30 means you are required to learn better throttle management (as you "have" to in order to progress to a certain point)
-Non driven tail has the advantage to buidling up main rotor speed very easily during autos - which is useful despite the obvious disadvantage of not having any rudder authority when the engine stops.
-Fuel usage is actually more significantly lower on my 30 than the 50 than I expected.

Also, the 30 is more than capable of all basic aerobatics and 3d. Mine will do continuous flips, inverted, tik-toks, inverted tik toks, rolls, loops and 1620deg stall turns :shock: ...

All this is also on standard servos (HS-325's) by the way (appart from pitch and rudder).

What a 50 will do for you that a 30 cant is executing maneuvers crisper and punchier. For example a 30 will do a tik-tok but requires a hell of a lot more work than a 50 to stop it from loosing altitude too fast. I'm not too sure how doable chaos and piro flips are with a 30 either but that shouldnt be a worry for a newcomer :wink:

Hope this has helped 30 owner from doing this - :arggg:

[tmark65]

I started flying with a Raptor 30V1 back in 1999 and still is sitting on my self ....

Just got my 50 Titan, a couple of days ago, GY401+9254, 9202 for the collective and the rest are 3151's. This setup is much better than my 3001's on the V1 R30.

It's for my afternoons. I'm not flying 3D, I just love to play with it.

My Weekends are full of my F3A flights ......

Regards :D