MS Composit-any owners out there?

[warpspeed]

Looking to expand the fleet and being thoroughly disgusted with the BCPP I've been looking at the Hornet X3D. The shaft driven tail greatly appeals to me and getting it airborne looks to be a fairly inexpensive proposition.
Anybody have any experience with these? Let's hear it all, good bad or ugly.

Thanks!

[DebianDog]

I think that company left a "bad taste" in peoples mouth years back. What I have heard lately is that people have been able to bend main shafts IN FLIGHT.

I can not think of one person here that owns one. Not saying there are none just can't think of anyone.

If you are interested in making your BCP "good"
http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?p=301531

[warpspeed]

Oh no, no more rubber main shafts for me. Thanks DebianDog, for helping to stop the insanity. I'd done a little more checking around after posting and can't find too many people that are happy with them so I think I'll stay away.

I need another micro like I need a hole in my head anyway, it's just that I've got the perfect indoor place to practice in but it's too small for something as fast as the Rex. (Well, at my skill level anyway)

Guess I'll just stick to the big boys and learn to deal with the wind, freezing temps, bugs, cops and neighborhood kids.

[DebianDog]

Thats the spirit! Look for a used 600 they are not too expensive to repair and fly great!

[warpspeed]

Well, I've got the basic ali kit but what's killing me are the lipos! With only one pack it's hard to justify a trip to the field for a 4 minute flight. I've been trying to talk the wife into cranking out babies so I can sell them into slavery and fund the addiction, but as of now she's not going for it. :( It is an amazing machine though and I only hope someday I'm good enough to make use of it's full potential.
In the meantime I wish I could find an "inbetween-er", something that could handle the wind a little better than the 450 but doesn't require the expensive batteries that the 600 takes.

I see by your sig you've got a gasser w/830mm blades-I've never seen anything bigger than the 600 fly before but it always amazes me on spool-up. Can't imagine what something that big must be like!

[DebianDog]

With the new 25C batts coming out I thing you will see a lot of 20C packs in the for sale section. Keep an eye out.

Can't imagine what something that big must be like!

My buddy has got a nice scar. I told him "wait for the blades to stop turning or be sure you can stop them as they have a lot of energy... even when turning slow. It FREAKING HURTS if it hits you". Sure enough a few flights later...

BAM!

After I saw my helicopter was O.K. (he almost fell on it) I laughed my ass off.

Felt bad a few weeks later when I saw the scar still there. :(

[vrwired]

I got the Hornet X3d with the tuning parts when they were on sale about 2 months ago.. I got a great deal.. like 219 bucks back then. With alum tuning parts.

I go to www.mscompositusa.com

Not the old site.

The guy there has been very helpful and friendly.. he has gone out of his way to make things right, and calls me back all the time.

I like the bird... tail shaft has not had a problem yet, and I have crashed it BADLY multiple times. I heard a trick about placing more bearing in the tail to keep the shaft straight. Have not had to do it yet.. The tail shaft is splined on the end, I have had NO tail gear slippage.
The tuning parts are pretty decent workmanship. Everything lines up and is drilled and tapped correctly.

Carbon main and tail blades are nice...

I have the Microheli tail.. which is real nice..

The landing gear is pretty much useless.. I am a noob, and have landed it hard many times..I have broken the landing gear struts 2x.
Maybe a better flier would not have a problem. I replced mine with 3d pro modified Landing gear. Makes it a bit heavier, but for me it still works out.

Parts replacement is pretty cheap.. not the cheapest, but decent.
They arrive on time everytime.

I plan on upgrading the bell hiller with DUZI cause the plastic hiller mixing arms keep losing the plastic ball stud... I keep cracking them off landing hard. But once again, a better flier would not have that problem...

Decent looking bird.. the CF boom is strong.. it should have broke by now but has not..

Still on the same main gear!?!? and tail gears after like 6 crashes...

I am thinking of doing a belt conversion to it. But I am still waiting for my tail mechanix to fail, and it has not yet.. so??!!

I run AR6100 rx
hs-55 and hs-50 on the tail
DX7 with a little expo. twister 300/20 and the MS-116 and a 1250 common sense pack and a 401 gyro... tail servo is not in the stock position (tail fin)... instead about 2 inches closer to the body on the boom with microheli alum mounts... I have 0 tail wag.. holds rock steady.

It all handles great and seems to have plenty of power...

I will def keep in my fleet as I grow.. I am going to get an Trex 450 SE soon (decided over the HDX 450) I guess I can always add a superframe and stuff later..

I just want the real thing ... Align... trex.. everyone has spares... know what I mean?.. I know you do.


Let me know if you have any other questions.

[DarkHorse]

I've worked on pimping a couple of CP2s (BladeCP like) and they are OK for cruising about. Just retired my own 570mm brushless CP2 with DD tail last week in favour of a $190 ready built X-3D with complete electrics. Now that kind of deal doesn't come by every day but you can see a little bit of this stock X-3D slightly tamed down for acro cruising (to replace the old CP2)here in a recent test video. (http://dhrc.rchomepage.com/MSHornet/vids.htm#vid) Scroll down and you can see some real action from the old masters.

I plan to lighten this new one from 365g to ~315g, then it will really move. The CP2 are easier to handle for soft cruising to mild acro given the obvious tail limitations, just depends what you want from a micro.

[DarkHorse]

Fixed links now, sorry. :oops:

[edzinator]

Darkhorse,
Your site and links are GREAT! I also picked a Hornet X3D. After flying my brothers Hornet, I was suprised how well it handled. Mine was well into the 4th flight and ready to bust lose some loops and rolles when the tail servo stripped a gear, slowly spining toward the pit area so I killed power hoping for a chance to auto a stunning last sec save but no luck. I really LIKE the MS Hornet X3D and will rebuild soon! I did get lucky and had a HeliBrother film my 3.1 maiden flights... hehe Awesome calculator! I do have a sweet flying cutom BCP (well it used to be a Blade) and a Trex 450 to play with till then.

do well
edz

[DarkHorse]

Thanks, I hope some of the info can help.

> when the tail servo stripped a gear
That's annoying :shock:. I have heard that HS-50 cases pop open in flight if not taped up, maybe the servo limits where exceeded. General tail servo gear demands are not that excessive normally.

> had a HeliBrother film my 3.1 maiden flights.
We'd be interested to see. :D

[edzinator]

The HeliBrothers film this one will cover our second year of helifrustration and success. A good sim is well worth the $$. As for my tail servo I was using a blue bird 4.3gr coreless servo, it was taped and working well. As for reviewing the broken parts it was hard to tell cause. She entered a slow piro to the right so power was still driving tail, broken parts list- tail pitch slider, servo gear, tail rotor blade grip bolt, slight damage to gear set pinon, spur and tail box gears are gritty and main rotor blades. I've done a whole lot worse, lawndarted my Trex 2 weekends in a row. Lets say I got close to my sim for a few weeks =), then had to duck the wife's questions on the credit statements... :roll: :dontknow The 3.1= 3 full battery packs and 2mins of the 4th battery, the .1 was without film crew, (they were moving away fast) so I dropped the Hornet fast. Better the heli than a HeliBrother.

I'll figure out the video upload soon.

edz

[DarkHorse]

> She entered a slow piro to the right so power was still driving tail
I've had that after chasing super fast piro's, when exiting the move abruptly (too fast to stick centre) can throw in 40º on the tail blades, this can break the contact on the front conical push fit pinion. The tail begins to loose authority as the steel tail shaft begins to rotate in the conical and you have to be quick and land which is easier said than done some times on a new unfamiliar setup.
Another time I recall the next flight after a mild crash, must have just weakened the conical fitting. To get a good seating I sometimes fatten up the shaft a little with dried CA glue jus behind the spine. If conical is glued on then be careful not to trash the front bearing with glue and I normally have to cut glue pinions in half to remove them. Not too bad on a steel shaft but the older lighter CF tail drive shafts can easily split unto pressure.

The other tail gear box gears are normally fine if not removed and refitted more than a couple of times. I have had the same set on my original X-3D (now the 4sXL) for 2 years, they look a bit dogged now but work fine.

All that said the Hornet2 had a bad reputation for tail issues but it was the first micro CP around back them, there were no alternatives. Since then the X-3D is much improved although blighted by the early days, not perfect but is a good efficient compromise between weight, construction strength and agility in it's size (~360g). With a few basic tips and tricks you can have a good little full CP acro micro.