T-Rex or Shogun or ...?

[thedubdude]

Hi Folks,

Can any of you give me an objective comparison of the T-Rex vs. the Shogun vs. other mini helicopters with collective pitch. The T-Rex has me intrigued because of the belt drive and the fact that I fly a Raptor 30....however, I've also heard that it's heavier therefore flys for less time than a Shogun, for example. On the other hand, I've also heard the T-Rex is very tough and can survive crashes better than others. Can any of you comment? Thanks.

Regards, Don Wile

[bighands3d]

T-Rex 450X is the choice to have fly's right out of the box.. See the electric section for the pics and reveiw..

[thedubdude]

"New season coming and some changes to the line up. So Stay (tuned)!!! "

What are you refering to?...I've seen the new one from Century...anyothers? Also, do you know of any other micros with a belt...seems like this is the major problem with the Shogun. Thanks.

[NolanManley]

The T-Rex has the belt and will not fall apart on you. I have both the Zoom/Shogun and the Rex. Rex is the way to go. ;)

If you want a TRUE indoor heli the Cordless XRB Lama from MRC-Altech is the way to go. It's not for 3D or outside flight but it's cool when you can't get outside.

[rob_jones]

Well, for me it was no contest. I sold my Brushless Zoom 400 so I could buy a T-Rex instead. I have never looked back! In completely stock form, the flight performance of the Rex is outstanding. It's the first electric I've ever had that I actually look forward to flying. I was always afraid the Zoom was going to self destruct and it cost as much as a 30-size glow copter to fix.

By comparison, the T-Rex is dirt cheap to fix and it's also very tough. I let a friend who shall remain namless fly it right after I finished it. He was doing stationary flips at about 2 feet high and piled it in. The only damage was a bent spindle and main shaft. It cost less than $10 to fix it.

For now, the T-Rex is about the best micro out there. But then again, there was a time when the Zoom/Shogun was the best. It's probably only a matter of time until something better comes along. But until then, it's hard to beat the Rex. Especially for the price!

[WillJames]

Where do you buy one Rob?

[rob_jones]

www.flying-hobby.com

www.fxaeromodels.com

http://www.modefosheli.com/

I've ordered stuff from all 3. No complaints about any! :mrgreen:

[thedubdude]

Thanks all for your help. You've convinced me the T-Rex is the way to go. More questions for you. What can I expect in the way of flight times? What combination of equiptment (excluding the controller which I have) is best. Looking at the above referred sites I see the following possibilities:

I fly mostly sport with some loops and rolls.

Possibility #1:
- T-REX 450X EP-Helicopter base kit
- Phoenix 25 Brushless Sensorless ESC
- Align 400 Brushless Motor
- 2 X Performance Blade
- HS-55 Hitec Standard Feather Servo
- HS-55 Hitec Standard Feather Servo
- HS-55 Hitec Standard Feather Servo
- HS-50 HiTec Servo
- Futaba PCM 6CH Receiver ( Please let we know your band))
- Futaba GY240 Gyro with Heading Hold
- Jet Power LiPoly Pack 2200 mAh 11.1V


Possibility #2
- T-REX 450X EP-Helicopter base kit
- Align 400 Brushless Motor
- Align Brushless ESC 25A with BEC
- Align Super Micro Servo (Torque)9g
- Align Super Micro Servo (Torque)9g
- Align Super Micro Servo (Torque)9g
- Align Super Micro Servo (Speed)6g
- Align Receiver 6 CH Futaba FM
- Super Micro Heading Hold Gyro
- Jet-Power 11.1v 2200mah
- Free 2 Wood Blades

Possibility #3
Chili Pepper 3600 - CC Phoenix 25 - 3x HS55's 1x HS50 for tail - Thunder Power 2100 Gen2

[rob_jones]

I'd go with #2. The Hitec 55s aren't strong enough for the T-Rex. But I do think the HS-50 would be a good choice for the tail rotor. Another servo possibility is the Blue Bird BMS 371. They only cost about $13 and are strong and fast. The only caveat is that they don't quite fit the servo tray so it has to be trimmed a little.

Also consider the Thunder Power 2100 3-cell LiPoly battery. It's kind of expensive (about $75), but well worth it. I get roughly 12 minutes of flight time with the Align 2800kv motor.

If you haven't already, look at the T-Rex build thread located here:

http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?t=3717&highlight=

Lots of good info there...

[thedubdude]

Can anyone comment on the relative flight times of the T-Rex vs. the Shogun?

Also, exactly how do these two birds differ in flight?

Thanks.

[rob_jones]

Can anyone comment on the relative flight times of the T-Rex vs. the Shogun?
Roughly the same. But it really depends on a lot of factors. Motor choice and ESC settings have the most to do with it. As well as flying style and battery type.

Also, exactly how do these two birds differ in flight?
As different as night and day. The Shogun is very quick to respond to small inputs, but sluggish if you try to really horse it around. The T-Rex will hover hands off but has very positive responses in flight. I can do stationary flips without losing altitude with the Rex. My Shogun would lose at least 10 feet because it was so slow to flip all the way around. In fast forward flight, the Rex is surprisingly fast. If it's windy it will try to pitch up slightly. The Shogun had a much slower top speed and was very pitchy. I never felt comfortable flying at any kind of high speed.

[thedubdude]

Great info. Just what I was looking for. Thanks.

[SteveK]

Got my T-Rex today and could not believe that small box contains all the parts for a helicopter much less all the extra stuff they put in there.

Got a Mega 400L to put in it and hoping to get it together this week.

[thedubdude]

BTW ...how long does it take to charge a fully discharged TP2100 battery? Also, how many charges/discharges are these batteries good for before they need to be replaced? Also, with a good charger are these batteries dangerous? Thanks.

[thedubdude]

Does anyone have experience with comparing Jet-Power 11.1v 2200mah to a
Thunder Power 2100 3-cell LiPoly battery ? Also, any expierence with the
Align Brushless ESC 25A with BEC

and

Align Super Micro Servo (Torque)9g

I'm trying to decide if I should purchase the $500 www.flying-hobby.com deal or go with ala carte purchases. Thanks.

[WillJames]

I'm trying to decide if I should purchase the $500 www.flying-hobby.com deal or go with ala carte purchases. Thanks


It does look like a lot of heli for the $$. :)

[rob_jones]

I'm not familiar with that battery, but that's not a bad deal. I don't know that the Hitec HS55 is the best choice for servos, but it'd be worth it anyway. I added up what it would cost to buy everything separately and you would come out a little ahead with that combo. I just wonder what the shipping would be.

If you do order from Flying Hobby, please let me know. I'd like to order a few little items but small orders aren't worth it when you factor in the shipping cost. But maybe we can help each other out.

BTW ...how long does it take to charge a fully discharged TP2100 battery? Also, how many charges/discharges are these batteries good for before they need to be replaced? Also, with a good charger are these batteries dangerous?

My Triton takes about an hour and a half to charge a fully drained LiPoly. The capacity doesn't matter - it charges higher capacity packs at a higher rate so the charging time is the same. LiPoly batteries are not dangerous as long as you use some common sense and read the safety warnings that come with them. If you don't do anything stupid and pay attention you'll never have a problem. Most LiPoly packs get between 200-300 cycles. It depends on the quality of the pack and how it's treated. The deeper you cycle it and the hotter you get it, the less cycles you'll get.

[thedubdude]

Just to be very clear on this....I need a 6 channel receiver for the T-Rex correct? I'm confused as Modefo's Heli's recommended a BERG5 which is only 5 channels. If 5 channels is all I need I could use a Hitec 555 I've got sitting around. So which is it 5 or 6 channels.

Also, if not a Berg 5 any receiver recommendations? Thanks.

[rob_jones]

You need 6 channels if you use a GY401 or MS-44 gyro. If you use a non heading hold (or maybe the GY240 - not sure about that one), you only need 5 channels. The 6th channel is for the remote gain on the gyro.

Basically, if your gyro doesn't have remote gain you only need 5 channels.

[thedubdude]

I'm a bit confused, some places I see advertised T-Rex 450X others I see
T-Rex 450X EP ....is there a difference? Thanks.

[rob_jones]

Same thing. "EP" is just and anacronym for "Electric Powered". I've seen it advertised that way, too.

[ErichF]

While this is true, there's more to using a 5ch receiver on a helicopter radio. Collective (pitch) is universally transmitted on ch 6, which a 5ch receiver doesn't have. While 5 channels are enough, ch 6 is needed for pitch control. I think there may be a couple receivers out there that clone ch6 on the ch 5 slot, mostly because there are airplanes out there that can use two aileron servos (ch1 mixed with ch 6). Also, some transmitters can do that, as well, but I don't think that feature is available in the helicopter side of the software.

Let your heart not be troubled. With a modern computer radio, you can mix channel 5 to channel 6, duplicating the output of ch6 to ch5. In that case, you can use a 5ch receiver. In the case of the 9C:

Program mix #1
Master: ch6
Slave: ch5
Trim: ON
Link: ON
Rate: -100% / +100%
Switch E (Null)


Other computer radios have similar capability.

Remember, as Bimmer said, you won't be able to use a remote gain gyro.

Cheers,
Erich

You need 6 channels if you use a GY401 or MS-44 gyro. If you use a non heading hold (or maybe the GY240 - not sure about that one), you only need 5 channels. The 6th channel is for the remote gain on the gyro.

Basically, if your gyro doesn't have remote gain you only need 5 channels.

[rob_jones]

Thanks for the clarification, Erich. I always forget that the pitch is on channel 6, not 5. :DOH So, yes, technically you only need 5 channels. But some extra mixing will be needed if you use a 5 channel receiver.

[thedubdude]

I placed my order with www.Modefosheli.com:

T-rex 450X EP
one HS50 tail servo
three BMS-371 servos
Chili Pepper motor + Pheonix 25 ESC
Thunder Power 2100 Gen2 batterys
Berg 5 DSP2 receiver + channel 56 crystal
Apachee 2500 charger
csm200 gyro

Thanks for everyone's help, especially BimmerM3. I'll keep you posted.

[rob_jones]

Cool! But you better never come to my field. I'm also on channel 56! :wink:

Let me know how the Chili Pepper motor performs. I've heard good things about it, but don't know of anybody who has one in a T-Rex. A local flyer here is seriously considering getting a Rex and I'd like to know if I can recommend the CP motor to him.