SKB Case Review - Travel big helis in safety!

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

I bought this SKB "2SKB-5020W" case for my Raptor e-620. I wanted something to haul my heli to the field in without it getting damaged. I also travel to Hawaii once a year and wanted a way to carry it with me next time I go. Let me give you a break down of what it is and some major key points before I go further.

* SKB 2SKB-5020W ATA Double Golf Travel Case
* Unconditional Lifetime Warranty + $1,500 Content Coverage
* Made in North America
* The SKB ATA Double Golf Travel Case is made to ATA 300 Category I specifications which is the highest shipping container specification of the ATA
* This case is molded from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, the material specified by the U.S. military for cases and containers
* Capable of accepting items up to 50" in length and with a width of 20", the 2SKB-5020W featuring SKB's unique Perfect Match Valance Bending System for a perfect seal and comes standard with a lift handle, tow handle and wheels
* Backed by an Unconditional Lifetime Warranty
* Black in color
* Outside dimensions: 52" x 15" x 22"
* Inside dimensions: 50" x 13"x 20"

I ordered this SKB Case from www.amazon.com on 4/25/07 and received it 5/09/07. Came with free shipping and cost me a total of $179.99 With over $2000 in my heli, it's worth the peace of mind knowing it's safe when I travel.

The SBK case is very heavy duty with three chrome locking latches down the front. The latches look quite robust and have a very solid feel when I latch the case closed. Each latch has a key hole. Supplied inside of the case was the key in a white envelope. One of the latches had a sticker by it that read.

"FIELD-REPLACEABLE LATCHES Because of the often abusive nature of airport baggage handling, cases may occasionally sustain minor damage to locking hardware. SKB locking latches are UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEED for the life of the case. They are easily replaced in a few minutes with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Call SKB Customer Service at 1-800-654-5992 for same day shipment of replacement latches."

On the back side it has three heavy duty hinges that are riveted onto the metal strip that runs around the opening of the case. They appear to be rugged and can take a lot of abuse before they give way to breaking. I feel confident they are more than strong enough to do their job without failure.

It has 2 ball-bearing rollerblade style wheels along the bottom. Again they also look very robust and role with great ease. That to me is a very nice feature considering the alternative of carrying this case around in an airport before checking it in. On the opposing end is a polyethylene handle that flips down into a recess area to keep safe. Pulling the case around by this handle was light work and is well balanced for this purpose.

Along the front opening of the case are two large polyethylene heavy duty carrying handles of the same type. They too have a slight recess in the case when folded. One thing I noticed was the handles stay put and don't flop around loose when the case is turned in different directions. I'm sure this has been engineered into the handles as a safety precaution so it's less likely they will flip out on their own and hang on something.

My Raptor E-620 with the bleach bottle canopy in place fits inside the SKB case absolutley perfect! I had about one inch of space on each end and about 2.5 inches between the top and bottom. With a well foamed case I feel my heli will be completely safe in travel. Around the tail boom area theirs plenty of room for charger, tools, transmitter & miscellaneous accessories.... even Lipos if your brave enough.

Let me know if you have any questions? :thumbup:

PS Please remember to foam your case well!!!

[Finless]

I am moving this to the review forum

Bob

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

Thanks Bob! :wink:

[Funky]

What holds it in place in the case besides the foam around the canopy?

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

What holds it in place in the case besides the foam around the canopy?

Hi Funky! I guess you didn't catch the PS at the end of the review. You will have to buy foam and cut it to fit. I will be doing this before I use the case. Just got it yesterday and sat the heli inside to to show how well it fits.

[Funky]

Thanks I must have skipped right over that. Great looking case, very nice :thumbup:

Post some more pics once you get it all set up.

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

Will do.

[PsychoPilot145]

Nice job! Thanks for the intel. :noteworthy

Let me know where you bought your foam filler. I must have one of these before my next road trip.

[OKerbaul]

Great tip. I just received mine and it is a great case. Thx Lithiumstatic!

[RPM 1.5]

I have same one but mine is foam fillled already try to post pic's carries 2=90 remove booms,place for them and blades no problem I'm going to sell it SOON
Ray

[RPM 1.5]

More Pic's of case
Ray

[ama outlaw]

Thanks for the review! I have a large hard case for transporting several minis to the field with all their gear that also doubles for international airline travel and I was hoping for a case I could use for my .30 size bird as well. It looks good for going to the field, but the size of it means that unless I take a pickup or large car it won't fit in the trunk or inside with a couple of passengers inside the car as well. I also looked at the airline restrictions and it's considered oversize luggage based on the max size of 62 linear inches ( L+W+H), so that means another $50 or so added onto my trip each way. Overall, it looks like a great case that's up to the task of transporting large helis around town and out to the field, but just a little too bulky for travel unless you plan ahead for the extra large size.

[grig]

How does one foam the case to the shape of the heli?

[ama outlaw]

To do the outlines, put what you want outlined on the foam and draw the outline with a pen or marker around the object. Then you take a razor blade and cut down deep enough for the depth/width of the part you want to put in there and then pull the foam out. If the cut isn't to go all the way through the foam but only say 1/2 way then cut 1/2 way and then make horizontal cuts at that depth until you reach the other side of the cutout and pull it all out. Be prepared to practice, it takes a little fore-thought, skill and a pinch of luck for a good final product.

[OKerbaul]

once I bought foam on a market. the guy was using a jig saw. He was cutting the foam accurately, leaving straight, nice and flat surfaces. The tip was the following: never stop cutting, always go forward. Otherwise the saw was somehow chewing the foam. I used a cutter for my foam inserts at home since I did not have a jig saw available. It works, but I ended up with some decent and less decent cuts to say the least ;)

[anthony7656]

So when is this going into mass production?
I could use one~~~

I bought this SKB "2SKB-5020W" case for my Raptor e-620. I wanted something to haul my heli to the field in without it getting damaged. I also travel to Hawaii once a year and wanted a way to carry it with me next time I go. Let me give you a break down of what it is and some major key points before I go further.

* SKB 2SKB-5020W ATA Double Golf Travel Case
* Unconditional Lifetime Warranty + $1,500 Content Coverage
* Made in North America
* The SKB ATA Double Golf Travel Case is made to ATA 300 Category I specifications which is the highest shipping container specification of the ATA
* This case is molded from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, the material specified by the U.S. military for cases and containers
* Capable of accepting items up to 50" in length and with a width of 20", the 2SKB-5020W featuring SKB's unique Perfect Match Valance Bending System for a perfect seal and comes standard with a lift handle, tow handle and wheels
* Backed by an Unconditional Lifetime Warranty
* Black in color
* Outside dimensions: 52" x 15" x 22"
* Inside dimensions: 50" x 13"x 20"

I ordered this SKB Case from www.amazon.com on 4/25/07 and received it 5/09/07. Came with free shipping and cost me a total of $179.99 With over $2000 in my heli, it's worth the peace of mind knowing it's safe when I travel.

The SBK case is very heavy duty with three chrome locking latches down the front. The latches look quite robust and have a very solid feel when I latch the case closed. Each latch has a key hole. Supplied inside of the case was the key in a white envelope. One of the latches had a sticker by it that read.

"FIELD-REPLACEABLE LATCHES Because of the often abusive nature of airport baggage handling, cases may occasionally sustain minor damage to locking hardware. SKB locking latches are UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEED for the life of the case. They are easily replaced in a few minutes with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Call SKB Customer Service at 1-800-654-5992 for same day shipment of replacement latches."

On the back side it has three heavy duty hinges that are riveted onto the metal strip that runs around the opening of the case. They appear to be rugged and can take a lot of abuse before they give way to breaking. I feel confident they are more than strong enough to do their job without failure.

It has 2 ball-bearing rollerblade style wheels along the bottom. Again they also look very robust and role with great ease. That to me is a very nice feature considering the alternative of carrying this case around in an airport before checking it in. On the opposing end is a polyethylene handle that flips down into a recess area to keep safe. Pulling the case around by this handle was light work and is well balanced for this purpose.

Along the front opening of the case are two large polyethylene heavy duty carrying handles of the same type. They too have a slight recess in the case when folded. One thing I noticed was the handles stay put and don't flop around loose when the case is turned in different directions. I'm sure this has been engineered into the handles as a safety precaution so it's less likely they will flip out on their own and hang on something.

My Raptor E-620 with the bleach bottle canopy in place fits inside the SKB case absolutley perfect! I had about one inch of space on each end and about 2.5 inches between the top and bottom. With a well foamed case I feel my heli will be completely safe in travel. Around the tail boom area theirs plenty of room for charger, tools, transmitter & miscellaneous accessories.... even Lipos if your brave enough.

Let me know if you have any questions? :thumbup:

PS Please remember to foam your case well!!!

[Ed1955]

Great Review and I would like to add that I purchased the SKB case about three months ago and found a much simpler way to handle the foam. Granted, there is probably nothing better than carving out a huge block of the foam in the outline of the heli but for me, finding the foam and the work involved in cutting it out was a little to much. First of all, I can't believe someone doesn't sell these things pre-made. What I did was line the entire case with egg crate foam using spray adhesive. Then in the head area or about one half of the left side of the case, I glued in a second layer of the egg crate foam, top and bottom. I then glued double layers of foam against the ends where the tail rides and the nose of the canopy touches. This will keep the heli from moving from end to end totally. I also covered the handle areas inside the case so that the entire case is padded and protected. I can actually throw the case with one of my 600E's in the back of my pick up truck with no worry of harming my heli. These cases are fantastic. They're totally waterproof, very strong and can easily be locked and chain locked in the back of a truck which I do when parking in populated areas. Granted, the case can still be stolen but most people have no idea what's inside the case and let's face it, anyone seen walking down the street with this case is going to draw alot of attention, especially if I'm looking for them. Again, Great Review on a great product.
Respectfully,
Ed

[Wyldman]

Could somebody please tell me where I can get the large chunks of the proper consistancy foam necessary for a job like this? I've found some foam, but it is way to heavy density-wise and I'm afraid it will do more harm than good.

TIA,

Chuck