Stay away from the HBK 2

[the_dragon_no1]

shield (http://www.helifreak.com/member.php?u=44389).... and that is ?

[Darthdrk]

The K2 is a pretty simple heli. I think alot of people are lulled into believing that they have to bling out the heli to get it to fly. I have myself about five of these and every last one flew right out of the box even with the brushed motor. The only change Ive done with my K2s is brushless motors and ESC. I think alot of guys are having problems is because they arent familiar with heli flying and someone told them to buy a BB kit and build it up. By the time they get all the parts together, they find it hard to get everything to work right. Some dont realize not all servos move the same direction inthe same orientation, some do not know how to setup a gyro, not all gyros mount the same, etc.... It does take some time. True to Stock motor is not good but it does work and the only thing I suggest to a newbie is get a brushless motor and esc to replace it. If you have only flown a cx and or a Fp heli, get ready for a whole different experience. You do not have to go out and buy a expensive heli to get a heli that flys good. I have over 30 something helis and yes, there are or have been issues with some but they can all be easily overcomed. With experience comes knowledge, Ive been doing this heli thing now for 6 mabey 7 years . When I started mabey my first 6 months, I had a time of flying and breaking things and figuring out what des and dont work. I had no instructor to guide me except the forums. Eventually this stuff became second nature. And get this, I had the principle of heli operation basically down . I use to work on the real ones. I though about expanding my business into setup and repair but I dont have the time and im of the belief that if you fly and crash it, you should know how to fix it. But, Im still willing to help out when and where I can.

[zimatosa]

shield (http://www.helifreak.com/member.php?u=44389).... and that is ?


Must be the Trex that he has listed in his siggy....
Good luck fixing the Trex every time you crash. That is if you ever get past hovering...You will baby that thing to no end and never get better at flying cause you won't be able to afford to fix it. With the King 2, you can thrash on it and never be out more than about 20 bucks or less a crash on average. Nice going, you just made your learning curve an / uphill battle. You should have bought the plastic version first of all. Second, you should have returned the heli after the ESC failure on the second flight. 3rd, shelf that Trex until you really know how to fly and WORK on heli's....

Peace,

Z

[Magenta]

$20 seems a little low, but probably not much (assuming an average and you've built up a small stash of spare parts)

But I do find it easier to try risky (well to me anyways) maneuvers with the King rather than my TRex. Don't know why, but I do. And I think that helps me improve.

Crashes typically are fixed in a couple of hours (after I get the parts). That's really the only downside to the King; I can only order the parts online, not just run over to the local shop.

Overall, I think this is a great little heli. My only upgrades were brushless motor and 43 tooth tail (and using my radio, but I don't really count this as an upgrade)

Also, I don't notice any real difference between flying the King and the TRex, at least at my skill level. I'm really happy with both.

[zimatosa]

I am lucky. I have 2 shops within a 5 minute bike ride to buy King parts. When I say average cost, of course it can be more too. Generally I only have to replace the blades and a feathering shaft or a center fly-bar holder.....Now that I have the CNC from HDX (XMSeller) I have not had to replace anything but an o-ring pushrod....Crashes 3 times pretty hard on the new head.....


Heck, after my boom extension and 315mm blades, my King might as well be considered a 450...these blades fly well and take a beating!

Z

[shield]

shield (http://www.helifreak.com/member.php?u=44389).... and that is ?

Trex 450SE V2

I don't hate the HBK2, I am just so POed at it. I was expecting so much more, maybe I just got a bad one but I still have it and think about fixing it so who knows.

I think that if I take it apart, build it back up, get a new esc since the original fried and put in a Spectrum receiver it might fly like it was intended to. Plus with my Spectrum radio I'll have more control over settings and can fine tune the throttle and pitch cures to my liking.

[UAV_PILOT]

Man screw this heli, it does suck! Just out of the blue it wants to keep spinning and no matter what I do wheather it be changing the gyro or adjusting the servo nothing works! I continues to spin and I have had it. I am buying another heli.

[zimatosa]

Can you please tell us which RC Heli you are going to buy that will not need to be worked on and set-up properly before it flies correctly? We all want one of those....
The world of RC Helicopters is the "Elite" hobby. It is the most difficult hobby to master and it is and will be hard on the bank account to learn. Your problems you explained are simple to fix if you know what to do. I had a hard time in the beginning when i was overwhelmed by problems that needed tweaking and fixing, but that is what made me love this hobby. Fixing, modifying, replacing sh*t with different brand parts if need be, you name it. It taught me most everything I needed to know. Don't give up so easy, cause it ain't easy!

We are waiting for that perfect Heli's name that you buy that will need zero time in the garage to get to fly...

Thanks,

Z

[Magenta]

If the design were that bad, it'd have been trashed long ago. This is a reasonably good model for the size and it flies well.

If you're having having problems with it spinning uncontrollably, then it's a hardware or setup issue, not a design issue.

And no matter what helicopter you buy, you're going to have setup issues. If you buy another helicopter to try to correct every setup issue, you're gonna spend a lot of money.

[UAV_PILOT]

Can you please tell us which RC Heli you are going to buy that will not need to be worked on and set-up properly before it flies correctly? We all want one of those....
The world of RC Helicopters is the "Elite" hobby. It is the most difficult hobby to master and it is and will be hard on the bank account to learn. Your problems you explained are simple to fix if you know what to do. I had a hard time in the beginning when i was overwhelmed by problems that needed tweaking and fixing, but that is what made me love this hobby. Fixing, modifying, replacing sh*t with different brand parts if need be, you name it. It taught me most everything I needed to know. Don't give up so easy, cause it ain't easy!

We are waiting for that perfect Heli's name that you buy that will need zero time in the garage to get to fly...

Thanks,

Z
I am replacing it with a simple honey bee fixed pitch. I should have started out this way in the first place. I want to have fun flying and not spend all my time fixing and just trying to get it off the ground. When I become better I will move up again.

[UAV_PILOT]

Oh by the way anyone want to buy a 2.4 GHz Honey Bee King 2 for $50 with every thing? I just want to get rid of it and out of my hair. $130 brand new versus $50 and its only about a week old. It has been cut a little for the brushless I put in it but I put the stock motor back in and the white paper stuff on the tip of one blade is cut but that is it. I even threw in a HH gyro and a pitch gauge.

[Magenta]

No thank you. Sounds a little f%#4 up to me. Especially if you're replacing stuff with old parts

[UAV_PILOT]

No thank you. Sounds a little f%#4 up to me. Especially if you're replacing stuff with old parts
It's not messed up, it's fine I just can't get the dang tail to act right. $50 is hell of a deal and someone that know what they are doing can work on it and make it better.

[racin06]

I am replacing it with a simple honey bee fixed pitch. I should have started out this way in the first place. I want to have fun flying and not spend all my time fixing and just trying to get it off the ground. When I become better I will move up again.

I think that is a good move. I too started with the HBFP and moved up to the HBK2. If you can fly the HBFP, you'll be able to fly the HBK2. However, the HBK2 is much quicker and faster versus the HBFP. That takes a little time to get accustomed to, but the learning curve is rather short.

As Darth said above, the HBK2 is a fine heli and flies great without any major mods, other than a BL motor/ESC. I bought a BB kit and added my own electronics. I took my time on the setup and everything went off without a hitch. It is a rather simple heli to get up and flying and I really enjoy fying the HBK2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7nemsQFUos

High Quality - http://blip.tv/file/1140165?filename=Racin06-HoneyBeeKingIIRCHelicopter453.wmv

[bjkv]

And I just bought parts to build another HBK II... :Bang I still think it's good value for your money if you are able to set it up correctly. It's NOT a beginners heli...

[Magenta]

I agree, it's a great value for your money. I'm very happy with mine.

I learned on an E-Flite CP-Pro. Now that's not a beginner's heli.

But the King2 flies great compared to that.

I've never flown a fixed pitch heli, so I'll defer to racin06 on that

[kersyboy]

Man screw this heli, it does suck! Just out of the blue it wants to keep spinning and no matter what I do wheather it be changing the gyro or adjusting the servo nothing works! I continues to spin and I have had it. I am buying another heli.

Got the same problem.... man! just adjust the link rod from the swashplate to the blade grips, make it shorter so when you trottle up it will have more head tail spin for tail authority, it will not lift immediately because, the blades is still pointing down or on a straight level untill you trottle it up more...... The more head spin the better for tail control.
I really dont know how to expalin it better... LOL.. I know you will get it.

[bjkv]

Got the same problem.... man! just adjust the link rod from the swashplate to the blade grips, make it shorter so when you trottle up it will have more head spin and more tail spin for tail authority.... The more head spin the better for tail control.
I really dont know how to expalin it better... LOL.. I know you will get it.

Ah! Never thought of that! I have a tachometer and always measure up the headspeed before even trying to fly. I guess E-sky are a little sloppy on tightening the rods. Finished assembly of my second King just now, and during my final check I noticed the blades were at + 16 degrees on high collective and + 4 on low. Would have been unflyable. Now they are -4 to + 12. Much healthier numbers and will give much healthier headspeed. Tomorrow, if weather permits, I will try it out and I guess there will be more trimming to do.

[kersyboy]

I bought an RTF HBK2, and it is not really RTF out of the box.. I still have to tinker it a lot, the time I got it. this is my first belt driven Heli after my co-axial. I almost loose hope and started blaming the product. But Still I said if they can fly it so can I. HBK2 is not really for newbies if you have no one to help you with the set up. This bird gave me 3 months of frustration just trying to find out how to stop this bird from always spinning to the left.. So i tried everything i see on the net for the HBK2 set up for all stock but still failed to stop the heli from spinning to the left, in other word it really does not have enough tail power. Then finally I accidentlly told all my HBK2 frustrations to my chinese friend after 3 long months. And my friend simply told me to "just simply adjust the link rod. shorten the rod and track the blade so it will have more tail spin". as simple as that and WALLA!! i got the tail doing good for me. Now it has more tail spin before it lift up... untill now i' m using the stock gyro, stock servo, stock TX and RX. My upgrade is BL motor, BL ESC and CNC head and tail. This HBK2 got me frustrated a lot of times before I got to work correctly. Thanks to my chinese friend (BTW I always told same problem again and again but he keeps telling me to adjust the servo untill finally I brought him the bird for him to check it.). This is just a summary.. If I share the entire thing I did with my HBK2 it will be really a long one and sooo frustrating.. LOL..

[bjkv]

Thanks to my chinese friend (BTW I always told same problem again and again but he keeps telling me to adjust the servo untill finally I brought him the bird for him to check it.). This is just a summary.. If I share the entire thing I did with my HBK2 it will be really a long one and sooo frustrating.. LOL..

Do share, please! There are lessons to be learned!

[kersyboy]

The real frustration there is not really getting it right for a very long time. I believe it took me not just 3 months but more than that. I always ask my chinese friend over the phone (I never showed him my HBK2 because we are miles away and I dont have a car and no case for my hbk2) and I did a lot of research on the internet but seems nothing can help me. On the net they just say adjust servo, change your stock gyro with HH gyro, try the 43T pulley from extreme, I dont have that kind of problem with my HBK2, my HBK2 works fine the first i got it out of the box just made a little tinkering then it flew, etc. that kind of comments all the time i go into some forums. I never really saw something like adjust/shorten the link rod for more tail power and more head spin beacuse you will have more head spin without the HBK2 lifting off the ground immediatley, more head spin means more tail spin for better tail control (or I'm not reaserching that well).. The thing there is they are expert so immediatley when encountered with this problem they know what to do and that seems very simple to them without realizing that the simpliest thing is the real problem for newbies. ( who does not have any idea at all), So for them(expert) they will not even think that this was the newbies problem. . you know what I mean? I had broke a lot of parts for my HBK2 (all parts except the battery holder.) because even though its spinning i still tried to fly it..Even the shaft of the extrme brushless motor was broken when the thing crashed spinning.. LOL.. i lost my patience that time because of frustration.. Damn buying online has its draw back. Then my friend(not the chinese one) bought an RTF HBK2 at a local shop and the seller did all the tinkering for him to make it really RTF out of the box, all he did was just wait there and admire the view of other helis on display. Got me jealous that time because he did not have to go through the frustrations i have been through and he just enjoys practising on his HBK2 once he got home. Well i'm happy for him. LOL I think thats all.

[zimatosa]

You are much better off turning the knob on the top-left of the radio from zero to about 9-10 o'clock. This will give you the head speed you need for a stable hover. If you think you need even more, keep turning counter-clockwise. The knob on the top-right can also be turned down to adjust the pitch. With both these knobs, you are instantly setting new Throttle and pitch curves.

What do you need so much negative pitch for if you are not going to invert? Save that for 3D mode!! It is not recommended, especially for a newbie pilot to have less than 1 degree negative pitch while in normal flight mode. If you are learning to hover/fly and you get in trouble, many of us newbies have a tendency to dump the throttle. The results can be catastrophic if you have so much negative pitch. The Heli is going to slam into the ground at tremendously fast speeds causing major crunch-age!! Maybe even sending the Heli prematurely back to China via the Earths Core(think post hole digger, heli style). I actually set my negative pitch at close to zero when I first started(-.5ish) out and it really makes a huge difference. I use a DX6i and my pitch curve on learning was 48-49-50-75-100....respectively. If you do not believe me, watch some of Finless's videos, he is my main teacher!!:wow2: Don't Taco your Heli's dudes!

Z

[kodak_jack]

You are much better off turning the knob on the top-left of the radio from zero to about 9-10 o'clock. This will give you the head speed you need for a stable hover. If you think you need even more, keep turning counter-clockwise. The knob on the top-right can also be turned down to adjust the pitch. With both these knobs, you are instantly setting new Throttle and pitch curves.

What do you need so much negative pitch for if you are not going to invert? Save that for 3D mode!! It is not recommended, especially for a newbie pilot to have less than 1 degree negative pitch while in normal flight mode. If you are learning to hover/fly and you get in trouble, many of us newbies have a tendency to dump the throttle. The results can be catastrophic if you have so much negative pitch. The Heli is going to slam into the ground at tremendously fast speeds causing major crunch-age!! Maybe even sending the Heli prematurely back to China via the Earths Core(think post hole digger, heli style). I actually set my negative pitch at close to zero when I first started(-.5ish) out and it really makes a huge difference. I use a DX6i and my pitch curve on learning was 48-49-50-75-100....respectively. If you do not believe me, watch some of Finless's videos, he is my main teacher!!:wow2: Don't Taco your Heli's dudes!

Z
I too am having one heck of a time getting into this King 2. I've been messing with my HBFP and can't believe the difference with this King. I bought it with the brushless, ball links, Telebee gyro , etc. already done. My problem is that this thing is just SO sensitive to stick inputs. In addition to that, it just seems to wander all over the place - forward, backward, to the left, to the right!! I truly believe it was set up OK by the previous owner, but I just can't control it. I've gotten suggestions from many guys who say the answer is buying an expensive radio and detuning it. That's not an option right now. I've spent the money to buy a better heli and I'm not about to spend even more just to find out I don't like it. It has a 3500kv brushless and came with an 11 tooth pinion. I downsized it to a 10 tooth and see a slight difference, but not enough to make it more controllable. What about moving the links in on the servo arms? If the Telebee is set up right, should the tail spin on throttle up?

[Magenta]

These things, ccpm helis, are not easy to fly. It isn't just the King II; I believe you'd have the same comments with an E-Flite ccpm or an Align ccpm, or a (whatever vendor) ccpm helicopter.

I don't believe that previous experience with a coaxial or fixed pitch heli provides any real benefit when first learning to fly a ccpm heli. It is a totally different beast.

There are things you can do to try to reduce the sensitivity of the controls (but remember a less sensitive control may not cause you trouble, but it can't get you out of trouble either)

The radio is one. Moving the links in on the servo arms is another, it will reduce the amount of throw for a specific stick movement.

I believe it boils down to a reasonably good setup (forget about perfection) and practice, practice, practice

[kersyboy]

You are much better off turning the knob on the top-left of the radio from zero to about 9-10 o'clock. This will give you the head speed you need for a stable hover. If you think you need even more, keep turning counter-clockwise. The knob on the top-right can also be turned down to adjust the pitch. With both these knobs, you are instantly setting new Throttle and pitch curves.



Z

I did that already but it still keeps on spinning. I dont have a hi end TX like the DX6i. I'm only using the stock TX included in the package. I turned the knob and it did nothing. The swashplate just went down and thats all. So i still have to adjust the link rod connecting to blade grip and swashplate. It's really easier it set up if you have a DX6i or other programable TX. Well any way I solve my problem and I'm just sharing it.. :lol:

But of course you are right with the negative pitch stuff. But its the only way I can tame the tail of my heli(for now).. Anyway i will still to try to improve my tinkering skills.. and maybe buy a telebee HH gyro.. LOL.. Damn this stuff is hard work.