Picked up a Heli-Max Axe 100SSL today.

[Djentangle]

So excited to get a heli with LEDs. I picked up an axe 100 ssl today. Got the RTF pretty cheap at a local hobby shop. Just a bit over the Tx-R one so I've put the tx610 transmitter on eBay. Hopefully get a couple bucks for it but don't really care what it sells for. Just need to get it out of my apartment.

Anyways. Charged up a pack and did a little hovering. It's drifting to the left and back so much so I need to check the swash plate. Looks so nice even just hovering/fighting to hover.

Should have an unboxing video and hover vids until I can get a nice spot to fly at night.

[Unckdecamp]

Never flown or heard of it (I am new to this), but I am pumped that you are pumped! Best of luck!

[TheKingPhisher]

Nice...that heli is still on my to buy list because of the night flying capability.

[EKron]

I have the non-lighted version, the Heli-Max Axe 100 SS and I love this thing! It's crazy! Completed my 45th flight in the back yard this afternoon and it's really helping with orientations.

I was hesitant to buy one at first since I have a Nine Eagles Solo Pro 180 3D and in spite of throwing a bunch of money at it and amassing a ton of spares, it has never flown right. The Heli-Max is a re-branded Nine Eagles bird.

My worries about the Axe 100 SS were unfounded. I'm using the Tactic AnyLink module with my Futaba 7C and after some dialing in, am really pleased with this little itty bitty heli. I flew it at my club's field last weekend and laughed my ass off for five minutes. It's like a mad wasp on crack and makes my 450 seem slow and tame.

So, in those 45 flights, I've probably crashed 95 times! The least durable parts would be the main gear and feathering shafts although the upgraded metal head and grips might be part of that? I really wanted the SSL with the lights. They look cool and are really visible but did some comparison between the SS and the SSL on replacement parts and went with the SS. Discovering the main gear is fairly easily mooshed and that the SSL gear is $6.50 more than the SS gear and requires soldering to change, for me, I made the right decision.

I've accumulated a good spares kit but for $140 bucks, might just buy another whole heli as a backup. I can't fly my 450 or 500 at home but can get 2 or 3 flights a day in my small back yard with the 100 SS. I am really happy with it.

Djentangle, good luck with yours. I hope you have as much fun with it as I've been having with mine.

-- Elisabeth

[Djentangle]

Ok I'm a newb so don't flame me too much. Lol. But 2nd pack got a little too much stick action trying to fight the back left drift im getting. Down goes the heli, bam, and crack goes the back tail motor housing/fin. It looks like I should be able to glue it temporary until I get a replacement. Sucks. Hahaha. Oh well, ill have a video up in abit. Hard to see anything but a glowing disc hit the ground.

[Djentangle]

Originally Posted by EKron

I have the non-lighted version, the Heli-Max Axe 100 SS and I love this thing! It's crazy! Completed my 45th flight in the back yard this afternoon and it's really helping with orientations.

I was hesitant to buy one at first since I have a Nine Eagles Solo Pro 180 3D and in spite of throwing a bunch of money at it and amassing a ton of spares, it has never flown right. The Heli-Max is a re-branded Nine Eagles bird.

My worries about the Axe 100 SS were unfounded. I'm using the Tactic AnyLink module with my Futaba 7C and after some dialing in, am really pleased with this little itty bitty heli. I flew it at my club's field last weekend and laughed my ass off for five minutes. It's like a mad wasp on crack and makes my 450 seem slow and tame.

So, in those 45 flights, I've probably crashed 95 times! The least durable parts would be the main gear and feathering shafts although the upgraded metal head and grips might be part of that? I really wanted the SSL with the lights. They look cool and are really visible but did some comparison between the SS and the SSL on replacement parts and went with the SS. Discovering the main gear is fairly easily mooshed and that the SSL gear is $6.50 more than the SS gear and requires soldering to change, for me, I made the right decision.

I've accumulated a good spares kit but for $140 bucks, might just buy another whole heli as a backup. I can't fly my 450 or 500 at home but can get 2 or 3 flights a day in my small back yard with the 100 SS. I am really happy with it.

Djentangle, good luck with yours. I hope you have as much fun with it as I've been having with mine.

-- Elisabeth

Hey Ekron, nice I've flown 100cp for a bit and wanted more power and the lights are really cool. I find myself mesmerized by it which kinda makes me dumb out lol. It's definitely fun to fly. With my 100cp I ended up buying tons of parts and even a spare txr version for parts I got cheap off eBay. Flew that around 50-60 packs but the little brushes motor just didn't feel adequate. Loving the ssl and the available power just sucks I crashed on the 2nd pack. It's glued back together. Letting it fully cure before I try flying again tonight. Also ordered two replacement tails this morning. I dislike waiting for shipments.

[EKron]

I broke the fin and tail motor off on my 1st flight so don't feel bad. Didn't have things dialed in yet.

I used some 5-minute epoxy and stuck it back on. I have since stocked up on tail assemblies but I'm still running the original one I repaired. Heck, I took one of the brand new ones and reinforced it with epoxy too.

You may need to check if your TAGS board is sitting level. Mine was way off since the pins on the bottom of the board didn't indent into the sticky tape far enough. I ended up taking a thin piece of double-sided foam tape, removed the board and put 3 or 4 small pieces of the thin tape on the flat parts of the bottom of the board so it was level with the pins and components. I used a thicker foam pad just like the original to remount things and it's all nice and level now.

Some of your drifting might go away after your linkages break in a little. 8 to 10 flights maybe?

-- Elisabeth

(Was hoping this would stay in the main board a little longer before the thread police got to it so more people would hear about this heli. Oh well)

[Djentangle]

Originally Posted by EKron

I broke the fin and tail motor off on my 1st flight so don't feel bad. Didn't have things dialed in yet.

I used some 5-minute epoxy and stuck it back on. I have since stocked up on tail assemblies but I'm still running the original one I repaired. Heck, I took one of the brand new ones and reinforced it with epoxy too.

You may need to check if your TAGS board is sitting level. Mine was way off since the pins on the bottom of the board didn't indent into the sticky tape far enough. I ended up taking a thin piece of double-sided foam tape, removed the board and put 3 or 4 small pieces of the thin tape on the flat parts of the bottom of the board so it was level with the pins and components. I used a thicker foam pad just like the original to remount things and it's all nice and level now.

Some of your drifting might go away after your linkages break in a little. 8 to 10 flights maybe?

-- Elisabeth

(Was hoping this would stay in the main board a little longer before the thread police got to it so more people would hear about this heli. Oh well)

Yeah I was wondering why I couldn't find it, oh well. anyways, I got some epoxy with some tape to hold it in place this morning, hopefully it should be good for tonight. I'd like to get some flights in and I'll check out your advice for the 3n1 board to make sure it's laying perfectly flat. It was quite odd because even my 100cp i'm able to fly it with the board a bit on an angle due to the battery connector wire solder pushing down. But hopefully it's that or the linkages, because I really want to start rolling and flipping it. So hard when i'm still learning inverted orientation and I know i'll crash if I can't get it to hover in place without have to use a decent amount of cyclic to keep it in place.

Thanks for the advice Elisabeth

[Carthagenj]

Elisabeth,

I share your enthusiasm for the 100 SSL too! The servos are more more robust than the linear cyclics on the 130X. I do have a slight drift to the right but will take your advice regarding the TAGS mounting. I feel far more confident with this model than the 130x.

[Djentangle]

Here's my unboxing video and i'll have a short hover video up soon

Heli-Max Axe 100 SSL: Unboxing (9 min 21 sec)

[Varc]

Careful crashing this one. The LED circutry is delicate and mine has ben in the shop for the past week due to broken wires from a mildly soft crash into an empty cardboard box.
Flies beautifully. but the lights quit working and the lights were the only feature why I bought the bird in the first place.

[Djentangle]

Originally Posted by Varc

Careful crashing this one. The LED circutry is delicate and mine has ben in the shop for the past week due to broken wires from a mildly soft crash into an empty cardboard box.
Flies beautifully. but the lights quit working and the lights were the only feature why I bought the bird in the first place.

Yeah I'm having issues getting it to hover well. I end up having to use quite a bit of right/back cyclic to keep it hovering. I've releveled the 3n1 and made sure the swatch is level and its still drifting like crazy. Ended up crashing a few times and housing the main gear. Now waiting for parts from towerhobbies. I should have my maiden flight video up soon. Can't see anything but a hovering disc and it smashing on the pavement.

[Djentangle]

Here's my first flight and crash video, go pro sucks for low light condition but here's what i got, I love/hate the smack noise it makes when it crashes on pavement...

Heli-Max Axe 100 SSL first flight and crash (5 min 45 sec)

[Djentangle]

Does anyone else that has this Heli feel like it's a little slow to go inverted, i feel like even with managing collective pitch, I have to use a pretty big air space flip this bird around..

[helijeffnj]

I know with my skill level and the 100cp I need about a football field to flip it...lol...the ss should be much easier. I would play with the pitch curves and the dual rates.....should make it a bunch quicker...hope that helps

[JCDoherty]

I'm guessing the transmitter/controls are the same as the cp 100.

The up 1 switch pulled forward and the hov t / flap t rotated clockwise give the most power.

I remember reading that in the manual but I don't fly up 1 yet so I haven't tried it.

Jim

[helijeffnj]

wow thank you. I will try it first thing tomorrow. Right now I have it mostly counter clockwise because I did not know what it did. If this works I am going to owe you big time

[WTrax]

Originally Posted by EKron

Discovering the main gear is fairly easily mooshed and that the SSL gear is $6.50 more than the SS gear and requires soldering to change, for me, I made the right decision.

-- Elisabeth

Not 100% true, you can actually use the ss main gear on the ssl. I have done this several times. Just need to unscrew (loosen) the screws and pull out the wires to the contact plate and unscrew the contact plate from the gear. Six screws total and no solder.

Replacement blades now that's another story, almost the same price as align 325's.

Definitely a bit slow on the flip and roll but can be done in a reasonably small space with good collective management.

[Djentangle]

It could be my 3n1 just not working right. It still drifts so much and i've tried making sure the 3n1 is flat on the frame and also my swatchplate. After like 6 packs or so, It's annoying trying to hover it.

IDK, i'm going to call hobbico and see if they can test it and swap it out. but i gotta say even with the drift, this thing is fast, the headspeed feels so much more faster and solid then the 100cp. I think my issue with going inverted is the servos feels laggy and slow. I'm wondering if maybe i have the throttle at 100 is causing too much drain and voltage is dropping to the servos?!?!

[crashmaster324]

Got mine on saturday 3 flights in lights started going out really like it though tried cleaning board works for about 30 sec any ideas anyone?