Honey Bee 2

[HeliBoiRobG]

i need help i am interested in purchasing a honey bee king 2 is it going to worth the money or should i spend it on amother heli?

[DumbDawg]

You'd better do your homework. I have one and I luv it. But others will swsear by a TRex or another flavor.

Ur probably a newbie to heli's yes??? If so these are tough birds to fly for newbies. You might want a FP bird first.

Anyway... homework is best first... know what you want then buy it.

[HeliBoiRobG]

thank for the help but yeah im a noob!! lol but i have flown on simulators so im used to the controls

[DumbDawg]

You will find sims act very dif from the real thing. I don't have nay experience with any other birds so I can't say choose one over another and everyone will have their own preferences and why they like and others will hate the same bird. It all boils down to what type or heli cccp or fp, size, money, ease or difficulty. So you need to ask yourself what you are looking for and go from there.

I'm was having a lot of fun with my bee until the esc cooked itself out. Which btw is a problem with the HBK2... motors are junk and my esc died almost out of the box. But when it was working I had a lot of fun.

[BritOnTour]

I bought the HBK2 as my first heli. The FP and toy copters really didnt appeal to me at all. I did a little research before buying and really wanted to try a CP heli. I knew the learning curve would be steep, but I love a challenge!!

Sure, I could have bought a T-Rex 450, but it could easily end up costing me $1000 before I'm ready to fly. the HBK2 is a quick, cheap way to get something in your hands that can actually fly without bankrupting you straight off. It's cheap, fun, and I know its not going to be the only heli I own!!

It was in my price range, which was good. I know it needed upgrades pretty soon, but the initial cost was the deciding factor for me. It was easier to justify a few bucks (ok more than just a 'few' bucks!) here and there for upgrades, but something stopped me from committing $400 straight off. I've only had it a couple of months. Flight time is limited with only the stock battery (and one cell has puffed up a little already), but I just received a bigger one so I should get some more time with it.

I've only broken one set of main blades, and not had any major crashes yet. but I haven't really managed to get a stable hover for more than 20secs so far. I ordered two pairs of replacements (I think I might need more!!!) so I still have a spare when I change out the broken set.

I bought the heli from hobby-lobby. I found the cheapest price on another US based online store and asked hobby-lobby to price match it. They also took off an additional 10% and shipping was only $8.99. So, I think I got a good deal at $125 plus shipping.

Other upgrade parts on order/in my toolbox waiting for installment are the Align Tail Holder and blades, an ESKY 3900KV brushless motor and Turnigy BESC with programming card. Hopefully, this will keep me busy for a while and fix a couple of the major complaints about the HBK2.

[DumbDawg]

The reason your bat may have puffed is you might be running them down to far. You shouldn't run them down past 80% I'm told or you will destroy them.

$125 dinaro plus ship... I think thats a rock'n good deal myself. I may have to buy myself another for that price. Everywhere I been, other forums, a whole lota ppl have said the HBK2 is the perfect bird, nimble, cheap for fixing, very capable of 3d, etc. I think yes too.

I've been down for a couple weeks now waiting on parts because in Canada.... theres no reliable, quick, place to get parts. They have to come from HK or US... means time. So during my downtime here I think I've ordered another bird just in replacement parts( That will break) and some upgrades as well. CNC Swash, Corona receiver, 30A esc(progmbl), 3900Kv motor etc and a few other bits.

But with that said... you can't go wrong with these birds.

[BritOnTour]

Originally Posted by DumbDawg

The reason your bat may have puffed is you might be running them down to far. You shouldn't run them down past 80% I'm told or you will destroy them.

Yep, I'm sure I did. When I first started with it, I didn't really know much about lipo do's and don'ts, so i just ran the battery down until I couldnt get the heli to lift off at all. Plus I didn't condition the battery (discharge to 50% a few times) to start with. It still works ok, but I'm sure it cant hold its full capacity anymore. Hopefully, I should take better care of the new pack.

[DumbDawg]

It maybe ok for goofing off, practicing indoors on cold summer days, personal security.. that sort of thing.

[BritOnTour]

Originally Posted by DumbDawg

$125 dinaro plus ship... I think thats a rock'n good deal myself. I may have to buy myself another for that price.

Hobby lobby is offering 20% off one item in stock right now. That would bring the HBK2 down to $120ish plus shipping. Follow the link and get one! Not sure if they will price match first, but even without, its still the cheapest I've seen

[DumbDawg]

Actually I ran over to hobby Lobby and they still have the deal on. So I bought another bird for flying around in the house,garage etc... A Lama CoCo...

Cost to me... 109 including the shipping to my door... swweet deal I'm thinking.

[tnarchitect]

Just ordered me one. After reading a LOT and listening to a couple of podcasts- I finally decided to pull the trigger on something that I wasn't going to be afraid to fly. I flew heli's years ago BK (before kids) and just got the bug again. I have a 30 size nitro machine, but parts aren't available and I want something that is a little more "green". I looked at a Blade 400 and TREX 450, but I couldn't justify 4-800 bucks for something to try again. 80 bucks from Hobby Lobby, I can try out and crash up. My 4 year old will be thrilled that I can hover it in the garage. Thanks for the encouragement even though you didn't know it.

tnarchitect

[zimatosa]

Originally Posted by DumbDawg

Actually I ran over to hobby Lobby and they still have the deal on. So I bought another bird for flying around in the house,garage etc... A Lama CoCo...

Cost to me... 109 including the shipping to my door... swweet deal I'm thinking.

I got my King2 for $124.00 shipped from Hobby-Lobby. If I would have known then what I know now, I would have gone with the belt CP. Hobby-Lobby had to send me 3 motors, 2 ESC, 1 frame that had a crack in the motor mount during shipping and a belt that was frayed in less than a 2 week period before I gave up and went Brushless.

There are a few bugs to work out of the HBK2 (the belt slips off of pulley and requires a fix or the 43 tooth Xtreme Productions pulley with belt) as I suppose any heli will need. On one hand, I learned every part on my heli because of the things I had to replace. On the other, I could have bought a much nicer Heli and radio with the money I chunked into the King2. I love my King 2 now and it flies like a dream. I still have not "bling'D" it out either. I made my own fix to get some of the slop out of the head and it seems to be great...FOR NOW!

Peace,

Z

[BritOnTour]

Hey Z,

so, apart from the 43tooth pulley & brushless motor, what else did you replace exactly?

I've not done the pulley, but I have done the trex tail holder and brushless motor is on its way to me right now. everything else is stock.

[zimatosa]

Originally Posted by BritOnTour

Hey Z,

so, apart from the 43tooth pulley & brushless motor, what else did you replace exactly?

I've not done the pulley, but I have done the trex tail holder and brushless motor is on its way to me right now. everything else is stock.

Just a little run down of what I installed on my Heli:

1. Hyperion 3700kv BL Motor with Dynam 30A ESC
2. Helimax Carbon Blades (They sell 275 mm carbons that are the exact same size as stock woodies)
3. Align "Bat wing" tail rotors
4. Align 450 paddles (much more stable)
5. Mega Power 1350 15c and 20c batteries....
6. Trex 600 skids-And yes my heli flies perfectly fine, they are not too heavy although they look it(These can come off at any time now...I used them instead of trainers because of less flex. Having 2 much flex can take away from the "FEEL" of taking off and landing. I recommend them to anyone that is a noob. They are only 10 bucks at LHS. The also withstand harsh pounding for emergency throttle dumps)
7.Extended battery tray(homemade) for obtaining perfect C.G.
8. I use B400 main gear and B400(E-flight) pinions. They are a great mesh and quiet as butter running down your mashed potatoes.
9.To get rid of head slop in the plastic head, I used different screws in the flybar center piece. Mine(and every other King2 i have seen) just do not get tight enough. Now it is snug and the heli is much for stable. Best fix for this though, is the upgraded CNC head. But can be expensive......

Everything else is stock on my King 2.... With all this said though, to have a nice, stable and fun to fly heli, the ONLY things you absolutely need are the BL Motor/BL ESC and a great set-up. (IE: Perfect C.G. and perfectly tracked blades). If you have these basics, you will have success. If you have never seen the videos on YOUTUBE about King2 set-up that is a must. The info is perfectly spelled out for the beginner King2 pilot! Just search for King2 set-up videos. The guys YOUTUBE name is Subzzzzero.

Practice on a flight sim as much as possible too. This will help HUGE on the orientation skills and save you from costly crashes...

Good Luck!

Z

[zimatosa]

Originally Posted by zimatosa

Just a little run down of what I installed on my Heli:

1. Hyperion 3700kv BL Motor with Dynam 30A ESC
2. Helimax Carbon Blades (They sell 275 mm carbons that are the exact same size as stock woodies)
3. Align "Bat wing" tail rotors
4. Align 450 paddles (much more stable)
5. Mega Power 1350 15c and 20c batteries....
6. Trex 600 skids-And yes my heli flies perfectly fine, they are not too heavy although they look it(These can come off at any time now...I used them instead of trainers because of less flex. Having 2 much flex can take away from the "FEEL" of taking off and landing. I recommend them to anyone that is a noob. They are only 10 bucks at LHS. The also withstand harsh pounding for emergency throttle dumps)
7.Extended battery tray(homemade) for obtaining perfect C.G.
8. I use B400 main gear and B400(E-flight) pinions. They are a great mesh and quiet as butter running down your mashed potatoes.
9.To get rid of head slop in the plastic head, I used different screws in the flybar center piece. Mine(and every other King2 i have seen) just do not get tight enough. Now it is snug and the heli is much for stable. Best fix for this though, is the upgraded CNC head. But can be expensive......

Everything else is stock on my King 2.... With all this said though, to have a nice, stable and fun to fly heli, the ONLY things you absolutely need are the BL Motor/BL ESC and a great set-up. (IE: Perfect C.G. and perfectly tracked blades). If you have these basics, you will have success. If you have never seen the videos on YOUTUBE about King2 set-up that is a must. The info is perfectly spelled out for the beginner King2 pilot! Just search for King2 set-up videos. The guys YOUTUBE name is Subzzzzero.

Practice on a flight sim as much as possible too. This will help HUGE on the orientation skills and save you from costly crashes...

Good Luck!

Z

I forgot to mention that I also have a Telebee HH Gyro installed. With the 43 tooth tail pulley, I dare the tail to do something you don't want it to do! LOL

Pictures of my Heli are posted in the "Canopies for Kings" thread... System would not let me repost!

Z