Ares CP80?

[Varc]

I was at local hobby shop the other day hoping to find the Blade 180CFX. Instead, they had the Ares CP80. Anybody have one of these and what do they think of it? I'm tempted as it's smaller than the Blade NCPX, however Hisky will soon be releasing their CP60 which is tiny!

I just wonder if the Ares brand is any good as I don't have experience with Ares.

[zadaw]

It is reported to be a rebadged HiSky HCP80 with modification. Although that is not a bad heli, it is not as good as the nano CPX. It is also rather expensive.

[tougemonster]

are you talkin about the optim 80? I flew one in the store and its pretty awesome. it has a 6 axis mode that is soooooo stable. no upgrades tho

[ma9398]

I bought one today. I was flying/learning on the Ares Nanos FP 75 and it flies great and allows you to progress as your skills improve. It also took some hard hits but kept on tickin'. Since the CP80 offers the same progression and 2Brothers gave it a good review. I thought I would try it. It is a natural prgression from the 75. In it's easiest setting it is a little more sensitive to stick movements than the FP75 but not too much so. I was doing solid collective free hovering in a half hour. My first experience with idle up. Did not have a real hard hit but a couple small "bumps" because I am used to dropping the throttle stick instead of using the throttle hold to cut power. Most parts come TWO to a package and are really inexpensive. I ran about 6 packs through it and I am very happy. And I didn't break anything.

[MicroHeliFan]

About a month ago I got myself the HiSKY HCP80 V2 which essentially is the same heli. The Ares Optim 80 is a rebranded product - just like Helimax customarily does with other manufacturers' projects.

I'm coming from some fairly good 100-class micro helis with standard 3-axis gyro and this tiny machine, with accelerometers enabled (the so-called "6-axis mode"), bewitched me on the spot. Actually it's the only CP micro helicopter I dare to fly indoors, and my in-house flying area is tight to the point that I only learned to visit every corner with a V911 on low rates. Until now, that is.

Although I never experienced piloting a Blade Nano CP X, which BTW turns out to be lighter with its tinier main gear, main shaft, and blade grips to name a few, I felt the HCP80 V2 as being insanely fast well into twitchiness. Tail holds perfectly without trace of wag and absolutely no blowouts. This heli is free from porpoising, shakes, or wobbles: it's a marble, with a bare minimum of bogging even on hard pitch pumps well beyond half discharge. I can imagine the Blade Nano being maybe even nimbler as I watched a video of it performing multiple flips under a table with the ease of a classical dancer yet my new sub-micro, as far as I noticed, sort of behaves like a Nano on steroids. The heli is truly small and the rotor disc spins so fast it's fairly obvious that power to weight ratio is shifted toward sheer power, and maybe it being slightly bulkier than the Blade has its points after all. I guess that the average pilot with good knowledge of other 90 class CP helis would handle it without much effort. With the accelerometers turned off this bird is so zippy and reactive that I had to muster some courage attempting the first low altitude FF's in my backyard, with a fear I had long dispelled piloting my CX903 in high performance mode - its roll rate is rather aggressive, far superior to the mCP X and doesn't forgive errors despite the rather underpowered N40 main motor, about the same as a stock mCP X. After almost two years since my comeback into RC world when I started all over again with RC helis, wasn't for the gyro numbing capability and generous expo I had already destroyed it - and this way before any attempt at 3D.

The H-6 radio I chose in place of the more "hobby grade looking" (and much more discussed, at least on RCG) X-6S, is a piece of cake. It boasts really good gimbals, 10 memories, it's completely programmable and, last but not least, fits like a charm in my tiny hands. First thing I noticed about Optim 80's transmitter is, it lacks the LCD screen - and perhaps whatever comes with it in terms of settings, memories and programmability - I don't know a thing about it, I only hope it's a 'simple' TX with fixed settings (à la V933) because another slave-to-PC radio like the old ET6 in the present era would be offputting. Fact is, sooner or later a pilot may want to tweak settings and I think it's not available on the Ares TX.

So far I am utterly satisfied by my HCP80 V2. I'm all with it for crisp action, quick response, "real life 3D training device" capability, fairly good flight duration (it took at least 5 or 6 discharges before its 180mAh battery started to deliver enough juice to keep the heli in the air more than three minutes flat) and, most amazing, some pseudo auto capability due to extremely free shaft rotation. The heli is powered by an 8.5mm coreless motor with a big pinion, lacking the strong magnets of many a brushed, 100 class heli. Forget the infamous first-tail-spins-then-main-jerks sequence of the mCP X - just like the mSR, spool-up alone on the HCP80 V2 is a thing to behold. Moreover, it boasts one of the largest main gears I've come across. In various occasions I hit TH from about three-feet high just for putting to test what I had only guessed about upon examining the drivertrain. Indeed the HCP80 allows very soft emergency landings with little residual torque spin - one must be quick on collective but basically it works.

Before someone may inquire... I experienced NO servo lag whatsoever. I don't know whether such an issue might apply only through RF adapters or else. Just let's see what happens as soon as I'll call my Devo-10 into action.

To date, the only thing I envy about the Ares 80 CP is its bright red canopy with 'smoked' transparent windshield. The purple one by HiSKY, stock on the latest release, I can't stand albeit its outline is a huge improvement upon the old V933 "pelicanopy". So, along with some blades, motors and other essential spare parts, I bought a bright blue canopy (v1) to replace it. I also installed a set of HP100/V944 tailboom struts, more for looks than else given the robust, 3mm square section CF boom, and I'm planning to give the heli a more realistic look by replacing the stock white main gear with the black delrin one, and a clear windshield to the new blue canopy - just as I did with my other micro helis.

[Adamojamo]

HI MicroHeliFan, how's the HCP80v2 doing? im liking mine a lot but main blades crack easily when learning/crashing into things... Have you found a way to buy replacement blades? I can only find full crash packs on Banggood and its too much money / stuff for such a common event! cheers

[oldfartheli]

I have WL 977 and ares CP 80. The 977 had servo's that I think gears are made out of sawdust. Swapped them out from old Heli max 100. 977 is my favorite ares on other hand is a money Pitt. I already replaced control board and with that this Heli is $200. Flight is very hard to control And will have to tweak it. Will I get the Optim 300???. The Blade 200 srx has tail wobble or rocking horse affect. Called them for support and got you shouldn't fly in cold weather. I said why do you sell ski's for the apprentice. Silence. And yes look here for answers and you will get support. And with that RTF NOT. Every Heli I ever got you most fine tune them and that RTF is very misleading. Once I had a Blade Sr and it was prefect out of the box. Only One time. And I have about 17 birds. And last the Wl 977 is the only Heli that helped me with nose in flight and the Blade srx. But Blade is not a CP

[oldfartheli]

I apologize for remarks about cp 80. It does fly well I need to realize this won't fly in 20 degree weather. The other day is was 50 degree's and this Heli preformed very well. And I found that I was using to much cyclic when doing nose in. So I think it will help with bad habits. And today it is my Birthday and I will purchase the Optim 300. Why because the Blade 230s has about 4 to 5 min flight time.