Mia that bad?

[PDXDave]

So I want to change up my mCX/mcx2 hybrid to get rid of the original mCX body (looks kinda dated to me) and not have it look just like my wife's mcx2... I've heard nothing but bad about Mia products but they do have some mCX pieces, are they really that bad?

[Ferret Dad]

I've never ordered from him but if you go to the site he has a statement there sorta appoligizing for late orders and e-mail replies. I have read where hes sorta a one man operation other than the office staff so it takes him awhile to fill all the orders he gets. As for the actual product I don't know much there either, sorry. Some stuff is good, some not so from what I've read. It depends on what you feel qualifies as good or bad I guess. I do knwo that his skids and some other frame parts are made from the same material as like circuit boards. I'd give them a chance tho if it were me. I just haven't had the need for anything he sells as most of my smaller coax helis are already bought with scale or semi scale bodies. Good luck tho.

Mike

[RoboHeli]

Originally Posted by PDXDave

So I want to change up my mCX/mcx2 hybrid to get rid of the original mCX body (looks kinda dated to me) and not have it look just like my wife's mcx2... I've heard nothing but bad about Mia products but they do have some mCX pieces, are they really that bad?

I got a MD500E kit (blue) for my mcx and he had one in stock and shipped it to me right away. I think you may want to email him to ask about stock before ordering. This was my first experience doing a custom canopy conversion mod and I think it worked out fairly well.

[GG07]

Have you considered converting your MCX over to an S300? The parts are still out there and since both use the identical airframe, the conversion is a piece of cake and only takes about 5 minutes.

I found a great little hobby shop on the web that sells the entire conversion package for about $20.00 plus postal rate shipping. This is the only shop I have found that has everything you need in one place. and even better, the total price is about 20 bucks cheaper than buying everything here and there all over the web, since most shops don't have everything you need in once place and charge outrageous shipping prices to boot!

The S300 canopy, skid, tail boom w/accent kit, and the tail rotor that actually spins from the down blast of the real rotors!

Here are a couple of photos of my first MCX conversion. I am in the process of converting my other MCX over too cause I think the heli looks 100 times cooler as an S300! The model seems to fly better too, but that could just be because it is a scale model of a Schweizer 300C™.



Here is a shot with my DX6i. (Notice the erasers on the sticks?)

[RoboHeli]

I got a discounted mcx and turned it into an mcx S300 as well. It's a great little helicopter, actually. I think it piros faster than the mcx even though the motors/blades/5-in-1 are the same between the two.

The one difference between mine and the "stock" mcx S300 is that I used the mcx2 flybar on it. I think it's far more responsive with the shorter flybar.

[newhelicrasher]

I have the s300 canopy on my mcx2 with the carbon tail boom. i cleaned off the sticksrs on the boom with some goof off so that it is white. I am still using the led lights too just have the red and green ones for the front on the skids....It looks pretty cool this way and flies quite well...much better than the stock canopy.
Plus now it doesnt look like my msxrs twin brother with 2 heads....lol.

[GG07]

Originally Posted by MrRoboHeli

I got a discounted mcx and turned it into an mcx S300 as well. It's a great little helicopter, actually. I think it piros faster than the mcx even though the motors/blades/5-in-1 are the same between the two.

The one difference between mine and the "stock" mcx S300 is that I used the mcx2 flybar on it. I think it's far more responsive with the shorter flybar.

Cool! I hadn't considered trying an MCX2 flybar on one of these. Does it make the model faster in forward? I am pretty happy with the overall performance I am getting from the above pictured model, but I wouldn't mind a little faster forward speed. As I always do with a new out of the box model, I went in and shortened the elevator servo arm about 8 turns and that got it moving forward pretty fast, but not quite as fast as my MCX2.

The MCX in those photos is still having a problem with a slight TB issue tonight if you let go of the sticks and let it hover even after I swapped in a new stock flybar and top blades. It was perfect yesterday night, and then it started doing it again today. No crashes or anything in between. Another interesting thing about that MCX is that it has the taller fork for the swashplate pin, just like an MCX2. I compared it side by side with my other MCX and they are definitely different in that one regard. I wonder if that means I could drop an MCX2 swashplate in there without having to do anything to it?

The thing is practically brand new having got a deal on it like you did. Haven't swapped out the top head piece yet though. I ordered some extras and am still waiting for them to get here. It must be that part that is the problem.

I have some MCX2 flybars on order already, so when I get them, I will try running with one of those and see how it feels. Don't want to take the one off my MCX2 cause I have that thing dialed in perfectly. Best flying heli I have hands down. Rock solid hover, great forward speed and beautiful banked turns with double stick control. It is a gem compared to my other MCX2 that is currently in the shop over at HH getting a complete physical under warranty for several electronic and servo issues.

Thanks for the flybar tip! I hadn't considered that as an option for tricking out an MCX!

[GG07]

Originally Posted by newhelicrasher

I have the s300 canopy on my mcx2 with the carbon tail boom. i cleaned off the sticksrs on the boom with some goof off so that it is white. I am still using the led lights too just have the red and green ones for the front on the skids....It looks pretty cool this way and flies quite well...much better than the stock canopy.
Plus now it doesnt look like my msxrs twin brother with 2 heads....lol.

Is that the one you posted a photo of in another thread? I remember seeing a MCX2 with a composite boom and the LED on the tail. Pretty cool!

Like I said in my last reply... I LOVE my newest MCX2! The thing is a joy to fly and responds so well to double stick turns, it looks really realistic in flight. It was really slow out of the box, so I did my usual servo arm adjustments and the thing came alive. Especially when I moved the bottom rotor links to the high performance ball links!

[newhelicrasher]

No I have never posted a.pic of my helis. I do know the picture you are talking about though...lol. My tail light is mounted directly on the top of the boom beside the tail fin rather than on the top of the tail fin like that guy did. This makes my whole tail fin blink rather than just the led

[RoboHeli]

Hi GG07

My stock MCX and the S300 (using the long flybar before modding) have always had a little bit of TBE if I snap the sticks back to center. I just think that the long flybar tends to be slow to respond and catch up if you drastically change the swashplate pitch. I think you'll be happy with the mCX2 flybar though since it does respond faster in this regard. Now, you're not going to get a lot of faster forward flight from this as it's not tilting the blades any further. If you want to get better FF out of your mCX S300 get a mCX2 swashplate and put the linkages on the long balls.

It should fit well between the pins because I believe that all mCX and MCX2 main frames are the same part now. I think that they used to be different (according to a conversation that I had with a local hobby store guy) but they're the same now... Having the mCX2 swashplate should really make things speedy.

Now... if you have the cash, get the CNC MIcroHeli swashplate that has the double set of balls and put the linkages on the EXTRA LONG balls. I've got a highly modded mCX2 that I'm using this on and it is INCREDIBLY fast compared to a stock mCX2. It tilts its blades so far that I've actually gotten it tilted so far to the side that I can't get it back up to vertical and I crash! Gotta be careful when you turn these little things into hotrods...

[GG07]

Originally Posted by MrRoboHeli

Hi GG07

My stock MCX and the S300 (using the long flybar before modding) have always had a little bit of TBE if I snap the sticks back to center. I just think that the long flybar tends to be slow to respond and catch up if you drastically change the swashplate pitch. I think you'll be happy with the mCX2 flybar though since it does respond faster in this regard. Now, you're not going to get a lot of faster forward flight from this as it's not tilting the blades any further. If you want to get better FF out of your mCX S300 get a mCX2 swashplate and put the linkages on the long balls.

It should fit well between the pins because I believe that all mCX and MCX2 main frames are the same part now. I think that they used to be different (according to a conversation that I had with a local hobby store guy) but they're the same now... Having the mCX2 swashplate should really make things speedy.

Now... if you have the cash, get the CNC MIcroHeli swashplate that has the double set of balls and put the linkages on the EXTRA LONG balls. I've got a highly modded mCX2 that I'm using this on and it is INCREDIBLY fast compared to a stock mCX2. It tilts its blades so far that I've actually gotten it tilted so far to the side that I can't get it back up to vertical and I crash! Gotta be careful when you turn these little things into hotrods...

Thanks for the suggestions!

Good to know about the MCX hovering behavior. I get spoiled by how stable my dialed in MCX2 is that when I take out an MCX, it isn't as solid in its hovering behavior. Seems to be worse when coming out of forward motion, so your theory about the longer flybar makes sense. I tried flying it with an MCX2 flybar, but I didn't care for the way it flew when executing dual stick banked turns. Was a lot more wobbly than with the longer one, so I went back to the stock MCX bar.

You are right about the frames being the same now. My older MCX had a shorter fork for the swash pin and the MCX2 plate would probably pop out on that model, but my newer one is like you describe. The fork is the exact same length as the MCX2 fork is. (compared them side by side).

So... I plan to replace the MCX swash with a stock MCX2 swash and see how it does on the long balls and if it works well, I will then order the Microheli part. Your positive experience with that part has given me a little more confidence that it will work.

As I mentioned in the other threads, the Microheli MCX swash I installed was defective and binded when trying to fly forward and the little flying I did trying to remedy the problem resulted in the lower rotor motor burning out, so now that model is toast for now.

Will focus my attention on the newer one for now and try the MCX2 swash in it and see how it does.

The older one can only use the original MCX swash cause of the shorter fork.

I may just retire my old MCX and use it for parts, or maybe I will shelve it for now and when I feel ambitious, I will buy replacement motor for it

[RoboHeli]

Hey GG07, glad you liked the suggestions. I've been a big fan of the Microheli mcx2 swash actually since it has an extra pair of balls that are even longer than the regular stock mcx2 swash. I think that's the same swash that the msr can use, actually...

Anyway, if your motor is the only thing that's burned out then you should totally replace it! It's fairly cheap and then you can have another model to fly! There's no reason to use a micro heli for parts unless the ESC is broken. If THAT happens, the replacement cost is so high you might as well buy a new heli.

[GG07]

Originally Posted by MrRoboHeli

Hey GG07, glad you liked the suggestions. I've been a big fan of the Microheli mcx2 swash actually since it has an extra pair of balls that are even longer than the regular stock mcx2 swash. I think that's the same swash that the msr can use, actually...

Anyway, if your motor is the only thing that's burned out then you should totally replace it! It's fairly cheap and then you can have another model to fly! There's no reason to use a micro heli for parts unless the ESC is broken. If THAT happens, the replacement cost is so high you might as well buy a new heli.

Thanks again!

I think it is only the motor. It still runs, but not high enough RPMs to match the upper, so the heli just spins around in a circle and obviously can't lift off with only one rotor up to takeoff speed. It kind of pulses too, not able to maintain the normal constant speed.

I see that the motor just pulls out of the collar for it and it is wired to the board with an actual plug, so no soldering or other such bother required. It appeared as if the motors were glued into those collars to keep them in place, but I was able to push it up in the frame, so I think it would come out without any trouble.

Microheli got back to me today about the defective MCX swash, and when I told them what happened, they agreed to ship me out an MCX2 swash as a replacement instead of another MCX version.

I told them that after what happened, I was afraid to try another one on my newer model. Last thing I need is both of my MCX's with burned out motors!

I've got a stock E-Flight MCX2 swash coming, and will try putting that into my newer model MCX, and if all goes well, will then swap in the Microheli when it gets here as the permenent upgrade swash with the long ball setting of course!

That is why I wanted to try using that version, and also to get away from the stock MCX swash which has a nasty habit of separating when it gets some hours on it. That's what got me headed down this road in the first place.

Thanks again for the tips! Much appreciated!

[RoboHeli]

So, I've torn down my helis to swap things in out and the motor plugs are really nice for changing things out. The MIA MD500E canopy conversion that I did was actually a build that I did completely from scratch. I had a ton of spare parts and just needed to buy the ESC and motors to get the heli up and running. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't fear plugging the motors in and out. Just go slowly and carefully and never use a lot of pressure when moving things around. Be careful also not to bend or crimp the antenna wire. I bought one of those light/magnifiers for my desk and I find those are really useful for seeing what's going on inside of these little helis.

Just make sure to remember which way those motors go! Take a picture or something of the wire colors so that you can remember to put them in the same way.

Hmmm... that got me thinking...please excuse the stupid question, but the motors are turning the blades in opposite directions, right? I just wanted to make sure that the "bad" motor isn't just plugged in backwards or something...

Anyway. Best of luck and happy flying!!!

[GG07]

Funny you should mention that magnifier desk lamp! I have been meaing to pick one up for working on these things. At 53 years old, my eyes are not what they once were for closeup work, and I have a hell of a time focusing on these teeny tiny parts!

As far as getting things put back together correctly... Fortunately, I own two of every model I have, so I can always compare with the other one when I am taking one apart and putting it back together.

The motor isn't plugged in backwards or anything. I didn't remove them when I changed the swashplate. The problem was some serious binding when trying to fly the model forward. When I pushed the stick forward the motor would slow down a lot. So much so that I had no rudder control with the stick forward and the thing would loose altitude at the same time. Obviously, the swashplate was binding when tilted into the forward direction for reasons I still can't figure out.

The swash moves with the main shaft right? So what it was binding up against when tilted forward is still a mystery and no one seems to have heard of this exact problem before. The Microheli guy I chatted with on email seemed surprised by the problem I described above. The thing spun around fine by hand, just as easily as the stock swash, and it didn't feel like it had a rough spot or anything. Before the motor went, the model flew totally normally in hover and left to right, but the minute I put it into forward, it made a lot of noise and the motor was obviously having a lot of trouble pushing through whatever the friction was.

I should have just stopped right there, but I kept trying to figure out what was causing it, and on my last test flight after putting some white lithium grease on the main shaft and inside edge of the swash, the MCX started spinning in a circle and refused to take off.

If I held the model in my hand and gave it full throttle, the motor was pulsing high and low as if I was rocking the throttle stick up and down wildly. I am just assuming that the motor is toast from the stress of whatever was causing the binding problem.

I guess this is a good cautionary tale for anyone who installs one of these Microheli MCX swashes and gets the same symptoms. My advice is to STOP RIGHT THERE!! Send the thing back and don't try to figure it out, else you risk loosing your lower rotor motor like I did!

Hopefully the MCX2 version they are sending me as a replacement will not have the same problem. This time I am going to swap out the swash on my newer model, and I would hate to have anything happen to that one too!

[newhelicrasher]

Just a hint that may help folks that are swapping around motors frames etc. Before I unplu a motor I use permanent marker on the white plugs....just make a little red line across both the male and female plug while it is still plugged in on the red wire side. On the other motor do the same but black where the black wire side is.

Hope that helps.

[Mr.Perfect]

soooo...yay or nay on MIA ?? the thread kinda got off course

[Varc]

My suggestion is, if you like the products, order from WOW-Hobbies as they sell most of his parts. But, I would not order from him directly do to past history in this forum.

[RoboHeli]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perfect

soooo...yay or nay on MIA ?? the thread kinda got off course

I only have one data point but I can happily say that my experience was excellent--both with the sale/shipping as well as the construction/final-product. I'd say email him first to see whether he has what you want in stock. I got mine right away because he did. If he doesn't I don't know if you want to wait around for it. Good luck with your decision.

[newhelicrasher]

His website is horrible...broken links to photos horrible navigation ...tiny pictures etc.
A kid could do better and it is unprofessional enough to make me leary of ordering from them. So far it is the only place I can find the aluminum flybar weights though.