KITS PREASSEMBLED OR NOT

[RACON450]

I was thinking,,,when you by a kit align or any other brand for that matter i think more things should come assembled...I think the only reason they do not is to save on space...I think the whole tail and torque tube should be assebbled, and the frames..What r your guys thoughts...i know people want to BUILD it them selves but at a certain point theres only a certain way these things go together I think the real set up and personalization fcomes with the electronics

[1004ron]

I have bought one ARF heli many years ago, and never again.

[Col789]

If I brought a kit that was almost or complety built i would strip it down and rebuild it so I would know there is threadlock and grease everywhere they are needed. Also the factory where it is built would be paying for people to build them and paying to ship boxes full of packing marterials around the world, this would create higher prices for us, the end user.

[60something]

You're assuming the company that sells you parts at a significant profit will assemble it in such a manner as to ensure all parts are correctly assembled and locked and aligned as necessary, with employees it mostly pays minimum wage to... Hmm. Wanna buy a bridge in NY? I know of one I can sell you...

[ChadL]

Originally Posted by Col789

If I brought a kit that was almost or complety built i would strip it down and rebuild it so I would know there is threadlock and grease everywhere they are needed. .

Same here, plus I really enjoy the build.

[garyji]

If you build it you know how it works! Trust thyself. As has been mentioned a bunch. If it's already built you need to un-do and re-do!

G.

[dct]

Also,,, you will need to know how to rebuild it anyway!!
Just ask anyone who flies helicopter for years...!!

[IndyBob]

I'm starting my Trex 550 build tonight. The first thing I will do is take everything apart, clean off any threadlock that MAY be there, then reassemble with grease and threadlock every place it should be!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[Blayd]

Originally Posted by garyji

If you build it you know how it works! Trust thyself. As has been mentioned a bunch. If it's already built you need to un-do and re-do!

G.

Also,,, you will need to know how to rebuild it anyway!!
Just ask anyone who flies helicopter for years...!!

Building the kit is probably the best education you will get in this hobby. How it works, how to diagnose issues, how to repair it.. ( yes. your gonna repair it..) what needs to be post and pre flighted....how to set it up...what and how to maintain it..... I learned the hardway.. if you dont have this knowledge.. you'll be playing catch up when you NEED to have this knowledge. Plus... you think these companies are going to be held responsible when a ball link falls off in flight or the motor mount slips... just ask any vendor who has to support these RTF heli's.. its a nightmare.

Mike

[mkovalcson]

Since my last crash which destroyed my frame, I'm having to completely rebuid my heli from scratch.

During my debugging process while I was isolating vibrations I had to pull numerous parts off for testing.


If you don't want to spend any time building this is the wrong hobby to be in

[RACON450]

i agree with all of u especially mkavalcson...but sometimes i feel like i am building more then flying...I get over exited and just want to fly..i know most of you can relate...your right about the prfe built ones....I learned on RTF a while back and those kits were complete junk...and by building you learn what is actually happening...althought i always joke how nice it would be to have 1000 back up trex 700 in the garge so if you crash your pit crew can get you another...like a real life simulator.....when you guys say build how fast can you build say a 700 or 550 size..im a about a good month...thats kinda long huh?

[Roblucky13]

I have taken mine apart and put it back together so many times it is silly. From upgrading the engine to changing how the wiring is run, I have tinkered and tinkered. Plus, I have had one crash. I can pretty much put this thing together blind folded...well maybe not blind folded, but I can assemble it in an afternoon.

Once you know exactly where everything goes, no more time looking at diagrams or reading...or posting build questions online, it will go together really fast.

[Starcruiser]

My 550 was put together in a few days but I was taking my time by investing 2 hours each night after work. I think 4 to 8 hrs to do a complete build if you have all parts. I had to order a few additional parts for mine so that was another part of the delay for me.

For a larger heli, a 700e for example, I would think that would be about the same or less due to the larger parts and how much easier it is to handle them. My 250 took longer than the 450 or 550 believe it or not. The build time includes all assembly and configuration requirements to make it RTF.

Yes I am anxious too to get it airborne but I fight the urge as I want it to fly properly and not have issues (crash due to missing something critical, well almost all items are critical aren't they?)

[Inverse]

My Beam came as lots of bags of little parts, just the way I like it.
If it comes pre-assembled it just means I need to take it apart before I can start the build. Mind you, the building and tinkering is as large a part of the hobby for me as the flying.

[Starcruiser]

Originally Posted by Inverse

... the building and tinkering is as large a part of the hobby for me as the flying.

[markleyland]

My Dad had me build his 500 a couple of years ago even though I advised him he should, but he had it posted to me anyway. I enjoyed building it but he still hasn't learnt to fly it very well as he is afraid of crashing it. He recently had a tip over and waited for me to visit (he lives miles away) so I could fix it for him. I keep telling him he has to learn and take a good look at Helifreak. Moral of the story is if you get someone to build it for you, you will end up like my Dad

[JTAnimal]

I stripped a gear today on a fast loop. I couldn't wait to get home and rip it apart. I like fixing my helis, all of it, and i like flying too

[Stumblebee]

My first heli a couple of years ago was a "RTF" model. There were several places in the manual were it was stated that the heli was test flown in the factory prior to shipping. There was even a video on-line showing a company rep demonstrating that the heli could do "hands-free" hovering right out of the box. That was when I learned that RTF really stands for Ready To Fix.

This month I built my first TRex 550E FBL. It is my seventh heli. I found I could not assume anything regarding the pre-built assemblies. At least Align confirmed this in the documentation. I found everything had to be taken apart, inspected and re-assembled. ARF really stands for Absolutely Ready To Fix.

These manufacturers are like any other business. They want to maintain their profit levels. Part of this means keeping the labor cost low. In some parts of the world, this means really low. Of course, when you pay peanuts you get monkeys.

[aralan]

Originally Posted by Col789

If I brought a kit that was almost or complety built i would strip it down and rebuild it so I would know there is threadlock and grease everywhere they are needed. Also the factory where it is built would be paying for people to build them and paying to ship boxes full of packing marterials around the world, this would create higher prices for us, the end user.

For this reason I'd much prefer most everything to come disassembled. Last thing i want to do is disassemble parts of a heli I'm trying to assemble!