Considering Kinetic 50 by Heli-Max...thoughts/recommendations?

[rnbiker]

Hey, I'm considering buying the Kinetic 50 for my first gas Heli. I've been flying the Esky Belt CP and the Eflite Blade 400. Is the Kinetic 50 a good heli? Upgrade parts available/regular parts available? Are they expensive to repair? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated guys. It looks like they are reasonably priced, from what I have seen on the net. Help me out Helifreaks....

[321]

If you want a plastic frame 50 sized heli, do yourself a favor and get a Sceadu Evo. No stripped tail gears to worry about and a solid flight characteristic that you should really enjoy.

[rnbiker]

I noticed the Sceadu was higher in price than the T-Rex. I was looking for something cheaper than the T-Rex, but still a good flyer. Is there a problem with the Kinetic's gears? Thanks.

[stg099]

skip the Heli Max stuff, it's not good quality and breaks far too easily.

Do yourself a ffavor if you're looking to save some money and take a good look at the Pantera 50. I saw one fly a few weeks ago, and it flew as smotth as my trex 600 and the owner was very happy with it. I also hear that they have great support from the manufacturer.

[Ecklund1]

If either of the other responders have actually owned a K-50, it would be intreresting to hear some basis for the comments. Otherwise, it's just

I DO own one and given the choice to do it again. Great entry level 50 size nitro with an inexpensive initial cost and cheap repair costs. It's stable and tough and comes standard with a torque tube tail drive instead of a belt. After recently buying a TRex 450SEv2, I have to say, not having to worry about belt tension is nice. BTW, if you strip a $4.00 set of tail gears, they're quicker to change than some belts.

And, the Kinetic 50 is marketed by HeliMax, built by Century which is solidly built. (Maybe some other HeliMax models aren't, I don't know firsthand, so I'm not qualified to answer.) There are a ton of interchangeable parts with the Century Hawk Pro & Raven 50.
Do a little research on it and hear what owners have to say first.

[enahs]

If you want something cheaper than a Trex but is still a good heli, take a look at the Pantera 50. www.audacitymodels.com. Amainhobbies also carries kits and parts. John, the owner of Audacity, supports his helis very well and is always willing to talk on the phone about pretty much anything. The heli is a solid heli and flies very well. Definitely worth a look.

[BarracudaHockey]

The only one that's showed up at our field disappeared after the guy spent a weekend fooling with it and then showed up with a Trex 600n
IMHO you get what you pay for.

[fiveoboy01]

After my MX450, I'll never own another Helimax product.

[centuryman]

I have 2kinetics.
Along with 18 other helis, I would say of the nitro helis i own the best bang for the buck and mst reliable and best performing all in one is the compass knight 50 sport. I have 2 and love them . my favorite nitro's out of a fleet of 12.
Now if talking eletric, swift 16 is a great value.

[GyroAl]

I have helped a number of newbies get their Kinetic 50 going - very easy to set-up, much like a Shuttle or a Hawk. They were very stable trainers and once set up for 3D could perform quite well. Here many of the flight components are from the Century Hawk (30 size)

But for the extra $70.00, go for the Raven 50 from Century - most of the flight components are from the larger Predator 90...and it shows in its' flight precision and performance. Heck just the composite blades OR the swahplate are worth the extra $70.00 difference, never mind all the other better components.

[istandalone]

After my MX450, I'll never own another Helimax product.

yea, what he said. even if it's not made by helimax, it's got the bad juju just from having the helimax name on it.

[BarracudaHockey]

Originally Posted by GyroAl

I have helped a number of newbies get their Kinetic 50 going - very easy to set-up, much like a Shuttle or a Hawk. They were very stable trainers and once set up for 3D could perform quite well. Here many of the flight components are from the Century Hawk (30 size)

The main drawback I saw, is that you have to dismantle half the helicopter to get the motor out.

But for the extra $70.00, go for the Raven 50 from Century - most of the flight components are from the larger Predator 90...and it shows in its' flight precision and performance. Heck just the composite blades OR the swahplate are worth the extra $70.00 difference, never mind all the other better components.

True that

[rnbiker]

Great input so far guys. I should have clarified that yes, I'm looking to go nitro...not electric. It would be my first nitro heli. I was originally looking at the Trex 600n, but I'm looking to see if there is something less expensive, but still a good heli. For example, on my electrics, I first went with a Belt CP and wasn't at all happy with it. It just never flew right and I thought it was just my "newbie fingers"...until I stepped-up and bought an Eflite Blade 400. I was hovering just fine instantly and my skills progressed almost immediately. Now, while the Blade 400 is not a T-Rex, I really like it a lot. I've had a couple of crashes with it and it was both easy and inexpensive to fix. I got the Blade 400 with a good radio for $400.......that's quite a bit cheaper than the T-Rex. So, with this past in mind, I don't want my first nitro to suck as much as my Belt CP (obviously), but if I could find something that is the quality of my Blade 400 in a big nitro heli, I would be VERY happy. I am not doing any crazy 3D stuff, just scale-type flying with fff and a few loops and rolls. I suspect by the time I'm doing the heavy 3D, I'll want something else anyway....metal head, hard-core, heavy-duty frame, etc. Just wanting something inexpensive to get me into a bigger nitro heli (I live in Oklahoma and the wind here really messes with my smaller helis). So keep the ideas coming guys...please! I already have two helis to research from this thread (both of which I was unfamiliar previously)..... You guys rock....keep the ideas coming to help the newbie

[furyevo]

For the money, you can't go wrong. I saw a guy at the field flying one, and it flys just fine. It is a Century model, with the HeliMax name on it, so you would have a few alternatives for parts. Sure, the little fixed pitch 450 they came out with was kind of crappy, but it flew. I don't know of ANY small fixed pitch heli that flew well anyway, so it was a turd among turds.
It is an inexpensive, easy to repair heli, and will serve you well in your introduction to nitro. And as far as the tail gears go, any new model has growing pains, wether you paid 200 bucks for it or 1000. Keep the tail out of the dirt and all should be fine.

[maxadventure]

I spent three months shopping for something to REALLY fly, and learn, and grow with beyond my Shuttle Z. I was really getting ready to order a Kinetic, because Tower had this and that discount earlier this year. I stopped, and went with an Audacity Pantera.

• It's built beefy, to withstand impact
• it has a belt drive, I didn't want to buy a new tail drive shaft with a boom strike.
• it has bearing blocks, really easy to do repair/maintenance on
• it can take up to a .90 size engine, two positives: if you fly at altitude (I do, bought a .70 for it) or if you really want to move to some serious horsepower
• cost point was well within my comfort range
• I read what others said on line about it, good and bad.

I know it's been said, but I also have an Axe CP and an MX400 upgraded. I was still enjoying those when I bought the pantera, now they just leave a bad taste in my mouth. It's good to hear a kinetic is actually Century, the raven does look appealing. Bottom line, I'm enjoying the Pantera so much with a .50 right now, I bought another for the .70