MD500 TOW Defender Logo 500 Build

[rdavis]

Looking good Don! Its nice to see a seasoned scale builder doing a thread.

Enjoying the thread and your thoughts. Ray

[Keyrigger]

Thanks Ray.

Don

[zeeflyboy]

Don, since you are the landing gear king I wonder if I could get your opinion.

The landing gear currently on my AH-6 just isn't going to cut the mustard...

I have some extruded aluminium profile landing gear from the thunder tiger md500 which I'm currently using on the test mechanics.

I was trying to decide whether to modify the stock gear as you have, or try to use these extrusions.

The aluminum extrusions are a fair bit wider than the stock gear (12mm thick vs 7mm) so will require more hogging out of the landing gear slot.

Just curious as to which you would use given the chance - how strong do the stock legs end up with the brass tube added in? Do they now under the weight at all?

[Keyrigger]

Landing gear king? LOL. Thanks mate. I don't have ant stock gear left but I do have the broken set that I can weigh and then give you the weight of the new set. The shorter back strut stock weights 28.9gr. and the modified one (still not finished) weighs 43.3gr. The stock front weighs 32.3gr. and the modified one weighs 49.6gr. Once again, the new one is not finished so there is a bit of weight to come off still. I would add 25mm more on each strut if you are keeping the length at full size from the box. It is rather funny how little weight was added to each strut even though it looks like a lot has been added. I don't know the aluminium gear you are talking about at all, although I have seen the pictures of it in your build. As near as I can figure it out, once it is all said and done, the stock gear is pretty much the right width but it is sadly lacking in strength. This gear are now strong enough that the body will collapse before the gear let go. I took the repaired body to a club meeting last night and took along the gear so that they could see how they were made. They had seen pictures posted online on the club forum and just about everyone said that the pictures are not even close to what they held in front of them. Hope you get that one sorted soon, too.

Don

[Keyrigger]

I finally got out and did some flying today of my old TD and AS350. I also tried out one of those E-Flite 720 HD cameras which I just Velcro'd onto the floor. That put the camera pointing out the door about the level of the bench. I wanted the door frame in shot just to see what it would look like. I ran the blades at 1400rpm and once the weather turns better (see all that snow and water???), I will get out there and do a lot more testing. There was no vibrations from the head and they seemed to track pretty much spot on. I'm really happy about that. Take care.

Don

Camera and New Head Test (6 min 13 sec)

[Keyrigger]

Well, the weather was good, temps were on the high side of cold, and the sun was out the entire day. I got one flight in and was starting to get comfortable with it at 1400 rpm on the second flight of the day when I got this idea to go over to the runway and try some landings at a good distance away from me. I had also planned to do some of my first full autorotation practise flights on the new time up. So just as I begin to turn the heli sideways rather than tail in, I hear this awful screak and since I was only a foot off the ground now, I landed it fast and shut her down. I was not fast enough anyway. The circlip that holds the shaft in place (upper portion of the motor, too) popped off the shaft and that let the bearing drop. With only the upper bearing, the lower part of the motor now slammed into the stators and cut some of the wires. No fire, but the smell was unmistakable. The gearing is fully intact (surprising when you see how far the pinion could move) and now it is finding a motor in stock in Canada. I have found very few anywhere and have sent a request to get one made with a 5mm shaft (Logo gearing uses that for the 10t Mod 1. setup) so I don't have to tear the motor down before I even spool it up. Oh well, I still have my Jet Ranger and AS350 but I got so bummed.........no more eggbeater for a while.

Don

[Keyrigger]

Some good news. I ordered the motor with custom shaft on Wednesday, Thursday it was shipped, and I got it around 11am this morning. Not bad coming all the way from the factory, let alone a local shop custom order. I might have it up in the air this afternoon. Take care.

Don

[rdavis]

Pics.... yes pics!

[Keyrigger]

Ok, I'll get some pics of the new motor but it is almost the same as the last one (they added a screw in the top of the motor). I did try some video from that little camera from two new spots and they should be enough to bring some to hold down their lunch, lol. I'll try and get them looked at tonight and posted tomorrow evening as I have got a full day planned. I did get out and put in four flights but the wind and temps are a bit hard on me still, so I am not really ready to cut the motor on a perfectly flying helicopter, lol. Take care.

Don

[cobieg]

Cutting the motor is like jumping out of a perfectly flying heli, it just don't seem right! LOL.

[Keyrigger]

I got a few videos done this Saturday and put them together this afternoon. The video is a compilation of three flights put together as one. I think the Mobius is a much better bet (I will most likely buy one shortly) and is not a whole lot larger than this E-Flite 720 camera. The GoPro is just too big for this type of mounting and will not have the flexibility that the other two have. I have heard that the high angle shots at the ground can be a bit much for some so watch at your own risk, lol. Take care.

Don

Joyride (5 min 59 sec)

[rdavis]

Don, Your flying is looking good from the on board, but if I may request... How about a 3rd party view so we can see the Heli in action???

[Keyrigger]

I have forgotten to put the video camera in the flight box so many times it is no longer funny. I will do my best to charge the battery and put the camera in the box the next time I go out with the 500. As you see, I spend a great deal of time below 20 feet, lol. Take care.

Don

[rdavis]

Many thanks don...

[Keyrigger]

This should get you laughing. I was told that I just could not leave this alone and would end up with a second build no matter what. Jim from RCC was right. I can't look at the model in the air or on the wall without longing for the body to be a complete helicopter. I am already committed to building a new interior for the new body so why not finish this one off so that it is a bit more complete. I will put the cockpit back in (less the TOW sight) and put a pilot-like figure in it just to make it look good. It is amazing how much I miss seeing Bruce and company in that helicopter. I made the pylon mounts for the M134's from PVC sheet and it sanded up very nicely. I didn't need any primer to fill the tiny pores and the overall effect is good. I know that there wasn't a mount for this weapon's pod system but I made one up that uses features from it that make sense. At least there is a bit of nastiness back to this model as it was really apparent that it didn't look like a business machine without something out the sides. I had bought those M134's a year and a half ago when I bought the figures so it was about time they got pressed into service. That was just over a hundred bucks sitting there doing nothing, lol. Take care.

Don

[rdavis]

Nice work Don... and if thats your #2, I can't wait to see how great the #1 is going to look! Really nice work! Ray

[Flsurfer7]

Don, it looks really good and those guns are sick! I can't wait to get back and start on mine again. Nice flying too!

[Keyrigger]

Thanks guys. Bit by bit the primary TOW Defender will get finished. Later, I will take those skids off the secondary body and when I paint the exhaust diverters, I will add some paint to those too, so that the illusion is kept. This was way too much fun with my clothes on.

Don

[Keyrigger]

The weather has just been awful around these parts and today was no exception. The sky was clear, sun looked great but once you got past the door, the wind was up and the temps were downright bone chilling. Back to the building board. When the only tools you have are a Dremel, files, and no metric taps (first time I needed to tap a small metric hole. Go figure), you find many different ways to accomplish the job. It really does take longer, though. A jig saw would have taken an hour off the time just to cut the part out of an aluminium plate. I made up a tap from a 3mm capscrew so that took about 15 minutes, alone. I will need to get my butt in gear and get up to KBC Tools and drop the coin for some good quality taps and dies for metric threads. I have all new screws or the new body when the hardware arrives as a mistake was made in packing. Since this is a long term project, delays are not worrying me at all, as there is so much to do, stuff like that is long off in the distance. I was able to get the exhaust filled and ready for paint so that tomorrow I can do those and the landing gear. It will be nice to see it near done on the outside. Take care.

Don

[Keyrigger]

Today was the day to get this helicopter outfitted so that it looked like a helicopter in the air once again. It looked too much like a toy with the missing interior, pilots, and rear door covers. There is little use for any but a few of the interior parts in the new body so why not put them back in so that when I fly it this summer, it will look like something. I had a third figure left over and it was sitting in a box so it is better that it be in the seat and adding weight that I could remove from the ballast on the other side.

There are no cyclic sticks but they can be made out of some bits if I really need to. At least the collective is still there and a new one will take even less time to make than this one did. There is new glass on its way and if luck is good, I will have clear glass for the new one and will be able to replace this cracked one. I will also be seeing how many screws I have left over from the new build and will complete the installation off on this one. Now, what to do with it once the new body is ready? It may be a year or more before the new one is actually done as there is so much to do. Take care.

Don