REVIEWS + EVENTS + TECH www.modelheliworld.com August 2015
SAB GOBLIN 380 Incredible performance with the innovative Goblin look…
Small Rotors
Three blades better than two? The JR Forza 450 3-blade
A hexcopter that includes everything!
REGULARS...
● USA HELI SCENE ● SCALE BY SCALE ● IDLING UP
9
770953 788072
WALKERA’S TALI H500
The JIVE Pro may look similar but offers a lot more
Issue 302
US
KONTRONIK JIVE Pro 120+ HV
08>
The mini series winds up with a convoluted Sea King tale
£4.50•
My Models and Me
THE BEST IN R/C HELICOPTERS Cover_MHWAUG15.indd 1
16/6/15 16:54:57
August 2015 Issue: 302
REGULARS
Cover Goblin 380
8 Collectively Speaking
SAB’s baby Goblin is sleek and very fast
Editorial Musings by Jon Tanner
12 Sales Pitch New Items by Richard Morris
14 What’s On Dates for your diary
16 From the Ground Up
Models have become more reliable but you still need to maintain them by Richard Morris
28 Scale by Scale
Converting a Hughes/MD 500 to NOTAR by Don Cardy
58 USA Heli Scene
BavarianDEMON 3X Flybarless Controller by James Wang
66 Idling Up
The next stage is flying a tail following nose figure 8 by Duncan Osbourn
FEATURES 20 Review Walkera’s Tali H500
A hexcopter that includes everything! by Denis Stretton
32 Technical Small Rotors
Three blades better than two? The JR Forza 450 3-blade by Nigel Cartwright
38 Review SAB Goblin 380
69 Readers Write
Incredible performance, reliability and simplicity with the unique and innovative Goblin look… by Richard Morris
72 Classified Adverts
46 Technical My Models and Me
by Richard Morris
Good Buys!
73 Shopper’s Directory Shops in your area
74 In the Next Issue
66
16
32
The mini series winds up with a convoluted Sea King tale by Peter Wales
54 Review Kontronik JIVE Pro 120+ HV
The JIVE Pro may look similar but offers a lot more; we try it with the Pyro 700-52 by Kevin Targett
58
4
Contents_MHWAUG15.indd 4
17/6/15 11:35:21
COLLECTIVELY SPEAKING EDITORIAL MUSINGS...
I
n last month’s Musings, I discussed how our expectations have grown in recent years and how well they have tended to be met by manufacturers and received by different categories of flyers. This could be summed up as the scale builder perhaps ‘putting up’ with more ‘builder input’ than the sports and 3D flyer, who expects a straightforward build that performs faultlessly. The repercussions of these expectations were recently brought home to me when I was at a preview of the new CORE 700 model, which we’ll feature next month… We were shown the prototype models flown in a wide range of styles demonstrating its versatility, strength and integrity including extreme flight-testing – all of which demonstrated what performance is expected from a modern model… A modern model has to have the ability to absorb the most brutal flight manoeuvres, yet has to be light and be versatile to accommodate less rigorous flight styles. Another consideration for model helicopter designers is the ‘crashability’ of a new model, when the inevitable happens, we end users want the minimum of parts needing replacing and those that do have to be the cheap ones! But at the same time we want the model to protect the expensive and sometimes delicate components we’ve installed, with the LiPo packs being the biggest risk investment. Talk about conflicting requirements! Then of course the model has to be attractive to the eye, dare I say ‘sexy’, and of course priced to be competitive, or have the right USP (Unique Selling Point) to warrant a higher, or even the same, selling price as the competition. But is all the above enough to ensure a new model will be successful in these difficult times? Some say not because this modern age expects a show, which means marketing. Gone are the days of new kits appearing in 100’s of local high street model shops, supported by advertising and reviews in magazines resulting in volume sales… The modern buying public want more before they will invest. It seems a successful model has to be seen being flown by top pilots at all the important events so potential customers will be buying a proven model and also into a brand that makes them feel good! And that sort of marketing is not cheap! So when you see a new model, say the CORE 700 in a couple of months, you might spare a thought for the designer who is faced with the impossible task of producing a strong, light, rigid, model that will withstand total abuse in the air, fly gently and sedately, then in a crash not break (much), and protect your LiPo’s etc., it will have to be cheap, with low cost parts that will be available everywhere and be priced within your limited budget… Oh and it has to be ‘sexy’ but yours has to be different too! Perhaps we ask too much?
EDITORIAL MUSINGS...
Jon Tanner
Jon.Tanner@traplet.com
Model Helicopter World now available as a digital edition
You can now buy Model Helicopter World magazine as a digital magazine, which you can access from your computer. The digital editions are compatible with Macs and PCs. If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can also purchase the magazine as an Apple or Android App. For more information, see our advert on page 71 for more information.
EDITOR Jon Tanner mhw@traplet.com REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Ed Darter, Denis Stretton, Mike Eddington, Richard Morris, James Wang, Tom Scully, Jason Markey and Nigel Cartwright MANAGING DIRECTOR Tony Stephenson OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Tom Stephenson DESIGN AND PRODUCTION MANAGER Nick Powell DESIGNER Katy Evans ADVERTISING & TRADE SALES EXECUTIVE Helen Lockley Tel: 01684 588548 email: helen.lockley@traplet.com ADVERTISING COPY CONTROLLER Cindi Griffiths Tel: 01684 588517 email: adcopy@traplet.com MARKETING EXECUTIVE Wendy Adams Tel: 01684 588521 email: wendy.adams@traplet.com PRINTER Warners plc NEWS STAND DISTRIBUTION Seymour Distribution Ltd. (020 7429 4000) US DISTRIBUTION Traplet Distribution USA Ltd., 816 Country Fair Drive Suite 5, Champaign, Il 61821 Order hotline and Customer services Pat: 217-355-2970 Fax: 217-954-0372 AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTION Traplet Publications and Hobbies, P.O. Box 501, Engadine, NSW 2233, Australia. Tel: (02) 9520 0933 Fax: (02) 9520 0032 email: sales@traplet.com.au SOUTH AFRICAN DISTRIBUTION Traplet Publications South Africa PO Box 1067, Oudtshoorn, 6620, South Africa Telephone: (044) 272 5978 Email: southafrica@traplet.com PUBLISHED BY Traplet Publications, Traplet House, Willow End Park, Blackmore Park Rd, Malvern WR13 6NN Tel: 01684 588500 Fax: 01684 578558 email: customerservice@traplet.com SUBSCRIPTIONS 1 Year subscription prices: UK £54.00 Europe £76.80 W/Wide £80.40 USA & Canada US $132.48 2 Years subscription prices: UK £108.00 Europe £153.60 W/Wide £160.80 USA & Canada US $264.96 BACK ISSUES UK £4.50/US $9.99 Customer Service: 01684 588500 Order Hotline: 01684 588599 Online Ordering: www.trapletshop.com
This publication is printed by Warners 01778 395111
8
Collectively Speaking_MHWAUG15.indd 8
17/6/15 16:42:00
REVIEW words: Richard Morris PICTURES: Richard Morris and Jon Tanner
SAB Goblin 380
Incredible performance, reliability and simplicity with the unique and innovative Goblin look‌
I
have to admit that I have always been fascinated by miniature helicopters, from micro indoor machines to those suitable for serious outdoor use. So when I heard that SAB Heli Division were introducing a small machine I was immediately interested. Last year, I reviewed the Goblin 570 and had been seriously impressed with both its build quality and performance so I decided that the Goblin 380 would make a suitable addition to my helicopter collection. As with previous Goblins the 380 has been designed with the serious 3D pilot in mind and although I do not fly 3D I do appreciate the precision and accuracy of its predecessor. I have high hopes for this machine so, without any more ado, let us see just how well it measures up. The Goblin 380 arrived packaged in the now familiar corporate livery with all the components
safely packed within their own boxes and sealed bags. As we have now come to expect with many kits, the packaging is labelled in such a way that it corresponds to the assembly sequence in the instruction manual.
Starting Out
The first job is to remove any sharp edges from the carbon fibre side frames so that there is little chance of any electrical wires being chaffed or cut on them. Once this has been done, you are ready to add the battery tray and tail servo support to one of the frames. It is suggested that
RIGHT: Every component is bagged and labelled to correspond to the instruction manual, some manufacturers might do well to learn from this example
38
SAB Goblin_MHWAUG15.indd 38
16/6/15 17:16:22
SAB Goblin 380
0
Be sure to remove all sharp edges from the side frames to avoid any wires becoming damaged
at this stage you might like to install the tail servo, along with its output arm and linkage ball. While this will make installation very straightforward, it is not essential and the servo is reasonably easy to fit later in the assembly sequence. With the first part of the assembly complete, you fit the aluminium battery block to the second side frame, ensuring that it is fitted to the correct side of the frame. With this in place, the second side frame is fixed to the first and the rather unique landing gear is added. The landing gear is very different from what I have been used to throughout the time I have been flying. The front part of the landing gear is made up of two feet that are integral to the side frames, while the rear comprises of a wider cross member with two larger feet. This raises the rear of the helicopter, giving a pronounced nose down stance to the model.
The basic frame of the model is now complete and you are ready to move on to the assembly of the main mechanics. A CNC machined aluminium main plate forms the heart of the mechanics and to this the first things to be added are the main shaft support housing, along with the main shaft. The main shaft is carried by two bearings housed in the support housing. The 8 mm diameter main shaft has two collars machined on to it, which, once shimmed correctly, eliminate any vertical play of the shaft in the support housing. Once the support housing is attached to the main plate, take a moment or two to register the model’s unique serial number on the SAB Heli Division website so that you can keep up to date with any modifications or upgrades that may effect your model in the future.
This is the lower frame moulding/battery support, note the lower ‘hooks’ that are the front u/c ‘legs’
Here you can see how the sideframe fits into the lower moulding including the u/c legs 39
SAB Goblin_MHWAUG15.indd 39
16/6/15 17:16:49