TZ-V2 Frenzy as first nitro heli, what would I need?

[99grandtouring]

Guys I've been wanting to get a nitro heli but the cost has kinda scared me away from it.
I have a blade cp and a trex 450se that I fly and do ok with but I'd like something 50 size / large and more stable.
I am just getting into flying circuits so I'm still learning.
Being on a budget I've been looking around and just found this bird!
It seems a steal at $200!
But is it too good to be true?

Heres my questions.
Would it be ok for a newbie to nitro helis? (I fly nitro planes so I have all the field equip)

What would be the bare minimum I would need to get it flying, I don't do 3d so just basic servos that would suffice, basic engine (no gov or carb control etc).
Basic gyro / servo

I'm not looking for anything spectacular, just items that would fly the bird, no break or be horrible in flight and be able to handle basic flight maybe some aerobatics whenI progress to that (loops rolls etc)

Lastly how easily available are parts to get in case of a crash?
I plan on getting a dx7 in the next couple months for the trex450 and I would use it for this.

This heli would be a slow build ongoing project, get the heli, then engine, then gyro etc.. So it would be over a few months.
Thanks!

[simusphere]

Would it be ok for a newbie to nitro helis? You bet it would. You can set this bird up as a trainer and later after your skills develop set it up to do the wildest 3D you can think of. It is very stable in the hover right out of the box with no major modifications.

I highly recomend the align DS610 servos as they are a terrific value for the money and you can run them off of an A123 3-cell battery pack. That means you would save money by not needing a regulator and lipo batteries. A lot of folks are using the Hyperion DS20-HMD servos as a quality budget servo too. They are a bit slower than the aligns but can do everything you need them to do and more. The hyperions are sold at amain hobbies for $43.99 a piece. That's a heck of a bargin for you and I wouldn't go any cheaper than that on servo's. They will work fine off of the A123 3-cell pack too.

If you get the OS hyper 50, it will set you back about $160-$170. You will have to find a decent set of blades to use too. You get what you pay for in the blade department so just be aware that cheap blades will most likely need to be checked for balance etc...

The gyro you choose is very important don't skimp on it. I really like the GP750 align gyro since it is so easy to set up and I like the feel of it. You can get this gyro and a DS620 servo combo for $210 at GrandRC.

Amain hobbies has all the parts you need to get your bird back up into the air in the case of a crash. Some items may go out of stock but my last crash I had was less than $50 in heli parts that were actual Frenzy replacment parts. The majority of the crash cost is in the blades and electronics. If your lucky, no electronics will get damaged in the crash.

[brian94066]

for cheap and functional servos, you can use the Hitec HS645MGs they're $35 a pop

for receivers, get the AR7000, for the voltage regulator, get the Align B6T 2in1, for the Gyro/tail servo combo, get the JR G7703D / 890G

i think you still need a gov, a Throttle RevMax will be great, just use the spektrum rev limiter crank mount

for blades, align blades are cheap and sufficient

for engine/pipe, the OS Hyper 50 and the Outrage 50 hyper pipe

cheap set up, but it's a set up you can keep till you are doing mild 3D, maybe even hard 3D

Speed Stick 3D (Devin) over at Runryder is running the same set up (not the pipe)

and he flies HARD

[99grandtouring]

Do you have to run a regulator or run life batteries?
I'm kinda old school on this and just getting back into the hobby lipos (although i have a few for my 450) and life are new to me.

Couldn't I run a regular reciever nicad pack?

Are there any scale fuse's that would fit the tz?

I know its not the best but I've seen wood blades available, can you use say the helimax 600mm wood blades from ready heli?

And lastly do you all think it would be a bad idea to buy it now and slowly build over say 6 months?
I can't afford it all at once but this seems like a great deal for the heli...
Thanks!

[simusphere]

Do you have to run a regulator or run life batteries?

No, as I have already said, you can use A123 batteries to power your receiver and have no need for a regulator. If you decide to go with nicads and run everything at 4.8v that should work too but remember it depends on your selection of servos what kind of current draw you will be pulling. If your just going to run analog servos then you can definitely use the nicads to power everything at 4.8v. I don't know why you would do that when you can run the DS20's for a similar price and use the A123 batteries. You will probably go with what your are comfortable with though.

Are there any scale fuse's that would fit the tz?

Not that I know of but you can usually custom fit scale bodies. Just contact the store that sells them to find out if it can be done. I don't recommend going scale on your budget but again you will do what you want to do.

I know its not the best but I've seen wood blades available, can you use say the helimax 600mm wood blades from ready heli?

Yes you can use just about any 600mm blades, it's just not recommended to do anything wild and crazy with them. You will definitely need to learn to balance them properly if you go wood.

If you can't afford to buy everything now just buy the heli now and slowly add the parts you need as you can afford them.

[99grandtouring]

Cool...
With the batteries I'm just unsure I know the a123 are the newest and greatest but the almight dollar is whats limiting me.

I do have 3s lipos but it seems the regulators need 2s lipos.
Thats decisions down the road from now...

I know they are saying introductory price but does anyone know or say that the price will go up and how high?

You guys have been a great help and its appreciated!
Thanks!

[simusphere]

The A123's are cheap if purchased on ebay.

No telling if the price will go up which is why you should get the kit now. Save up for the rest of the equipment and buy parts as you can afford them. If you price things out you will quickly learn that it is not the price of the kit that gets you. Its the electronics, motor, and blades that make up the bulk of the heli cost. I've got about $1300 into my Frenzy. Could I have gone cheaper? Yea, but it still would have cost me a grand total.

Hope that doesn't scare you away but maybe into getting a better job. If there is one thing heli pilots need, its a good source of income to keep the habit going.

About your 3 cell lipo, I am using a 3 cell lipo right now in the Frenzy but it requires the use of a special regulator. So later on you can always make use of it if you get a good regulator.

[bird]

Just read all these post, these guys are right on track to help you, one thing, if you are going to get a dx7, do like I did on my frenzy, I bought the spektrum ar7000r reciever. Its a great reciever and you get a built in rev limiter that works great, plus its got built in voltage regulater. That means thats 2 less things you have to buy and install,(governer and voltage regulator). I'm kinda old school to, I bought a spektrum 2700mah nimh to power my system. its good only thing is because im running jr8717 servos on swash and they are power hungry, I make sure and recharge flight pack every 3 or 4 flights. Later I may get a higher mah battery but for now and the money, its working great.

Believe me you will not regret getting a frenzy, its totally stable yet does any kind of 3d you can throw at it. AMain has been great sending me new parts that they upgraded from original kit as they run into minor problems....oh and did i mention free!!

I'm running a fut 401 gyro, its not the latest and greatest but its holds well and is dependable and very resonably priced.

good luck and happy flying......bird

[99grandtouring]

Cool thanks for the info!
How long have you guys had them and they still sent you upgrade parts?
Is it only recent people who bought get upgrades or say even guys who bought thiers 3 months ago (Or whenever they came out) are getting the upgrades as well?

Thanks!

[sniper_iron_man]

Originally Posted by brian94066

for cheap and functional servos, you can use the Hitec HS645MGs they're $35 a pop

for receivers, get the AR7000, for the voltage regulator, get the Align B6T 2in1, for the Gyro/tail servo combo, get the JR G7703D / 890G

i think you still need a gov, a Throttle RevMax will be great, just use the spektrum rev limiter crank mount

for blades, align blades are cheap and sufficient

for engine/pipe, the OS Hyper 50 and the Outrage 50 hyper pipe

cheap set up, but it's a set up you can keep till you are doing mild 3D, maybe even hard 3D

Speed Stick 3D (Devin) over at Runryder is running the same set up (not the pipe)

and he flies HARD

+1 yes get a gov even if just hoving you will like it

[EVO76]

You;ll love the Frenzy..its very stable and great for beginners & veterans alike. Amain has been shipping the update parts to anyone who purchased the heli.

As far as blade choices, I d start with Carbons. you can pick up new ones at a reasonable price, without the fuss of balancing ..you want to fly..not working on it!! Try going to Curtis Youngbloods website..you can buy "flawed" radix blades for a lot less money . they are blemishes, paint, overspray..stuff like that.
perfect for flying, without worry about balance

[99grandtouring]

Well......... Its done.......


I ordered mine today!

Plans are once it comes in to basically disassemble it and check loctite etc on all parts, then re-assemble.

I've been browsing the web looking for finless type videos on nitros, I've found a few and have a basic understanding of them (I had a shuttle zxx a long time ago that I bought when I was about 13 but never put a radio in it then sold it) So I know how the clutch works and all just wondering about setup.
Anyone have any videos or links on how to properly install a engine in a nitro heli?
(it will be a while before I can but I like to read up and be prepared! )
Thanks!

[painklr8510]

Just like the manual says in the first paragraph you will fondle admiringly since it will bring you limitless joy

[painklr8510]

Not trying to get off topic gents but that just sounds perverted

[simusphere]

I had to grab my manual just to see if you were serious. Wouldn't you know that's exactly what it says on the first page of the manual.

[99grandtouring]

I'll be doing a lot of fondle'ing with it, as it won't be flyable for a while

Has anyone done sorta write up, build, or video on this yet? I know its an arf but I'd kinda like to dis-assemble and go through it since its going to be down for a while.

Anything I should do? grease bearings etc?
I've read up about no loctite on parts so thats a given for me...

Is this an exact clone of the vibe 50? Any build or videos out there of them?

Thanks guys!

[simusphere]

There is someone who wrote a review of the Frenzy but no video yet. If I had a video camera I could do a video on the second one I'll be building this week. I'll see if I can borrow a camera from someone. I can't make any promisses though.

Here are some things I remember doing other than the loc tighting bolts:

1. I had to use a ball link resizing tool to loosen up a lot of the links. Just go through the whole linkage and resize as necessary. In some cases the resizing tool wouldn't fully loosen up the link and I had to squeeze the link while on the ball with some needle nose pliers to further loosen up the link.
2. Some people used the thrust washer that came with the motor and others did not. The manual did not show the thrust washer and I did not install mine. I did resize the the holes in the frame that allowed the clutch bell to drop down further to make up for the gap created since I didn't use the thrust washer. I think I will put the thrust washer in the next bird to avoid doing that.
3. I used an aftermarket aluminum tail drive pully in place of the wobbly plastic one that comes with the kit. I then had to dremel or file some of the material off of the A-arm since it was contacting the tail drive pully. This is real easy to do.
4. I had to come up with a mounting plate for the gyro so it sat level on the beveled radio tray. Nothing major there.
5. There is no grease in the one way bearings so I put triflow in there befor assembling. I was told not to use grease in the one way and so far so good.

That's about it for things to watch out for during the build.

And no, this is not an exact clone of the vibe 50. It is very close in some ways but definitely not an exact copy.

[painklr8510]

June issue of rc heli magizine has some good info, as well as the new model airplane news .

[SweetF]

I just ordered one of these and glad I found this thread looks like a great source for information . I am new to helies and need all the help I can get . I have been flying planes since 1979 and needed a new challenge I think I found it LOL