Could I buy a raptor 90 with out regretting it (parts wise?)

[RaymondJ]

I want to build a 700/.90 heli this winter and enjoy the feeling of stability once n for all.

I've grown really fond of thunder tiger through my raptor 30, its under powered... but I just fly it. Its always ready to go, it always flies great! I love it!

But am I too late to join the party? TT discontinued the 30 and 90's in favor of their new expensive g4 models?

Would I be shooting my self in the foot trying to find parts in the future?

[KeithT]

Quote Would I be shooting my self in the foot trying to find parts in the future?

Hope not as I built one last year.
Seriously though - I think parts are easy to come by and will be for a long time to come. I crashed it once this year through my own fault (isn't it nearly always, apart from mechanical failure) and the parts cost here was about £200. I already had a spare torque drive and a few bits and a bought a second hand canopy which kept the cost down. I'm not too adventurous with it yet - I try to learn stuff with the 500, transfer that to the 50 and then on to the 90.

It flies just great though - has a massive presence in the air and is really stable on windy days. I'd say, go for it!

[borntofly]

Thunder Tiger have been around for a long time now. I Dont think you are going to have any issues getting parts. I own the X50, E720 and G4. Our supplier always had parts and puts orders in on a regular basis. Always shipped out quickly so there is definitly no shortage on TT side. No reason why your local hobby shop couldn't get parts.

I have crashed my heli's a few times, i do fly low and hard and i fly allot. To be honest they hold up quite well. I have never replaces a main shaft or main shaft bearings, have not done a frame or main gear either. Some of them have been quite heavy crashes. But like any heli, it's not invincible.

So far they have been very reliable. I take myn out week after week and it just goes. Witch is great!! Nothing worse than having to tinker with heli's every week. I have done my fair share of that lol. It has a low parts count, very quick to build and a breeze to work on. My E720 weighs 4.9kg fully loaded with 4400mah 12s packs. So definitly no slouch. IMO they did their homework on this one.

[ticedoff8]

The secret is that a lot of the G4 parts are backwards-compatible with the R-90.
You don't need to "upgrade" the R-90 to the G4, but if you are looking for a cool upgrade, most of the G4 parts will fit the older R-90.
Since the G4 is eCCPM and the R-90 is mCCPM, those parts aren't cross compatible.

Make sure you get a R-90SE as your starting point. I converted my R-60 to an R-90SE equivalent, but it was expensive.
Also, I converted the all plastic R-60 Raptor head to a Trex 700N all metal head - that was pretty straight forward. I also used the Trex tail rotor grips & hub - the TT R-90 grips don't have the thrust bearing - but the G4 does.

Also, take a look at the Quick UK web site - they still make a lot of R-90 "upgrades". Ron's Heliproz South carries the Quick UK stuff along with the TT parts.

[rcflier1]

nothing wrong with the r90. i love the way it flys. big and smooth......

[RaymondJ]

Cool! Oh yeah, I know there is nothing wrong with them. I just didn't want to buy one and then crash only to realize I couldn't get some parts.

I will start saving. I converted my 30 into a 50 and cannot believe what a difference that extra few inches on the blades made. Can imagine a 90 would pretty fun to fly.

[rcflier1]

wait till you try an auto with the 90, you would not believe it!

[Ah Clem]

I think it will be more likely, as time goes on, that you will have to mail order for parts (Raptor parts used to be in every shop, not so much any more).

The Raptor 90 is very reliable so, unless the unthinkable happens, you should not need many parts. Nothing on them wears rapidly and they seem to hold up well over a long time (my 90 3D is, if I recall, correctly, going to be six years old this coming year-nothing has worn out on it.

It is overdue for a fuel line change, that is about it.

These are still very good flying helicopters.

[RaymondJ]

Originally Posted by rcflier1

wait till you try an auto with the 90, you would not believe it!

Oh I know... my buddy teased me and tells me he can auto his 90 then almost take off again I want that!


Yeah I mean, if its anything like my little raptor has been for reliability, I will appreciate it for sure.

Curious, when you guys land, can you reach the head stopper to slow the blades down? Reaching over my new 600mm blades seems that much more threatening against my ankles.

[rcflier1]

i,m a 6'guy with long arms, and no i can't safely reach it. you just wait for it to slow down, or bring a shin guard!

[RaymondJ]

haha, fair enough. I'm 6' too, so I was kind of wondering.

[KeithT]

Originally Posted by chronic

Curious, when you guys land, can you reach the head stopper to slow the blades down? Reaching over my new 600mm blades seems that much more threatening against my ankles.

With a 90 - it's more threatening against your knees!!
I can just reach (just under 6ft) when the blades have lost most of their energy, to make the final stop, but I woudn't try when it's still revolving at speed. Just chill and watch with awe as it slows. Super heli

[Rotorwash759]

I have a Raptor 60 and Raptor 90. Bought them used and like them both. Getting harder to find parts at local hobby shops but everything is avaliable online. No problems at all ordering parts. Very stable nice flying helis. Best to let the rotors spin down before stopping the head. I am only 5'9" and have a hard time reaching in to stop the head without putting my knees in danger. One other thing to look out for is the transmitter neck strap if you use one. Dont bend down and let it get into the blades. I found out the hard way. No damage to heli or me but it could have been ugly if the blade grabbed the buckle on the neck strap. I have started standing close to the heli while spinning down to a stop and I listen for anything out of the ordinary. Amazing what you can hear with the motor off and the blade pitch at zero. Anything found and corrected might save you from a mishap later.

[skunkworx]

Nothing against the model itself, but be wary of buying a used one. Maybe some helis you can get away with a few parts being a bit out of whack or only needing minimal repairs, but the one my buddy got has been nothing but a nightmare for the last 2 years he's had it (granted, it's only been flyable for one week which was due more to waiting for parts and budget constraints). There are a lot of little things that can go wrong or be messed up and you won't know it right away, so tear it apart and check for defects or damage. Also, make sure you have some really good communication with the seller before jumping in. The guy who was selling this one shorted him the clutch, fan, clutch bell, motor mount, and half the hardware that went into the pitch arm assembly.Magically when I asked about it, I never got a reply to any PM's. Go figure...

All in all, I think it cost closer to $150 or $200 to get everything up to snuff and it still has a few thing jury-rigged in there so it will fly. Parts are reasonably easy to find but I haven't really shopped for it in a while. I found out the hard way that pretty much nothing is compatible from the new G4, so I wouldn't tempt yourself with trying.

With that said, there are probably TONS of people that have these just sitting in their garage or will be seling them cheap, so you get to reap the rewards. Just choose wisely and make sure you understand what you are buying before receiving a lemon. I think you'll be pretty happy with the machine itself and they're more than proven fliers. I also second the notion of getting the SE version. It's got some really nice stuff on it!