Any hint of a new Mini Protos?

[waxman]

I have just reduced my 450 fleet, the warp is gone and so is the goblin 380. The reason I kept the mini protos is because it is so cheap to crash. I use 450's as beaters so having crash costs of $200 + can start adding up when you start pushing your limits.

I think it's the weight that makes it so resilient and that amazing landing gear. I like the plastic sacraficial parts = cheap, shafts and bearings are smaller so again cheaper, tail boom is nothing fancy so it's cheap and blades are a common size so cheap. I wouldn't want it built in to a tank..

[BillG]

I'm in a similar situation in that I have, and now regularly fly a Goblin 380. But this past w/e took out the mini P and was just amazed all over again at how well it flies. I'm on 3S running 3200/3300 HS and it does everything I want. Cheap to crash, low-stress to fly. Low cost 3S batteries....

The G380 with the dual belt drive train is nearly as quiet as the miniP, with the benefit of a proper OWB on the mainshaft instead of the motor pinion (I run a Lynx solid 16T pinion BTW). A V2 drivetrain update would breathe new life into this old bird.

Hoping....

[Manyc]

Don't get me wrong.. I love they way it flies.. I am not even tempted by a goblin 380. It's just that I have gone to a lynx solid 13t pinion, running an xnova 1360 on it... and the belt tends to wear out pretty quickly if you go nasty on the collective.

Maybe I just need better collective.. but those hard collective direction changes are so much fun...

[dl5973]

MSH should continue making the v1 mini P and also add a v2 with 380mm blades to its fleet with dual belts and a bigger frame and move the OWB to the main gear so it can handle more power and better for auto rotations. Even if the weight of the v2 is heavier than the v1 it can all be kept flying light by stretching the tail and adding bigger stock main blades and tail blades.

This way we can pick and choose which version we prefer to own and fly fly.

why discontinue making the original mini p when it has been a hit for many

[Jomaba4308]

Originally Posted by dl5973

MSH should continue making the v1 mini P and also add a v2 with 380mm blades to its fleet with dual belts and a bigger frame and move the OWB to the main gear so it can handle more power and better for auto rotations. Even if the weight of the v2 is heavier than the v1 it can all be kept flying light by stretching the tail and adding bigger stock main blades and tail blades.

This way we can pick and choose which version we prefer to own and fly fly.

why discontinue making the original mini p when it has been a hit for many

Now that would be awesome!!! I would buy a V2 with 380 blades in a heartbeat![emoji14]

[dedados]

Wait, stretch a 380 o.O

Why not to just buy a 500?

[Jomaba4308]

Originally Posted by dedados

Wait, stretch a 380 o.O

Why not to just buy a 500?

Maybe build the V2 as a 360 with a stretch to 380, like what was done for the KDS Chase 360.

[mamartin]

As light and light flying as the Mini PRÔTOS is I believe 380mm blades would be way too much blade for it on my opinion.

[Jomaba4308]

Originally Posted by mamartin

As light and light flying as the Mini PRÔTOS is I believe 380mm blades would be way too much blade for it on my opinion.

But if the V2 drive adds a little weight then my guess would be the lift : weight ratio with 380 blades may not be that different than the V1 Mini with 350 blades. And I'm no expert but maybe the Mini V2 with 360 may still fly lighter than the Mini V1 with 325 blades.

[jmtyndall]

Originally Posted by Jomaba4308

Maybe build the V2 as a 360 with a stretch to 380, like what was done for the KDS Chase 360.

Actually the Chase never had a 380 kit release. It's all been homebrew

[Jomaba4308]

Originally Posted by jmtyndall

Actually the Chase never had a 380 kit release. It's all been homebrew

I did not know that.
It could still be done regardless, maybe strengthen the main head to withstand the higher stresses that come with longer blades. Probably beefier grips and feathering shaft.

[OnTheSnap]

Originally Posted by Jomaba4308

You must be enjoying watching us squirm

I love seeing the positive enthusiasm on the V1. And the resistance to change. But sometimes it's fun to imagine a radical Protos concept. Err, just for fun.

[Jomaba4308]

Originally Posted by OnTheSnap

I love seeing the positive enthusiasm on the V1. And the resistance to change. But sometimes it's fun to imagine a radical Protos concept. Err, just for fun. [emoji38][emoji38]

I'm not resistant to change, I want the V2 drive to come to the Mini P and more so the original Protos, I want the reliability and long life that should come with appropriate size belts and solid pinions without sacrificing the freewheeling capability.

I have the Mini P and the V2 steel OWB pinion and I like that the reliability was fixed from the aluminum but I hate that it locks up and won't freewheel, it's no different than a simple solid pinion right now. On the P500 with the aluminum pinions in the stretch I have read (haven't flown my stretch enough yet to deal with it) that they wear out quickly and end up with sawtooth that increases the likelihood of the belt jumping.

I don't like surprises and I don't like being kept in the dark, but for now I would just be happy to know, is the V2 dual belt drive coming to the P500 and Mini P? I'm not asking for specific details or dates, just is it coming?

I realize some people are afraid of change and want to stay V1 and for that I would say continue supporting V1 but some of us anxiously await V2 and can't wait for the improvements it will bring.

[OnTheSnap]

Originally Posted by Jomaba4308

I'm not resistant to change, I want the V2 drive to come to the Mini P and more so the original Protos, I want the reliability and long life that should come with appropriate size belts and solid pinions without sacrificing the freewheeling capability.

I have the Mini P and the V2 steel OWB pinion and I like that the reliability was fixed from the aluminum but I hate that it locks up and won't freewheel, it's no different than a simple solid pinion right now. On the P500 with the aluminum pinions in the stretch I have read (haven't flown my stretch enough yet to deal with it) that they wear out quickly and end up with sawtooth that increases the likelihood of the belt jumping.

I don't like surprises and I don't like being kept in the dark, but for now I would just be happy to know, is the V2 dual belt drive coming to the P500 and Mini P? I'm not asking for specific details or dates, just is it coming?

I realize some people are afraid of change and want to stay V1 and for that I would say continue supporting V1 but some of us anxiously await V2 and can't wait for the improvements it will bring.

In the grand scheme of things there is no benefit for a company to pre-announce things before they are ready. You have the Osbourne effect for one. And second once consumers know it's coming there is always backlash if there is a slip. MSH has announced stuff early before, and really not much real benefit of doing that.

All that being said, I'm an engineer. And a pilot. If I'm not working on something really interesting with them, I loose interest. Needless to say, there is so much going on, it's overwhelming.

I was the harshest critic on the V1 Max. Kinda brutal. It missed on many levels. So we had a free license to make the Max v2 a model "I" would love. Not that the world revolved around me. But I had a vision. And a focus on building the best possible helicopter. Not just a "Protos". The engineering talent at MSH runs so deep and is so powerful it's amazing working with them.

Anyway, whatever the next stuff is, I think you guys will be really happy. Surprised? Maybe.

[DCflyer]

Originally Posted by OnTheSnap

In the grand scheme of things there is no benefit for a company to pre-announce things before they are ready. You have the Osbourne effect for one. And second once consumers know it's coming there is always backlash if there is a slip. MSH has announced stuff early before, and really not much real benefit of doing that.

All that being said, I'm an engineer. And a pilot. If I'm not working on something really interesting with them, I loose interest. Needless to say, there is so much going on, it's overwhelming.

I was the harshest critic on the V1 Max. Kinda brutal. It missed on many levels. So we had a free license to make the Max v2 a model "I" would love. Not that the world revolved around me. But I had a vision. And a focus on building the best possible helicopter. Not just a "Protos". The engineering talent at MSH runs so deep and is so powerful it's amazing working with them.

Anyway, whatever the next stuff is, I think you guys will be really happy. Surprised? Maybe.

Can. Not. Wait!

[aterren]

Originally Posted by OnTheSnap

The engineering talent at MSH runs so deep and is so powerful it's amazing working with them.

That is an interesting comment about the engineering talent. Is that something you can elaborate on? Over the years I have a developed a vague impression that the heli business started as a sideline for some folks who were in the plastic molding business. I'd guess they supply the automotive or another high end customer given the quality of their work. The lower frame of the Max, for example, is a piece of molding art. Other touches like insert molding pem nuts (threaded metal nuts) in the servo and frame spacers is quite unusual outside high end shops (and not cheap!).

[OnTheSnap]

Originally Posted by aterren

That is an interesting comment about the engineering talent. Is that something you can elaborate on? Over the years I have a developed a vague impression that the heli business started as a sideline for some folks who were in the plastic molding business. I'd guess they supply the automotive or another high end customer given the quality of their work. The lower frame of the Max, for example, is a piece of molding art. Other touches like insert molding pem nuts (threaded metal nuts) in the servo and frame spacers is quite unusual outside high end shops (and not cheap!).

Short of posting resumes not sure how to elaborate. (-: It's an 11 year old company now and one of the longer standing and dedicated developers in our industry. They have a mix of mechanical engineers and software engineers that I've worked with for a few years now. As you know over time they've developed a design approach that's a fusion of molded plastics, carbon and aluminum. They understand how to push the boundaries of belt systems using them in innovative ways. They also have a particular design DNA reflected in all their models.

On the electronics side there is a lot of collaboration and openness to really make breakthroughs and a willingness to try a lot of new ideas.

Not sure if I answered your question. The original statement was my opinion. A guy who is a EE in Silicon Valley working with some top engineering talent. Take it for what you want. (-;

[Thunder Fighter]

I am very happy with my mini P stretch on 4s, I haven't flown it much lately but I haven't seen anything I would swap it for. I can understand for people putting 6s and the new bigger motors in that it is hitting the limit of the design if flown really hard, but for me it does everything I want in a 450 (350mm) size heli, including reasonable autos (just straight line not aerobatic). The original 15t pinion is working ok with this setup so upgrading the mini is not a big priority for me.

I sold both of my Protos 500 stretch's over a year ago, and moved to Goblins for my midsize heli's, but would be interested in a V2 500 (470-515mm) as being discussed in the Protos forum and of course I would love to see a new 550-600mm machine come from MSH.

At one stage all of my Heli's were MSH, and now I have a V2 Max stretch on order and am looking forward to seeing the V2 500, which might tempt me, so am building my MSH fleet back up agin.

I realise that these (possible) updates to the 500 and 450 will take time to get designed, tested and produced but I do hope MSH will have time to look at the 550-600 class for release next year as that would give them a killer model lineup.

//Dennis.

[honkytown]

No leave it alone or someone will come for ya
If u really had visions, you should consult a doctor.

j/k

Originally Posted by OnTheSnap

I love seeing the positive enthusiasm on the V1. And the resistance to change. But sometimes it's fun to imagine a radical Protos concept. Err, just for fun.

Originally Posted by OnTheSnap

But I had a vision.

Anyway, whatever the next stuff is, I think you guys will be really happy. Surprised? Maybe.