Beam popularity elsewhere

[trillian]

Once again it's very quiet in here :-)

Well, it sure looks to me like there's just no love for Beam helis in the UK. Our only stockist appears to be just blowing out the last of the Beam stuff (and Compass as well).

I was just talking via PM to the only other Avantgarde owner I know of in the UK (surely there's more than two? ) and we're both going to keep flying them for the moment but I can't see many, or perhaps any, new Beam owners in the UK because once they get the idea something is not supported they stay away.

It looks kinda the same for Compass, if none of the big UK shops will stock the kits and spares only the real die-hard fans will keep flying them.

Sooooooooo, I hope the Beams are more popular in other countries (I have a feeling they must be! ).

[JAROCHO]

Not to popular here in usa. Actually experiencerc are selling everithing at 50%off
I love it, is really light and powerfull but looks like im going to have problems trying to get parts.

[TheKingPhisher]

Beam has never been popular in the USA so you could say things have not changed for better or for worse. It's a rare breed and I actually like that. There's no factory Beam flying team either. At least you could get parts easily here in the US from A main Hobbies and Experience RC. I think 600 class helis in general are not popular here. Right now the most popular are 700 class followed by 450, 500, 550. I rarely see 600 class helis from any brand here.

I'm not really worried about parts given that Beam itself seems to be fairly in good shape and just released the Archon. Since the Avantgarde is their only 600 class heli I doubt they would discontinue making them. If your stockist continues to carry Kasamas it's totally different than here in the USA.

BTW does your stockist still carry Kasama helis? Here in the USA Kasama is completely gone. Even Esprit Models is getting rid of their display units and they only have 1 kit in stock.

[trillian]

Yeah we do have a Kasama stockist in the UK, they're online only but that's fine for me as I have no local shops close to me anyway so I get anything and everything online.

That's interesting about 600 size in general not being very popular. I love the bigger helis as well but the 600 electric is very convenient for me as I have to carry all my stuff to the field on the trains and on foot so I can have the Beam and my Trex 500 in one heli bag and enough LiPos in my backpack for quite a bit of flying.

At some point in the not too distant future I'll be relocating somewhere with better weather and hopefully also have places to fly that are a bit easier to get to and then it may not matter so much, especially if I get a car again. (I used to drive everywhere when I lived in the states and wouldn't dream of being without a car but living in London is a different story).

I've never really though about it but my guess would be that .50 / 600 class in general is more popular than 700 over here, or at the very least they're close to equal.

[jonnyflox]

hello beamers
here in denmark i think we are around 10 pilots flying beam 600.
also a few flying beam 450
we got one shop who deals with beam helis

[RasmusDK]

Yes the beam seems to be more popular here in Denmark. In my club alone we are 2 beam pilots, out of a very little helicopter group. :-)

I think if I remember right, the danish beam dealer had sold about 30~35 avantgarde kits.
But he also ship outside Denmark.

I really don't know why pilots don't fly the beam, it's a super nice helicopter, and fly like no other in its class.

I have several more expensive helicopters, which on paper and by popularity should be much better. But it's the beam i like the most. :-)

[sven1275]

I know about 10 pilots who flying Beam helis :-)but all off us a 450 Advanced or se:-)i think in Germany was only 2 Kit selling the 600 :-(but maybe i buy an advantage;-)

[wadders248]

Hello from the other half of the UK Beam Team!

Every time I think about either not repair or stopping using mine, I fly it and realise why I like it so much. I guess I might just have to stop abusing it as much if parts are going to be harder to find.

Here's one of the new canopies after a recent re-build...

[RasmusDK]

Nice :-P

Is it one of the canopies that were on sale?

[trillian]

Looks great! I received the two canopies I bought today and have fitted the all red one and my dremel is charging and then I'll do the other one.

I think they both look really nice and the red one is a pretty light almost orange shade so hopefully the visibility will be good.

I'll get some pics tomorrow if it's not raining :-(

[TheKingPhisher]

Wow that is a sharp looking canopy!

Anyway I'm thinking of painting my frames white as well as the tail boom. I also plan on doing a custom mod if I could find a carbon rod of the same diameter as the stock one.

[wadders248]

Originally Posted by RasmusDK

Nice :-P

Is it one of the canopies that were on sale?

This is about the only one that wasn't on sale, though I bought it about a week before the sale :-(

Think I'll get another couple as backup if Trillian hasn't bought them all!

[trillian]

Originally Posted by TheKingPhisher

Wow that is a sharp looking canopy!

Anyway I'm thinking of painting my frames white as well as the tail boom. I also plan on doing a custom mod if I could find a carbon rod of the same diameter as the stock one.

I like the idea of having frames and booms in different colours. It's always black for carbon frames and there's a tendency to have all the frame in black.

Last summer I rebuilt my Trex 500 using all the orange and yellow I could find, Fusuno frames and fins, a red boom, yellow skids etc. and it really helps the visibility massively.

[trillian]

OK, here's a few pics with the new canopies. Not the most inspiring background but so it goes. I think the first one is almost exactly the same as yours Paul, the only difference being the bit under the silver part at the nose is grey instead of red but the rest looks the same, same shade of orange on top etc.

[TheKingPhisher]

Originally Posted by trillian

I like the idea of having frames and booms in different colours. It's always black for carbon frames and there's a tendency to have all the frame in black.

Last summer I rebuilt my Trex 500 using all the orange and yellow I could find, Fusuno frames and fins, a red boom, yellow skids etc. and it really helps the visibility massively.

That looks pretty nice...definitely visible.

Originally Posted by trillian

OK, here's a few pics with the new canopies. Not the most inspiring background but so it goes. I think the first one is almost exactly the same as yours Paul, the only difference being the bit under the silver part at the nose is grey instead of red but the rest looks the same, same shade of orange on top etc.

That looks really good...though for some reason that orange/grey/white canopy isn't even listed at FastLad...

[trillian]

That looks really good...though for some reason that orange/grey/white canopy isn't even listed at FastLad...

I just scrolled through all the Avantgarde parts and it does show them but almost all of them are either sold out or back at the original price. This looks like the only one still on sale and in stock;
http://www.fast-lad.co.uk/store/prod...ducts_id=25444

[TheKingPhisher]

Yeah I saw that one but the one in your picture doesn't even exist...where did you get it?

Anyway I might send in my stock canopy to Fusono and have them make a mold and get a free custom paint job.

[trillian]

Originally Posted by TheKingPhisher

Yeah I saw that one but the one in your picture doesn't even exist...where did you get it?

Anyway I might send in my stock canopy to Fusono and have them make a mold and get a free custom paint job.

I guess they have just taken some stuff off the website completely. They probably only had a very small quantity of some of those in stock.

[TheKingPhisher]

Does anyone know if Fastlad UK will be continuing to restock Beam parts or are they getting rid of all stock and dropping the Beam line completely?

[trillian]

Originally Posted by TheKingPhisher

Does anyone know if Fastlad UK will be continuing to restock Beam parts or are they getting rid of all stock and dropping the Beam line completely?

I get the impression they are just selling off whatever stock they have and dropping Beam but I really should just ask them.