Why is my Velo 50 basicly worthless?

[Will Holland]

After pondering the 90 for what seems forever (Since IRCHA), everyone keeps telling me the tail issue is mostly sorted out. Ok, let's take the 90 plunge! Work and family have kept me from the forums for a while however, let's put this 50 airframe where I know it will fetch what it's worth........
These things aren't even fetching peanuts! My Velo is in pristine condition with about 1/2 tank shy of a gallon through it, no crashes, no dinks what so ever, mostly on display above my TV and I hit the forums to find that an airframe I paid over $500 last march is only worth $150-200 depending on what extras I toss in?????

I'm extremely disappointed in the resale value of this Heli and hope that the low value is only political at this point and bounces back and not some underlying issue that I'm not aware of. For now, I'll be putting the 90 on the back burner

I'm thinking Charlie had for of an impact on Outrage than anyone anticipated.

And if anyone is looking for a Velolcity 50 airframe....I've got one with an asking price of $350 shipped

[jockstrap]

Unfortunately that's how it goes with helis now - advancements see new models coming out each 6 months so no-one wants the old ones then..

When I purchased my t-rex250 when it first came out - prices were high and the exchange rate was also high.. cost me almost $1000AU to build and i'd be lucky to get $300 now as it's the "old" model not the new SE - lol

I got my first spartan gyro for my 250 and it cost $300AU less than 2yrs ago - since then i've purchased other spartan gyros for as little as $140AU new and you can get cheaper even 2nd hand.. aaarrrrggghh... I don't fly my 250 much anymore but it's just not worth selling..

As a rule of thumb - if you get back 50% of what it cost you then you're doing well... and if it's more than 2yrs old maybe 1/3....

often you get more back parting it out instead of selling as a complete unit.

I try to look on the bright side - means you can buy 2nd hand cheaper too... I try to get most of my stuff 2nd hand from reliable forum members.. I recently picked up a t-rex600 esp frame (to upgrade my 600Cf) with motor, main blades and esc, just missing canopy for $250AU - only 10 flights old in a scale model.. Yea! kit costs like $600AU new and all I would have got extra is a canopy... so you win some and you loose some..

[Will Holland]

True but the Velo 50's in particular are taking a beating, even 50's only a few months old are gettin spanked. I could see if it were a Walkera or something but IMHO the Velo 50 is a good machine. I'm looking at putting a 20 year old Nexus on the forums that will bring as much as my Velo.... Something seriously wrong here. I spoke with a friend of mine who recently sold a FBL Velo 50 with zero flights on it and only got $200 out of it.

I understand all too well supply and demand, however 600N airframes are still fetching $300-$350, the market is flooded with them and you all know as well as I that the Velo 50 flies much better.... Most of us came from the 600N, Velo 50 will spank a 600n with it's eyes closed!

Is the Velo 50 too much for most people so they dump it? They obviously wanted a better machine, learn how to tame it if it's too much for you.

I'm asking for a global movement
"Quit Dumping Velocity 50's, if you can't fetch $300 or more for a good airframe, hang it in the Hangar"!

Mines going to be a hangar queen before I give it away on the forums!

[Bart101]

I think the main problem is, people don't want to put the time and effort into getting them flying nice! It took me about 5 months before I was happy with my Velocity! There are just so many head settings to choose from!! And because of this, it can take many hours to get it flying the way YOU want... And I think the vast majority of pilots don't want to spend the time tuning the heli!! Which is a real shame if you ask me, because once it's set-up to your flying style... The Velocity is one bad-ass heli!!

That's why they are being put up for sale so damn cheap IMHO!

[BonewJunior]

+ Local hobby shops don't carry Outrage parts.

I hear Outrage is working on that, I hope


but thats is not a problem for me to buy Outrage Kits

[DominicD]

A used 50 nitro is a hard sell regardless of brand. These days its just not worth it to sell a 50 nitro. Strip it of electronics to be used somewhere else. You can forget getting any money from a used .50 engine, even a 55-57 engine you are going to take a beating.

[Rob43]

I guess it's a timing thing too. I found better luck selling my Fury 55 last fall. Hang in there. It's a great heli. Enjoy it. There are some distinct advantages of a debugged 50, not the least of which is less fuel cost, and excellent agility.

[HugoCraft]

I agree with dominic. Its also winter too so come spring time it would be easier to sell especially at a heli fun-fly. The fusion 50 is basically an e-velocity 50 and I heard they have around 100 or so of those pre-ordered. So that tells me people still want the airframe/design but you know electrics are taking over. Yeah those are cheaper than a v50 but oh well.

[DominicD]

You can always buy a Fusion 50, use the Velocity 50 electronics. Keep the V50 for spares, sell the engine and muffler to help cover part of the F50 cost..... hmmm that sounds like a better and better idea everytime i say it

[Stadanco]

A large part of this hobby is building your helicopter IMO and it probably doesn't help that it has bright orange frames.

[latte]

It is the same here in Norway. 90 size airframes are going for 20-25% of their original price, even in new mint condition. 50s arent sold at all, because they are so cheap to get in from other countries new in box.

Another thing is the timing. If you wait about 3 months, I bet you will get what you want for it.

[Blades345]

I feel nitros are harder to sell nowadays anyway, because everyone is going to bigger electrics instead. Your timing is also off with it being winter.

[HugoCraft]

Originally Posted by DominicD

You can always buy a Fusion 50, use the Velocity 50 electronics. Keep the V50 for spares, sell the engine and muffler to help cover part of the F50 cost..... hmmm that sounds like a better and better idea everytime i say it

I'm still hoping they will have a e-conversion kit or it will be reasonable to buy parts to make the conversion.

[statton1]

keep the head-whole tail assembly -main gear for the fusion 50 and sell the frame ,
you could try to sell it to one of your flyin buddies- i sold one of v50's to one of my flyin buddies-he's happy and so am i .

[DominicD]

No need for a conversion kit. Looking at the compatable parts the only thing you really have to change is the frames and some of the plastic bits.

[fsusmithc2]

When I sold my V50 a couple months back I got $650 for it but it was dang near RTF with two sets of main blades (V-Blades and Radix), V-Blades 95mm tails, 4x 9451 servos, NR57 engine with Outrage 56 pipe, Duralite 6v regulator, RevMax, Outrage XPRX 2500 pack, and an AR7000 rx.

I cried a little inside. At least I didn't have to part it out.

[AcidDrink]

Nitro fuel prices go up, batterie prices go down.. I've done detailed calulation just recently (I am shopping for 50 size), and besides bit higher initial costs Fusion 50 is about 30-50% cheaper than Velocity 50 (or more if lipo prices will go down as they do) if you fly 10 packs or more per week.
I usually fly 10-20 packs during a week, that's about 60£ in fuel for a 50 heli per week. it's a lot of money. With 5C batteries and modern chargers, charging time is non-issue anymore.

[s0laris]

+1