600 Airwolf 620 Build

[billryalls]

Santa was very good to me this year and I am the proud owner of a Century Airwolf 620 super scale kit. All I need are the electronics and lots of scale recreation. I imagine this to be a LONG project as I want it to be right. My main question is should I wait to buy the electronics after it's near completion ( as new developments occur constantly) or should I not worry about advancements and start buying pieces now as I can afford them! I want to buy quality components for this but don't want to pay for technology meant for 3d helicopters when this is never (intentionally) going to flip. How do I choose electronic components for scale as opposed to 3d or is there a difference?

 

[Tony]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

Fixed your picture issue.

That is an AWESOME airframe! I have always loved those! Retracts FTW!

Okay, onto tech talk. When you say "meant for 3D", don't think of it as in the helicopter flipping. Think of it as in stability. The more money you spend on the servos, the better they will center and the more stable the helicopter will be. I would not go with anything less than the Align DS610's, which as you stated, are out dated. The 615's are newer, faster and stronger and these are the next ones I would suggest. If you want top end, then get the MKS or even the new BK servos. The BK servos have a transit time of .03 which is SMOKIN' FAST!!!

Put your money into the electronics, trust me.

If you want true scale, you are going to want to go with a 4 blade head (I think, might be 3). Either way, you are going to need a flybarless controller. Don't mess with the 3GX. It's great for 3D once it's in the air, but if you want max stability, get the AR7200BX. Very easy to setup, no computer required and just solid as a rock in the air!

If this is nitro, or going to be nitro (can't see the heli that well), then go with the Ikon since it has a built in governor! But, if this is electric, then get the 7200BX.

We MUST have LOTS of pictures and VIDEO of this build. No video =

 

[Derek]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

WOW! Super nice helicopter! Mega Awesome!

I think Tony pretty well summed it up about the tech talk and definitely, please please please..take pictures or video updates on your progress. This is going to be an awesome machine!

Good luck buddy!!!

 

[Tony]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

WOW! Super nice helicopter! Mega Awesome!

I think Tony pretty well summed it up about the tech talk and definitely, please please please..take pictures <s>or</s> AND video updates on your progress. This is going to be an awesome machine!

Good luck buddy!!!

Had to correct Dereks post there...

 

[Derek]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

lmao....my mistake, lol. Thanks buddy!

 

[murankar]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

I second Tony suggestions on the servos, put your money in the servos. keep in mind that just because your not doing "3D" does not mean you can cheap out on the components. If you want the most realism out of the kit the servos will help out a lot.

For the gyro on the heli you have many options. If you go with the BX7200 make sure you get one of the newest versions, BeastX has made the BX7200 more tunable. if you want to look at other options there are many options. Other options include Ikon/Brain, Bavarion Demon and Skookum 540.

 

[cml001]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

Great looking fuse! I don't think he'll need a 4 blade head Tony, I believe the "Airwolf" as well as all Bell 222's were just a 2 blade rotor head... I could be mistaken.. Anyhow... Yea, do it right... Little more up front... Less in the end. I use the AR7200 and it's sooo easy and extremely stable. I tried the 3GX.... I would never consider that thing on any heli... Servos.. I use MKS and love them.... My Aligns got the "twitch" so I' replaced them w MKS.. Awesome servos. Bout the only experienced advise I can give. Good luck and I look forward to seeing ur project progress.

 

[Tony]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

I think you are right, only a 2 blade head. Even still, to get a completely realistic look, I would put a DFC or FBL head on it to get rid of that flybar. Btu, that is just me lol.

 

[heli-maniac]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

True scale the AIRWOLF only had 2 blades
that is a nice looking set up

 

[billryalls]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

Very cool. Thanks for all the replies. I will definitely take pics and head advice! I have a trex 450 pro with 3gx that flies nice and stable but really didn't enjoy setup AT ALL, the 7200bx sounds great. I was interested in a naza version as I liked the gps capabilities. Can you incorporate gps with standard receivers and gyros! I will keep my eyes posted here for any and all comments as this is going to be a slow buildup.

 

[Lee]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

Awesome looking fuse there.
What power system are you going for? 6,8,10,12S ?
If you are interested in 8S, I have just stripped down a Chaos 600 to sell.
Scorpion motor 740KV, CC 100A ESC, AR7200BX, Phoenixtech servos (cyclic & tail), and the FBL Chaos 600 frame, but you already have that.
Let me know if anything interests you.

 

[pvolcko]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

I'd stick with a low voltage servo setup, no need to shell out for HV compatible equipment.

And while you will get better centering with the higher end, more costly servos, I don't know if I agree about putting anything more expensive than stock align or savox servos in it. We're talking about subtle differences in performance here, especially in the flight envelope you'll be flying with this heli. If you're an accomplished pilot you may be able to tell the differences, but if you're still learning or at the mild sport flying level and not into F3C type maneuvering then I think the differences will be transparent and you've paid a bunch of extra for performance you will not be able to really appreciate.

If I were building this, I'd go stock align or savox on the servos. As mentioned earlier, DS615 for cyclics and DS655 on the tail. I run these in my TRex 700 and am perfectly happy with their performance, even in my mild 3D moments.

I'd also suggest the 7200BX for simplicity of setup and strong stability characteristics.

Ikon may also be a cool choice. With the self-level capability (I can hear the cries of "NO!" now ) you could program it to limit the the amount of bank angle allowed and with a soft "Return to hover" characteristic, which may give you some peace of mind, at least when first taking it up. And even with self level off, the Ikon is the 7200BX's equal in the stability and control department. Setup and tuning requires the use of a laptop or computer (unless you get the bluetooth adapter and work from the tablet/phone app).

You don't need to go nuts on the power components either. You're not going to be drawing big power with this since you aren't going to be running pitch more than like 7 or 8 degrees and will probably want to limit cyclic roll rates pretty significantly even compared to a sport flying heli. Scale is all about slow and smooth movements (flow) which do not tax the power system very much at all. It will be like hovering the whole flight as far as that is concerned.

 

[billryalls]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

Thanks, Pvolcko, for really helpful comments. My first question, of course, is the power system. It states in manual it needs a 4-6s battery. Seems small but after reading your post it sounds like 6s is the way to go. So are there "scale" motors that do spool up slower and more smoothly? What kind if specs am I looking at? Here is the beginning table shot.


- - - Updated - - -

Next question... If I do go FBL does that mean I throw out whole head assembly and buy a ... What? Stock allign 600 DTC HEAD assembly?

- - - Updated - - -

Wow. Lots of stuff to consider. How do I determine how much weight I can add in the way of scale details or would that never likely amount to a problem?

 

[Tony]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

I would just stick with the head you have now. For now anyway. Just build it up and not have ot worry about setting up a FBL head. One less headache right now.

But yes, if you want to go FBL right off the bat, then you can either get a FBL head with swash drivers (better if you plan on crashing since there is a better fail point in them) or just go all out and get the DFC head where the linkage arms are the swash drivers. I have the DFC on my 600N.

 

[pvolcko]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

The ESC will control how far or slow the motor and rotors spin up. Different ESCs has different capabilities as far as how slow and smooth a spin up they provide. Castle Creations ESCs are pretty good in this department and I've had very good results with them in flight and for governor setup.

I was just saying you don't need to go with a crazy powerful motor and ESC setup. You're aiming for 450-500 size class power components here, not 550-600 size. I think you're looking for something in the 700-800W max continuous range, which would be 50A max continuous motor for 4S power. Choose motor first, that will drive your decision on 4S-6S battery power.

And don't be afraid to contact Century to get guidance on all this. That is what they're there for, to help you be a happy customer.

 

[Tony]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

Is this a 500 size helicopter? Did I miss that posts somewhere?

 

[Slobberdog]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

I don't see how this is gonna haul all the 600 size components and the scale kit on 4s 450 - 500 electronics

 

[wolfman76]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

Is this a 500 size helicopter? Did I miss that posts somewhere?

it looks like a 500 class heli to me judging by the blade lengths and tail blade lengths in the photo man i love the airwolf heli and is definitely a 2 blade rotor head for sure my second favorite heli is the blue thunder heli i have a 500 class heli the hk500gt but mostly align with the dfc align head and it looks more scale adn a heck of alot cleaner lookingbut like tony said that can come later money allowing i also have the mshbrain(ikon same thing) controller and it is very easy to setup all step by step... can't wait to see more of this build...

 

[pvolcko]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

I'm going off the info I found on the site for this kit. Maybe he got just the shell and has to shove a trex into it, but the kit with mechanics and head that they sell looks like a 550 stretched from a 500. 4S is the stock setup with 50A ESC and motor suggested for it.

Even if he's going to somehow manage to get a 600 into there, I wouldn't run it with normal 600 power. You'll end up wanting to run it at lower head speeds anyway (better, more realistic blade flapping sounds and also aids in smooth scale flight) and you have a moderate collective and cyclic pitch setup. While the fuselage adds a bunch of weight, you can try to make up for it with batteries, esc, and motor selection with an eye to weight savings and buying enough power to fly it in a scale way as opposed to a sport or 3D machine.

This is from my practically non-existent real-world scale experience and some research on the subject. Hopefully some people with scale experience will pipe up to set us all straight. And, as I said, check with Century if in doubt.

And document the build! I want pics and details. This looks like a great project!

 

[billryalls]

Re: By biggest endeavor yet!

The mechanics that came with it are 600. The blades are 620. The manual states 4s-6s batteries are required. I took Pauls advice and emailed the company for any info on what has been tried and true for their kit so hopefully I'll get some more info on what HAS been done with this heli.