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Fast Lad Performance . Ace Hobby . Esprit Model

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Century Hawk - Falcon - Raven - Predator > DONT BUY A HAWK!!! Read my story
 
 
Invrted1
Veteran
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Sounds like Marks letter did call you a fraud, I would be mad as well. That may not have been his intent, but he should have seen that it would be the result. I wonder if red loctite is used anywhere on the heli during factory assembly? Maybe a new employee was not sure where and where not to put it.
02-08-2008 02:43 PM
 
 
GyroFreak
Key Veteran
Location: Florida ... 28° 50' N 81° 16' W

Quote 
I even checked which loctite and I bought Blue Green and Yellow but No RED!
Red, blue, green I know about, But what is yellow loctite ??

Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have. !
02-08-2008 02:57 PM
 
 
DMehalko(DM)
Senior Heliman
Location: Colorado

Quote 
Dont matter what brand of heli it is you need to tear down any preassemled assemblys and check them out. It dont take that long to do and this way you can also make sure everything is up to specs.

Yup, my new trex 450 was like that, preassembled but needed a tear down
02-08-2008 04:54 PM
 
 
MartyH
Veteran
Location: Lawrenceburg, Indiana

Didnt we go through this before...that the Century Hawk Pro from the UK company is not even the same heli? Do I remember that correctly?

Marty,
8 Raptors, Hawk Pro
EVO 50&90, Knight 3D
2 Audacity Panteras & Tiger 50
02-08-2008 05:11 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Sea King
Senior Heliman
Location: England UK

Quote 
Didnt we go through this before...that the Century Hawk Pro from the UK company is not even the same heli? Do I remember that correctly?

No the Hawk 50 is a UK only version
the Hawk 30 Pro is the same as the version in the states
02-08-2008 08:31 PM
 
 
Blade_Master1
Veteran
Location: Canada

The UK Hawk 50 is the same as the Helimax Kenetic 50
Which is a Hawk pro 30 with 50 size boom and motor.
And I agree all factory assemblies need to be double checked

JM2C's :)
02-08-2008 10:23 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Sea King
Senior Heliman
Location: England UK

Quote 
The UK Hawk 50 is the same as the Helimax Kenetic 50
Which is a Hawk pro 30 with 50 size boom and motor.
And I agree all factory assemblies need to be double checked

Its close but its not the same
02-08-2008 10:32 PM
 
 
Dave M
Senior Heliman
Location: Mi.

Quote 
Red, blue, green I know about, But what is yellow loctite ??


Yellow is a type of bearing lock..... there a alot of different "loctite" now...the colors don't mean near as much as they used too.

It's OK....It's not your fault !!!
02-11-2008 11:32 AM
 
 
GyroFreak
Key Veteran
Location: Florida ... 28° 50' N 81° 16' W

Thanks Dave M.

Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have. !
02-11-2008 02:49 PM
 
 
MJWS
Key Veteran
Location: Airdrie, AB - Canada

Couple things I don't get:

1. You bought an open box with replacement parts inside. Was it a return? Was it worked on by someone? How is that Century's problem? Isn't this a problem for your retailer?

2. If they don't use red locktite on the line on these parts then they don't use it. It isn't going to magically appear. Mark has no choice but to call it as he sees it even if it doesn't jive with your theory. He didn't call you a liar he just said the story doesn't add up... i.e. some information is missing.

Seems to me you are going off the deep end for no reason.

Mike
02-11-2008 03:42 PM
 
 
wannaflyguy
Veteran
Location: Central, PA

I'd never buy a heli that was already opened.

My name is wannaflyguy and I approved this message!
02-11-2008 03:55 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
MartyH
Veteran
Location: Lawrenceburg, Indiana

I agree with wannaflyguy,

I'd never buy an opened heli kit. Way too many parts to lose and as you are finding out, you can inherit someone else's problems. I have purchased several used helis with mixed results. More and more, I am shying away from that and only purchasing new.

Marty,
8 Raptors, Hawk Pro
EVO 50&90, Knight 3D
2 Audacity Panteras & Tiger 50
02-11-2008 03:57 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
PluckinPheasant
Heliman
Location: Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom

Sorry I went a bit quiet had 'Flu'

Yellow loctite is used to attach bearings to shafts or cases and allows removal at a later date if required. They have a gap filling property which I dont really need on a new machine. Forum members put me right on this one

I understand all Hawk boxes were undone to allow the replacement counter shaft to be included in the kit.

The kit I purchased was brand new and looked brand new. All parts checked before I left the shop by the retailer and me. Where the red loctite came from is still under discussion.

I am sure it will be sorted in due course
02-11-2008 06:04 PM
 
 
Bell Bloke
Veteran
Location: England

Hope it wasn't bird flu......

I was just browsing this section when I happened on this.
Funny enough I was going to put up a post at how great I thought the old hawk was. My old electric Hawk camera ship is built like a Brick Poo House.. It seems to need little maintainance and nothing ever, ever works loose. In all it's years of hard service rain or shine all has always been well with it. So don't let this problem spoil your take on this great robust heli, because its as tough as Rocky 1 2 3 4 and 5.
I say this because I have just put together a Hirobo Huey for a friend and the mechanics are very poorly thought out, and the materials are of a lesser quality than on the Century Hawk.
I'm also with you and the others on checking your heli by stripping it down, however I don't think I would have taken eveything appart...
I always take the view that if it really doesn't want to come undone then it wont in the air.
This is such a difficult situation, all I can say is that I have delt with Mark Tilbury on a number of occations and I have found him to be really great. I did get very frustrated last year with the factory move and parts being hard to get and he did personally try and track down bits for me , so from my point of view his customer service has been beyond the call of duty.
That said, the threadlock thing does sound very strange, and I am purely guessing here, but maybe it was a return that had been tampered with, but he thinks that you did the threadlock and so won't refund you.
Retail is a very difficult industry because customers often try it on.
And helicopters are the worst because people break them, say it was faulty and try for their money back.
Why not try and appeal to his good nature, he is a nice chap, and maybe you just came across a bit bad that day. Or he was having a bad day?

Maybe in the end it isn't worth the grief, just get the new bits get in the air and forget about it, after all its only a few quid and thats is only the tip of the iceburg once you get into this game.
02-11-2008 06:43 PM
 
 
wannaflyguy
Veteran
Location: Central, PA

I think all helis can be frustrating at times. Century has been good to me. I have no complaints with their customer service. Each time I have called them, I actually spoke with an experienced staff member who took the time to listen to my concerns and then walk me through several trial and error steps-- pretty good service in my book.

The only thing I wish they would do is stop selling cheap electronic equipment like their low end radios. I purchased one way back when only to realize it was not very good. So I bought a name brand radio.

My name is wannaflyguy and I approved this message!
02-11-2008 08:23 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Antsis
Senior Heliman
Location: Kent, United Kingdom

I've had 3 hawks and all were 2nd hand. However, on advice from my club instructor I stripped down the main components and re-did the loctite on them. The same applied when I bought the metal head for my pred 90. That was complete, but for piece of mind, I pulled it apart and rebuilt it. That way, if there are any problems, only I'm to blame.

One thing I found unusual was that you checked for loctite on the plastic parts. If anything I would have expected to find no loctite or possibly some cyno. The reason for this is I've never found loctite to bond well to plastic and I only use it on metal to metal parts. (which is what it's designed for). Metal to metal fittings are more vulnerable to coming loose under vibration compared to metal fittings screwed into plastic.

Century have a pretty poor reputation in the UK. Why? Is it their service, the management or the spares backup?

Ant
02-13-2008 11:28 AM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Sea King
Senior Heliman
Location: England UK

Quote 
Century have a pretty poor reputation in the UK. Why? Is it their service, the management or the spares backup?

For me personally it's the service and spares back up that I've always had a problem with.
Orders sent out wrong
Orders sent to the wrong address
E Mails not answered
Having to wait weeks to get bits from the USA etc etc

I instead use Midland Heli's now as they seem to have a bigger supply of Century bits than Century UK do LOL
But my biggest gripe is the Fact that we no longer get the Raven 50 instead we have to make do with a stretched Hawk as our 50

Roger
02-13-2008 01:07 PM
 
 
coolice
Key Veteran
Location: Northamptonshire, England

Hey All,

I'd just like to add a bit more in here if I may.
You will on average find a greater stock of spares with our Century stockists than at CenturyUK, for the simple reason being we are here to supply the trade who then sell to their customers.
Hence it is good practice to make sure our devoted models shops are fully stocked to keep models in the air than us.

Another thing as well is that if CenturyUK sold spares then the model shops would quite rightly stop stocking Century parts, which is not want we want to happen.

Unfortunately even CenturyUK do suffer with receiving spares supplies from the US for all number of reasons, this then unfortunately stops us from supply the public at times. Even us sponsored fliers have had to go without at times!
In any case every effort is made to make sure we CAN keep you flying your Century models and thus enjoying them.

When it comes to help & support, man power is a problem anywhere and in any job but at Century it has got much better in recent months.
Lets not forget I am about and can be reached quite easily for any help & support, or a shoulder to cry on even

I hope I have a good reputation though?!
.

Ian Contessa
Align Robbe SchluterUK Sponsored Flier
02-13-2008 04:54 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Sea King
Senior Heliman
Location: England UK

Ian
To be perfectly Blunt if it wasn't for some of the dealings I've had with Century Reps from both sides of the Pond
I would have spent my hard earned elsewhere a long time ago

And that is a shame because they do make a good product that suits me to a T



Roger
02-13-2008 05:56 PM
 
 
Antsis
Senior Heliman
Location: Kent, United Kingdom

I was also sad to find the raven 50 had been discontinued.

Ian. I understand Century UK giving dealers preference and I've not bought direct from them as I'm 5 mins from Modelworld. If they don't have, I look at Midland, but often even they haven't had. I waited 8 weeks for a fan collet after Mark told me they would be in stock after a few days. Days turned into weeks when suddenly some were found that had been sitting on the shelf all along. Two weeks for a plastic canopy for my raven. In another instance, A fellow pilot waited three months for a clutch.

Just to give you a comparison. A while back I ordered some links and arms for my A109 from the UK Graupner dealer. I got a call telling me the arms were not in stock and would have to be ordered from Germany. They arrived two days later direct from the factory.

I've flown all the Century types and think they are great models. I've argued their case in forums, but the response is always the same. Pilots go for specific brands because the spares are readily available.

Ant
02-13-2008 06:17 PM
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Century Hawk - Falcon - Raven - Predator > DONT BUY A HAWK!!! Read my story
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