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Thunder Power RC . Real Raptors . Mikado Modellhubschrauber

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Autogyros - Gyrocopters > AirHogs Chopper
 
 
volare
Veteran
Location: Cincinnati Area

According to this month's Popular Science Magazine:

Toy Chopper Reaches New Heights
The $70 Air Hogs remote-controlled electric helicopter is priced like a toy, built like a hobbyist craft, and flies like the real thing......blah blah.....It can reach heights of more than 100 feet and distances of 300 feet from its remote-and can even hover....blah...hits stores this fall. www.spinmaster.com

From the picture I can tell this thing is fixed pitch but it looks pretty neat. And only $70! The remote is very different from ours and looks more like a car remote. I can imagine a lot of people buying these and modifying them untill they fly like the 'real thing'.
03-12-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Virtual1
Senior Heliman
Location: Waterloo, Iowa - USA

I checked the web page but didn't spot it. Do you have a direct url?
03-12-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
jbrundt
Veteran
Location: St. Charles, MO

It looks like an twin rotor autogyro, not a true helicopter. They took a fixed wing plane and added free wheeling rotors to the outboard wing panels. Interesting concept for a toy plane. Not sure I'd pay $70 for it though. MAN did a mini review of the AirHogs plane a few years ago. Chris Chianelli said it was good schoolyard fun and the air powered motor produced a lot of power. I got my son an air powered monster truck and they do get up and move. This particular one has a two speed transmission that shifts automatically.

I read somewhere that someone was going to try and convert an AirHog plane to R/C but I never saw anything more about it. Back to the XT-9 TurboChopper.......... From the picture (actually an animated GIF) on the Spinmaser web page it looks like they don't have a beta version ready for photos yet. They bastardized a current AirHog and did some digital photo trickery. I didn't see any mention of R/C though when I looked at the instruction manual. Where did you hear it was going to be R/C? Most of the AirHogs retail for around $29.99. They'd have a hard time selling for a higher price than that.


Jeff
03-12-2002 Over year old.
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Maxx
Key Veteran
Location: Shreveport Louisana

Let's hope the silly thing isn't on a frequency we use...at $70.00 I see problems ahead if they are... Maybe they'll be on an R/C car freq... I wish the "Park Flyers" were! Chris
03-12-2002 Over year old.
 
 
volare
Veteran
Location: Cincinnati Area

You're looking at the wrong thing

It is not a twin rotor autogyro, and not modified from a fixed wing. From the magazine I see It has one main rotor assembly and a tail rotor. I don't think it's on the website yet.
03-12-2002 Over year old.
 
 
RhelipilotC
Heliman
Location: Oahu, Hawaii

Hi!.

I went through the entire issue (Mar 2002) of Pop Sci and did not find anything.

Thanks!
Ed
03-12-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Bill F
Senior Heliman
Location: Hillsboro NH

post a pic

Do you have access to a scanner? If so can you scan the picture and post it so we all can see?
-Bill
03-13-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Raj Patel
Senior Heliman
Location: Humble, TX

air hogs

Try this site:

http://www.spinmaster.com/index.cfm...plate=gRtNv.cfm

If that does not work , just go to the original site and click on news coverage. The article says it was in the April issue of PS.

RAj
03-13-2002 Over year old.
 
 
jbrundt
Veteran
Location: St. Charles, MO

thanks Raj,

That DOES NOT at all look like what is on their web site. Definitely two different animals. The one from the PS mag looks a bit like the 'Executive' stress reliever toy I've seen at places like Spencer's or The Sharper Image (or even our gift shop here at Boeing). Notice the 'ring' that they have around the main blade tips? That's for safety so some kid won't poke his eye out. It will lbe intersting to see what they can do with this 'toy'. I still say $70 is a lot for something like this. I could put that $70 to good use towards some stuff for my 'real' R/C helis

For those of you concened it might interfere with our R/C frequencies I would not be alarmed. Most of these toys operate somewhere around 27mHz. Very similar to the R/C cars they sell at RS, Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, etc. What you do need to worry about is someone that might modifiy it with micro R/C equipment that places like GWS or FMA sell. That stuff is intended for traditional R/C frequencies at 72mHz and could cause problems by backyard or 'park flyers'.

Jeff
03-13-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Virtual1
Senior Heliman
Location: Waterloo, Iowa - USA

Ya, toy RC equipment usually operates in one of the five 27mhz channels, or on the 49mhz walkie-talkie freqs. I'd expect the same of this one. That ring around both rotors is handy for lots of reasons... no boom strikes for instance, and greater crash resiliance.

The part that has me wondering is the power source. All the "Air Hogs" line of toys are powered from compressed air, via what looks an awful lot like a bicycle pump. The promo described the heli as being able to reach a height of 100ft or 300ft distance from the pilot. That suggests a very short powered flight time. I'm thinking it's either air powered or maybe flywheel powered. (or maybe it just spins up the blades and flies on their inertia??) With any more conventional power source, it would easily be able to go up until it lost radio contact, and the advertised limits would not exist. The base that's shown in the picture either contains an air pump, or something that spins up the rotors to charge them with inertia.

My favorite comment: "you can even hover". Well, it's a helicopter, I should hope so! Although if it's going on blade inertia, that's gotta be interesting... spending your entire flight time in an auto.
03-13-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Bill F
Senior Heliman
Location: Hillsboro NH

electric

According to that artical it is eletric powered, sounds like the radio has a short range to it.
03-13-2002 Over year old.
 
 
deckerv
Veteran
Location: Wellsville, NY

Sounds kinda neat.. my kids would love one... Imagine having 3 or 4, and have something like an IROC pylon race with them inside a gym or something ... That could be fun
03-13-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Virtual1
Senior Heliman
Location: Waterloo, Iowa - USA

Well, their airhog planes are not R/C, you just dial in the fins and throw it and it flies by itself until it runs out of air. It wouldn't be too abusive of them to say this heli is "electric" because it needs four AA's to run a few servos and a receiver. I'm still expecting it to be inertia or air powered.

Another thing to consider, it may only have collective control. (no tail or elevator) But that's just a guess going by the fact that they're trying to make this very cheaply. Whatever it is, it should be interesting to see how sturdy it is, seeing as almost every landing they make is probably something we'd call a crash.
03-14-2002 Over year old.
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KevinDark2977
Heliman
Location: Reno, NV

My neighbor has one ant its a piece of crap!

It flew too high and got blown about 1000 yards from his house out in the sagebrush.

Believe me they do not take crashes well.

It was completely ripped in 3 separate peices and other small styrophome bits.

He could not glue it back, and was out 100$

It does not cost 70.

For 150$ you could buy a whole new set of servos with money to spare.

Whats the point of spending 70 on something unexpandable and crappy. (Or even 100$)

It is fixed pitch, and the lasts about 5 min on a single charge.
08-04-2003 Over year old.
 
 
future3dmaster
Senior Heliman
Location: Telford UK

Air Hogs suck dic
you aint got any control over them
and the batteries run out really quick
05-26-2004 Over year old.
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recca328
Heliman
Location:

well if you are gonna buy that kinda heli i sugest you look on ebay they sell those things for about 30 and plust you can find micro helis for about 150. you can also find abunch of other things cheep.



i have nothing else to do with my time so i go ebaying lol
07-06-2004 Over year old.
 
 
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Autogyros - Gyrocopters > AirHogs Chopper
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