Post by Chris Reibert on Feb 6, 2012 22:30:23 GMT -4
Review: Chaos 450 Pro Super Combo by RC Aerodyne
Flying Weight: 780g Length: 635mm Height: 230mm Servos: Mini Digital MG / High Speed Digital Tail Gyro: GT500 Heading Lock ESC: Phoenixtech 45Amp Motor: Scorpion 4400KV 2221-6 Blade Diameter: Main 710mm / Tail 158mm Sport Flight Duration: 4 – 9 minutes Manufacturer: RC Aerodyne Available From: www.scaleflying.com Price: MSRP: $389.95 You Pay: $299.95
About the Author Chris Reibert: crmodels
A good way to start off this review would be to tell you a little history about myself. I have been in the hobby since I was just six years old back in 1986 when I started flying planks. I got into helicopters in the mid 90’s with Lite Machines 110 and have been hooked ever since. I counted the other day and believe to have had around 40 different helicopters to date. They ranged from co-axial and fixed pitch to full 3D Smack Style Beasts like my beloved Trex 550. Once you set foot in this hobby it’s an addiction that never gets old with the rapidly changing technology. Not only will you advance in knowledge in the hobby but the people you meet along the way and the friendships you make are Priceless.
Introduction
After hearing about nothing but good things about RC Aerodyne and their line of Chaos helicopters from listening to podcasts at www.RChelination.com I was instantly very intrigued to not only get a Chaos 450 Pro to build and fly, but do a full review/build/flight videos. This is my first review I have ever done and it was Fun. Can’t wait to do another build/review soon.
Opening The Box
The Chaos 450 Pro comes in its own colorful box with the Chaos logo on the front of it. When you open the box, you are greeted with a well organized foam holder which prevents the components from shifting during shipping. The subassemblies (rotor head, main frame, and tail) are all pre-built. The small white box contains bags of small parts as well as the one piece skid. The package I am reviewing here today, the Chaos 450 Pro Super Combo includes a brushless motor, speed control, 3 digital servos, gyro, and digital tail servo. The price on the super combo is $299.95. Also available is the Chaos 450 Pro Kit which only includes the airframe, canopy, and carbon blades for $169.95 My kit was just about perfect except for some small blemishes on the canopy when I opened the box. Besides that the kit was flawless and was a very quick build.
Sub-Assemblies
The main frame, rotor head, and tail come pre-assembled. ** Check, Re-Check, and Lock tight all small screws ** I found all of the pre-assembled parts to have had lock tight on them but a few got missed. Once checked over and relock tighted the parts I was able to proceed with the assembly. The manual reads as if the helicopter was in full unassembled kit form. I found the manual was as easy to follow as all my previuos Align models I have built. Go back to the early 2000’s when align first released the 450 line we had to build every part in the head, tail, frame etc…
Main Rotor Head
With almost 98% everything built in the head minus the flybar and paddles it left very little to assemble. With one piece fixed length control rods for the Hiller and the link from the Bell/Hiller mixer to the blade grip, there is a lot less assembly unlike other 450 models out on the market. Blade tracking adjustments are made with the long bell input linkages. Most the ball links operated smooth, with the exception of a few I had to ream out bigger. Machined 7075 Aircraft Grade Aluminum is used throughout on the head. Its anodized black with some areas machined to show off the shiny aluminum innards. Blade grip and washout bearings should be inspected to make sure plenty of grease was used on the thrust bearings during installation.
Main Frame
No more do you seldom ever see the double stacked frame like the old 450’s. Like the Chaos 500, 550, 600, and 700 the Chaos 450 Pro only uses the two piece single sided design made from carbon fiber, stacked vertically. What sets the Chaos line of helicopters apart from the rest is that their frames use extra thick carbon fiber thus allowing you to fit in bigger, higher output motors! With the new servo arrangement just like Align uses, it incorporates the bearing blocks for the main shaft with the servo mounts. If you want better access to the elevator cyclic servo during install, it is as simple as drilling out the opposing holes to accommodate your hex driver to fit through. Just like on my 550 the tail servo sits snug inside the frame in its own servo tray. A nice location is provided for a gyro right behind the anti rotation guide. They left a small slot to run Velcro through to secure the gyro down during hard 3D flights. For receiver location I choose inside the frame just like I did on my 550 to ensure a clean exterior look. No more “skid and pipe” for the gear design, you get a one piece landing gear and a simple two screw installation to mount them to the frame. The motor mount is simple with two slots for the mounting screws, although the access to the mounting screws is also a little hard. It will require you to remove the two front cyclic servos to have direct access. Getting access to the cyclic mounting screws requires removing the battery tray. Not too big of a deal, mount the motor first.
Canopy
The pre-painted fiberglass canopy comes in a vibrant Chaos orange with black/grey paint scheme to set it out from the rest of the 450 pack. It is held in place by a small plastic clip on the bottom of the battery tray and two aluminum canopy mounts with grommets at the top of the frame.
Tail Assembly
This is yet another major preassembled piece the Chaos kits have built for you at the factory. **Recommend checking all screws for proper tightness and lock tight ** Counter balanced black anodized 7075 machined aluminum tail blade grips should make the tail exceptionally smooth and crisp to the touch when performing any piro type maneuvers. They contain two ball bearings each per side. A small amount of slop was noticeable on the slider where the plastic slider slips over the metal ball. But what 450 model doesn’t have some play in the slider assembly. Full carbon fiber tail fins are included as well as a machined aluminum horizontal fin/boom support mount. The Chaos 450 Pro uses a torque tube tail drive system with bevel gears at both ends for clean crisp power to the tail drive system. Mine came out of the box with a full aluminum torque tube. A center rubber bushing with a ball bearing inside keep the tube running true, and splined connectors plug into the back of the bevel gears. Having a torque tube makes assembly/dis-assembly easier than with a belt drive for quick change of parts in the case of a crash or repair. WARNING ** Torque tubes are more susceptible to damage than a belt drive, so keep that tail rotor off the ground **
Final Setup
RC Aerodyne includes all electronics in the Super Combo minus TX/RX. The combo comes with the Phoenixtech 3500KV motor but I opted for the Phoenixtech (Scorpion 2221-6 4400KV) motor upgrade. The accompanying speed control is a 45amp Phoenixtech. They also include 3 “DS410MG style” digital servos on cyclic and a high speed “DS520 style” digital tail servo. Also included is the GT500 heading lock gyro which should get the job done, though it’s going into my scale build. Due to extreme sport 3D flying I do I am kind of hooked on the Spartan Quark gyros. Adding a Spektrum AR6115e DSMX to the build allowed me to control it with my new Specktrum DX7s 2.4Ghz Radio. I will be using a variety of batteries ranging from Turnigy-Voltz packs all in 11.1v 3s 2200mah 30-40c.
I originally built the Chaos 45 Pro with the Phoenixtech ESC mounted on the side of the helicopter due to the size of the ESC but have since ordered Aligns 35amp ESC so that I can fit it up under the battery tray furthermore cleaning up the exterior of my bird! *I am Extremely Anal* Although most popular receivers will fit inside the frame through the bottom frame tray I recommend taking off the right side to run all your servo wires and assist in electronics placement. It is VERY important to pay close attention to where the servo wires are routed around the frame and gear and the edges of the carbon frame. ** I prefer to use braided servo wire sleeves and heat shrink tubing along sharp areas** I also recommend using a bit of Goop or hot glue where the wires enter the servo case, and anywhere you are worried the wires might fray on the frame it not properly protected.
Test Flight
With all of the linkages in the head being fixed with the exception of the Bell input and all linkages built to spec I expected the model to track perfectly off the bench. It was out of track by about 3 turns of one of the linkages, not bad for factory assembled head. The included carbon fiber blades look and feel nice. Also included are carbon fiber paddles and tail blades. ** Usually an upgrade on other 450s’ ** With some small adjustments to gain and sub trim it hovered almost hands free right after the build.
Flying
Hover/Forward/3D Flight- With no slop in the head, the Chaos 450 Pro exhibits smooth and agile performance. Like the exceptionally popular bigger brothers it is modeled after (500, 550, 600, and 700)this model has a very predictable feel in hover and forward flight. I feel it needs some expo to soften input around neutral due to its smaller disc size. I hit throttle hold after each hover and got about a 2-3 mini auto.
Cyclic Response- Cyclic response both in high speed flight and in tight maneuvering is very crisp and precise. I especially enjoy doing stationary flips and rolls which is more than easily achieved with this fast little helicopter. Its fast, crisp cyclic control allows for quickly changing orientation.
Collective Management- This helicopter has extreme Vertical POP! It has the power and precision to do hard, aggressive climbs and stops, and it takes a beating and stays right with you. With the 4400KV motor installed this thing has the ability for endless vertical climb as well as heart pounding on the Deck tic tocs. The servos seem to control the helicopter well and I see no need for any upgrade as of right now.
Tail Response- This is perhaps where the biggest improvement is compared to previous 450’s out there. This tail is fast, precise, holds very well, and is consistent. This is due to the added weight in the new style double bearing grips. Having the tail so precise allows for a number of clean piro type maneuvers. The Chaos 450 Pro also can auto rotate if enough head speed and negative management is demonstrated.
Conclusion
I am very pleased with how smooth the build went and feel RC Aerodyne really hit the nail on head making this kit and improving on past models flaws. Any complaints I have about the design are minor at the most. I have absolutely no complaints about the flight performance! It flies no different, if not better than all my past Align models. It delivers fast and aggressive Smack 3D, yet I could throw my scale fuselage on it and fart around the field on a Sunday afternoon. The Chaos’s torque tube tail is perhaps the biggest improvement over previous 450 models to date. ** But again be WARNED, if you hit the tail on the ground, you are almost sure to strip a gear somewhere in the tail drive system**
If you are looking for a Performance 450 Size helicopter at a fraction of the competitors’ prices RCA has what you are looking for. The Chaos 450 Pro Super Combo is hard to beat in performance and value at the sticker price of just $299.95 I would urge anybody looking to get into collective fixed helicopters to jump up to a 450 size before ever wasting money on a fixed pitch helicopter or a small sub micro bird like the MCPX. This will always be my go to, beat up, smack around, inexpensive practice bird. I believe if you are even a nitro or electric 600-800size BIG helicopter pilot Everybody needs a 450 in their hanger!
Pros
• Easy Assembly
• Simple Design with stronger tougher single piece carbon fiber frame
• Battery mount designed to bring CG closer to disc plane
• Machined from 7075 Aircraft Grade aluminum parts
• Quality electronics which meet the demands of the helicopter
• TONS of Real carbon fiber parts and upgrades INCLUDED
• Pre-Painted fiberglass canopy in vibrant Chaos orange
• Efficient Torque Tube drive system
Cons
• Poor access to the center cyclic servo and motor mounting screws
• Small cosmetic blemishes on my canopy
• Some screws were not lock tight *It is our job as a builder to check them all*
• And the Biggest: YOU DON’T HAVE ONE IN YOUR HANGER…
Here is the kits manual www.rcaerodyne.com/Chaoshelicopter450pro.pdf
My Videos I have recorded so far.
What’s in the Box:
Build Video:
First Hover Flight:
First Fast Forward Flight:
Since 2008, RC Aerodyne has provided customers around the globe with top quality scale RC aircraft, helicopter kits and an incredible selection of hobby parts and upgrades. Located in Kent, Washington just south of Seattle, they offer a wide variety of great products from many excellent brands selected by our seasoned RC experts to guarantee you both top performance and top value. I would like to thank Cliff and all the guys at RC Aerodyne for your wonderful customer support and help.
Don’t for get to visit the guys over at www.chaoslounge.net and
www.rchelination.com