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As the founder and principal software author behind RCUniverse (back in the day), I am excited to have you here to see what RCPilot is all about. I can share a few things:

- If you want to see what your RC World can be, change worlds using the menu by the logo up top and visit Scale Helicopters. We have lots of content there from the predecessor site, HeliStorm. It illustrates how phenomenal the platform can be when the folks commit to adding valuable content.

- This is NOT like Facebook in the sense that every contribution here gets analyzed by AI (subject to your final say) and cataloged by topic and, if applicable, product. This makes it possible for other members to easily find and benefit from the knowledge you shared. That said, we have a SHOTGUN SHARE feature that lets you share your posts with all of your favorite Facebook groups and forums.

- Unlike Facebook, we are not divided into little groups that spring up monthly. Trying to keep up with dozens of groups just ruins the community experience. Here, we are divided into "RC Worlds" but those divisions have proven to be useful over time. You can hope from one world to the next, but most of us are aligned with one primary discipline so that's likely where we will be.

- Our "build stories" are very cool. The link each chapter in your build journey into one story so that people can easily drill into a chapter to learn what they need while others maybe just follow along with every chapter.

- Our integrated "RCMarket" is the most advanced classified market software on the planet. Lots of security.

- There is a ton more here. Look around and please contribute. In this community, rank is achieved by the QUALITY of your contributions. There are no "Like" buttons. Instead, we have sentiment sliders that let you grade a post on 4 different criteria. That's meaningful feedback. Those whose posts earn high marks from the community, get status.

I thought I’d share my build notes for my UH-1N, and hope the info may be of use to anyone about to embark on a similar build. My heli is far from perfect and is only my second attempt at a scale model (I’m always amazed by the standard of others’ builds on these sites).

The notes include my component layout schema, wiring diagrams and the additional components I bought / built to complete the model.

In addition to mechanics and stock Roban fuselage, the build included lights, a glass cockpit (with working Artificial Horizon and compass rose), a HD camera in the cockpit that downlinks using standard 5.8GHz, a wifi camera in the nose turret (that downlinks to a laptop), and a RemoteID tramsmitter. There was also quite a bit of 3D printing to make items such as the wire strike protection system, the under-nose ball turret, the cockpit, and a battery tray.

I’d welcome any positive ideas to improve :)

I am currently building my second Roban 800 size heli, a AS365 Coast Guard. Following the instructions I drilled the tail mounting holes, glued in the pem nuts, and life was good. Now I am installing the mechanics and when they are bolted in place, the tail assembly does not line up with the front fuse half, or the mounting holes. I see only two ways to fix, raise the front of the mechanics as you can see in the photos with the screw driver, or enlarge the opening where the tail boom exits the fuse into the tail rotor area, (not my first choice). What would guys do, especially the Roban builders who may have delt with this already? Thank you.

R/C can be useful to keep model on smaller fields but otherwise free floght remains more chalanging as it callks for careful adjustment to teach your bird to fly. It takes it out of your hands. Otherwise it is like holding a model in your hands and making engine noises while waving it about in pretend flight. Every launch of a free flight is a new adventure while R/C just circling about and going through controled patterns at often considerable expense. Some overbuilt monstsities look dangerous flying at well over scale speeds. Perhaps I am just a ludite but some of you folks might try flying a rubber powered ROG.

The aircraft fuselage is cast from composite material using custom-made molds, then reinforced with a balsa wood framework and a system of structural ribs. Each component undergoes a center-of-gravity calibration process before moving on to the finishing stage.
The product is delivered unpainted, allowing the project owner to select their own color scheme and level of detail; alternatively, clients may request that the workshop complete the finishing process according to agreed-upon specifications.

Being a Veteran of the Vietnam era I have a great fondness for anything helicopter during that time. If you have not read "Low Level Hell" by Captain Hugh Mills you should read it. That is the man and the book that made "Miss Clawd" a well known helicopter in the scale helicopter community. This is my second Miss Clawd with the first being built in the early ninties and nitro powered. This one is a product of Vario Helicopters and equipped with Vario Benzine mechanics, powered with a Scorpion 5035 and retaining the Benzine clutch with a Heliworkshop clutch adapter, a Castle 160 ESC on 12S, Spektrum electronics and a Sound system making a very realistic model. The mechanics were highly modified to allow for a full cockpit and easy battery change. The cockpit is completely "scratch-built" from wood, plastic and aluminum. Pilots are a product of TailoredPilots, WarBirdPilots and patches added for the Vietnam era. Personal weapons and other cockpit accessories came from BlackOpsToys and Ebay. Stetsons were 3D printed by my friend of many years Mark Burks owner of Micro Designs. The "stogie" in the gunners mouth was the idea of my fellow full size pilot Csptian Randy Rivers that I shared a lot of civilian airspace with who also flew the OH 58D in the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars. I try to fly this model just as Miss Clawd was flown by Captain Mills.

I have built a total of 13 Roban scale helicopters and all have flown perfectly. I loved the looks of the Mercy Air but wanted to change it to the "Utility" version replacing the retractable gear with skid gear. Being new to 3D printing, I printed some suitable looking seats, patient streacher, SPH5 flight helmet, cyclic grips. I pieced together the pilot using accessories from Ebay and BlackOpsToys, added a harness set from Micro Designs to finish out the cockpit and interior. I enjoy building the Roban models, they build easy and fly great. I can't keep them all, lol and this one has a home with a lifelong friend David Stinnett and he is enjoying it immensely.

This my friends is one of the most noticeable things you will do to add a realistic and authentic touch to your beautiful model. Nothing else will make the "impact" more than a little exhaust soot. Keep in mind you only want to add this to your scale models with a "top mounted" turbine where you will see the accumulation of soot on top of the tail boom and stabilizers. Don't forget to add little soot to the leading edge of the tail rotor blades. The models such as the Hughes 500 series with a bottom mounted turbine will not leave but a slight amount of soot. The reason being: the exhaust from a top mounted turbine will accumulate more on top and in the middle of the tail boom due to air flow and rotor wash. The soot from a 500 series with a bottom mounted turbine will be mostly dissipated before reaching the verticle stabilizer and only a slight amount will accumulate near the bottom from the tail boom down. I like the results from using the Rust-oleum "High Heat 2000 Degree Ceramic Coating" for the best results that suit my goal. I spray the Rust-oleum into a cup and transfer it to my airbrush because the airbrush "atomizes" the paint into a very fine spray. I have used "flat black" paint and it works well but to me is a little "too black" when shot heavy, your choice. Apply the soot compared to your full size pictures. Most Military models accumulate a lot of soot because in a combat environment they are washed only "when water is avalible", lol. When I was flying full size on a long day of flying as you see in the picture of the ENG 206 it would get quite dirty. Just a little soot will enhance the realistic look of your model. If you have a model with a "black" tail boom you need only to add a little dusting of Testors DullCoat right from the can to simulate the soot and deglossing the tail boom. You can see my use of DullCoat in the video. The use of DullCoat is because after many washings the gloss coat will loose it's high shine. The decision to make is "do you want a big beautiful model" or do you want a "big beautiful model that looks REAL".

Most prepainted models from Roban, Funkey, Marvelcraft and others come with very nice paint but not a lot of detail. It is VERY easy to increase the realistic appearance of a prepainted fuselage by adding highlights to the rivets, adding panel lines, hinges and latches with nothing more than a little paint, brushs, 1/64th Graphic Tape and different colors of fine point permanent markers. I highlights the rivets with silver or aluminum permanent markers and "dry brushing", add or highlight panel lines with 1/64 Graphic Tape, simulate latches with small pieces of Monokote trim. I add exhaust soot with a cheap airbrush, if you have a black tail boom as on my yellow and black 407 I simply sprayed a light coat of Testors DullCoat on top of the tail boom and the leading edges of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers along with the leading edge of the tail rotor blades. You can judge by the "before and after" photos to see what a difference this little bit of detailing can accomplish to add a more realistic appearance to your prepainted model.

My goal for many years has been to make my models look as realistic as possible. I am in a small group and there is "absolutely" nothing wrong with having a beautiful "pristine" model but that is not my goal. I spent over thirty years in helicopter aviation and I seldom got the opportunity to fly a "pristine" helicopter. Most all my experience was in well worn and heavily used helicopters and I guess it left an impression, lol. Unless you are modeling a Medical helicopter, Executive transport or factory new or Air Force One lol, then there is going to be some wear. Even in ENG ( Electronic News Gathering ) and the Offshore industry ( where I retired ) we had to wash our helicopters daily and even then after hundreds of washings they began to show wear and loose their shine. I can certainly relate to you guys that want a "beautiful" and "brand new" looking helicopter but my goal is a "used" helicopter. I truly know the hesitation in "scuffing up" a new glossy paint job with "0000 steel wool" and "DullCoat" paint but to me it is just adding "realism" to give that authentic look. I "weather and wear" even my pre-painted models. Just adding a little "exhaust soot" can give your model a more realistic look. We love them all, weathered or not, BUT if you want to join the "next level" in modeling look at the pictures and determine if that might be your next goal. Just to show you how dedicated I am to this goal I am giving away an authentic SPH4 helicopter flight helmet as an award to the "most realistic and weathered" model at my Fun-Fly next year.

I purchased this model in 2023 in the"white" and only test flown. It has HELI-FACTORY mechanics with Hacker Q80 for power, Kontronik 200 on 12S, Bavarian 3X, ModelSoundsInc sound system ans Unilight lighting.
It was a "slick" fuselage with no exterior detailing. I added the rivets, panel lines and all exterior detailing. The cockpit was scratch-built, pilots were purchased from BlackOpsToys and pieced together with different heads and bodies ( the Frankenstein method ) along with assorted pilot accessories.
The armament is a combination of 3D printed parts from SCALE-PRINT and 9MINIMATRONIX.
Most Super Cobras are painted some form of Navy gray or camouflage. I did a lot of research and found that the USMC used the Sea Cobra in Opperation Urgent Fury and most of their helicopters were Deep Forest Green and even with this being a different version of the Cobra I chose this color, not building for competition but for personal preference. I did modify the skid gear for the proper angles and stance.
As with all my HELI-FACTORY models everything fit perfectly and flys GREAT
This model is now owned by Owen Battle and I am begging him to bring it down to Tennessee for me to once again fly.

Hello Scale RC-Helicopter Pilot Friends! I’ve mounted a Caddx Ascent+ HD FPV video system on my Flywing AS350 GPS RC-Helicopter in various positions. Flying an RC helicopter via FPV in full manual mode has a unique appeal—I personally really enjoy it. In this part 2 video of my fpv flight series, I’ll show you some footage from these FPV flights using the different camera positions. Which camera position do you like best? Have you tried setting up an FPV system yourself, and what has your experience been like?
Watch the Video here if you like to see some FPV Flight Footage:

I have been using sound systems for many years with great results. I had one of my models at a show a few years ago and as I was spooling up I heard the announcer saying what a realistic turbine I was using, he was very surprised to find out it was an electric model with a sound system. I used the older ModelSoundsInc system for years but they went out of business and BeierElectronics, a German based company that has been in the sound business for many years decided to make their system compatible with RC Helicopters. They offer the addition of an amplifier which allows you to hear the authentic rotor sound in flight of the selected full size helicopter.
I have included a video of my Starwood Lama which you can see in the "video section".
BeierElectronics offer many different helicopter sounds to choose from as well as the option to purchase the individual components needed to fit your project. I use two four inch speakers, USM-RC-3 sound module and amplifier in my big models. You can choose the size and number of speakers or use of the amplifier to fit your project. Their system allows you to personalize your model with ATC voices, guns sounds and other sounds if desired. You can power the sound module from your receiver battery or use a seperate 7.4 as I do. I power the amplifer with a small 1000mah 6S for many flights.
You can reach BEIER-ELECTRONIC.DE outside the U.S. or contact HOBBYCONCEPTS.NET in the U.S. if you have questions you can reach out to Bob Jacobsen at HOBBYCONCEPTS and he knows EVERYTHING about the product and can answer any of your questions.