A few days ago I took a look at a mini RC helicopter from HobbyTron, the Hornet 3, I found it to be an excellent product overall. Today for review I have another helicopter from HobbyTron, it is an AH-64 Apache four channel remote control type. This helicopter is a bit special in that it has co-axial rotor blades, where one blades spins clockwise while the other spins counter clockwise, the idea of this is that there is essentially no need for a tail rotor as the dual blades cancel out the rotation normally caused by a single bladed copter. I can say that I had a blast flying this helicopter around all over the place, it is fairly easy to use, fast, maneuverable and surprisingly very durable…
RC AH-64 Apache RTF 4 CH Electric Helicopter from HobbyTron
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos
Sponsor: HobbyTron
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
RC AH-64 Apache RTF 4 CH Electric Helicopter from HobbyTron
Product Information:
The Apache Helicopter is the most advanced, versatile, deployable, and maintainable multi-role combat helicopter in the world, and now you can be the pilot. This 4 channel RC Apache Helicopter, gives you complete control of its flight. Full function remote controlled forward, backward, up, down, left and right. Flies over 30 meters high. 4 channel radio control duel propeller system and stable hover. It also features a revolutionary co-axial rotor technology and a 7.4v 850mAh Li-Po rechargeable battery. Real helicopter performance with flight stabilizing system, 2x 130 Brushed Motor and FM 4CH transmitter. Up to 10 minute flight times with flight range of 60ft (20M). Factory assembled ready to fly.
Features:
-4 channel radio control duel propeller system
-Full movement control: forward, backward, left, right, up and down
-Replica design
-Revolutionary co-axial rotor technology
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Includes:
-Instruction Manual
-4-Channel Remote Controller
-7.4v 850mAh Li-Po Rechargeable RC Battery
-Battery Charger Adapter (110V)
-Spare Main Rotor Set
Requires:
-8 AA Batteries (Not Included)
-Do Not Charge Over Night, only charge until the LED light turns green.
Specifications:
-Dimensions: L 16 Inches X W 5.5 Inches x H 6.5 Inches
-Battery Duration:10 min
-Range:120 Feet
Price: $119.00
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A Better Look at Things
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You can see from the specs above that the Apache RC Helicopter from HobbyTrom is fairly large coming in at 16 inches in length, so it’s safe to assume the box for it is fairly large as well, and yep it is. The package for the Apache is very well done, lots and lots of pictures including pictures of real Apaches in action, the entire box has a nice military theme befitting of the Apache inside.
Once we get the box open we find a huge block of styrofoam with all the pieces snuggly protected inside it during transportation. One side just has the assembled Apache itself, while the other side has the remote, antenna, battery, charger, screwdriver and spare set of blades. Of course a bit of literature comes with it as well, read and learn it before trying to fly please….
Here are a couple pictures of everything all laid out so you can get a good look at it all:
The AH-64 Apache from HobbyTron is very cool looking, I’ve got nothing but compliments on it wherever I took it to fly. Everyone just thinks it’s so cool, especially the dual blades, people ask me why it has the dual blades and I happily explain it to them, yeah I’m a geek, so what!?!? Anyway, the Apache is actually very lightweight, you can see in the pictures that it’s body is essentially a skeleton. In addition to the dual rotors, on the very top is something else that sort of resembles a rotor, but it is actually a weight set, this helps in maneuvering the Apache and helps to keep it steady.
A Better Look at Things
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Since there are two rotors, we find two motors in the Apache, makes sense right? If you read my review of the Hornet 3 from HobbyTron then you’ll know I’m a fan of RC Helis and own a rather expensive one, an E-Flite BladeCP, and I can say that the quality of the Apache is Hobby Grade Quality, it is very well made, and very durable, believe me I did crash it a few times and it held up very well.
In the cockpit you’ll find some of the main components of the helicopter, they made the canopy see through so you can get a good look at the inner workings and also see the LEDs inside the copter.
Of course since this is an Apache helicopter, we’ve got missile racks on both sides.
On the front we can see the radar array, and main cannon. The wheel of the Apache are a soft rubber and do roll freely making landings fairly easy, the Apache is balanced very well. I found that once I got it all trimmed out it almost always landed on it’s wheels.
Here’s a couple more pictures of the sides, showing various angles of the missile pods, wings, and inside the frame:
There is a tail rotor on the Apache, but it’s fake, only there for looks and to help maintain balance.
If we look at the bottom of the Apache we can see the gears that make everything work, and this is also the spot where the battery pack gets clipped into. I really like the mounting system of the battery pack, it works well and holds the battery in place very well. The red plug toward the right side of the following picture is the battery connection, and toward the left you can see the clip that hold the battery in place.
A Better Look at Things
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As this is a four channel RC helicopter, the remote is large, like you would see on any Hobby Grade RC device.
There are two joysticks that control the Apache, the right one up/down controls throttle, and left/right controls banking left/right. The left joystick controls forward and backward movements and rotation of the helicopter left and right.
The back of the remote is where the ‘AA’ batteries go, all eight of them.
On the top center of the remote is a battery level indicator, the instruction manual is a bit wrong about this, it stated that the batteries are low and need changed when the needle is all the way to the right or ‘H’ charge, ‘H’ would be high or full charge actually.
Like most multiple channel helicopters there are trim sliders for each of the settings, the Apache is no different. In the center of the remote are trim sliders, the right one is for adding or subtracting throttle, while the left is for adjusting the forward and backward movement.
Directly under each joystick is a another trim slider, the trim under the left joystick controls the rotation of the blades, this keeps it from spinning round and round once adjusted properly. The trim slider on the right controls the right/left banking or movement of the Apache.
Installation, Testing and Comparison
The first thing you’ll need to do is install the antenna, they even included a little ribbon on it so no one gets there eye poked out….
The second thing, or maybe could have been the first is to install the batteries.
Then of course once the battery pack is charged, install it into the Apache. I didn’t mention it before, but I was very surprised by how light the battery pack is for the Apache, it is a Li-Poly type of battery, I’m used to the heavy Ni-Cad types so it was quite a shock that it was so light. The included wall charger has an LED indicator in it as well that lets you know when the battery is fully charged by turning from red to green, takes about 25 minutes to fully charge from totally empty. This gives a flight time of about 10-12 minutes.
and here’s a quick picture of all three of my RC helis, including the Apache and Hornet 3 from HobbyTron:
Once I got everything unpacked and the battery charged I was ready to fly, or so I thought… I found that the trim was all messed up, and it needed quite a bit of work to get it to fly straight. I emailed my rep about it and he assured me that that wasn’t typical for this helicopter, it should be ready to fly out of the box. I’ve got quite a bit of experience at RC helis and it took me about two hours (that’s the total time, including the charges) and all the blades to get the Apache to fly correctly. Thankfully I’ve got a hobby store near me that specializes in RC stuff so I went and bought a few packs of blades. Yes the blades do break very easily, but they are very inexpensive and essentially made to break so the main helicopter won’t take damage or anything that you might hit either.
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When you are dealing with Hobby Grade RC toys they are specifically made to be be easily fixed with inexpensive replaceable parts, it’s nice actually, but it can get expensive fast as with my E-Flite BladeCP. The Apache from HobbyTron is a bit different though, there are not as many parts as my BladeCP, so maintaining it is relatively cheap, the only things I replaced were the blades, I spent $4 for a set of four blades, two top and two bottom blades in a set. Although I did buy five sets and used them all, I like to fly quite a bit, and I like to fly fast and see what I can do… if you’re careful you won’t need to replace them as often as I do though.
Once everything is set and flying well the fun can start, and I have to say this thing is fast, and very maneuverable. I can easily compare it to my 6-channel BladeCP, for maneuverability and fun, but the Apache is much easier to fly as there is no tail rotor to control, the co-axial blade system is just awesome really. For the advanced RC pilot and even the beginners this thing is just tons of fun!
Ok, well I’ve got six movies for you on the coming pages. so jump to it!
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Movies Page 1
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Alright Movie 1 is showing take off and how well it handles, this thing just flies great once you get the hang of it… and at the end you can see how it lands perfectly even though I cut the controls in mid air.
Movie 2 is essentially me flying slow so my camera guy could get a nice picture of it, and some more just flying around a bit…
This movie is showing just how maneuverable it is, it easily slides right and left, up and down…
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Movies Page 2
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Movie 4 is another shot at trying to get some closeups.. I think i need a new cameraman….
This movie is taking off and showing how fast it goes, along with some basic hovering, and flying about… and a not so perfect landing…
The last movie is more to show what happens when the batteries get low, the helicopter gets a bit skittish…
Oh and I should note that the RC Apache from HobbyTron is intended for indoor use only, but of course I took it outside anyway, and yes it flew….away from me…. hehe, have to watch that wind, but seriously it did work very well outside in very light wind, any sort of gust or strong wind will take the Apache right along with it.
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Also, I crashed this thing quite a few times, and no major damage occurred, yes the blades broke, but we discussed that already. The fake tail rotor did break off, though it was nothing a little bit of super glue couldn’t fix, and the front radar array came off as well, but it was only held in place by two tiny plastic pins, it was meant to be movable like a real Apache has, here again some super glue and you’re all set. So nothing major happened in the way of damage, I was very surprised as I did bang it around quite a bit flying it in my house… no worse for wear really.
Summary:
An RC Apache, it’s just cool! The fact that this thing is just easy to fly is a large bonus in my book, the dual rotors really do make flying much easier. This was my first experience with the co-axial design and I’m very impressed as were all of my friends, overall the Apache from HobbyTron is a great product, and I’m confident that the small problem I had with the trimming is not somethings that should be worried about at all. If you are looking for a great new RC heli, or even a beginner then I can highly recommend stopping over at HobbyTron and picking one of these up….
DragonSteelMods gives the RC AH-64 Apache RTF 4 CH Electric Helicopter from HobbyTron a 4.5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well.
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Pros:
-Fast
-Fairly easy to fly for beginners
-Very durable
-Highly maneuverable
-No tail rotor to control
Cons:
-Blades break very easily
-Needed quite a bit of adjustment to get flying
I would like to thank HobbyTron for the chance to review the RC AH-64 Apache RTF 4 CH Electric Helicopter and for their continued support of DSM.