Roban AH-1W Cobra 700 Size Scale Helicopter

[sfcfury]

Hello all... I wanted to start a Roban 700 Cobra page... b/c the AH-1 is one of my most favorite helicopters and also that I have a bad tendency to post my crap on other peoples topics!! To be honest I can't believe there isn't a couple topics running already already seems how its such a cool helicopter and that the kit has been around a few years.. (maybe there are pages and I didn't search hard enough) . Anyhoo, I'm not a great builder etc, and actually don't take a lot of pictures, but I will share what I have! I hope to see other folks tips and tricks and maybe get some more ideas! I have actually had this kit going on two years now, but didn't start tinkering with it till this past August...

Here's my equipment:
ESC: CC TALON HV 120
MOTOR: TENGU 4525HS / 515KV
GYRO/RECEIVER: AR7210 BX FBL
SERVO: OMG D1-ST-BM20Sx3 (Swash)
SERVO: OMG D1-ST-BM07S (Tail)
700mm Main Blades (Stock -Asymmetrical)
RJX 120mm CF Tail Blades

Waiting on the HSM 800 Helical gear upgrade to come back in stock at scaleflying.de

[sfcfury]

Here's my testbed setup etc

[sfcfury]

[sfcfury]

Going to run the shockwave sound system... this my idea on placing the speakers...

[sfcfury]

Some painting... I'm not good at painting... best to stick with military two tone military for me lol...

[sfcfury]

Pilots...

[sfcfury]

My Pink Team... (one day I will finish everything lol)

[Alpha]

Your painting looks good, and so do your pilots!

How do you like those OMG servos, especially the tail servo? I have been to the factory and know they're well made, but I haven't flown them in a larger helo like this.

[sfcfury]

Your painting looks good, and so do your pilots!

How do you like those OMG servos, especially the tail servo? I have been to the factory and know they're well made, but I haven't flown them in a larger helo like this.

These are the only ones that I have used (in this helicopter)... and my experience in general isn't enough for me to make a good comparison between brands... I have only hovered and done a couple small circuits with the test bed so far, but they seem very responsive and no issues in handling the what little i've thrown at them. No binding or overheating etc...

[F106DeltaDart]

Excellent work so far! Looking forward to seeing it fly! I have this one on the bench and am hoping to get started soon. Where did you get those pilots? They look great!

[sfcfury]

Excellent work so far! Looking forward to seeing it fly! I have this one on the bench and am hoping to get started soon. Where did you get those pilots? They look great!

The pilots are a mix bag... the figures and helmets are the 10" jet/heli figures from warbirdpilots.com. They came with the green flight suit, harness and white helmets (with helmet accessories). The gear is from the soldier story pilot/aircrew series. The flight suit, was made by a friends daughter by one of my old real khaki flight suits. I was going for the marine Marpat paint job on the helmets.

[F106DeltaDart]

The pilots are a mix bag... the figures and helmets are the 10" jet/heli figures from warbirdpilots.com. They came with the green flight suit, harness and white helmets (with helmet accessories). The gear is from the soldier story pilot/aircrew series. The flight suit, was made by a friends daughter by one of my old real khaki flight suits. I was going for the marine Marpat paint job on the helmets.

Ah, that makes sense. Excellent work on them, and it’s extra cool that they actually use your old flight suit. I had looked at the Warbird pilot figures and ended up going a different route because I couldn't get a khaki flight suit.

[sfcfury]

Ah, that makes sense. Excellent work on them, and it’s extra cool that they actually use your old flight suit. I had looked at the Warbird pilot figures and ended up going a different route because I couldn't get a khaki flight suit.

Thank you! Yea i thought it would be neat touch for it to be made from an actual flight suit lol. They are actually too big... but just by a smidge.

[Alpha]

sfcfury If you don't plan on moving the figures much, you may want to consider using Mod Podge to help stiffen and tighten the flight suit. In the past, I have used Mod Podge to stiffen fabric and get it to lay "flatter" onto large 1/6 scale pilot figures, such as the excellent ones made by www.Warbirdpilots.com. Mod Podge is brushed on with a brush and dries clear with a slight sheen. It's basically thinned white glue, that dries stiff but still somewhat flexible. The idea is that the hardened Mod Podge helps the flight suit conform more realistically to the body instead of looking "puffy".

Experiment with a doll from the Dollar Store or on a scrap piece of fabric, to learn how best to apply it and how to hold it in the shape you want while it dries.

'Just an idea.

[sfcfury]

sfcfury If you don't plan on moving the figures much, you may want to consider using Mod Podge to help stiffen and tighten the flight suit. In the past, I have used Mod Podge to stiffen fabric and get it to lay "flatter" onto large 1/6 scale pilot figures, such as the excellent ones made by www.Warbirdpilots.com. Mod Podge is brushed on with a brush and dries clear with a slight sheen. It's basically thinned white glue, that dries stiff but still somewhat flexible. The idea is that the hardened Mod Podge helps the flight suit conform more realistically to the body instead of looking "puffy".

Experiment with a doll from the Dollar Store or on a scrap piece of fabric, to learn how best to apply it and how to hold it in the shape you want while it dries.

'Just an idea.

I will have to try that... although the don't look to puffy, my pilots are actually too tall for the cockpit; both of their helmets are touching the canopy. The pilot was really bad, i trimmed his seat down and shaved a couple mm's out of the wood were his seat attaches. The gunner i didn't touch at all... if I would have shaved his seat down like the pilot's, it probably would have been perfect for him. What works in my favor is the fact in the real helicopter, the pilots take up a lot of the space/look big as well.

[PawPaw]

Sure glad to find you! I ordered my AH-1W 700 this morning & will be my first heli build. Motion was out of stock on the recommended motor & ESC but did have the servos & gyro. I’ll be watching closely & hope to pick your brain!

[sfcfury]

Sure glad to find you! I ordered my AH-1W 700 this morning & will be my first heli build. Motion was out of stock on the recommended motor & ESC but did have the servos & gyro. I’ll be watching closely & hope to pick your brain!

Welcome aboard PawPaw! Definitely ask any question you have, b/c there are lots of knowledgeable people (not me!) on these forums. I would say look at any of the Roban build pages, especially the 700/800 ones, as the mechanics are very similar... and you will be surprised the tips/tricks you will find scattered throughout various discussions. This was my first 'big' build (it's big to me!) as well as first belt drive heli. Probably the best advice I can contribute on the build is to watch the belt tension when you set up it up. You can definitely over tighten and cause yourself other problems (ask me how I know lol). I found this video after the fact, and even though it's in German, you get the jist of what they are doing and saying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEqE7KebqmY

What motor were you looking at?

[PawPaw]

Motion recommended the Scorpion HK II 4235-630Kv but it’s OOS when I ordered. Roban manual says 450Kv - 600Kv. I’m looking at the Scorpion 4235-500Kv. Your input here is most appreciated!

[sfcfury]

IMO, I think the Kv should be in the 515 to 560 range... Especially if you are going to try to use the ESC to set RPM... it will give you some overhead, but you will in the 84-94% range of the ESC. I am using the talon 120 and a 515Kv motor, and set my head speed to 1400rpm, which puts me at 94% on the speed controller.

[PawPaw]

Thanks! I’ve started another cart at Motion this morning & was about to order the 500Kv along with a Talon 160 ESC w/cooling fan. They’re out of stock on my ideal choices & I’m a little concerned this COVID-19 will crimp their resupply efforts. I figured 1350-1400 HS about right for scale flying but have read some folks flying 700’s at 1250 about the same weight. I’ll go look at the TENGU’s.....ok to call me copycat!