Official Rotorscale 250 Size AH-64 Apache GPS Stabilized Helicopter RTF Thread

[Aros]

AH-64 Apache 250 Size GPS Stabilized Helicopter - RTF from Rotorscale - RSH1018-001

Unleash the thrill of flying with the RotorScale AH-64 Apache, a GPS-stabilized helicopter that combines the precision of advanced technology with the iconic look of the renowned AH-64 military gunship. Designed to be both beginner-friendly and feature-packed for advanced users, this ready-to-fly (RTF) model provides everything you need for stable, smooth, and enjoyable flights.

The RotorScale AH-64 Apache is the perfect blend of advanced flight technology, safety features, and scale-model realism. Whether you’re a beginner mastering the basics or an experienced flyer exploring automatic flight modes, this helicopter offers something for everyone. Take control of the skies with precision, stability, and style!

Fly Out of the Box! The RotorScale AH-64 Apache arrives fully assembled and ready to take to the skies. No setup hassle—just charge the battery, and you're ready to fly!

Heavy-Duty Aluminum Carrying Case Transport your AH-64 with confidence and style using the included protective aluminum case, designed to shield your helicopter from damage and ensure it stays flight-ready.

Highly Detailed Designed to replicate the legendary AH-64 Apache gunship, this helicopter features incredible attention to detail, making it look as impressive on display as it is in the air.

Precision Control with GPS + Gyro Stability Enjoy smooth flights and exceptional stability with the built-in GPS and 6-axis gyro, making it easy for beginners to stay in control.

Steady Hovering with Lidar The advanced Lidar sensor, combined with GPS and downward facing optical flow sensor, ensures precise position control and stable hovering, making flights smoother and more beginner-friendly.

Automatic Return Home and Low Battery Safeguard Fly with confidence knowing the helicopter can automatically return to its takeoff point with the flip of a switch. If the battery level drops too low, the AH-64 will also automatically activate the return home feature ensuring a safe landing without stress.

Features:

• Includes everything you need to start flying right away, just add 4 AA batteries
• Includes heavy duty aluminum carrying case, for easy storage and protection
• GPS stabilization ensures precise location control and smooth and stable flights for beginners
• Optical flow sensor helps maintain position, even in wind
• Lidar altitude hold sensor assists in maintaining a steady altitude for less workload on the pilot
• Automatic return home can be easily activated with a simple switch, bringing the helicopter safely back to its launch point
• Low battery automatic return home feature helps return the helicopter safely to the launch point when the battery is too low
• Automatic flight modes, featuring figure 8 and circle flight patterns
• Highly detailed and realistic AH-64 military appearance
• Reliable and high quality 2.4GHz control provides solid, interference free connectivity
• Easily add a 5.8GHz Video Transmitter for FPV flight (RSH1011-137, sold separately)

Includes:

• RotorScale AH-64 Apache 250 Size GPS Stabilized Helicopter - RTF
• Aluminum Carrying Case
• 2.4 GHz Transmitter
• 3S 1800mAh 30C Intelligent Flight Battery
• 3x 4.3g Digital Servos (Installed)
• Charger
• Spare set of main blades and tail rotor
• Screwdriver and Hex Wrench
• Instruction Manual

Requires:

• Four (4) AA size batteries for the radio transmitter we recommend Admiral NiMH AA Rechargeable Batteries (4 Pack)

Product Specifications:

AGE LEVEL :14 and up
SKILL LEVEL :beginner
BUILD TIME :None

Scale	1/32
Class / Size	250 Size
Power Type	Electric
Rotor Type	Collective Pitch
Body Material	Plastic
Overall Size (L x W x H)	485mm (19.1 in) x 190mm (7.5 in) x 155mm (6.1 in)
Weight (without battery)	560g (19.75oz)
Main Rotor Diameter	455mm / 17.9"
Main Rotor Blade Length	200mm / 7.9"
Tail Rotor Diameter	73mm / 2.9"
Tail Rotor Blade Length	N/A
Tail Drive Type	Brushless 1206 5500Kv Motor
Cyclic Servos	3x 4.3g Servos
Tail Servo	N/A
Power System	Brushless 4306 540Kv Motor
Electronic Speed Control	3-in-1 ESC
Recommended Battery	RotorScale 3S 1800mAh 30C Battery
Battery Compartment Size (L x W x H)	N/A
Required Radio	2.4GHz Radio (Included)
Skill Level	Beginner
Build Time	Less than 10 minutes
Recommended Environment	Outdoors

[Aros]

This is going to be my very first heli. Love the Apache! Has all the bells and whistles for a heli newb like me...Has the looks, nice scale detail...Sign me up!

[Porkster]

I’ve been looking at these for a while…. Nice to see motion stocking them for a bit of purchasing confidence.
Will motion be stocking the spares as well?

I don’t often fly my helis anymore so it might make a nice skill booster.

Christmas present from Santa I reckon. 😂

[poochies]

I’ll stick with my Roban 470 cobra a real mechanics kit , and a challenge to fly , plus you can add pilots . Looks like this Apache the battery takes up pilot area . But looks like a nice semi scale heli for beginners with stability function .

[KAH24]

Greetings All,

Just ordered my AH-64 (plus extras).

I’m a very experienced RC car/truck hobbyist—but this will be my first 250 scale helicopter.

I got hooked on helicopters by the Firefox C129 and decided to step up to a chopper that I’m intimately familiar with from my military career.

Looking forward to receiving it—and hope that Motion RC can keep stocked with all the parts/accessories/spares needed over time!

[KAH24]

Why is the AH-64 250 rated as “beginner” by Motion RC—while the UH60 Blackhawk 220 and Coast Guard 220 are rated “intermediate”?

Curious as to why or if there are any differences? I went with the Apache as it was “beginner” rated.

[Aros]

Why is the AH-64 250 rated as “beginner” by Motion RC—while the UH60 Blackhawk 220 and Coast Guard 220 are rated “intermediate”?

Curious as to why or if there are any differences? I went with the Apache as it was “beginner” rated.

That's a fine question. Let me reach out to the Project Manager and see what he says.

[Helicrsher]

Well. I have been flying helis on and off for the past 40 years. Never got into 3D flying but was a decent heli pilot. Saw this heli here and it was an open box sale. Got a great deal and the heli honestly looked as to have never been flown or handled at all. I wasn’t fond of the GPS system due to how it seemed to over correct a great deal more than it should so flight seemed jerky. I soon learned to take off in GPS mode then flip to manual and fly the heli. It flew smooth as butter then. I had been having a good time with it and looked forward to being able to fly it every day after work if possible. I wasn’t crazy about the transmitter due to the fact that the trims didn’t appear to have any functionality, could not set curves or dual rates, expo, etc. I probably should have just bought the non GPS version in hindsight so I could just bind to my 9303(yes I know I’m old) but it’s 2.4ghz and is a fine tx. Well today took it out. Same field, same everything. Let it GPS lock and then throttled up and she lifted off and never quit climbing. I tried return to home, land button. Tried in manual and GPS mode. I could move the cyclic and it would respond, but I could not get it to descend. I tried the return to home and waited a little while but it wasn’t coming down. Tried the land button but it wasn’t coming down. So flipped it back to manual and was gonna see if I could get it to lose some altitude my trying some turns. I had just pushed the nose over when it all shut off and then it started to descend but not the way I wanted it to. I looked down at my tx to make sure that the switch was still on unlocked and it was. Tried the sticks to the corners but it wouldn’t spoil up. No response to any input. I watched as it bounces off the field of grass and disassembled itself. I have no idea what could have made this happen. I loved the heli but it would have suited me for it to be a little more manual. I don’t know if I can bring myself to get another now. If I knew I dumb thumbed it I would understand, but to loose it due to hardware or software issue makes me feel a little bit robbed. Any thoughts?

[Gigg]

Well stupid me i got the apache f11 by mistake not the easier ti fly f11 s im not very good pilot and afraid to crash it right away any suggestions? my bad because motion rc was out of stock so i brought it from another supplier.

[Jimbo82abn]

I’m seriously thinking of getting the Rodan 800 model Huey. I understand the instructions are vague.
As an intermediate enthusiast, is this a bad buy?

[Magoo]

Any new insights on this for a new pilot?

[BuckBear]

A very nice looking Apache. It’s a shame it has a very limited life, when the electronics go haywire. :(

[Chris F]

I have been eyeing this helicopter for a while now and when they came out with the tan version, I pulled the trigger and bought myself a Christmas present. It was a beautiful little helicopter! I had been flying helicopters previously, starting with a Blade 230, the a Roban MD500 scale body on an Align Dominator 500 size and then to a Roban MD500 kit 700 size. I have been flying scale planes and helicopters for 15 years. I did take a hiatus from helicopters for a while when I moved to a small town with a small RC club and no one flew helicopters. So I sold all of them. Lately, the market has been coming out with these scale small helicopters and a few members have bought lidar only 100 size helis. I thought what a way to wake up the muscle memory and get back into helicopters with the AH-64 250 size GPS! Being a former paratrooper, I love the Apaches.

The day after Christmas I took it out to the field, showed it off and then calibrated the GPS. Nice slow takeoff, a few cyclic movements and all seemed well. I decided to do so,e oval patterns over the runway. Just taking it slow and getting the feel. The GPS did make it feel like it would over correct and jerky. After a few ovals and all was going well, then the helicopter took off climbing on its own and going fast. It would not respond to any transmitter inputs. I then flicked the RTH switch and I saw the helicopter stop, turn around, flew overhead and descend. I think to myself, man I’m lucky! Problem was it was descending faster than I liked. I tried stick inputs and nothing. What could have caused this? It flew good for a few minutes!

I contacted MRC and I was told there is a warranty for 30 days or until maiden, which ever comes first. I did not build nor program this helicopter. I trusted the manufacturer that all is good and all I would have to do is calibrate the GPS. How am I to know something is wrong with flight ware if I didn’t program it myself and there is no possibility to do it without flying it?
I feel like I have been gut punched. I bought from MRC and not the other brands thinking they are a bigger company here in the U.S. for support. Man am I disappointed.

Here is the video I uploaded to YouTube.

https://youtu.be/AQsLaUEkfd8?feature=shared

[xviper]

Let me inject a few points that may or may not be directly applicable to this particular model. I currently have several of these "GPS" type helis (450 to 470 size). Just prior to these, I came from the much smaller (100, 150, 200, etc.) sizes of GPS helis. First, I can only say that, in my case, the smaller helis have lower tech in them than the larger ones. This may account for much of the "glitchiness" that many find when flying their smaller ones. All my bigger ones can still occasionally show some "glitchiness" but far less so. The bigger ones tend to fly much, much more smoothly.
As I read this thread, I see mentioned how the included manual is somewhat "hard to understand" or "not very clear". Owners tend to do stuff when getting these things ready to fly on the first day that may not be the way they are supposed to do things. Initialization may not be complete or interpretation of the lights not correct, switch positions not clearly understood. Any of these things can contribute to some of the stuff reported in this and other threads.
In my limited experience with these types of helis, one thing became painfully clear. How I do the initial power up is critical and to a lesser extent, fully understanding where all the switches need to be on startup and what each one does is very important and each model can have different functions for different switch positions. It can be easy to get them confused. One heli may have a different switch and position for RTH and it may or may not give you "dead stick" when in that position. IE, RTH may not allow any stick inputs until the thing has landed and may require the operator to switch OUT of that position to regain control. Back to the "power up" thing .................. On ALL my GPS helis now and on the first flight of the day, wherever I plug the battery in, THAT is where home is. So, if you plug in the battery at the bench, that's where the heli tries to establish as HOME. If you plug in the battery and carry it out to the take off area, that is NOT the home position. Then, there's the matter of allowing it to secure sufficient satellites. It's easy to misunderstand what the light means if you don't read the instructions correctly. So, this is what I do ................ I plug in the heli at a place where I'd like it to recognize HOME. Leave it alone for a good long time (atmospheric conditions can affect this) ........... could be anything from a full minute to 2 or 3 minutes. I don't pay much attention to the light (start off in GPS mode). I go sit down and enjoy the scenery for a bit before spooling up the heli. Take off in GPS mode. I can tell within the first 4 feet if it's got adequate GPS lock. Usually, it does but if if starts to wander even a little bit, I bring it down and re-start the whole process. Since I've started to do that, I've had no bad or "odd" flights.
These are wonderful little models but some patience and understanding of how they work goes a long way.