Old farts first heli needs parts

[Kiwi]

OK,

This heli is special so don't go telling me I need to go buy a new Raptor 50 etc etc. I have one and a heap of small electrics. But this was my first ever heli some 17 years ago and it holds a special place in my collection.

But heres the problem. Its a Kyosho Concept 30DX. The blades are no longer available and I need to go to the 8mm root or something according to all the info I can find on the web sites.

To do that I need to change the blade grips but to what??? Can I just replace the grips or do I need a new head. If I need a new head then what type or what model.

The reason behind this flurry of activity is I just got another one off Ebay and its missing the tail boom and drive shaft. Muuhhaaaaahhhaaaaa, guess what spares I just happen to have and yes!!! they have been in the box some 16 years as well. Its just I don't have blades, they seem to be gone forever and I'm sure someone will help me out with how to keep this treasure in perfect flying condition albeit without the original blades.

So help me out here please guys as I'm in water over my head and don't have a danged clue where to or what to do.

[RappyMan]

Were the Concept blade roots thinner than the current "standard" root thickness? You can always use washers if the grips are too big - if they are too small... that would be a problem.

[Eury]

I haven't done it, but Vic at V-blades will make blades to your specs. Might be worth a call, you could have the only COncept DX with V-blade carbons!

[Kiwi]

	Quote: Originally Posted by RappyMan
	Were the Concept blade roots thinner than the current "standard" root thickness? You can always use washers if the grips are too big - if they are too small... that would be a problem.

Rappy, Yes the problem is the old original blade grips are made for 1/4 hubs and all the newer blades are like 3/8.

	Quote: Originally Posted by Eury
	I haven't done it, but Vic at V-blades will make blades to your specs. Might be worth a call, you could have the only COncept DX with V-blade carbons!

Now that would be something for the Wow factor and I have not looked at that either so thanks for heads up. I will send off an email to see what he can do.

I did see an article on HF where someone fitted grips from a later model but I'm stuffed if I can find that article again as getting grips that take the new and more common blades make it good forever more. The old blades were foam filled plastic and they did not last long at all and even died just from the sun light on them but then again 16 years is a good life for a set of blades so I aint complaining.

[dontmesswithgus]

I have extra blades for the concept that are collecting alot of dust, pm me and let me know what you need. Larry

[Hughes500Pilot]

Hi there... I'm new to flying giants... But been flying helis for quite a while now. I especially love the old Concept 30 seties of helis.

To answer your question, yes, the DX (as well as the SE and SX) all used 500mm blades (as measured from the center of the hole to the tip) and had an 8mm root. Blades are getting very hard to find now days. But, you can also look for Kalt Enforcer blades too. They also had 8mm roots and were 500mm.

If you want to upgrade to larger root blades, you can easily replace the main blade grips to the SR series. They are a direct replacement and nothing else is needed. You will use your bearings and spacers from the original DX grips. By using the SR grips, you will now be able to handle roots up to the standard 12mm.

This brings us to the next question... What blades to use. Most blades sold today are 550mm long. Thats too long for the DX tail boom. So you can do a few things. You can upgrade to the SR tail boom. If you do this you will also need a longer rudder control rod (the SR version) and the SR tail drive wire. Now since the SR wire drive is 2mm instead of 1.7mm like on the DX, you will need some SR wire rod guides. If you replace all this, you can now safely use 515mm blades. These are availible still.

Another option is to buy some carbon blades for the LOGO heli. They are 500mm long (perfect!) and have a 9mm root (oh so close to 8mm). With these blades you can use 1.5mm grip spacers (two per grip for a total of 3mm in extra spacing, 9mm + 3mm = 12mm) and not have to replace the tail boom ad other tail parts. The only thing you have to do is change to the SR grips.

Now there may be some that say the LOGO blades are made for electric helis and should not be used on a glow heli. I see thier point and concern.. But, consider the strength of carbon blades with 9mm roots to the stock wood blades that have only an 8mm root. I have been flying them for many months now without any problems.

I hope this helps. -Steve

P.S. I would have included part numbers, but I'm not at home and dont have them handy...

[Road Builder]

I've got a set of blades from my dad's concept 30. This was the original concept though. I don't know if they are what you are looking for. They are about 20 1/4" long and are pretty thick at the root. You can have them if you want.

Jay