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The 43th All Japan Plamodel Radicon Show a.k.a. Tokyo Hobby Fair is one of the two bi-annual hobby trade fair in Japan. This fair previewed the latest products that will be released in the coming year. This particular fair spanned four whole days from 9th to 12th October, 2003. According to my experience going to this show, it is usually smaller than the one in Shizuoka in May. This year the venue has been moved from the usual Makuhari Messe to Tokyo Big Sight, which is a bigger and better facility venue. However, the model show itself is the smallest in size amongst other shows in Japan in history. Again, most booths were down in size, and some usual occupants like HPI or Kawada to name a few did not have a booth in this show, which shows the loosing popularity of the show. Rumor has it that due to the current strong yen exchange rate a lot of exhibitors pull out most of their new display item at the last minute, and only show a few new products. Anyway, let's take a look as to what's new and different.
Once again Futaba had joined forces with OS and shared one booth together. Futaba do not display any new products related to helicopter of interest this time. The long speculated successor to the 9Z is still not shown yet...
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OS91SX-H C Spec PS |
OS91SX-H C Spec PS conversion kit |
On the entrance of Hirobo booth showed a radio controlled version of their very successful Mini Lama XRB. (X "Cross" Rotation Blades) This wireless version XRB is still at prototype stage, but looks very mature for market. The wireless XRB is using the same mechanics of the wire controlled version, now incorporated a receiver and a battery pack for wireless control. Some part of the rotor head is also changed to provide better flying capability (Still cannot inverted...). The wireless XRB could be used with any 5 channels radio. Power is from a lithium polymer battery pack underneath the XRB. Flight time is around 15-18 minutes on a full charge, which is quite impressive. I tried my hands on one and found the hovering characteristics is very very good, even tops the performance of the wire controlled XRB.
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Wireless XRB at flight |
"See Ma....no wires!" |
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Wireless XRB at charging station |
Lithium polymer battery pack |
In addition to the wireless XRB, Hirobo also showed their pride machine, the Eagle 3-WC, that helped Hashimoto took title of the 2003 World Championship and also the 2003 Japanese Championship just one week before the show. On a small podium there is a "pod and boom" version of the Eagle 3, and another Eagle 3 which is the same machine that Hashimoto used to take title of the 2003 Japanese Championship.
The Eagle 3 WC have been a top secret item developed jointly the R&D team of Hirobo with co-operation by Hideyoshi Kurokawa of Black Hobby as outside consultant. The development began right after the World Championships of 2001, and many evolutions and testing have been committed to result with what Hashimoto is using in Noto, 2003.
Basically, the lower chassis of the Eagle 3 WC is the same as the Freya WC, but with the upper chassis a new design. The most interesting feature of Eagle 3 WC upper chassis is Hirobo's patented Variable Pitch-Up System (VPUS). A "floating cyclic control block" is incorporated as part of the control system. This block, which encased the elevator and aileron servo, would compensate on minor cyclic controls to enable a linear cyclic control. The control surface of the aileron and elevator are now on a straight line, providing a linear cyclic control feeling. A one piece bearing block that extends from the front to the main shaft of the upper chassis, that holds the floating cyclic control block and drive train is used to provide stiffness to the chassis. A sliding bearing block, in between the elevator control arms assembly, would provide pitch control for fixed swashplate collective pitch control. Hirobo staffs are kind enough to take the cover off both Eagle 3 WCs and let me play with the mechanics a bit. I feel the collective pitch control with my fingers and found that it is very very smooth operation, and at the extreme cyclic positions the floating block would slide 1-2mm just to compensate for the linearity of controls.
The rotor head on the Eagle 3 WC is a new design named SSR-VII, which is the same design used by Hashimoto to win the 2003 World Championship and Japanese Championship. The flybar control system comes from the SSR-VI, which provides a near 1:1 Bell/Hiller mixing ratio. The yoke part of the rotor head is new design, which consists of both a central teeter hinge, two coning hinges, and uses separate sprindles. The central teeter hinge allows the entire rotor head to tilt left and right in order to allow the blades to flap, while the coning hinges allow each blade to have its own independent dampening, to move up and down independently of the other blade to allow a coning angle to form in the hover. According to Hirobo, the SSR-VII provides further hovering stability compared to the SSR-VI. A set of new carbon paddles are used on Hashimoto's machines. These paddles have a more aggressive airfoil and provides better control precision compared to the Freya paddles. Each of these paddles weight around 40 grams. At this moment, whether the carbon paddles would be included in the Eagle 3 WC machine or as a stand alone upgrade part is not decided yet.
Both these machines on display, while even at prototype stage, are resembles more than 90% of the market version. The market version of the Eagle 3 will feature a "pod and boom" version, all the control mechanics as of the prototypes on display, and also a carbon frame set that uses "titanium" carbon, which carbon plates are titanium in color. Hirobo would first produce 100 pieces of Eagle 3 WC, at a list price of 398,000yen (Around US$3,685-). With an immaculate track record of the Eagle 3 WC, hey should be in dire demands. Sure I will be one of the 100 lucky people to get my hands on one of this gem, so stay tuned for a review!
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Eagle 3 WC |
Hashimoto's Eagle 3 with Blackshark 3 fuselage |
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Eagle 3 WC "titanium" carbon frame set |
Note the color of "titanium" carbon |
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SSR-VII rotor head |
New carbon paddles |
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Mechanics of Eagle 3 WC |
Closeup of VPUS floating block |
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Closeup of VPUS reinforcement block |
Closeup of VPUS aileron control assembly |
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Operation of VPUS - Full positive collective pitch |
Operation of VPUS - Full negative collective pitch |
JR released an updated version of the Sylphide 50 the little brother of JR's flagship Sylphide 90. The Sylphide 50 features the same radical main frame design, where three pieces of machined alloy parts (One for upper part, one lower part with engine mount, and one part in the front to enclose the clutch) would encase the engine and drive train, and make the whole unit become a module by itself. Gone are the individual parts like engine mount, bearing blocks and cross members as separate parts, which greatly reduce parts count and also makes the module very strong. Six pieces of carbon frames would be mounted onto the module as servo tray and additional tail boom support. Under this design, all alignment problems on building stacked frames were gone, and the massive module would take up all the stress from the high output of the engine, and from stress during aerobatics. The whole module is very strong, while light, and also this design makes maintenance and repairs very simple. Power is transferred through the engine to the main rotor by a main gear with slant gear mesh, while a split gear also with slant gear mesh on top of the main gear would transfer power to the tail by belt and also make the tail fully driven during auto-rotation. What's been changed is the new rotor head from a low slung flybar type to a high flybar type. Needless to say, the Sylphide 50 is design to fit the megabucks JR IMZ 50 engine at 44,800yen a pop (About US$380-), but engine mount for the "less noble" OS 50 SXH is also available. The updated Sylphide 50 is priced at 148,800yen (About US$1,377-), uped about 20% from the price of the original Sylphide 50, and further put it in league with a mid-range 91 class helicopter kit.....
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| JR Sylphide 50 | JR Sylphide 50 |
JR also displayed their new "mini" class electric helicopter, the Parkmite. JR designed the Parkmite as "the Cadillac of mini electric helicopter", as everything of it is either metal or carbon. The main frame is a one piece machined aluminum item that encased everything, much like the Sylphide. The rotor head, swashplate and washout are all metal. A set of carbon main and tail blades are included. Power is transferred from the engine to a very big gear than via a belt to the tail, and it looks like a Henseleit in miniature.... Control is through 120 degree 3 servo ECCPM. While JR did not demostrate the flight of the Parkmite at the show, I think it should have a very good performance for 3D. The Parkmite is priced at 49,800yen (About US$461-) just for the mechanics, electronics not included. Worth it or not, you be the judge.....
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| JR Parkmite | Parkmite rotor head |
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| Parkmite mechanics | Parkmite drivetrain - Miniature Henseleit? |
JR also displayed a new design "entry to mid level" helicopter 30 size kit, the Airskipper 30. The Airskipper 30 feature a completely new designed carbon main frame, and cyclic control system which could let user select either 120 degrees ECCPM control or mechanical mixing control. The rotor head is a plastic one from the Voyager series. Power is from a 32 size engine, while I think 50 size could fit into the mechanics. JR also used a dual gear system for tail drive that is very similar to that of Hirobo's DTDS system. Price of the Airskipper 30 is set at 49,800yen (About US$461-) in kit form.
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| JR Airskipper 30 | JR Airskipper 30 |
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| Airskipper 30 mechanics | Airskipper 30 rotor head |
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| Airskipper 30 drivetrain | Closeup of Airskipper 30 dual main gears-DTDS? |
The focus of JR Radio Division this year is "synthesize system" - i.e. switchable radio frequency without the need to change crystal. "Synthesize system" system is not news in our radio, as Futaba have this function long incorporated into their top of the line 9Z system. JR made their system available to all of their radio which could have their transmitter modules changeable, so that covers their PCM 10X, 9X and their car radio. The synthesizer set consists of a transmitter module and a matching receiver, where channels are selectable through two dials on both the transmitter module and the receiver. JR displayed the PCM10X set and PCM 9X set with synthesizer module, both without servo cost 178,000yen (About US$1,648- ) and 68,000yen (About US$630- ) respectively, but did not announced the cost of just the synthesizer components themselves.
JR are changing their gyro design like every year's fashion show.... On display are two gyros, the top of the line G7000T-SX and the 490T, both sat quietly at one corner. The G7000T-SX now dropped the supposed "Super Duper" SX8000G servo, and return to the 8700G servo with a more conventional wires and plug design. Very little details of the G7000T-SX are released, but their list price are 43,000yen a set (About US$398-). The 490T is an upgrade version to replace their short-lived G480T gyro, which only been on the market for a little more than half a year. The G490T is said to have better tail holding control than the G480T it replaced, and priced 9% less the the G480T at 20,000yen(About US$185-) for the gyro itself and 27,000yen(About US$250-)for a set including the 810G servo. No release dates for these gyro known.....
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| Synthesizer module set available for JR radio | PCM10X with synthesizer |
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| PCM9X with synthesizer | 10 channels synthesizer module set |
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| 3 channels synthesizer module set | G7000T-SX gyro with 8700G servo |
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| G490T gyro | G490T gyro with 810G servo |
Kyosho
Kyosho this time did not display much new products for helicopter. On display is a new EP mini size electric helicopter, called the EP Caliber. The EP Caliber is in my opinion and updated design from their old EP concept, and in mechanical design it does not have anything that resembles the Caliber helicopters. Controls are through regular mixing design, and is powered by a 380 size motor with 8AA size battery pack. The EP Caliber comes standard with the Schweizer canopy, which looks very nice, but Kyosho also displayed a Agusta 109 prototype fuselage for it. The price of the EP Caliber, including everything like radio and electronics, is set at 49,800yen (About US$461-) Also on display is a prototype Caliber 90 that uses a Wankel rotory engine as power.
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| Caliber EP set | Caliber EP mechanics |
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| Prototype Agusta 109 fuselage for Caliber EP | Caliber 90 with rotory engine |
This concludes my report for the show. Thank you for visiting and don't forget to write to me for any comment!