With almost a decade of experience in the R/C hobby market, Align has released its first 90 sized electric heli. With a model in just about every other heli category in the industry, this product release has been met with great anticipation. And without disappointment, Align has delivered again…
Having built all of the previous Align helicopters I was very anxious to get my hands on this new 700e. Unfortunately I was so anxious that I forgot to get any pictures of the build. And as such have decided to give a brief overview of the heli coupled with a report of how it’s holding up after 50 flights.
I went with the Align 700e 3G FBL combo (KX018E02) that comes equipped with the following:
- Flybarless Airframe
- Align 3G Flybarless Unit
- Align 510KV Outrunner Motor
- Align DS 610 servos for cyclic
- Align DS 650 servo for tail
- Align 690mm mains with 105mm tail blades
Previously having great success with the Mikado Vbar, I opted to use this as my flybarless unit of choice. I also went with the Kontronik Jive 80HV ESC for it’s simplicity, light weight, and amazingly bullet-proof internal BEC. To keep the project on budget I decided on the Zippy Flightmax 6s 30c 5000′s for power.
The build was straight forward and nothing unexpected was encountered. My grandma could build this heli. It was great to see the steady evolution in the fit and finish of the parts as well as the engineering behind how it all fits together. For example, each fastener has a built in collar which fits nicely into an over-sized hole in the frame. When you tighten the fastener it seats in the frame and aligns(no pun intended) the parts perfectly. A very light, easy solution that makes the build go very fast. In fact, once I had the main frame assembly completed I dropped the main shaft into the bearing blocks and was amazed to find that everything lined up perfectly!
Another huge selling point is how the batteries are mounted. If done properly there is no need to remove the canopy to change flight packs! This was the big kicker for me. Several of my friends have 700N’s that they converted to electric and I couldn’t stand how painful and time consuming it was to swap flight packs. Align incorporated a plastic rail that’s molded into the carbon frame to accommodate a tray that the batteries are velcroed to.
Overall the Trex 700e is very well engineered, perhaps even one of the best overall heli designs currently on the market, however there is one item that seemed to be neglected. The CG. If the ESC and batteries are mounted in their stock locations the helicopter is significantly tail heavy. I don’t know how this very important item got overlooked. To correct this issue it was necessary to mount the ESC up front, move the batteries all the way forward, and remove the horizontal fin. CAUTION: some have broken the plastic rails used to slide the tray of batteries on because of moving the batteries too far forward. Please note Align’s addendum and put a bead of CA around the inside plastic rails. I have done this and haven’t had any problems with over 50 hard flights.
I could go on about the design and how well it’s build but lets cut to the chase and give you a flight report. The Trex 700e flies better than any other Align product to date. It is simply that good. It is difficult to wipe the smile off your face after flying this heli. Coupled with the vbar it tracks like it’s on rails and pulls harder than any other heli I’ve flown. I just can’t get over how cool super fast aileron tic-tocs are right off the deck. This heli doesn’t even flinch. Even when your collective timing is off, it’s difficult to bog. The stock 510KV motor is very powerful and I see no need to change this setup.
Another one of the great things about this heli are the flight times. At 1950 RPM I can get 7 minutes of hard stick-pumping 3D. At 2100 it turns into a ballistic missile for 6 minute flights sticking to the 80% discharge rule.
The icing on the cake is was when I let one of my “hard-core” nitro friends give it a try. He was blown away at how smooth and powerful the 700e was. Needless to say, his 700N was up for sale the next day.
In conclusion:
Pros:
- Very well engineered
- Extremely economical for a 90
- Easy battery installation
- Stock electronics work very well
- Canopy is amazing! (rivals $250+ paint schemes)
- Very good performance
- Long flight times
Cons:
- CG issue described above
- Non-adjustable gear mesh
- Not enough lipos!
Overall, I am extremely impressed with the Trex 700e. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for their next heli. From an intro 90 sized machine to those looking to get the best performance possible out of an RC helicopter, you won’t be disappointed with the new Align Trex 700e!
Might the CG issue be due to the fact that you eliminated the RX pack up front??