RE: Hobby-Lobby International Dragonus II, new & improved
One small issue with the servo installation was the fit in the front mount, I needed to remove just a bit of material from the mount opening with a file to fit the Hitec HS56HB servos. (they did fit, but it was a very tight squeeze and I did not want to bind anything inside the servo case) The servos mounted in the frame sides without any problem at all. Ken
Posted on: 4/13/2007 2:28 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5710430

RE: Hobby-Lobby International Dragonus II, new & improved
Servos mounted... I've got all four of the Hitec HS65HB servos intalled in the frame. Next up I'lll bre fitting the motor and determining where the pinion needs to be on the motor shaft. I may grind a small flat on the motor shaft for the pinion set screw. Here's a pic of the servos mounted...
Posted on: 4/13/2007 2:23 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5710412

RE: Hobby-Lobby International Dragonus II, new & improved
Moving on to the electronics install... The components are as follows: RX - Hitec Electron 6 Servos - Hitec HS65HBs ESC - Jeti Spin 33 Gyro - Art-Tech HH Motor - 500XH
Posted on: 4/12/2007 1:05 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5704771

RE: Hobby-Lobby International Dragonus II, new & improved
Next install the Main Shaft/Head assembly. Make sure you have one shaft collar on the main shaft before inserting the main shaft in the upper bearing block. There are grooves machined in the main shaft where the upper and lower shaft collars are placed. Use a bit of threadlocker on the set screws in the shaft collars. The Dragonus II (new version) is one of the nicest building kits I've had the pleasure of building. The captive nuts made all the difference in the assembly of the main frame, saving a lot of time during the build. If I had a single complaint about the kit it would be that I would have liked to see Socket Head Cap Screws used instead of the Round washer head phillips screws. Here's a pic after installing the main shaft assembly Ken
Posted on: 4/9/2007 1:15 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5688809

RE: Hobby-Lobby International Dragonus II, new & improved
The next step is to put the main gear/belt pulley assembly in place inside the frame, make sure the small aluminum spacer is under the main gear assembly. Next install the tail boom assembly with the belt given a quarter turn so the tail rotor blades turn CCW when the main blades turn CW. Slip the belt over the pulley. Ken
Posted on: 4/9/2007 1:05 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5688760

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
After assembling the Main Frame, it's time to install the landing gear. If you wait til the main shaft assembly is installed the main gear will be in the way. I made the mistake on my first Dragonus of waiting to install the landing gear and it was a chore to install the two front screws. Ken
Posted on: 4/9/2007 11:56 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5688468

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
Gary, nothing except the captive nuts and the thicker motor basemount so far... I'm looking for changes as I build it... I was partially mistaken earlier when I said the kit did not include the 4 standard nuts, two of them are found in parts bag F-C. It also seems there is an extra "Frame sticker long" packaged in that parts bag, I can only identify two being used in the drawing... Here's another pic of the completed frame... Ken
Posted on: 4/6/2007 11:20 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5673986

Hobby-Lobby International Dragonus II, new & improved
Yes there's a new improved Dragonus II out there and I've got one to review for all of you... I can also tell you that Hobby-Lobby International Inc. will be the USA distributor for the Dragonus II helicopter. My sources have also told me in approximately two weeks or so they should have kits and parts (at the same time)... This kit was provided to me by Hobby-Lobby for the review. Enjoy. Ken
Posted on: 4/6/2007 9:52 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5666286

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
The captive nuts make the upper frame assembly much quicker. Here's a couple tips for anyone building this kit: Use a good screw driver that fits the screw heads well. The 5mm screws are used on all the plastic parts and the 4mm screws are used as the metal to metal fasteners. Here's a pic of the completed upper fram assembly... Ken
Posted on: 4/6/2007 9:15 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5673482

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
Once again the "captive" nuts make for a much quicker assembly of the frame, here's a couple pics of the upper frame before I secure the other Frame Side part... Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 11:07 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5672222

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
I ran into a small snag during the upper frame assembly. When the mfg made the switch to "captive" nuts they removed the old style nuts from the parts bag all of them. At least 4 of the old style nuts are still needed, 2 for the axle screws on the tail drive belt guide pulleys and 2 more on the clamping portion of the tail boom mount. The mfg includes a spare parts bag with the kit but it only contains two of the needed nuts. I'll see if I can hunt up a couple more in my spares.
Posted on: 4/5/2007 10:41 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5672075

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
Moving to the upper frame parts there are a couple more parts where "captive" nuts are used, again this should help to speed up assembly time. Here's a pic... I need to purchase a scale next time I see them at a decent price. I'd love to compare the weight of using the provided Round Washer Head Phillip Screws with using Stainless Steel SHC Screws, I think they would look really nice. BUT maybe have a large weight penalty. Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 7:53 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5670125

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
I must comment at this point on how much easier these "captive" nuts make the assembly of the lower frame. My first Dragonus with the nuts was quite a bit more difficult. Just holding the tiny nuts on the inside of the frame was very tedious, plus you need to apply threadlocker and for me I try not to make too much of a mess of the work. This new design is much better... The assembly time of this new version was about a fourth of my first Dragonus. Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 7:52 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5669996

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
Here's a better shot of the "captive" nuts on the different frame basemounts... Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 7:52 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5669860

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
The retail version also includes a colorful sticker sheet... Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 7:51 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5669006

RE: The New Dragonus II Thread...
No more need for a wrench or pliers or anything to hold those tiny nuts on the inside of the frame during assembly, all you need is a good fitting screwdriver and some threadlocker for the screws... Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 7:47 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5668813

RE: The New Dragonus II Thread...
I'm going to show this build a little out of order as compared to the manual. I want to show the differences in this version and most of them are in the frame assembly... No more tiny nuts to try and hold. YES! Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 7:46 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5668770

RE: The New Dragonus II Thread...
One feature that will definitely make assembly easier is the addition of "captive" nuts on the different metal frame basemounts... Here's a pic Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 7:45 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5666403

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
I was quite happy to hear that Hobby-Lobby International was going to distribute the Dragonus II it made my day. The parts availability alone will bring many new pilots to this new helicopter I'm sure. In all the threads I read about new and upcoming helis, the first thing everyone wants to know is about spare parts. I am included in that group. The flight reports do not seem as important to most pilots as the spare parts issue.
Posted on: 4/5/2007 3:24 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5670089

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
New version is 1.5mm thick, older model is 1mm thick Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 10:55 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5668950

RE: Yet Another Dragonus II Thread... new & improved
I'll measure both versions and let you know what I find... Ken
Posted on: 4/5/2007 10:53 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5668946

RE: The New Dragonus II Thread...
The rest of the assembly is pretty much the same as my earlier thread... Here's a link:[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5073703/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm]Dragonus Build Thread[/link]
Posted on: 4/4/2007 8:57 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5666428

RE: help !! setup problem...
no experience with that heli, just make sure everything is symetrical and balanced. Then with the motors unpluged(if possible) see if the swashplate moves with the trim lever. just something to try...
Posted on: 2/9/2007 11:27 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5393459

RE: www.Flying-Hobby.com Dragonus SA Build Thread...
Z-Power RC 450 GT motor with 10 tooth pinion for me... 38mm between the frame sides... Ken
Posted on: 1/24/2007 10:01 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5315477

RE: www.Flying-Hobby.com Dragonus SA Build Thread...
Thx, found out getting cortisone shots first yewsterday. DOc say 75% chance it will NOT help, then surgery. Ken
Posted on: 1/10/2007 10:57 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5242133

RE: www.Flying-Hobby.com Dragonus SA Build Thread...
BTW: Thanks, for a long time I though it was my shoulder or muscle under the shoulder that had the problem. The MRI shows the problem is actually my spine (something between 5th & sixth or sixth and seventh vertabrae. I am quite concerned as I've never had major surgery before. But the best part is I got my old doctor back and he's like the best doctor I've ever had. Supposedly I got the best Neurosurgeon in the area too... So again thank you for the well wishes...
Posted on: 12/27/2006 12:12 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5167786

RE: www.Flying-Hobby.com Dragonus SA Build Thread...
Well, I cannot comment on the flight performance yet, but the parts are very well made. Fit & finish is high quality. Ken
Posted on: 12/27/2006 10:29 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5167395

RE: www.Flying-Hobby.com Dragonus SA Build Thread...
Geting there... Kinda workin on it now... Moving very slowly today, I guess I should be up and about through the weekend... I thought I was seeing a ortho, but I'm now going a neurosurgeon on tuesday... I'm just afraid of being knocked out never had a major surgery... oh well... Wish me luck... Ken
Posted on: 12/22/2006 10:06 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5150508

RE: www.Flying-Hobby.com Dragonus SA Build Thread...
Sorry about the delay folks... I ended up in the doctors and may be in for surgery by friday... No biggie... Hope to be back in action in a week or so... Ken
Posted on: 12/21/2006 12:03 AM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5142282

RE: www.Flying-Hobby.com Dragonus SA Build Thread...
Been a little busy around here... I'll be wrapping up the build this weekend, look for updates... Ken
Posted on: 12/15/2006 9:37 PM by Author "Kdill2160" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5121269