Interceptor 400 + Alien command - My Views

“Interceptor 400 + Alien command - My Views”

Written on: 25/05/2012 by xn33 (0 reviews written)

Hi all.
Firstly an apology, this is most likely to be very long review.

I brought the Interceptor 400 from Heliguy a months ago on the recommendation that it is superior (in many ways) to the Belt CP V2. I'm not a beginner pilot. In fact, I originally learnt to fly on a Belt CP V2 when they were first released. I then preceded to move up to a 50 sized nitro heli (Selling my beloved Belt). I recently decided to purchase a smaller 450 heli to practice some moves on before applying them to the nitro. The reason for telling you all this is because many people will read this as think "He's a new pilot, he hasn't got it set up right".

Firstly the Heli took 6-7 weeks to arrive once I had placed the order. An inexcusably long time considering the build time for an interceptor is about 2 hours max. I called Heliguy 3 times during this period and they were quite frankly useless. Finally, into the 7th week of waiting, a small box arrived.

Comparing the Interceptor to the Belt CP V2/Trex 450, the interceptor is a fair bit smaller. My first thought when I saw the box was "They must have removed the tail boom for posting", sadly this was not the case.

The next point that i noticed was the odd layout of the frame. I didn't purchase a handset from Heliguy as I already own one that I am happy with, this meant that I had to fit my own receiver. My receiver is actually quite large (not boasting) and didn't fit anywhere inside the frame! It is now pull tied to the underside of the Heli.

The battery that Heliguy sent was a familiar green Esky 1500mAH. This came pre tied to the front battery ledge with pull ties. Not ideal if, like most people, multiple batteries will be used. Would it have killed them to include a battery strap? It soon become apparent why the battery had to be pulled tied into place... The battery ledge is far too small to house a good sized battery. I had to create an extension to support the battery. The battery ledge itself did not support the battery and looked to be under great pressure and likely to snap clean off.

The stock canopy that comes with the interceptor does not fit if used with a standard sized battery. Nor does it fit with no battery inserted (It rubs the links on the mechanical mix). I had to order a trex 450 canopy, which seems to do the job.

On a positive note, aluminium frame seems to be quite strong and sturdy. It is a shame however that flimsy plastic skids are installed by default.

My next gripe is with Alien Command, which was purchased for an extra £50. Setting it up was fairly complex considering that Heliguy did not include the manual. Luckily I managed to find one online! A few things are not made clear by Heliguy when selling Alien Command...

Firstly, if your not flying in a field, forget it. Alien command needs a minimum of 100ft in every direction. Thats 100 feet of open space, no buildings, cars, concrete pillars, etc. Luckily I have a field to fly in.

Secondly Alien Command expects to be placed dead level at the start of each flight. This is vital, as this is the position that the Heli will hover at when the cyclic stick is centred. If the Heli is not level, then the Heli will list quite sharply on one direction. Keeping the levelling consistent is almost impossible unless one has permission to construct a truly level concrete base at the flying field.

In all fairness, the Heli does fly quite well when properly set up. However with Alien Command factored in, it is difficult to keep flights consistent. The electronics (Acer-lab) seem to be very good quality and worth the money. The battery ledge and canopy are rubbish and need to be replaced/modified strait out of the box. IMHO the Heliguy kit is not ready to fly at all.

Thanks for reading