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| Hirobo SRB Quark |
Average Rating: 10 |
Feb 7, 2009
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Reviewed By: Rc_HeliPilot
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Join Date: Oct 21, 2006
Location:
Total Reviews: 5
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Rating: 10 out of 10
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I would recommend this model to anyone.
It's inherent stability give the pilot the opportunity to recover from various mistakes without necessarily crashing. However, in contrast to counter-rotators, the SRB exhibits single-rotor heli behaviors and flight characteristics, such as the ability to lean in pitch and roll axes and fly at significant speed. It also can fly in light wind.
The pilot has to work to fly the SRB: It CAN be crashed, but it is very forgiving. In my opinion, this is what makes the SRB such an optimal trainer and ideal "next heli" after learning basic piloting with a counter-rotator.
I think the Quark's design is very sensible. It's foam blades absorb crash impact and break, protecting the mechanical components. The included blade balancer is very cleverly designed and works perfectly. All that is required for blade balancing is common household clear tape which blends-away nicely on the foam blade material.
The Quark is quite pricey but, in my opinion, you get what you pay for. I've owned mine for about three or four weeks now and I've truly enjoyed it. All I've had to do is replace broken main rotor blades, and that process is simple and requires only a few minutes. So far, the model has proven to be durable and reliable.
There are some features about the Quark that I think should receive more attention. It has a very quite, brushless motor that provides good power to the main rotors. The tail rotor is driven by its own motor, but the motor is mounted at the opposite end of the tail boom from the tail rotor - inboard near the main rotor shaft. The heli also incorporates a fail-safe system to protect it if it flies too far away from the pilot. The motors shut down and bring the model down. It might crash, but at least you don't loose your expensive model.
As for negatives, there's little I would complain about with the Quark. I'd prefer that it used a 2.4GHz radio system (which Hirobo says they have no plans to produce). I've noticed what I believe to be a little interference during flight, even after using my frequency scanner to be sure my channel is clear. I also wish Hirobo would have produced the Quark with a heading-hold gyro instead of a rate gyro. I have found it impossible to completely eliminate mild left or right piro drift during hover, especially as the battery charge diminishes. Like my previous CX, the gyro adjustment is extremely delicate. On the other hand, during flight, it isn't terribly difficult to control the drift with mild stick inputs once the gyro is well adjusted.
In conclusion, I think the Quark deserves significant acclaim. With it, I am truly enjoying heli flight with minimal down time. For me, it serves as an optimal model for builing my flying skills and developing my sense of flight orientation. Training with my sim is very helpful, but the Quark takes training to the next level, giving me the hands-on experience my sim just can't deliver. |
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• Flight stability and forgiveness
• Quality and clever design
• Ease of maintenance with minimal down time
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• FM radio system
• Rate gyro with touchy adjustment
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