Heli-Max Novus CP - A CRACKROLL.com REVIEW

[Sleepyc]

Reviewed by Chris "Cspaced"

Heli-Max has released their new line of "Novus" helicopters, nano sized electrics that you can fly around indoor or out. SleepyC has done a review of the CX version here. The flagship of this mini fleet is the Novus CP, a full collective pitch version of the Novus with digital servos. Each of the Novus helicopters come with a 2.4GHz transmitter, and can fly straight out of the box. The CP comes fully assembled with a 3.7v, 400mAh lipo battery and wall charger, 2.4GHz transmitter, and a spare set of main and tail blades. All you need to do is add some AA batteries to the transmitter, charge the battery, and off you go! (don't forget to read the instruction manual first!).

The transmitter that is supplied is pretty groovy. At first glance it looks like a run of the mill, 5 or 6 channel transmitter, but all of the usual features associated with a digital radio are programmable through a series of dip switches on the back, and the two rotary dials on the front. You have the ability to adjust the throttle position, Servo Expo, Pitch Curve, Gyro gain and Revolution Mixing. You also have the ability to adjust the revo mix and servo end points from the E-Board itself. Right from the get go I wanted to adjust the pitch to suit my flying style, and I found the best way to do that was to actually unplug the motor and tail motor from the e-board first. This way I was able to power up the heli and actually see the adjustments as I was making them, without the risk of trimming my eyebrows with the main blades

The Novus CP itself is a miniature marvel. Everything on this bird is tiny! But don't be fooled by its daintiness, this is one tough little bird. I've ploughed it into the ground a few times and the worst that has happened is that some of the ball links popped off of the head and I just had to pop them back on. Like the CX, as long as you throttle back after (or during) an unscheduled landing you can be on your way again in a few seconds. I attribute this to the fact that it is built strong and is feather light. The digital servos work extremely well, and despite its size the CP feels fairly solid in the air. As mentioned earlier, you can adjust it to suit your flying style by adjusting servo end points and exponential. So if it feels too skittish or sluggish you can dial it in to how you want it to feel. Mine was pretty sensitive, which is how I like it, so I left it that way. The head can produce a lot of pitch, more so in fact than the motor can handle (can you say brushless upgrade? ), however the amount of pitch the motor can handle is in fact plenty for doing aerobatics, including inverted flight!

On to the flying! On the first flight I was hovering around the different rooms in my house, it is more responsive than the CX but can be flown confidently in confined spaces. Once the wind died down and I took it outside, I found out how quickly this little chopper can fly. Despite its size it can be flown with great speed, and it wasn't long before I was flipping it upside down and flying around inverted. Because of its durability it actually inspires confidence, I found myself doing a lot of backwards flight - an area I am reluctant to push on my bigger helis. Even when the wind picked up the CP handled it surprisingly well, and I was able to carry on flying. It quickly found a home hanging from my rear view mirror, and when I'm driving if I find a quiet spot I will stop and fly it about - which is just about everywhere. The only thing I need to do now is get more battery packs!

Because of the unique way of programming, I think the Novus CP has a little something for everyone. Wether you are progressing from a CX, or an advanced pilot, you can fine tune the CP to be a calm little flyer, or a more wild aerobat. One thing is for sure, rainy days are no longer an excuse not to fly!


Specifications:
Rotor Diameter: 12 in (305 mm)
Length: 10.7 in (272 mm)
Width: 2 in (50 mm)
Height: 3.74 in (95 mm)
Weight: 2.4 oz (68.4 g)
Stock Number HMXE0804

More info here:
http://www.helimax-rc.com/helis/novu...0804-novus-cp/

[Sleepyc]

Pics

[Sleepyc]

Video.. (more to follow)

*note - if you click on the video you can go direct to Vimeo's website and watch it in HD.

http://www.vimeo.com/5000617

[Sleepyc]

I was lucky enough to see Justin Chi fly the Novus CP at the Crackroll.com flight line at the recent Joe Nall event. Check out the following thread for more photos.

http://www.crackroll.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1571

Novus Cp (2 min 35 sec)