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***Stop Press!!***UPDATED: The Vampire now comes with upgraded metal trunnion retracts!
The DH Vampire was the 2nd jet to enter service with the RAF and was unusual for the time in that it was powered by a single jet engine, this allowed for a small and lightweight fighter aircraft, to maximise efficiency the jet pipe was kept short, hence the distinctive twin boom tail, all of these factors helped the Vampire to become the first aircraft in RAF service to exceed 500mph. De Havilland employed some techniques from the construction of the famous Mosquito, wood was therefore used in the construction of this classic jet! The Vampire broke several records in it's time and was the first jet aircraft to land on a carrier as well as being the first jet to complete a Trans-Atlantic flight, the Vampire became a huge success and served with many air forces around the world.
The Durafly Vampire is made from tough EPO foam and is superbly finished with waterslide decals. As well as looking the part, it is easy to assemble, being Plug N Fly, the EDF unit, ESC, UBEC and servo's are all pre-installed. The Vampire is pre-fitted with superb, scale-slow servoless retracts, they have a very positive lock which combined with the beefy struts and large rubber wheels, makes this jet perfect for almost any field.
Jet's are about performance and the Durafly Vampire will not disappoint, it has excellent speed and climb rate, when you combine this performance with the real presence of this model, not mention the un-canny scale-like sound, the end result is one of the most realistic jet's in this class. Where the Vampire differs from other scale jet's is that it is almost impossible to stall and has an amazing off-power glide making for a very forgiving model that is really easy to live with. Fast, stable, scale, reliable, easy to live, easy to fly with and with presence in spades, the Durafly Vampire will stand out at any airfield, ideal for aspiring jet jockeys, a must for any jet fan!
Specs: Wingspan: 1100mm Length: 888mm Flying Weight: 1050g EDF: 70mm with 2700kv 2836 Brushless Outrunner Motor ESC: 45A w/UBEC Servo: 9g x 4 Retracts: Servoless Electronic Type
Includes: All hardware Pilot Figure Instructions
Requires: Your own 5~6 Channel TX/RX 2200mAh~2650mAh 4s Lipoly (25c Min)
HUXS-I had a similar issue with my Vampire when I assembled it this weekend. I plugged in all the connections as labeled into my Tactic 6ch rcvr, and had ailerons, elevator, retracts, but no throttle. After a bit, I reversed the throttle channel (3) and all worked great then! Still not sure what channel 6 does, or if I need to program anything into the transmitter, but since all is working, I will leave it alone for now! Good luck with your jet!
Glen, as I stated in another thread I think these are selling so fast that they don't make it to the shelf, I think that they are having to dig thru multiple pallets to find the item, If you don't get cancellation notice soon just get ready to assemble a easy and forgiving plane. This is my third plane in the Durafly line and DEFINATELY NOT THE LAST!LOL
Glen, another idea (if you have the right transmitter! you could also mix the aileron to be flaperons. Just an idea, I shouldn't think so hard on warm days, I will strain something! LOL
Kevin
HUXSS, Make sure you are NOT plugging the connector marked 6 into the battery terminals on your receiver. Check your connections to the ESC and battery to make sure you are fully connected. After that I would question the receiver!
Larry, no flaps on plane. That could be fixed with a hobby knife, some 5g servos and extension wires and hardware. Doesn't look like a big job looking at the wing right now.
I have no power when connecting the speed controller.
There appears to be 2 connectors to the speed controller.
One labelled 3 and one 6. I assume that 3 is the correct one for power input to 3 on the receiver. Assume 6 is an alternative power supply.
Can any one clarify
My nose wheel retract just quit working. I switched plugs and the other two still work so I know it is not the wire harness. Took the screws put of the retract but it is still stuck solid to the wood mounting plate. It is not going to be easy to get out. I don't see the retracts listed as parts. I see HK has some nose wheel retracts but does anybody know if they fit? Anyone have any suggestions?
Sorry to hear this, we should have more than one retract that will work on the Vampire, you need to compare the mounting plate dimensions, which I think are 32mmx35mm on the Vampire....a common size.
Rayzor One, Look in the Sea Vixen Spare parts. The metal truniun type are soon to be available. Who knows for how long?Should be perfect fit, or at least very easy to install. Product# 189000014 whould be the least expensive route if available.
Untill than try out the Turnigy DSR-D for a light wieght set up. Happy landings.
This is probably one of the best EDF's out. One of my best friends, a guy named Val suggested I get this. He loves all of his HK planes, a HUGE fan. So one morning my co-pilot and I rolled out of bed and saw this was back in stock and bam, I got two. They have a great sound taking off, that lovely wooosh/sucking noise. Speaking of sucking, my co-pilot said these suck down the standard 2200 mah batteries in about 4-5 minutes WOT. I don't question her when it comes to batteries, she uses a TON of them. She's found the Nano-tech 14.8 2650 25-50works best for this, D sized for other things. Plane floats like a slightly heavy glider on a calm day, and can slow down very nicely at touchdown. I do wish it had a rudder, even one side. On a windy day it can be a challenge to land on a runway with a stiff crosswind. I'll usually hand my stick over to my co-pilot and let her work her magic in these sticky situations. We can't recommend this more highly.
you might find in hot weather the 25-50's will get warm and puff on you. I opted for the 2650 35-70c and I have over 350 flights without a battery problem one. You two have a ton of fun with your Vampires and happy landings! Oh for a bit of a challange try fly to altitude and have a glide contest against each other..The Vamp has an amazeing glide slope.
Posted the vid below to show why you ned to keep a little speed up with an EDF. I was showing off with the Vampires low speed flight capabilities and a gust of wind caught my in mid tuen and I stalled about 20 feet up. Good news is this is a tough bird and once I reglued the landing gear all was well. I have close to 300 flights now with her all stock useing 4s2650mAh35-70c Nano Techs. I just love this plane!
You will love the Vampire as a first EDF. Almost a trainer it is so easy to fly. Just keep in mind that EDF's should keep a little more speed on landings and turns and you fill have no problems. the Vampire is so forgiving though even these rules can be ignored a bit. my opinion is that it the easiest to fly EDF in the market and a fantastic bargain to boot. Get one you wont be dissapointed! Happy Landings
Yessir slows down very nice and lands soft and easy. Without rudders it does not like alot of crosswind but you can just bally land it in grass if you need.
Maiden flight today. Handles well on runway, had a straight take off with plenty of power. Recommend you use first battery to practice runs on the grounds and get a feel for it. If possible, take off on pavement and land on short grass for first flight. Pre-flight, checked the CG with that indicated in the manual and found plane to be a little nose heavy. Didn't feel comfortable moving battery any more aft and left it that way, a little nose heavy. Trimmed elevator at 3/4 throttle, when I eased up on the throttle, she wanted to rise/float upward. This made landing very tricky and over shot runway by 200 ft. but got down OK. This tells me the plane is still tail heavy. CG in manual must be significantly off or based on bigger battery. I used a Turnigy 2200 4s 25C. Can anybody enlighten me or post photo of the proper battery placement. There is plenty of room to move battery forward.
Razor, I've got 3 of the Vamps, and I love them. May I suggest you check some of the other web forums about the Vamp CG. Most of us find the CG must be IN FRONT OF the factory designated spot, which HK says is at the very tip of the nacelle. Regardless of the battery size or length, you want the plane to balance at the CG. I've marked mine at 3/4" IN FRONT OF THE TIP OF THE NACELLE. Hope this helps. Stan
Tried your CG and it flew pretty well. Still has a tendency to nose down a little when I hit full throttle. This thing is kind of a battery hog, only get 4 min. on a 2200 4s 25c. Will look into a larger battery.
Hi Rayzor One. Yes EDF's are total electron hogs. The Vampire works very well with the 2650mAh 4s 35=70c NanoTech for 5 to 6 minute flight and the 3300 mAh NanoTech 35-70c for close to ten minute flights. Once you get the CG sweet spot you will find the Vampire to be one sweet flying plane. One of the best off the shelf EDF'sut there period. I have linked a vid that shows my battery placement and flight.
buying vampire jet for grandson i know nothing about this stuff what battery do i need is battery plug and charge or do i need to buy a charger
thanks bill
This aircraft will require a 2200mAh~2650mAh 4s Lipoly (25c Min) battery. To the left of the price you will see a tab that says battery. Click that and you will see several choices that will work for this plane. There are several chargers available, but be sure to read all the reviews and all aditional notes. Many of the chargers do not come with their own power supplies.
William, the Vamp is a great plane, but it's not the best pick for new pilots, due to relative complexity and flying traits. Start out with a high wing trainer thats slow, big, and docile. Your GS will get more time in the air, which is critical. Stan
William hello, Take a look at the accucel8 or accucel6 both are inexpensive chargers and will handle most any battery. I have found 25c rated batteries to NOT be the best for this plane I use the NanoTech 2650 and 3300mAh 35-70c batteries and have hundreds of flight without any swelling at all. I would whole heartedly suggest investing in a good simulator to help get yourself and grandson up to speed with flying RC. Check your local hobby shop as well, most all will have a flight trainig program and is a wonderfull way to meet others in your community that share the love of RC flight. Good luck and happy landings.
Hi folks,
I have ordered my Vampire and should get it today.
Can anyone recommend the best Turnigy 9X settings for this plane?
Acro mode? Expo? Endpoints? I am mostly a multirotor guy and have never learned the nuances of airplane Tx settings.
This is my first RC plane so any advice (especially on Tx settings) is appreciated!
I like to keep it simple, I softened the throws with 25% expo on the alerions, 15% on the elevator. I'm a pylon racer so I always have my low rates set very low, about 75% on hi rates. Make sure you have the CG correct, I recommend having the CG farther forward than the they called for. Better to be a tad nose heavy than tail heavy, my first flight was rough due to it being tail heavy. Flys like a dream, I was using an 1800,4 cell battery. Enjoy, cool plane!
I am assembling my Vampire now. Off course the instructions are totally lame. It looks like the hatch on the bottom at the fan housing was supposed to come installed with two platic pieces and two screws since they are not listed as parts to assemble. Mine came with nothing, no plastic pieces or screws, the hatch just pulls right off. Anybody's hatch come already installed? I know I can come up with something but it is frustrating when you don't gets things that wre supposed to be part of the plane. So far I'm not impressed with the quality.
Yes the ARF is supposed to come with two platic covers the same color as the fuslage that screw into place. They must have not been included, contact customer support.
You can use a variety of glues on EPO. Popular ones are UHU Por,Gorilla Glue,Foam safe cyano,you can use ordinary cyano on EPO as well but best to do a small test piece first to make sure it doesn't melt.
Actually the booms are flexible and will bend, I went through helll for about 4 flights thinking I had the cog wrong after adding air brakes, as the plane would do nothing but stall!!!
Turned out the tail was tweaked, maybe a hard landing or hangar rash? But the tail was curved and the horizontal stab was way out of alignment, big crash, now it's in the bin...
However it is such a cool plane I will buy another soon and put some heli tail booms in her, I will do the same on my vixen when it comes to the US �*�*
*Rodrigo. Id imagine it would have a good "slow flight" character. It has a non-swept wing and a alot of frontal fuselage area. As long as the weight is proportional, with some power, it should land slow... Really like this model, and anticipate its arrival..
This Vampire has great slow flight ability! This is the perfect plane for anyone wanting to get into EDF. It has has distinctive howl in flight and sounds like a real jet.
Ive read on other forums that this plane is rather twitchy in pitch change at or near full throttle. I dont have a Vampire (yet) but would like to own one. I have a possible solution to stop this and create a little better thrust. A thrust tube can be installed and with the exhaust end angled down a little this should eliminate or atleast minimize the turbulance over the elevator that causes this twitchiness. It will also give the aircraft better thrust therfore making it faster. Who doesnt want a faster Jet.
Anyway maybe somebody who owns one of these can conferm or deny my statement. Id just like to know.
I have flown mine quite a bit and have had no twitch problems. In fact the plane, when balanced and with the correct control throws can be flown in a very scale manner! I hve been in RC for 30 years and this is the best plane I have ever owned. HK hurry up and get them back in stock in the US!
@ bryant, someone has a vid on youtube with the mods you are speaking of and his twitch problem was solve. I personally have not had an issue with a lot of twitchiness. I dialed my throws down to 65% on the ailerons and 75% on the elevator and she flies great even though I don't usually use the dual rate on the elevator. I do recommend adding a carbon fiber rod to the booms I am beginning to notice some weakness in them after several flights and at full throttle she wants to nose down.
It's a fun jet with slow flight characteristics greater than a high wing trainer. I literally hovered it in a 10mph wind and the landing was pure bliss. Unbelevable model! I have not had any twitchiness as described by other pilots. My rates are 35 to 45 percent for smooth scale flying. Power is adequate on 4S packs of 25C to 30C. She will fly happily on those packs. I tried one of my Turnigy Nanotech 4S 2700 65C-130C pack and she really came alive! By the way it flew on this pack you wold have
Daniel said "I'd imagine it would have good slow flight character" I mean this in a positive way, Dan, wouldn't it be best to RECEIVE the plane and tell us your ACTUAL EXPERIENCE? I love hearing from someone who actually HAS FLOWN a plane for their experience, not their best opinion.
I have flown the plane, it has excellent slow speed flight characteristics as long as you have the CG set properly. I added nose weight and I could literally spot land it with the throttle off. I suggest setting low and high rates with some expo. Beautiful soft flared three point landings
Has any one had severe bounce issues when landing? No matter what I try on the flight sim, it seems to bounce back into the air, and have not had similar problems with other planes on the sim or in real flight.
Edward, I suggest adding some power to slow your rate of decent prior to touching down. Just as a real aircraft. With practice you can learn to do some very smooth landings with a tail or tricycle geared aircraft. Remember, you are flying a plane not driving a car and all adjustsments or control throws must be smooth and thought out.
Customer Reviews
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kenneth
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I am using a 4s 2650 40c and do not have enough power to get this plane off the ground. As if the kv is to slow. I even tried a 60 amp esc and a 5s and it still seems sluggish. I wish I could get someone at hk to help me with this problem but I cant figure out how to get customer service. I guess I will have to buy a more powerful engine and install.
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griffen
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Great flying plane! Plenty of power even in a high altitude area. & this is the most realistic sounding edf i`ve ever heard! flying on 3300 nano 65-130c 675 watts @ 43amps
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castaway93
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I ra mine with stock EDF, a 2700KV outrunner and 4S-20C (not recommended) and she flew OK on her maiden flight. I'm orderig the new Change Sun 10-blade EDF, some 4S-30C batteries and I know that'll give more power for more acrobatic manuvers. The 10-blade EDF sold out fast so the next best value 70mm EDF would be this one: www.link Sun makes some of the most inovative EDFs I've seen
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altosoarus
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I flew my new Vampire today in 20mph winds. The aircraft took off very quickly with the headwind and climbed out briskly. After flying for a few minutes I landed without issue and immediately checked the ESC temperature....not even warm!
I took off on a 2nd flight with a fresh 3000 mAH 4S pack. 2 minutes into the flight the motor cut off at 1/2 throttle, but came back on a few seconds later. 30s later it cut off for good & I was able to dead-stick on the runway. Again, the ESC was not even warm. At home I removed the ESC, stripped off the heat-shrink, and found tiny solder blobs on the MOSFET side of the circuit board. (My friend who has the same plane did this later and found the same solder blobs, prior to first flight). I don't know if this caused the problem, but I'm in the process of replacing the ESC with a 60A Turnigy Plush, with the LG voltage regulator soldered onto the input power pads on the ESC circuit board.
During construction I added 14-thousands by .375 inch carbon fiber lath vertically into a slot cut in the bottom of the booms running from the vertical fins to 3" into the part of the booms glued onto the wing to solve the flexure problems.
I use 3000 mAH 4S batteries and with this the plane balances perfectly at 290 mm from the nose. At full static power I saw 43A on my WhattMeter. And I did not experience pitch-up when power was removed.
Would I
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altosoarus
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My review Part 2: Would I buy it again? Yes! I would like to see HK solve the ESC issues, and I advise prospective customers to replace the ESC prior to flight. The first customer in New Mexico lost his Vampire due to ESC failure last week.
Pluses:
Low price
Excellent flying characteristics
Excellent glide
Retracts work nicely
Minuses:
ESC issues
Instruction manual basically useless...and CG recommendation too far aft.
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