Hirobo Shuttle RG/M
Hakim Tung

Building
If you’ve built a Hirobo heli before then you’ll feel right at home with the instruction book. Everything is clear with a lot of good info at the back to help the first time flier, but maybe its time to update the manual similarly to the Raptor 60 manual with all its computer generated drawings. For the RG/M there is an additional manual showing assembly of the special parts. Building is quick as parts for each step are in their own bags. It took me about 6 hours to complete the mechanical part and another 6 hours installing all electricals and setting up. I replaced all the 3mm machined screws with stainless steel hex ones. They dress up the heli pretty nice.

Mechanicals
We start off with the elevator lever. Nothing difficult here, but just remember to apply loctite where necessary. Next come the aileron and x-type levers. When screwing in the M2 bolts be careful not to over tighten or you might strip the plastic or even crack it. The upper frames are next. The carbon fibre are it can be quite sharp so watch your fingers. They are very cleanly cut and you might need to apply some thin Ca glue to the sides if you notice any fraying. Pay careful attention to the direction of the elevator lever and bearing directions. Stand the frames on a piece of glass to check for any misalignment. Install the collective levers but don’t tighten the two collars that go on the collective pitch shaft just yet. Then its time to work on the engine. Loctite the 4 flush head screws for the cooling fan and flywheel and check the balance. Attach this assembly to the engine making sure you use the correct collar. Cyberheli provided my Webra with the correct one. Fuel tank is straightforward to assemble. The bottom frames then attach to the engine and cooling shroud and the upper frames then attach to this. Its good to see Hirobo have a proper cooling shroud. Take your time here and make sure that the bottom frames are aligned too. The plastic battery mount comes next, which requires pieces of double-sided tape attached in between the fuel tank and mechanical plate support to stop the bolt heads rubbing into the tank. Install the landing gear, lean back and admire your handiwork. So far this heli sure looks good.

Installation of the main gear and mast is next. Lock the mast into place with the collar checking the mesh of the main gear and clutch housing. Check that the main gears mesh correctly with the clutch housing gears. You do not want any binding here so you might find that you’ll need to loosen the 4 engine mounting bolts and moving the engine up or down to achieve a correct alignment.

The seesaw, stabilizer, washout and swashplate are installed next. Here you might find that the two elevator ball links do not align with the swashplate. Remember I told you not to tighten the two collars on the collective lever? Well, now’s the time to adjust the alignment by sliding the elevator assembly horizontally until the elevator ball links align with the swashplate, then tighten those two collars.

The tail gear for my RG/M came partially pre-built, but I still had to disassemble it to put in the rest of the bits. Don’t forget to grease the bearings in the tail blade holders. Attach the fins, boom and boom braces. Check the alignment of the start shaft support bearing and install the starter coupling. Since I use the Pegae start system, I replaced the kit coupler with a Pegae one.

Electricals
Now this is the fiddly bit. Stacked framed helis, unlike plastic helis that have the servo screw attaching points moulded into the frames, are always going to be fiddly. I lost count of how many times I scratched my fingers on the carbon frames whilst installing the servos, so just go slow. Make sure you understand how each servo mounts before starting, as you definitely do not want to start over. I placed my receiver in a strong box on the top shelf and battery underneath that.

The gyro went on the shelf in front of the engine. Run some plastic spiral around the gyro wires to protect then from the frames. I used a Futaba GY-240 together with a digital S9253 set at 75% gain. This is a fantastic little gyro and since I don’t fly with head lock, its perfect for me. My Revolution base loaded antennae goes to the left of the receiver mounted by a tapping screw from underneath the plastic tray. I’ve always had good service with these antennae, but what I like most is it keeps out of the way and keeps the heli looking neat.

Canopy
The canopy mounting system has got to be the best I’ve seen on any heli. Two rails attach to the bottom of the canopy, which in turn slides onto the radio mechanical plate. On the top half of the canopy attach the rubber grommets to allow a 3mm bolt to pass through and attach to the upper frames. This time I did not apply any clear finishing paint on the canopy. The gelcoat is finished so smooth I didn’t want to ruin it by sanding. Take your time sticking the decals, as they are thin.

Flying Impressions
Flying impressions will follow next. I’m definitely looking forward to flying this little beauty. I’ve got my reservations about the engine, but I won’t know until I start it.