| I love the old Gas helicopters. The Hirobo Shuttle was first introduced in August, 1985. Since then Hirobo has released other types namely Shuttle X, XX, Z, ZX, Z Ts, ZXX, RG. Now Hirobo still produces the Shuttle series names Shuttle plus and Shuttle Sceadu. The Shuttle became known as one of the first ARF Helicopters. (Almost ready to Fly) The Head was typical for heli's at the time with individual 'flapping' blades and a tail rotor driven by a belt. Unusual though, was that it came with an auto rotation clutch as standard equipment thus giving the Shuttle aerobatic properties in the right hands. Mike Mas was famous for flying this helicopter inverted. Because of these extras though, it was expensive when compared to other manufacturers. Shuttle Z's without any accessories were 250, radio was 600, engine was 100, and a Motorized gyro was 175-250. Now over 25 years later the 'Shuttle is still one of the best entry level nitro helicopters on the market. By today's standards, this old Shuttle was not much of a 3D helicopter, but with some mods, loops, rolls, and inverted flight could be accomplished. It's heavy so it becomes much smoother than any of my 1 lb electrics. My shuttle weighs 6.9 lbs for comparison. Being that I'm getting older, I just love to watch my helicopter fly nice and smooth around the sky. It is a real treat, especially since the wind does not bother these bigger machines too much and it feels good. Specs: L with rotor: 1320 mm Width at skid: 220 mm ... |
