I strongly agree with you.

Here is a original vs clones comparison.

I have a Hirobo Freya, the design is something like 15 years old now. My Freya frame started as a MCCPM flybarred machine, got converted to FBL, then converted to gasser from nitro. I still fly it to this day. Nobody at my flying field has made any bad criticism of the Hirobo Freya. It goes to prove how an original well designed helicopter can stand the test of time.



Now, as pointed out in a previous thread, I bought a Hobby King 450, I think it only lasted for about 4 flights before a mechanical failure in the tail system. During this failure the clone helicopter was out of control, it was dangerous.

Here is a picture of where my clone ended up and where clones belongs.

 

I have a clone 450, got it off ebay a year ago.
Anyway, I sneezed once when I was a bit close and the main shaft bent, fixed it and off she went, albeit a bit wobbly. Doesn't matter what you do to these things, they're weak as p!$$. So far off spec with a wide range of tolerances for the same part, every time you fly it's different.

 

OK lets start with safety. In 2013 alone three fatal actidents were reported.
- 18 months old girl spectator died in Asia (Align 700 nitro)
- Reggie Von 41 years old RC heli pilot in Switzerland RC (Gaui X7)
- Roman Pirozek 19 years old RC heli pilot Brooklyn NY (Align 700 electric)

If you want more data regarding 4 more deaths type in Google: Helicopter injuries, or deaths to public or non pilots.

Show me one lethal accident caused by clone heli!

 

Mr Bling wrote: "Unless you know what you are doing you can end up in hospital."

I could not agree more. Does it relate to clones only?

That is why I test and desescribe my good and bad experience with Assault 700 manufactured by Gartt Model. I have four of them two stretched to 800. Hundreds Assault kits were sold since 2013. You can hate it. You can not ignore it.

Do not compare 700 clone with 450 clone. I have great fun with both but 700 is far more reliable than 450 due to its size. There are many threads about Assault 700 and Gartt 800. Read them or build one before judging.

 

Are you aware of:
- Mikado started as a company ripping off Vario and Heim designs
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=29518065&postcount=6286
- SAB copied all dimensions of tail rotor shaft design form Align

Examples are endless... Actually there is no real innovation in modern helis. All are build around same template. Differences are minor.

 

Regarding prices...

Vbar would still cost $470 if clones were absent.

Actually on eBay you can get clone of Vbar for $25 with free world Wide shipment and more functionality than original. Performance is the same.

Thread on RC groups has 475 pages, 7156 posts. Mikado was unsuccesful trying to stop bar clones. Actually they were distributing software for free before clones appeared. Now they can blame themselves.

 

Jedi Zett Jukassa was killed outright by a clone....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Jedi_Purge.. Clones are very dangerous!

 

Without clones vbars would be more expensive for sure but we dont know by how much. But with the extra money i think they would keep re-engineering to design even better gyros. If there were no clones our R+D may be and probably would be much more advanced. And the people responsible for the design would be rightfully more wealthy. I dont think mikado make enough to be capitalist gluttons.
As for the deaths, not too many people who fly on the edge fly clones in that manner consistently. Its hard to judge.

Copying designs by some degree is human nature, and when is something new actually really something new. Clones are a shortcut to wealth for the manufacturers, but that doesn't make it right.

 

China "company" is making PROFIT selling it for $25 substract shipment cost.

What was profit margin for Mikado selling it for $470?

Who is ripping who?

Maybe Mikado is ripping RC enthusiasts?

 

If it weren't for Mikado and V-bar, the plagiarising parasites which we call clones would not exist.

And yes they are parasites

If it weren't for Mikado, we would still most likely be flying around with paddles on our helicopters.

Its Mikado and V-bar that have given us the flybarless system we all love and use on our helicopters today.

Why complain about Mikado and V-Bar that have given us what we enjoy?

Heres a suggestion, take of the flybarless controller of your helicopter, stick on a pair of paddles, then complain.

 

Hahahahahah your blaming @simon for that?

Awesome

 

Mikado did not invent MEMS microelectromechanical sensors nor PID algorythms.

Do not ignore:
Futaba
BeastX
Tarot
Robird
Wookong
Ikon
KDS
Align
CY Total-G
Skookum
SJGD/Axiom/Turnigy
Gyrobot
Helicommand
Walkera
Gaui
Rondo
AC-3X
Bavarian D
Brain
Spirit

 

You missed Spartan

 

I missed tons of others Not on purpose.

 

Ahhh but mr @utrinque please understand. China is made up of rich individuals who exploit the masses. A worker in china is lucky to make the approx $1.00 per day. Now i know that manufacturers use china to make their goods to maximize profit - which again is another problem and probably the way the VBAR was exploited in the first place - BUT It doesnt make the copy of someone elses property right - the chinese company flooding the market with vbar clones has stolen the the VBAR design.

 

That is why Apple has "Made in China" label on iPad iPhone etc.

That is why China has biggest dam:

and fastest supercomputer Milky Way:

Their cities grow fast:

Urbanization in the People's Republic of China increased in speed following the initiation of the reform and opening policy. By the end of 2012, the mainland of the People's Republic of China had a total urban population of 712 million or 52.6% of the total population, rising from 26% in 1990.

In the long term, China faces increasing urbanization; according to predictions, nearly 70% of the population will live in urban areas by 2035.

Over the next two decades China will build 20,000 to 50,000 new skyscrapers and more than 170 cities will require mass transit systems by 2025.

 

Volvo is owned by Chinese-automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, aka Geely.

Fiat owns: Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, and Ram.

Volkswagen owns: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and brands SEAT and Skoda.

https://autos.yahoo.com/news/owns-car-brands-140000017.html

How many of you work in US corporations? Tomorrow China can own them...

"China’s holdings of U.S. debt hit an all-time high of $1.317 trillion last November but has been in decline ever since."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2014/08/18/china-cuts-u-s-debt-holdings-again/

 

Everyone knows that Mikado did not invent the MEMs or PID algorithms. Seriously.

What mikado did was pioneer a reliable consumer grade flybarless system for the masses.

They took this step.

What mikado did was write reliable and quality algorithms for the flybarless unit. Anyone can buy a mems sensor, not everyone can use a mems sensor to make a good FBL controller.

And its because of Mikado, you now have flybarless on a consumer scale and the rest exist.

There is a reason why people clone the V-bar, not because its expensive, its because for a long time, it has been the best flybarless controller around.

So, why complain and rip on Mikado vbar for ripping of rc when its them that have provided us with the rc experience we get today?

 

I thought Blade did this with AS3X.

Mikado Vbar was not for masses at $470 price tag.

I build clones because of fun factor. I can afford any brand but big brands are highly overpriced. Pure waste of ammo.