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Subject: 
Re: 1:20 scale Apache Helicopter
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.technic
Date: 
Sun, 23 Oct 2005 21:55:25 GMT
Viewed: 
4614 times
  
In lugnet.technic, Mark Bellis wrote:
In lugnet.technic, Mark Bellis wrote:
In lugnet.technic, Ross Crawford wrote:
In lugnet.announce.moc, Mark Bellis wrote:
Here's my MOC of an Apache helicopter, built to 1:20 scale, compatible with
Technic figures.  http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1437017

Looks like it's going well! Can't wait to see the finished model! But...

It features the first ever fully working Lego helicopter rotor with collective
and differential rotor blade pitch control.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1437013

Sorry mate, but I already had that in 2000 with my first model after my "dark
ages": http://www.br-eng.info/about/lego/mocs/huey.htm

Implementation is a little bulkier, but I didn't mod any parts ;)

Regards

ROSCO

Sorry, the rotor was done in 1996 - TLG have the pictures!  So mine was the
first after all! :-)

D'oh! But I can still say at least mine didn't have any modified parts ;)

Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only one to have tackled this problem.  As soon as
I bought an 8856 helicopter http://www.brickset.com/search.aspx?query=8856 I
thought "That's not how a real helicopter works" and began thinking how to do it
properly.

Originally, back in 1996, had intended to build a Chinook, thinking "why not
make another rotor the same now that it works well", but a Chinook has only 3
blades per rotor, not compatible with the 4-way swash plate, and in a mock-up I
found that it was difficult to put the strength in the body, so the Apache was
more feasible, particularly as I found a leaflet about it, with good pictures,
in a magazine.  It still didn't have scale drawings though, but I can't expect
to get those since it's a military vehicle!

Actually, the swash plates on a chinook are a bit simpler - they only require
collective and roll control, pitch is handled by differential collective on the
2 rotors. But the difficulty of doing 3 blades with LEGO does more than balance
out that added simplcity.

Another problem to overcome in the Apache was the weight of the blades and the
consequent centripetal force as they rotated even at a modest speed.  That's why
the pivots for the blades are so far from the centre of the rotor.

Yes that is a big problem, and mine also pivoted a fair way from the centre.

There's plenty of ability to pivot the whole rotor just with flexing of the main
axle, so a separate pivot wasn't necessary.  It should only pivot to hang the
weight of the body below it when flying (which a LEGO one without custom parts
never will!)

Actually, that pivot (called "flap") is mainly required to help reduce the
dis-symmetry of lift associated with wind and forward motion - it is described
in detail on this page I found while building the huey:
http://www.helicopterpage.com/

I like your Huey Ross, it is well deserving of the prizes it won.

Thanks! Disappointed to hear you won't be completing the Apache though :(

ROSCO



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: 1:20 scale Apache Helicopter
 
Was it possible to make a functional, FLYING helicopter with Meccano/Erector? (for those who did play with this metal based, building toy) (19 years ago, 25-Oct-05, to lugnet.technic)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: 1:20 scale Apache Helicopter
 
(...) Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only one to have tackled this problem. As soon as I bought an 8856 helicopter (URL) I thought "That's not how a real helicopter works" and began thinking how to do it properly. This was the main reason I sent TLG (...) (19 years ago, 23-Oct-05, to lugnet.technic)

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