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Vintage RC Helicopters - Schlüter Heli-Boy
Schlüter Heli-Boy (1978) This model had an interesting 'genesis'. In 1973 when Dieter was first exploring the construction of a non-scale 'sport' helicopter he designed a machine to use the standard 60 size engine of the time however, the long tail boom looked completely out of place and just 'wrong' when compared to its scale brethren; as a result he scaled it down resulting in the Heli-Baby which went on to become the quintessential layout for a generation or two of helicopters. When Dieter looked to move away from the 'Flatbed' type mechanics as they were costly to produce and the models they were used in were difficult to repair if damaged and still keep the body alignment. For his next scale helicopter he used the large 60 size pod and boom mechanics as a 'spine's with the body a separate entity with the idea being that the mechanics could be test flown on their own and as looks did not really matter a canopy was produced more to protect the radio gear then anything else. However, with the revised 1978 Bell-Hiller head the mechanics proved to be extremely good at aerobatics and it was commonly being flown in this configuration. As the pod and boom format had become a familiar sight, even with the long boom compared to 40 size machines it no longer looked out of place; it was therefore decided to market the model without the Bell 222 fuselage and just include the 'training' canopy. As the model was the next step up from the Heli-Baby it was therefore called the Heli-Boy. Such was its capability with the Bell-Hiller rotor head that it became the machine to have if you were to stand any chance in competitions and in the European helicopter championships held in Sep 78, because loops and rolls were considered as the norm the 'k' difficulty factor had to be reduced during the competition plus the Heli-Boy took six out of the eight top places.
It was also decided to take a step backwards with the model and provide it in 'trainer' configuration with a modified fixed pitch flapping head that also incorporated lead-lag hinges. Now you had the choice of trainers; the Heli-Baby if you wanted the cheaper more compact model, or the Heli-Boy if you wanted a larger machine with greater future potential.
Schlüter Heli-Boy (1979)
Revised again in 1979 to include the new System 80 rotor head with lead-lag capability. Build instructions English - System 80 common manual - (Also German version). Heli-Boy Kit review - 1983 magazine review by Len Mount from Radio Controlled Helicopters (RCH). Tail gearbox assembly - 1985 article with hints for assembling Schlüter tail gearbox and tail rotors.
Schlüter Heli-Boy - Superior (1983)
The Heli-Boy was the developed with new type rotor head, swashplate and tail assembly and this revised version, to be brought out in 1983 was initially know as the Heli-Boy - Superior, for obvious reasons however, as the Heli-Boy standard was also to be kept in the model range it was decided not use the Heli-Boy reference. The parts required to upgrade were thus made available pre-release of the new model so that owners of the Heli-Boy could upgrade their model.
Even though the Heli-Boy by 1984 had been superseded by other helicopters in the Schlüter range, it still proved a popular model as it was capable of both carrying out all manoeuvres to a good standard and retained flying characteristics that would benefit the Tyro; it was also well priced. Top of Page (VRHC - Vintage Radio controlled HeliCopters) |
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