XK K130 Detailed Review - Flyability, crashability. How to setup and repair. 

Good to hear. 1 person on RCgroups also stated they had no issues so I hope they have fixed whatever glitch was preventing this. First few K130 sent out had a quirk of slightly high voltages going to servos or tail motor but it seems that was down to a single resistor which also is no longer a problem. Thanks for letting me know, i'll pin this in case it helps others save buying a 2nd TX.

@@MicroRCFiend You're welcome. I also read post on Aliexpress.com stating the same issue with no binding from the customer service. I got mine xk k130 today, so I was a bit worried because I saw your video. I immediately thereafter bind my k130 with the x6, and no problems. My x6 transmitter is a year old.

Bela Lugosi you must have had one of the newer transmitters then. They said that only the new ones can bind. But they didn’t clarify what they mean by new. I bought a k120 in 2017 but have not had luck flying it due to k120’s notorious issues.

Here's hoping. I was pretty stunned it flew well at all with a bent one.

I've heard people binding to their 'old' X6 TX's, any ideas if I can utilise the X7 I have already for my X25, X100 & K110?? Cheers bud

Unless you are a perfect flyer every time, it's pretty difficult to not break servo gears at some point. I highly recommend considering metal gear servos sooner rather than later if you plan to fly it regularly. If prepared to solder there are options cheaper than stock plastic gear servos. I should hopefully do an update about that soon with what I fitted but currently experimenting with some different tail motors and props to see if I can improve the reverse flight characteristics. Nose first it flies great though so if just flying sport style it's pretty awesome.

Metal gear servos a must plus spare main gear (or 3). Banggood sell both cheaply

Glad it was useful to you. I warm to this heli more every time I fly it, even with it's less than perfect tail. Still waiting for my K130 tail but nearly finished retesting the ladybird and parrot tails with a new feathering shaft in there and it's only slightly better than the performance in the video. I can't help wonder if a pair of tail motors and tail blades would make it as clean as a K110 or K120 tail.

@@MicroRCFiend Ah, twin motor tails, Never tried it myself, But I know it was popular on the old mCPX. I think twin motors on the tail would upset the CG though.

Thanks. I'll grab one next BG order, very curious how it would compare for tail first flight

@@MicroRCFiend Look forward to hearing how you find it. Have the bits here for a brushless tail but will stick with the brushed for a while longer...

Yeah, it's built with plenty close up pics and had a test hover but my old 6s warp lipos are no good for anything but a very short hover and are much tighter than I would really like in there as they are 1400mah 6s gens ace and slightly puffed. I'm hoping I can afford a couple new lipos next month but had a rough couple months regarding disposable cash and I'll need a spotter as there's nowhere near my new place that's 100% dog free all the time. I do like it though and believe me when I say I'd love to fly it right now. I have no major issues with the heli or the build process, It's gaui X3 compatible for the most part. Only part i'd add to the base kit is the newer metal pulley guide housing on the heli as the belt comes off the main gear into the tail. Tensioning those rolling guides is done with screw into plastic and the window for fluid slop free action is small. I'd much rather it be a screw into alu I could loctite.

@@MicroRCFiend Ah that's good to hear, I hope for you to make some banger flights with it and I'm looking forward to see some flight video over the time ;) Take it easy m8, greetz oh and for the people wondering what part should be replaced out of the box it's this one: www.banggood.com/ALZRC-Devil-X360-Metal-Tail-Belt-Idler-Pulley-RC-Helicopter-Parts-Compatible-GAUI-X3-p-1381172.html.

@@SemteVruchte Yeah, that's the part. Stock will work but if buying a kit I would certainly add that.

Yeah, I went for the cheapest option and really happy with them. They need the connectors swapping for stock ones but seem to be able to take bumps the stock ones don't and certainly have more torque. www.banggood.com/JX-Servo-DHV56MG-5_6g-Coreless-LV-Low-Voltage-DSMG-Metal-Gear-Servo-0_89kg-0_10sec-p-1034036.html?p=UI14032168777201508N Hopefully i'll be able to an K130 update with them soon, got some larger lipos and different tail motor to try.

That really depends on what you want from the heli and of course budget. Loops and rolls most things will handle with ease but if you wish to fly in idle up, the choice is less simple. The V950 I reviewed had pitch issues returning to dead centre pitch in idle up. I think this was related to the FBL rather than head geometry but i'd leave that one personally unless the head perhaps sorts those issues. Even then the tail is very limited past sport flying and stock power is nothing impressive. If you don't plan to fly backwards, the K130 has more relative power than the V950 but it is smaller in the sky too. Loops and rolls no problem for it. I love mine but the tail is not as perfect as the K120 and K110. The OMP M2 looks great but it's double the cost of the other choices and I have no idea if the motor tail performs well enough to justify the extra cost when there's other collective pitch tail helis for similar money. I just joined a heli club again so hopefully i'll meet someone with one I can get my hands on, very interesting heli.

thanks for taking the time to reply, from what ive read it looks as if the 950 upgrade kit (cnc machined rotor head set, swash and blade clips) give the 950 far more precision although that wont address the tail issues. But it does look as if it will turn the 950 into a fairly nice scale/sport flyer. Budget is a factor for me so i think the upgrade kit is the way forward for me. Will let you kmow how I get on

MG servos are the best thing you can do to this heli, I fitted the JX version of those Turnigy servos since these videos and they are just the ticket. Because I have no background or video to go on i'm going to assume you are down with negative pitch and flying CP helis in idle up. If so, i'm almost positive and sudden spurts of negative pitch is a mechanical issue. The main shaft locking collar moving or damaged stock servo gears would be my first guess. I've certainly had the same issue after turning the gears round for more life. Seemed fine on the bench but would randomly input cyclic one way during a flight or punch outs. What setup are you flying it with? Stock? Open TX? How many flights? Was it fine before fixing servos or always had this problem? What else have you flown?

It does seem BG are no longer listing the K120 RX but you can still get it around the net although it's not super cheap. Ebay www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=XK+K120+receiver&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=K120+receiver Aliexpress www.aliexpress.com/i/32760418396.html The other option would be to use a K110 board and mod that for 2s. I think most people who do that are using the K110 frame, not sure that would drop straight in a K120. Regarding bigger helis breaking more stuff in crashes, yeah for sure. However the K120 and K130 aren't that different in this regard beyond the 130's buttery soft junk servos. Crash either with power on and the same feathering and or main shaft will easily bend, skids break, main gears strip. The big difference is the tail performance. K120 is the best tail I have flown on any micro heli by far and beyond the stock servos needing a swap out, it flies incredible but I found the stock servo tend to melt so may well need changing sooner rather than later. The K130 tail on the other hand is easily the worst XK tail and if you plan to fly backwards at all, will for sure give you a hard time. I have a long review on it should you need specifics past that but yes it's a touch more fragile but once you have MG servos in the K130 it becomes way less fragile on the normal sorts of bumps and messy landings and only really has issues if crashing with power on. For the record, the K110 has much less power but shares a few parts with the K120. Has the next best tail after the K120 and is the most robust micro heli I have ever owned. Just bought a 2nd and needs no upgrades either but it's still only 1s.

Some alu upgrades such as tail box would be nice but apart from some less breakable skids I think i'm ok with lighter plastic parts since the head and swash are already metal. Even then I think i'd still want plastic skids on it. What parts you thinking of? Wouldn't say no to a triblade head though :)

Thanks. I found some 750mah on aliexpress aqnd ordered some just over 5 weeks ago but so far nothing has showed up and the seller is less than helpful so not sure i'd recommend them to purchase from until that issue is resolved. Here's a link for them should you want to risk it. www.aliexpress.com/item/33025353471.html?spm=a2g0s.12269583.0.0.23e2c8e3h5Lb42 I don't know how tail heavy it will be with them but will of course update in a video when/of I get chance to try them. I'd hazard a guess going larger means bad CG as they have to be longer to still fit in the stock cage. That's just a guess though.

@@MicroRCFiend Thanks for that info. After looking into it I found a 750mah on Banggood and a 650mah on Amazon. If I get the one on Banggood I'll let you know how it worked out. usa.banggood.com/7_4V-750mAh-35C-2S-Lipo-Battery-XT30U-Plug-For-XK-K130-Helicopter-p-1451692.html?rmmds=mywishlist&cur_warehouse=CN

Really hard to answer what would satisfy you the most on regards to all those moves but i'll try. I agree about the fast hurricanes, that was the only thing I wanted to do with CP helis at first and still one of my favourite things to do - it just makes me smile. Funnels it handles fairly well up to a respectable 80% headpseed but screams loudly and surprisingly with a longer tail, tic tocs and piro tic tocs, piroflips, piroflip reversals I have no issue at all, apart from my piro tic tocs suck but has plenty power and agility for them. Tail holds good in these with longer tail blade. I'd find it tough to use it as a back garden flyer (unless your garden large) for those grooves though as it eats up space so quick but you're a pretty adept pilot so might have no issue there. Tail first hurricanes it's not so good and if you want em fast, it's bad, add heavy wind and it sucks but I still need to try with the new feathering shaft before I can be 100% certain that wasn't at play. I'm fairly positive you won't dig it in that regard though. Only hope there is finding a goldilocks tail blade which is my main focus now, if not, some other tail mod/Bl etc. PTERN on RCG modded one to BL tail and seems to be extremely happy with it but I also haven't seen any fast tail first hurricanes with it. I honestly find the K110 the most satisfying back garden basher and it's tail is superb, easily the best 1s tail I have tried but I have not flown any of the new breed of blade micros yet. It's super durable (never stripped a servo in over 300 flights and countless crashes) and very cheap to keep in the air. Obviously there's a limit to the angle you can tilt it for tail first hurricanes as it's a smaller disc and only 1s but I think every single one of the videos in that playlist should have hurricane examples and it handles them really well. In stock form it probably isn't going to satisfy your piro tic toc need and it's really difficult for me to do any aileron tic tocs at all without a slight motor and pinion upgrade. Dreamy for piroflips though and only slightly tail heavy. Really difficult heli to hate and can be given to new flyers without to much fear. Kinda have to mention the K120 too as the tail is the best out of the XK helis and it has really satisfying pop to it. Only weakness being I would like more rates as aileron tic tocs are still tricky compared to the K130 which seems next level easier. Imagine a T150 if you've flow one? But with an obedient, tight tail, loves reverse hurricanes but CG is very tail heavy regarding piro circuits, way less issue in piroflips where the disc is flat. It's not a basher though by any stretch of the imagination and stock servos melted in less than 5 flights. I'm told this is now sorted but Emax ES9251 are cheap and work awesome in there. Much easier to keep in a smaller space than the K130 for me but probably less durable than the K130. What part of the UK do you live? I don't get to many heli events but your welcome to fly any of these should our paths cross or you're close enough to ebike over.

@@MicroRCFiend thanks, I'm no stranger to tight spaces 😁 This was a long time ago tho! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VgNIseNSQYk.html I'm down in Bournemouth. I have steered clear of micros in the past back in the flybar days I did like my gaui hurricane 200 tho. I can't justify the pack costs for my synergy e7 and the tail on my trex 500 is rubbish.

@@DorsetSaferRoads Sweet flight, sounds wicked in there. I'm up near Huddersfield so bit far i'm afraid but if you find anyone with a K120, definitely ask to have a pack with it. If you ain't gonna crash it much it performs what you want really well. Some people tell me the new 150X flies super now too but it's a bit pricey even just for the fbl to upgrade the first version without actually flying it myself first. I have 2 v1 that I pretty much stopped flying when the K120 came into my life as it's just better at everything apart from absolute max agility, 150 kicks butt there. I remember watching this vid with Bert smacking the little flybar 200 Gaui, hadn't even flown a quad or a plank at that time, confused the hell out of me for a solid year. Still looks like it actually flew really well looking at it now. www.google.com/search?q=bert+kammerer+gaui+200&oq=bert+kammerer+gaui+200&aqs=chrome..69i57.4783j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

No, the K130 is much larger. Parts won't fit and power would be insufficient. There are many DIY hybrid options with both helis as a base but not a combination as I am aware.

Hey Ade, i'm 99% sure that's going to work fine but i'll get back to you as soon as I get a definite answer from a couple people I asked. A backup should there be some freak issue preventing it would be a multiprotocol module to drop in your Taranis, so long as it supports the Futaba protocol with a CC2250 chipset in there. There's 3 I know of that will do that from around £5 upwards but I think only the second one will allow you to pick the protocol from the RX sub menu in open TX rather than with stick positions on boot up or dial on the back. Cheapo i'm told does bind with XK K110 and BG questions support this but then multiple other answers say it does not. I had a look at the manual several times and there's no explicit notes saying it does. Sorry I don't have any personal experience with this one. www.banggood.com/Multiprotocol-TX-Module-For-Frsky-X9D-X9D-Plus-X12S-Flysky-TH9X-Transmitter-p-1097688.html?p=UI14032168777201508N IrangeX - Yes supported - possibly only one with TX menu protocol choices for external module besides the one included with the Jumper transmitters. Last couple revisions of openTX firmware only though I believe. www.banggood.com/IRangeX-IRX4-2_4G-CC2500-NRF24L01-A7105-CTRF6936-4-IN-1-Multiprotocol-STM32-TX-Module-With-Case-p-1197130.html?p=UI14032168777201508N 4 in 1 no case, definitely supported - www.banggood.com/2_4G-CC2500-NRF24L01-A7105-CTRF6936-4-IN-1-Multi-protocol-STM32-TX-Module-With-Antenna-p-1153902.html?p=UI14032168777201508N There's lots of bare CC2250 modules too but I don't know what steps would be needed to add them to the taranis.

CA is just super glue. Short for Cyanoacrylate. It won't hold the broken skids on it's own but it is good enough to lightly tack the skids back in place. Squirt with activator to set fast or just hold till dry and then wrap the entire joint thoroughly with cotton thread before soaking the thread in CA again. The thread is doing all the work but the CA fixes the thread hard, prevents stretching and together work amazingly well - it still hasn't broken since and I haven't felt the need to fit spare skids even though I have them. If you need to fill gaps, often people mix baking soda in with the CA and then wrap with thread and soak in CA. I've not found anything that is as light and strong for micro helis as that combo though you could tack it place with literally any glue before wrapping and adding CA. If you have trouble tacking a broken joining with CA, a contact adhesive or even UHU por would do a better job than CA

@@MicroRCFiend Thanks for that. I knew what CA was, but the thread and the baking soda are new to me, defo worth knowing about

ElecTrev I found out that a rubber band works better! Because I used super glue and accidentally broke the tabs into the frame. The rubber band holds everything together real nice. But instead of ordering an extra set of landing gear! I’m going to cut out two triangle pieces of plastic and glue to the landing gear. Which if that doesn’t work. I have a set of small rubber landing gear that I’m going to screw into the holes in the frame after I get the original tabs that broke into the frame out! Try my recommendations and good luck. 😎🚁🇺🇸❤️🥇

I haven't actually tried the T150 Metal gears in the K130 servo yet as I have not purchased any since I still had some plastic ones as spares. I think it's safe to presume metal ones will work if plastic ones do. Looking around it does seem a tricky item to find right now, rather disappointing. Rakon and HK look like they stopped selling them, Rakon certainly discontinued, not sure about HK but here's there out of stock page if you want to request when back in stock: hobbyking.com/en_us/metal-gear-set-for-t-rex-150-cyclic-servos.html Lynx also discontinued but they have a video about installing them that may be useful to you www.amainhobbies.com/lynx-heli-trex-150-ultra-metal-gear-set-3-lyx1027/p454097 Microheli also sell them and don't look to be discontinued but they are listed as out of stock currently so that might be their way of saying no. www.microheli.com/electronics/servos/metal-gear-ds150-155-servo-t-rex-150-dfc.html As far as I am aware, currently leaves us with AEC branded ones but any you can find for the CFX180 are apparently good to go for the T150 too. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392221996458?ul_noapp=true Honestly, it' seems cheaper and less bench time to actually replace the servos with the JXD56MG ones than find and fit new metal gears for stock servos. I'd certainly go that way if buying right now even if I needed to add faster post to get them quicker and might actually order some now. Unless you can find LV version of the HK ones cheaper. There's a link in the description above for both of those but HK ones are HV only at present.

All the XK stuff is Futaba S-FHSS so it would need to have a 4 in 1 module installed or more specifically the c2500 TX module to for that protocol. The K130 has a sat RX port so I presume a compatible FRsky RX would work that route too as Spektrum flyer have to do.

Thank you for your answer, I'm going to follow your advice

Hmm, that does seem most odd. My K120 tail motor gets quite warm and easy to get hot if chain flying multiple packs but just 1 min rest was enough to have no performance issue and I must have over 100 flights before I managed to break it in crashes and need changing for new one. Brushed main motors like K100, mini cp, super cp etc I can fly hard and need swapping in 30 or so flights but XK tails I almost never change. My K110 needs one now but that is because I pulled the shaft out slightly swapping tail blades so often and it seemed to hold well even with a massive 2-300 flights since I got it. Honestly i'm quite confused why your K120 tails performed such short life. Are you sure they were spinning correct way to not damage motor brushes? They were XK replacements? Have others had this issue you heard of? I read of early K130 getting 1s motor and got crazy hot and also tail motors coming in wrong rotation from XK, perhaps this is the issue? So far I never had tail issue with K120. Only issues were melting stock servos and head exploding due to feathering shaft bolts working loose but that one is my user error and emax servos lasted 100 plus flights without issue. K110 and K120 are by far the best holding brushed micro heli tails I have ever flown and the reason I fly the K110 so much. Sorry to say the K130 tail I received does get hotter than the other XK helis and with a larger tail blade (which it really does need), gets even hotter. I only had 1 pack for review but now have 3 for it and would not dare fly all 3 without cooling in between as tail motor and main motor get too hot to hold finger on if flown hard in the wind.

@@MicroRCFiend Thanks for the reply. I had the first batches of xk k120 and they did have a tail motor issue and that's why I'm kinda gun shy in purchasing the 130. Still, I may just close my eye and buy it anyway.

@@edwinmendija8087 I was lucky enough to get the very first K120 BG sent out for reviews before it was offered for sale, I think it was the first one outside of Asia but it isn't the only XK model I received a superb 'test' version of to then see them change something major for the actual release. Very frustrating but I think yours must have been due to lack of correct components as while the tail motor does get warm (they even released a tail motor heatsink), it's served me very well performance wise. I'd certainly try another tail motor or even full tail assembly if you still have it and had no other issues with it's performance. I hear they sorted the melty servos too. Gonna revisit it at some point in the near future and try the K123 triblade head on it. I wish my T150's tail held that well. As for the K130, I uploaded another video today testing tail blades without the bent feathering shaft I had in this review and you might want to check the last minute of that. Larger tail blade does indeed get the tail much hotter than stock so really not sure how many flights it will last. Of course i'll update as I find out but it's certainly not a heli to chainfly without a couple mins to cool the main and especially the tail motor. So far i'm about 30 and it seems to perform the same regardless of heat. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gai-NiV_FeA.html&ab_channel=MicroRCFiend Sorry for the long reply but it is worth knowing before you close your eyes :)

Stock X6 radio does not have USB but it does have 3.5mm mono jack with PPM signal that works for simulators if you use USB dongle. I use same dongle for walkera 8s and phoenix sim that works with X6. Exact dongle/adapter needed depends on simulator

@@MicroRCFiend Thanks you !! I need my first cp after v911pro, v911s , nano cp quad.

@@Xennnos i would pass on k130 for first cp, tail is bad and servos are very fragile. K110 is much better first cp. Flies great, tail is perfect, very durable, cheap lipos and cheap to fix. Also comes as rtf with x6 at reasonable price.

Nothing will make it unbreakable but the stock servos are super fragile and metal gear replacements are essential in my opinion. Skids, main shaft, feathering shaft and main gear are all worth keeping spares of. Something will still bend or break if you crash with power on and a heli this size and power.

@@MicroRCFiend Thanks for the answer, :) Alright!, which one do you think should I think about buying XK K110 or XK K130?

@@tkubge7931 Again you did not state what you have flown before, what your skills are, where you want to fly, budget etc. How can I know what suits you without more information or video of your flying? If you are not sure which you would prefer I would strongly suggest the K110 first. It's the safest, most durable and affordable and flies superb, arguably better than the K130 although a lot less power. If you were to choose RTF with X6 transmitter, the K120, K130 or any other FSHSS compatible heli can be flown with it also.

There's a screw in your main gear that goes through the main shaft. Once you take that out, just pop the links off the balls connected to your servo horns and the head will just lift out. Mind you, if it's just the main gear you are changing, there's no need to actually remove the shaft - just the main gear screw will allow the gear to come off. It's a D shaped shaft and hole in the gear so you have a flat spot on each to line up.

They may well ship the extra batteries seperately but certainly worth checking with them if not clear on your order page. Regarding your motor direction, if you look down at the heli is it cw or ccw rotation on the blades?

Blades turn clockwise

@@mikecup212 Ok, assuming my guess is correct, this is going to be a fairly long reply but I just sat down with a coffee so i've got the time. I suggest you do the same. If you need to change rotation of any brush less motors, you can simply swap any 2 of the 3 motor wires. That's not needed with your heli though as clockwise is the corrected and only direction your K130 will fly. From what you told me i'd guess you are running it in idle up mode and throttle is lowest position. With a collective pitch heli this means that you would have full negative pitch input and the heli will indeed push itself to the ground with maximum force. If you engage 'throttle hold' by pulling the rear right shoulder switch towards you it should cut all power to the motor and it is safe to move the throttle/collective. If it doesn't something is wrong. The throttle at lowest position will put the leading edge of the blades below the trailing edge to create this downforce just like an aileron on an airplane wanting to descend. Move it to mid stick and you should see the leading edge now level with the trailing edge, effectively zero pitch so no lift up or down. As you move the stick above centre you will now get positive pitch on the blades meaning the leading edge is now higher than the trailing edge. At this point the heli will take off providing throttle hold is pushed backwards away from you and blades are spinning. It's important to move this stick to centre or just below when releasing throttle hold if in idle up mode and then when you have reached full speed with the blades, raise it gently to take off. Power or rpm will be constant in idle up and changing pitch is the only way to fly since the blades don't have any actual pitch to them, they are totally flat. If you can hit throttle hold before you crash, damage will be much reduced compared to crashing while the blades are spinning at full rpm and power is applied. If all this sounds new to you but checks out in your situation and I am correct in my assumptions, I suggest you only fly in normal mode for the moment until you get used to the concept of positive and negative pitch/ collective pitch helis. This will give you only positive pitch and the blade rpm will increase alongside your throttle input much like a fixed pitch heli or quadcopter. On the X6 stock transmitter that comes with the K130 you do have a normal mode and that should be set by ensuring the rear left switch is pushed fully backwards and away from you. It may be the case that normal mode has a little negative pitch for several reasons I won't go into here but It will have much much more positive pitch. For this reason, it's essential to use throttle hold to stop and start the blades spinning rather than just pulling the throttle down to the bottom and smashing your heli into the ground. Very much like arm and disarm on a quadcopter but even more vital. So the safe way to start up would be.. (Turn your transmitter on before plugging the lipo in the heli and remove your heli likpo before turning off the transmitter) Make sure all your switches are backwards and away from you, throttle to the lowest position and only then pull the throttle hold switch (TH) towards you to activate it ( no power to the blades) and then push back again to turn it off and enable the blades to spin. (If you engage TH before tuning anything on, the transmitter may beep at you until you push that switch back again.) Now slowly raise the throttle to fly. If you do this it should also be in 6G mode which means self level. This will be limited tilt on the heli and make it very docile to the right stick inputs (mode 2 transmitters). However if 6G is not setup perfectly at the factory, it may drift in one direction. Be aware power is not reduced, only aileron and elevator inputs on the right stick. The front left switch is the default to turn 6G off and pulling it forward should put you in 3G mode. This means the heli will not level itself and will happily roll or flip 360 so be prepared for a much more lively feeling heli even if in normal mode. If you haven't had any experience flying collective pitch (CP) helis, I would strongly recommend you consider acquiring the K110 to practice on first as the stock K130 does not crash well and will strip servos really easy. The little 1s K110 is only 1s power and more durable than any micro CP heli I have ever flown. It's not invincible but if you fly over grass, it takes quite a lot to break anything. The tail performance is also superior and it still has some pretty decent power too. Lipos are cheaper, way safer in parks where dogs and children may also be and you can use your X6 transmitter to bind with it. It will still need basic pitch setup (subtrim) for correct zero pitch and even pitch both ways but so does every CP heli that doesn't come RTF with a transmitter. All controls will be the same as your K130. Here's a K110 bashing video from a while back plus there's a playlist for it in the video description for all my K110 videos past present and future.. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pQEgNyA9BMc.html&ab_channel=MicroRCFiend If i'm totally wrong in my assumptions, fill me in as much as you can as to why or what you are experiencing and what helis or other stuff you have flown before and i'm fairly sure we can get you in the air providing there's no damage to anything. Let me know how you get on, good luck.

It's a really fun, aggressive heli but it has several flaws - whether it will suit you depends very much on these factors. One is the stock servos being very fragile. They are cheap to swap out for metal gear which I have done but the tail holding is not great and it does not suit backward flight training. Check the conclusion out at the end of the video for more details (time codes in the description). I have some different motors that may help the tail but so far, it's only holding ok with change of tail blade and headspeed of 60 - 80% I'm curious if you K120 is still working? Did you like how it flew? If you already have the K120, all that needs to be a superb 3D trainer is stock servos swapping as they will melt if you fly aggressive. Same as the K130 though - they are not durable in crashes under power due to such high headspeeds. The K110 might be more suitable, it's tail is superb and it is the most durable CP heli I have every owned. It's only 1s so power is limited but with good collective management it's very capable and I dearly love it to bits - recently just bought a 2nd one to put a triblade head on. Almost perfect 3D trainer to learn on before stepping up to something more powerful plus you can fly it with the TX you fly the K120 with. It's cheap too and can be had for less than £50 on sale plus lipos are also very affordable.

@@MicroRCFiend i sell my k120 before because im not using it anymore but now i saw k130 looks nice and scary little heli and im planning to get even im not yet good flying 3d ihope i will not crash on my 1st day hehe

i remember my k120 servo broke even im not crashing thats why i sell that heli... what metal gear did you use for your k130? can i get link?

@@thirdyv124 Sure, I used the JX servo because they were very affordable, even cheaper than stock plastic servos. Superb value. I will upload a video using them soon but have been waiting on more lipos from china that seem to have got lost in the post. www.banggood.com/JX-Servo-DHV56MG-5_6g-Coreless-LV-Low-Voltage-DSMG-Metal-Gear-Servo-0_89kg-0_10sec-p-1034036.html?p=UI14032168777201508N They do not come with correct connector though. I soldered on the ones from stock servos but performance is very good. Essential upgrade for K130. Other options will drop straight in without soldering but are more expensive. Cheapest I know of are these but I have not tried them. www.banggood.com/T-POWER-7g-24T-Upgraded-Metal-Gear-Swashplate-Digital-Servo-For-XK-K130-RC-Helicopter-p-1570494.htmlwww.banggood.com/JX-Servo-DHV56MG-5_6g-Coreless-LV-Low-Voltage-DSMG-Metal-Gear-Servo-0_89kg-0_10sec-p-1034036.html?p=UI14032168777201508N Perhaps the best option is blue arrow but again, twice the price of JX option even when on sale. www.banggood.com/BLUEARROW-D03018MG-Digital-Precision-Ultra-Micro-Metal-Gears-Servo-For-XK-K120-K130-Walkera-V120D02S-130X-RC-Helicopter-p-990772.html?p=UI14032168777201508N If you do decide to choose K130, I recommend you also purchase spare main shaft, feathering shaft and skids. A parrot tail blade I also consider essential if you plan to progress from sport flying to 3D. Here's my testing with that along with details. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gai-NiV_FeA.html

I need to know for sure, as I just ordered an xk k130 transmitter( because is much cheaper) for my xk k110 and 124. Thank you!

@@costy1981me Yes you are good. X6 will bind with and fly them all. There was an issue with the early released ones and compatibility but that's no longer an issue.

@@MicroRCFiend Ok! Thank you very much!

This video at 20:38 shows mechanical setup. Also the K120 playlist has 2 that may help. #10 shows subtrim procedure in detail and #11has a description of the process step by step in the video description also. ru-vid.com/group/PL8zs5ZGIg_iyf3qGDQ5DgxBWjEzCrLpHK

You need to adjust your throttle curve in the transmitter. If flying in idle up, all points must be the same for constant speed. I suggest 60% for all value at first and then adjust from there if you want more or less. If flying in normal mode, try adjusting the 3rd, 4th and 5th value upwards slightly to your liking.

Yes, so long as it supports Futaba SFHSS protocol. Usually a C2250 module.

I'm curious if you have flown the original T150 and can compare with the newer X. Specifically the tail performance in fast reverse hurricanes and aileron tic tocs and if possible in comparison to the K120 for those moves. What is it about the stock T150X that sets it apart for you? Can you define 'excellence' for me please? It's the same heli with improved FBL right? Have you tried the nanotech 300mah 45-90C on the K110 yet? Super light, great pop and only about £2.30 each Also I just tried the GNB 450 HV a couple days ago and they are my new favourite, very much worth the £3 each if you do have any desires to fly the K110 with such a comprehensive fleet. www.banggood.com/GAONENG-GNB-4_35V-450mAh-1S-80C-HV-Battery-PH2_0-Plug-White-Plug-For-E010-M80S-Tiny7-RC-Model-p-1262174.html?p=UI14032168777201508N

@@MicroRCFiend hi, I have never flown the 150 dfc, but have read many posts and it seems it isn't that good. It won't fly as well as 150x, can't be configured on the smartphone app and doesn't have the rescue function, just like the 150x. I never flipped the rescue on 150x (so, I don't really know if it works), but it is a good feature you can count on in case you need. I never flew a k120 either. I only fly 3d on my cheaper micro helis, i.e., the k110, the k110-2s and the k110-150x hybrid. Unlike my big helis, none of them will have a reliable tail in a backwards hurricane or any backwards maneuver. Tail can simply blow out out of nowhere, especially in strong wind. Another annoying issue I notice on ANY of the micro helis I have is the motor bogging under high loads. These are the reasons why I never wanted to risk a stunt on my 150x. Fear of crashing and damaging that little gem. When I say "excellence", I mean precision and power in flight. I fly the k110 (either the 1s or 2s) and then the 150x, and they feel miles away in those aspects. 150x responds insanely smooth, both the tail and the cyclic. It is also more powerful and runs a brushless tail motor. It seems the real difference between 150dfc and 150x is the fbl unit. I'm looking for a low cost used 150dfc to buy and convert it to a 150x. Yes, the nanotech 300mah is the batteries I use on my k110-2s and k110-150x hybrid. The 150x has its own batteries, but I'm adapting it to run the nanothechs batteries too. The only downside I see on 150x is that, in case of a crash, minimum and maximum pitch will mess up and you will need to reset them via the app. Also, because the servo gears are plastic, it is highly recommend to do the servo mod before flying. From this video I inferred you had an 150x or 150dfc. You fly way better than me and also has way more experience in micro helis, so, please don't feel compelled to buy an 150x because of what I am saying. Actually, it was a video from yours, a couple of years ago, that prompted me to buy my 1st micro heli, the k110-1s. Great tip this 450mah 1s battery you have suggested. I really need a good 1s battery to have a decent flight with my k110-1s.

@@jctgf You are correct I do have a couple Trex150 V1 but the tail is just not that great in fast reverse flight or aileron tic tocs but I love everything else about how it flies, especially the fluid cyclic and cylci gain pot/how agile it can be, tail is only perfect IF kept moving but most micros are. Tail heavy regarding piro stuff and I wish they'd lose the useless OWB too, that's beyond pointless on this size heli and cost more money and weight while being less durable. I even upgraded to bheli on one and MH frame set on both in hopes of a solid tail. Bought upgraded tail motor bell and specific props but then the K120 and K110 came along and showed me what a micro tail could actually perform like and I've barely flown my T150's ever since. Unless it's gonna hold tail in first reverse flight, I don't see any reason to spend what a K120 cost on just the 150X FBL for inferior performance and yet another fragile heli. I honestly couldn't care less about all the smartphone support or any other features but if that tail was excellent i'd possibly consider the FBL. I've also found the K110 tail to be no issues reverse flight and feel it's a superb reverse flight and inverted flight trainer. Holds solid and when you really push it hard, the tail gently and predictably glides instead of blowing 180 like a weather vane and/or twitching in a hover because gain needs to be really high to hold in reverse flight.

To open a servo you need to remove the swash anti rotation guide that also doubles up as the top support for those servos. Skip to about 16:00 mins in to see that part. Once that's removed you can lift up the servo and get at the screws on the base to open it or just remove to swap out. Setup of new servo is just after that part also - time codes in the description below the video.

MicroRCFiend Which screws do I have to solve, to take off the swashplate?

@@mike_romeo_lima Once the main gear screw is removed you can slide the gear off and then you just remove the links from servo to slide the entire shaft upwards and out along with the swash

MicroRCFiend I have just found another way, but thanks anyway ;)

Hey Jason. When you refer to '3D' do you mean idle up as in mid throttle is zero pitch and min/max being full negative and full positive pitch? Or do you mean 6G stabilization turned off so the heli will no longer self level? For reference: 6G - self level 3g - no self level idle up - pos and neg pitch available, not just positive.

MicroRCFiend 3D6G switch for 3D! Should it be up for 3D and down for 6G plus I’m thinking that it should be up around 50% or lower or hearing you say 48% I broke one side of my struts so I’m using a rock for the left side lol but I’m about to make a rear double sided triangles for the skid like the goblin plus something that’s not to heavy and a good solid gear strut.

@@jasonfalcon4052 Ok, I follow you now. Short answer - yes, anything below 50 Long answer: The 6G switch is front left and flicking it up/backwards is engaged so 6G/self level is on. Put it down/towards you to disengage and allow the heli to flip fully past the 6G resticted bank angle of about 40 degrees - what XK and others call 3G but confusingly also sometimes call 3D mode for various models allow self level to be turned off - also called manual or rate mode on big cp helis or betaflight quads. The transmitter 'gyro' setting is supposed to be anywhere under 50 for 6G to be active but in reality this value can be a little off so you may need to drop it a few points further for 3G mode (6G off). You should be able to see the led on the main board change from red to green to indicate the two modes - I forget which colour is which mode from memory. This will not affect your throttle from increasing and decreasing as you flip though so the tail will kick and it's won't give you any inverted pitch, it just removes the self level or limited bank angle. I set mine to 0 on all XK helis and most models it seems to give just a hair more agility than somewhere between 1 and 49. It's just terminology but if we are talking 3D as in sustained inverted flight, tic tocs, piroflips like all non XK major brand collective pitch helis etc you will also need to engage idle up (back left switch down/towards you) as this will give you the constant throttle required to do so. This is the back left switch by default on the XK transmitters such as the X6 the K range of helis are sold with. Up /away from you will keep your throttle in the normal mode where the rpm of the blades increases as you raise the throttle like a fixed pitch heli. Down/towards you engages it and provides constant throttle and moves your zero pitch to mid stick rather than at the lowest point. Throttle hold must now be the way to land and remove power as moving the throttle to the lower half is now negative pitch. There's a bug/feature with the K130 that only allows 6G mode to be active if you take off in that mode. It will not engage in flight so switching from 3G to 6G is no go unlike other models but it will allow us to switch from 6G to 3G.

MicroRCFiend Thanks for your answer I’ve got my pitch and throttle curves just right! Although I might need to adjust the inverted value so it don’t jump down while inverted! I’ve got extra spindles and rear motor with 5 batteries all I need is to glue the battery/gear down and make out of plastic a better landing gear that don’t break! I wish they incorporated a brushless tail as well as gear that is like gorilla gear with rubber incorporating plastic like I’ve had on my old T-Rex 450. P,S I was the first person to incorporate C,C,P,M into the first grey framed T-Rex 400 which brought the single servo and all up weight around 800/900 grams to having on my 2nd power house parts like a 35 castle creation’s with a Astro T-Rex gold motor which my weight was 519 grams which is a whole lot better having C,C,P,M after cutting into the frames and not including the front half! I love small hardcore 3D Helicopters 🚁 because they make you a better pilot! I wish that I would have purchased the T-Rex 150 after all having a 110/120/130 is easily 100 to 150$ more in having all XK’s but I really like the XK line plus I have a Futaba T10CHP which will be my next project! Binding the XK 130 after I workout all the kinks! But thanks for your information.😎🤙

@@jasonfalcon4052 If you have a K120, perhaps you don't need an expensive T150. The tail performance isn't amazing even though it's brushless but it does have more agility maxed out. About as fragile in crashes but much cheaper to fix. Good luck with your K130 maiden.

Which servos did you replace with? Are you sure they are compatible? You have K130 with transmitter that has flown already? Or build from scratch? If servos are fine then you will need to do basic mechanical setup. No need to change stock transmitter settings, just make sure you are in idle up with collective at centre and then fix servo horns so they are parallel with the ground and move sticks to max to ensure they have smooth movement for entire travel. This must be done in idle up. I use flat throttle curve, 80% seems best for overall performance but you can go lower if it feels too fast for you. Again, stock transmitter settings are fine, no need to change for basic setup. After servo horns are in place you must now set blades so they have zero pitch when collective/throttle is dead centre. Skip to 20:40 for explanation of how to do this without needing pitch gauge. Everything you need starts here. After centre collective is perfect with no pitch, you must now ensure you have even pitch both ways for positive and for negative pitch, again this must be done in idle up only and the video shows how to adjust X6 transmitter for this also. Try to be as precise as possible to ensure heli will fly without issues. If you do not want to fly in idle up that's fine but setup must be done like this first.

ok tq..one more..gyro set? 6g mode how?3d mode?

XK gyro is only for self level on or off. There is no tail control gyro for user to change, it is fixed.

@@MicroRCFiend thanks Should the gyro escape to turn the helicopter over? gyro 75? 25? 0?

@@gokhanboz9986 Gyro from 51 to 100 should allow heli to flip (manual mode). Gyro from 0 to 49 should make heli have self level. YOu can see led on main board chnage from red to blue when you chnage mode.

@@MicroRCFiend thanks, can you give me your control settings

@@gokhanboz9986 Sure, I am using Open TX but file was created on the transmitter so only way is to load via sd card and restore model. It cannot be used with companion software. drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sAdeUH7fZRXhjOOmDRfSd8mF6qG8jFDg There is explanation of which switches do what functions in the description of this video, just scroll down to the bottom of the description. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pQEgNyA9BMc.html

Well I would have said that was impossible until your post. I honestly have no clue as the X6 doesn't allow that to be reversed to the best of my knowledge. If that's the only issue and it persists after several power cycles then the only suggestion I have is to physically turn the switch round 180 degrees inside the TX. It's not glued in so easy to swap over once the case screws are removed. I always move their back right choice to back left and had this inverted once when I put it in backwards. I still don't know how only that can be affected in a crash unless only a very small part of the board is damaged somehow. A wild guess at best unless you have a backup of spares to swap out.

@@MicroRCFiend Hi, yes it’s got me scratching my head as well I did think about turning this switch around I suppose the real proof would be to bind another model to the tx and see what happens there. Then if it is the helicopter which I strongly suspect then do you go for the rx board or the system board?

@@johncarroll2638 That's a great idea if you have another model. Certainly curious on your result. Because it's a small(ish) heli, if it checks out with everything else, i'd give it a few test flights away from people and probably just fly it. Regarding further diagnosis, since the main fbl comes with rx, it's replacing both or nothing. Not sure how you can diag between the two or if it was with it even if you knew the result. A growing number of people seem very content with using a K110 board in the K120. Allows switching flight mode while flying and i'm told provides a slightly better tail performance. It needs different voltages for servos and board so not direct drop in. Quite a lot of builds on RCGroups K120 thread if prepared to search there. You reminded me I still have my MG servo video testing to edit and upload.

You found the tail better than the K120 tail in reverse hurricanes?

@@MicroRCFiend sorry for some reason my auto text messed the question up. Do u think it is better than the xk 120?

@@SupremeRC For everything but the tail performance and possibly flight time, yes I do. Longer tail blade mostly sorts that in everything but tail first hurricanes but holds really well for aileron tic tocs unlike the stock blade. Of course it needs at least twice the space i'd comfortably fly the K120 but much easier to take on a windy field with it over the smaller, lighter K120. Click on the conclusion in the description for a brief sum up on that and from 9m to around 11.30m for examples of tail first issues.

I think you mean K130 like this video rather than the K110? If so, yeah, I agree. I love the simplicity of design and low parts count but once bigger than a K110, it just doesn't work well enough. Metal gear servos are a must and can be had cheaper than stock ones if you are prepared to solder but the frame and skids and both shafts are utterly fragile. If not and you do mean the K110, I couldn't disagree more. It's beyond doubt the most durable CP heli I have ever owned. Sure anything can be broken. I do like how it flies still and has immense power to weight ratio for only 2s but the fbl is also crippled and the tail performance is simply terrible. Apparently the K110 board fitted fixes that. I did everything I could with motor and blade choices but it needs a bl upgrade tail or FC swap. Only fly forwards and it behaves really superb in flight. Accessible price and parts prices are tempting too to beginners. If you want something premium but also plug and play mostly, I suggest the M1 and M2. Just be sure if you get an M2 you have the latest FC and V4 ESC and you won't be disappointed on build quality or performance. Seriously, don't touch the earlier M2's unless prepared to upgrade those two parts. (more details in my M2 vids if you need it) At it's best, the M2 is really superb and worth the hefty price tag in my eyes. It's got zero slop anywhere and is very precise and once you have it, most parts aren't too bad unless you crash super hard often. I keep hearing the M1 is even better which is is good as I have 2 sitting here ready to get stuck into. Basically, they 'borrowed' a trick from openheli3D to counter the tail motor direction by pulsing the main blades. Sounds horrible but when done well, it's seamless and you actually have a small amount of tail push, the opposite way the motor can push. It's much smaller but not really much cheaper i'm afraid.

@@MicroRCFiend Thank you for the detailed answer, much appreciated. No I meant the 110...and the 123. Parts and construction seem insanely cheap and fragile. I find it hard to believe they can’t make them more solid. I know the idea is to be light but unless you’re flying over grass (and even then) they seem junky to me anyway. Ok I just received the OMP T6, with no manual of course. I found a USB cable and I think I’m charging it...red light is flashing? I trust charging will likely take some time due to the long life battery? I know there are videos but any advice...what is with the two power buttons? Also I have the OMP M2 Explorer coming, you gave it quite a good review did you not? I’m relatively new to the hobby and quickly trying to advance with all things RC Helis. I have several micros and have been learning the lingo, programming etc as well basic repairs. Please tell me it will be good out of the box? I bought some metal blade grips and upgraded landing gear...what do you think man? Thanks

@@stevejohnston8543 I have to say, I simply don't get it unless they changed materials from the original release which mine still is. I know the K130 has 3rd party shafts sold as original from BG and they were super soft, perhaps you have the same in K110. Here's an example of the abuse I give mine on a heavy weekend and it's had scores ands scores of days like that and survived. Bearings literally wear out before I damaged anything and I only ever bent 1 feathering shaft and never bent a main. Unless you are crashing while accelerating into the ground with power on, that's' the only explanation I can come up with. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pQEgNyA9BMc.html&ab_channel=MicroRCFiend The M2 V1 is great. Tail does move about 15-20 degress when pushed really hard but I can't get it to blow. That's discontinued in favour of V2 with an FC you can tweak with buttons on it. Here's the caveat which you will see if you watch my M2 videos - They released it too early and the tail is stunningly terrible, it makes a K130 bad tail look almost perfect. Most people seem3d fine with taming it down so much, that tail held but then it's a much much less aggressive heli. I call it not fit for sale, returned it and was sent another with exactly the same issue. Turn out it's a feature, not an issue. Scores of people contacted me about this and agreed with me but the official line from OMP and Scotia RC is that there is nothing wrong. There's no explanation of why V1 tail is far superior though... FFW to now and they did a silent update on the FC to fix this and also added 'tally' control which is borrowed from heliflight 3D. Basically they pulse the main blades to get the tail to push the opposite way to the tail motor. Sounds crazy but when finessed, it's a motor tail like no other. To get V2 flying as good or better than v1 you need the latest FC (no version numbers on it that I am aware of) AND V4 ESC. Without both of those I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. With those, it should be stellar. Honestly I got so burned out fighting with OMP about it that I needed a break from helis for a while and only just getting the inertia to get back at it, fit those M2 parts and fly the M1. There are manuals available on the OMP site and I think ScotiaRC has a link to them too. There's the OMP facebook group also, quite active if you need to ask any questions you need a faster reply to than I can give when on 12 hour night shifts :) The 2 buttons require pressing at the same time to turn on. The lights on the TX are you battery levels so unplug it, turn it on and see what you have. Yeah, it takes a good hour or 2 to charge from flat but it lasts incredibly well, very efficient on power.

@@MicroRCFiend I’ve got to say some of the lingo you’re using is above my head. What am I missing though...I thought you gave the M2Explorer a good review....in large part why I bought it. Remember I’m largely still a sport flyer

@@stevejohnston8543 Apologies. TX is short for transmitter, RX is short for receiver. ESC is the speed controller for the motor. FC is flight controller. Anything else not making sense, please say. I strongly suggest you rewatch the M2 vid you thought I gave good review, it's probably the V1 (yellow one). AS mentioned before, V2 can be better but only with most recent ESC and FC. If you just ordered it, strong chance you don't have to worry. It's not about sport or 3D really, the early V2 tail doesn't work well in either unless pitch is turned down from 12 degrees to 9.