Blade MCX

The Blade MCX is a great RC helicopter, but a comprehensive guide on installing replacement parts seems hard to find. Here’s a list of all the parts that tend to break with crashes, and how to install replacements. Don’t feel bad about crashing your heli – even I’ve crashed a few times flying the blade MCX around the factory!

Replacing the Blade MCX RC Helicopter Flybar

The main flybar stabilizes the top rotor, and spins at a great speed. Because it’s built on top of the main rotors, it tends to fly off during a collision. Fortunately, it’s almost never damaged and most of the time can simply be snapped back into place. Should yours break for some reason, here’s how to install a replacement.

1. Check the Flybar For Damage – There’s very little that can actually break on the flybar, but check it against this picture to be sure it isn’t actually damaged.
2. Snap off The Flybar Linkage – You’ll find a small black linkage on the flybar (the plastic part, about 1 cm high, that dangles down freely), which connects to the top rotor blades. Snap it off gently, and place it somewhere where it won’t get lost.
3. Lift off the Flybar – The flybar is held between a black plastic clevis (the plastic holder on top of the rotor shaft). Gently spread the clevis apart using your fingers, and lift the flybar out.
4. Install the New Flybar - Slide the new flybars centre into the black plastic clevises between the top rotor blades. Line the plastic extrusions on the helicopter’s flybar up with the holes in the clevis and snap it into place. Do the same with the small linkage, snap it onto one of the plastic extrusions on the top rotor blades. It doesn’t matter which side of the top rotors you attach the linkage to.

Replacing the Blade MCX RC Helicopter Top Rotors

A severe crash can crack the top rotor blades. Repairing them with tape or glue isn’t a good idea, because it causes an imbalance that makes the helicopter hard to fly. Your best bet is to simply replace them – here’s how:

1. Unscrew The Rotor Blades – Using a small Philips head screwdriver, remove the two small screws holding the top rotor blades. Be sure to set the screws where they won’t get lost or roll away.
2. Remove The Rotor Blades – The top rotor blades lock into each other, gently pull them apart and remove them.
3. Install the New Rotor Blades – At the top of the rotor shaft, you’ll see two black holes protruding outwards. Place each rotor blade (right side up) into the shaft, and snap them together. It is possible to put the rotor blades in upside down – don’t do this. Make them look the same as the bottom rotor blades.
4. Re-install the Small Screws – Using a Philips head screwdriver, replace the two small screws that you removed earlier.

Replacing the Blade MCX RC Helicopter Landing Skid

The landing skid is one of the easiest Blade MCX parts to replace. It simply pulls off from the bottom of the helicopter fuselage. You don’t always have to replace a damaged landing skid, most of the time some thick or medium CA (super glue) can fix it perfectly.

1. Remove the Rechargeable Battery – You’ll need to hold on to the battery mount to remove the skid.
2. Remove the Skid – Grab the skid by the battery mount and pull it off gently.
3. Replace the Skid – Install a new landing skid by pushing it’s two pegs (found near the battery mount) into the holes in the bottom of the fuselage.  Be sure to do this gently – don’t damage the helicopter by using too much force.

Replacing the Blade MCX Inner Shaft

The inner shaft turns the top rotor blades. After a few crashes, the rotor head / hub where the flybar connects can become bent, or the inner shaft itself can snap. If you’re in a particularly bad crash and the inner shaft breaks, here’s what to do:

1. Remove The Battery and Skid – The battery slides out, and the landing skid can be pulled off.
2. Remove The Flybar – How to do this is mentioned above.
3. Remove The Top Rotor Blades – This was also previously mentioned.
4. Remove The Bottom Gear – On the bottom of the fuselage, you’ll find two white plastic gears. Remove the bottom one by loosening the screws on the silver washer glued to it. Don’t remove the little black screws completely because they are easy to loose. Just loosen them enough to let the bottom gear slide off. Then gently pull the bottom gear downwards and clear of the inner shaft.
5. Pull Out The Old Inner Shaft – The inner shaft can now be slid out of the outer shaft by pulling it upwards.
6. Insert the New Inner Shaft – Slide the new inner shaft into the hole on the top of the outer shaft – it should drop down easily.
7. Replace The Bottom Gear – Slide the bottom gear onto the inner shaft so that it meshes nicely with the motor shaft gear. Tighten the small black screws that you loosened earlier.
8. Re-Install All The Other Parts You Removed – Add the upper rotor blades, flybar, landing skid, and battery.
9. Test it – Make sure that turning the upper rotor blades makes the lower white gear move. If it doesn’t, then the small black screws on the lower gear aren’t tightened sufficiently.

Replacing Blade MCX RC Helicopter Rubber Grommets On The Canopy

The Blade MCX canopy is held on with small black rubber grommets. These rubber grommets can sometimes fall off and get lost, but replacing them is easy – here’s how:

1. Pick Up a Grommet – Yeah, I know this one sounds obvious, but picking up the small grommets without losing them is hard. The way that works best for me is to let one sit on a table, then press a finger down on it. The grommet should stick to your finger, and you can then place it where needed.
2. Push the Grommet Onto The Blade MCX Body – Push the grommet onto the shafts in the fuselage using your finger. Doing this isn’t easy, and it may take several tries.

© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed

The Blade MCX is an ideal RC helicopter for beginners. Here’s a list of 10 power tips to help you keep your Blade MCX in the air, and have fun flying it.

1. Keep A Few Replacement Parts Handy – Accidents happen, and waiting for replacement parts to come in the mail can be a pain. When you order a Blade MCX, also order a few of the most needed replacement parts. These include the main landing gear, stabilizer fly bar, upper main rotor blades, and inner shaft. We’ll post a detailed how to for adding replacement parts to the Blade MCX shortly.
2. Trim the Heli For Easier Flight – The Blade MCX transmitter has trim tabs that you can use to cancel out unwanted movement in flight. Apply trim by bringing the helicopter to a stationary hover, and letting go of the control sticks for a moment. Note the direction that the RC helicopter drifts in, and  press the buttons near the transmitter sticks in the opposite direction to compensate. Each trim tab corresponds to the control stick it’s placed next to. Page 15 of the manual has detailed instructions for trimming the Blade MCX.
3. Land Before LVC (Low Voltage Cut-off) – At low voltage cut-off, the RC helicopter’s red LED lights will start to blink. This means that the lipo battery is at a minimum voltage, and can’t be drained further without damage. Land immediately. Flying past LVC will damage the battery, and you’ll get shorter flight times as a result.
4. How To Fly Faster – Flying forwards using only the pitch control doesn’t make the Blade MCX go very fast. You can increase speed by increasing throttle as you pitch forward, and by flying in a gradual left or right turn.
5. Lubricate Moving Parts – If you have trouble controlling the Blade MCX, it could be because parts are not moving freely enough. Use a small amount of light lubricate on the moving parts near the rotor head to allow them to move more smoothly.
6. Replace the AA Batteries Included With The Blade MCX – The AA batteries included in the box aren’t as good as those you can get locally. They work fine in the transmitter, but they won’t charge the Blade MCX battery nearly fast enough.
7. Keep A Spare Battery Charged When Flying – Why interrupt flying to let the battery charge? If you have a spare battery for the Blade MCX, you can charge one while you use the other, reducing down time for charging.
8. Keep the Main Shaft Clean – Foreign objects, especially hair can get stuck in the Blade MCX main shaft. This will make the motors struggle, and could stop them completely. Check for hair or other objects wound around the main shaft before flying and remove any you find with a pair of tweezers.
9. Use Rechargeable Batteries in The Charger – Using rechargeable batteries in the Blade MCX battery charger will save you money.
10. Close Doors And Turn Off Fans – Closing doors and turning off fans in the flying area will reduce drafts and make flying easier. The Blade MCX was not designed to handle any wind.

© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed