Every time I fly these machines they get me excited, as the sound, handling and manoeuvrability is astounding.
SO, When I approached SAB for a newly developed Goblin 380 to build and review I was anticipating something special, and I received exactly that!
The conventional sizing of RC Helicopters usually goes 150 (which is around 12") , 250, 450, 500, 550, 600, 700, 800 (over 2m in length), but SAB do it alittle differently, Giving the name to this little goblin from it's blade length. The actual heli is bigger than a normal 450 but slightly smaller than a 500.
The SAB guys have used the styling from their flagship model the Goblin 700 'Speed', with a dipped nose and the lack of front skids to give it a very aggressive look but a buttery smooth aerodynamic cut through the air during flight. They have also used a HPS head found on the larger SAB helicopters, which gives superb accuracy.
The visual appeal is beautiful but it also has purpose.
Using the same all belt drive system that every other SAB model has, it gives it an instant transition through the head giving some lovely flowing pitch pumps with no loss of power at all.
I have to mention that SAB have done a great job with the instruction manual too.....it's easy to follow with colour illustrations and clear details.
The build took me just over 5hrs to complete and it was really fun to assemble! Lots of carbon and CNC machined parts....38 major parts in all, plus nuts and bolts, which is the lowest part count heli on the market at present!Every bag in the kit is organised according to the instructions and makes for an easy build.
Parts like the rotor head are pre-assembled at the factory but you are required to undo them and thread lock everything.
I used every high-end part I could get hold of so I didn't let this little devil down!
BK servos on the cyclic, BK tail servo, MSH brain FBL system, Scorpion 3020-1000kv motor and Castle creations phoenix edge 100 lite esc, and a pulse 1800mah 45c 6s lipo to boot!
As you can see from the pictures, it is truly stunning, and small compared to the other goblins in my fleet!
I'm yet to test fly it yet, but as soon as I do I will update this post with a video!
