What is different?

Vario, the world’s most prolific manufacturer of large scale helicopter kits, supplies the hobby with a wide array of models to choose from. Vario kits differ from those made by Roban (the most popular scale ARF brand) in every key area:

• Size. Roban kits max out with a rotor disk around 1.6 meters. Most Vario kits boast rotor diameters in excess of 2 meters.

• Weight. Roban kits max out around 18 lbs. Vario kits can reach 50+ lbs.

• Power. Roban manufactures electric kits. Vario kits can be outfitted with electric, turbine and gas power plants.

• Quality. Roban provides a terrific way to economically enter the scale helicopter realm, but the reliability, sturdiness and overall quality of their fuselages and mechanics is not nearly at the level of Vario or any custom-built helicopter.

• Price. Expect to pay significantly more for a Vario helicopter than you would for a Roban.

• Build. Roban makes an ARF helicopter that a reasonably skilled modeler can build. Vario helicopters require advanced building and finishing skills. Their fuselages are unpainted and hollow. The modeler must install all formers, hardware, glazing, hinges and other attributes that come pre-installed on a Roban.

• Scale Detail. Although Roban does a credible job on various models, Vario’s selection of scale accessories and details is massive. This gives you the opportunity to get as detailed as you want. For those who want to go beyond even what Vario provides, we believe modelers are far better off investing the time and energy into a larger, more sophisticated model.

It is not for everyone.

You can be forgiven if you are intimidated by the cost and level of sophistication of large scale helicopters, especially turbine-powered models. The models are expensive and you need to be confident enough in your skills to regularly put a $15,000 model into the air. Our segment of the hobby requires a dedication to developing and continually improving your flying skills as well as your knowledge of how the mechanical elements of your model operate. Like their full scale counterparts, scale helicopters also require maintenance and attention. If you find no joy in that, maybe this echelon of the hobby is not for you.

But, maybe you are not everyone.

If you are passionate about helicopters and want a thrill like none other in this segment of the hobby, moving into large scale models will make you forget about everything else you once flew. Large scale heli pilots and their aircraft are rare at most flying fields and the ships never fail to capture the imagination of everyone at the field. At most fields, other pilots will stand down just to watch the beasts take off, hover and beat the atmosphere into submission with a presence unmatched by almost any other aircraft. If that gets your rotor spinning, prepare to be hooked for life.

We will help you get there.

At Heli Workshop, we can help you purchase the right ship and all of the recommended accessories and components. If you are not a builder, we can handle that too. Our clients simply pick the model and tell us how nuts to go with scaling and we go nuts! Your selected paint scheme finishes it off and we deliver your model ready to fly.