The Build
When I first looked at this kit in the box, I thought, "Ok... this is going to be fun." I like building helis as much as I like flying them. I like builds that allow me to thread lock each screw, place each bearing in its cup, sanding... etc, etc. My LAHeli Ricco provided that kind of pleasure. This kit, did not. Though I have to say, it was more fun than my 250 builds. For me, there were too many parts that were pre-built to call this a builders build like I orignially had.
This heli was desinged in the United States, by Charley Stephens
www.outragerc.com/main/pilots.php ... He's the one in the middle. So, the manual is in English not Chenglish. It is one of the better manuals I've worked with, though the frames section could have been broken down a little further. That page was a little confusing. It was a blow up diagram, but it didn't explain that you have to build the upper frame first. Other than that, I thought the manual was clear and concise.
I did deviate from the manual on a couple of occasions. I find building up the boom off the helicopter to be easier. I also built up the tail case off the boom instead of on the boom like it suggests. I built the flybar cage off the head too. Building it that way is a personal preference. If you went exactly by the manual you'd be ok.
www.outragerc.com/manuals/manual_G5.pdfBelow are pics from the build. I took 255 (relax I'm not putting that many up). I slacked at the tail section, again, sorry. I always seem to be in a groove at that point and forget to take pics. Having a precise tail is important, so I tend to concentrate a little harder. Basically, I left out the boom build... stabilizing fin, pushrod, pushrod guides.... yada yada. Nothing too technical anyway. I'll try to explain what I missed with the camera.
Here we go....
I picked this up at Fry's Electronics for $16 bucks. Best tool investment to date. It puts light right where I need it. As I've gotten older, I tend to need more light to see well, and this thing really helps. My kids built me a tinfoil hat to keep the "People" out of my head after they saw me where this. Below are some pics that show how adjustable it is.
LED's don't eat up batteries as fast.
You can move it so it points exactly where you need it.
Geek moment!!!
On with the build....
Each bag is numbered and it coincides with the manual. These two bags are used in the first step in the manual. I won't explain that again, I'll just post up the bag number. As you can see, Outrage made it extremely simple to find your parts and your step bags. I was very impressed and thankful. I like tough builds, but not looking for screws and what-not.
Most of the manual was exactly like this. Enlish... ahhhhhh
Head block and see-saw. You have to make sure to put the rounded side to the left and the chamferred side to the right.
Inner hole for 3d, Outer for beginers... Even though I don't do any 3D, I still like to have lively head (loops, rolls, and flips aren't 3D).
Chamfer on the right.
Don't forget the thread lock.
Secure the see-saw to the head block using a capped screw and a washer. I put the thread lock in the hole on the see-saw rather that on the screw. If you don't use a ton of thread lock on the screw, it isn't too risky, but I just wanted to be safe. Also, there's no need to torque this screw down... you don't want to leave it too loose... but don't break your wrist either. As long as you've used a fair amount of thread lock, just turn it until you feel the threads bite and you should be alright.
Capped screws secure the ball links. Here I set the ball in the inner hole.
Both sides....
You'll need a few of these in this step too. This is my least favorite thing to do. Really, I'd rather look at Janet Reno naked. So I just went through the entire manual, got all my link measurements, and made my links up all in one shot. Just so you know, the stock ball links suck. They are the same size as Align 450 ball links. If you have those laying around I'd use them instead. For the purpose of this build I used the kits ball links, but they needed sizing.
Flybar Cage links
My objective here was to try to show that there are two sides to these links. One side has lettering or numbers, and that's the side that goes on the ball first... the other, shown here, does not have any lettering and faces away from the ball. If you try to put them on wrong, they will break.... I know
Time to put together the flybar cage. Again, The manual shows piecing this up on the head.... screw that.
I put my links on first. You could build up one side and put them on then if you want....
Ok... this picture is wrong.... the cones go out.
This picture is correct... Notice that I left the cage loose. I did this because sometimes you can't get the flybar cage on if it's tightened all the way down. This worked out just fine.
Important to note here... There is an orientation to this flybar cage. The manual is pretty straight forward about this, but if you watch the video I've linked above he doesn't go into it. This is an A frame flybar cage, so it needs to look like an "A"... not a "V."
Set Screw to lock down the flybar
Get both sides equal lengths... this is the number I came up with.
Notice the Expensive graphics!! Anyway, I just want to show link orientation. The ball this link goes on is in the direction of the arrow, so you want to have your links made up and positioned correctly before you install the cage on the head. You could end up a half of a turn off if your links are note positioned correctly from the start. So if you have to change one side or the other after it's on, your links will be different sizes, and this is not good.
The manual has you putting the paddles on later. I tend to get up close, and the thought of poking myself in the eye with the bare end is what led me to put the paddles on now. Your measurements should be approximately 70 mm.
These are the balls that go on swashplate. When put together correctly, this head has excellent geometry. It's fairly important you don't screw this part up, because if you do, it will throw your head geometry off a little. Notice that there are two balls, one with a standoff, the other without. You'll have two balls withouth standoffs and those are for the washout arms. The rest of the balls are normal
Ball with Standoff
Now a ball without a Standoff goes right here. 90 deg. from the ball with the standoff. Then you alternate around the inner swash.
Notice that there are two different screw sizes for the two different balls. Small screw with the no standoff ball, larger screw for the one with the standoff.
Your swash should look like this
A completed swashplate
For some reason I thought this picture was a keeper... oh well, getting ready to put the washout base together.
Note orientation. You could put the ball in from the other side.
Make sure you use the right screws.
Once the washout base is complete, go ahead and grab your shaft and run it through the swash, washout and into the head. There is an orientation to the shaft. You'll notice a notched section on the shaft for the collar... that is
not in the center. One side is longer than the other. The long side goes up top. If you get this wrong you'll be taking your head apart and turning the shaft around because the notches won't go past the bearing without fouling them up.
If you haven't done this yet.....
First thing I do here is slap the nyloc nuts on these screws. These screws are to hold your blades in the grips, and I don't want to use them in another part of the build. So it's a reminder that these screws are for a specific purpose.
I installed the dampers in the head then pushed the spindle through. I don't like to use grease here. This spindle pushed through easy enough anyway. The dampers are all one piece, so it was easy to keep them in with just my fingers. Your dampers are and expendible item anyway. They should be checked often, and are cheaply replaced. While its true that grease will extend the life of the damper, the risk of throwing a grip because the thread lock did not set up is greater than the reward for using grease... in my opinion.
One place where grease is a must is on the grip's thrust bearing. As you can see I put a healthy amount of grease on the bearing. Then I squeeze the bearing with my fingers. This packs the grease in between the balls. I don't put any on the races because there's always enough left over to take care of that.
This is how I install the thrust beaing into the grip. The race with the largest ID goes closest to the head. In other words it goes into the grip first.
Don't forget your spacer... it goes.....
... here. Make sure that it's in there before you put your thrust bearing in.
Once you get your thrust bearings in each grip, Install the grips on the spindle. You'll need two of the same drivers to complete this. Luckily, Outrage provided all the tools needed to complete this build (don't get excited it was only a set of keys).
Don't forget the spacers that go between the bearing and the grip. Mine were extremely hard to get on to the spindle, but after working with them a bit I got them on. I ended up just pushing them on with the grip. You might be tempted to say "these don't fit." Keep working with them and they will go on.
This is where the upper mixing arms are installed.
Balls go on either side of the bearing. What hole they go into depends on how you want to fly. Ther is an orientation here. This picture is wrong. These balls are on the wrong side of the arm.
This picture show the correct placement. The balls go on the same side as the stand off.
Standoff goes over the screw....
... then into the grip.
repeat for the other side and the head is complete.
oh wait... forgot the head button.
Five holes in the mixing arm provide excellent programmabilty. Just about any style of flying is covered. "But Robby, I see seven holes." The two inner-most holes are non-functional. Perhaps put there to reduce weight.
There's the button!
Sanding the edges of the frame is a good idea. When you run wires in and out of the holes in the frame, it sucks when a sharp edge cuts through a wire. Most of the time this will cause you to lose control of your heli. I crashed one of my 250's a couple of weekends ago for this very reason. It seems that a sharp edge cut through the signal wire to my speed controller. So... I'm sanding edges from now on. A nail file works just fine. You don't have to grind real hard... just light enough to take the sharpies out of the frame.
Since all the frame screws will be going into metal, it's important to use thread lock.
Attaching the boom clamps.
...Gyro Tray (though, I won't be putting my gyro here.
No need to crank these down yet. Leave them loose until your ready to tighten the belt.
...Motor mount
Motor mount screws and washers
There is an orientation here. The top side is flush, the bottom is recessed.
bottom...
Top... Notice also that theres a long side and a short side. The short side goes toward the gear, the long side goes toward the nose.
For the same reason I put the nyloc nuts on the blade grip screw, I put the motor mount screws in the motor. I don't want to risk losing them or using them on something else. Just a habit.
Belt/Tail pulley assembly
These cap screws keep the bearing from coming out under tension. There is an orientation here as well. There are two sides to each bearing block. One is flush the other is recessed a bit (like in the above pic). On one bearing block, you'll put the cap screws in on the flush side. On the other you'll put the screws in on the recessed side. See below....
I didn't realize it at the time I took this picture... but this is wrong. Notice the pulley side bearing block, the caps are on the pulley side. This will not work. Getting the bearing off the shaft was a PITA. I was lucky I didn't foul it.
Here it is from another angle... again, this is wrong. NO GOOD... no worky.
This is correct.
Main shaft bearing blocks and servo mounts
Again with the cap screws, but this makes changing out the bearing easier. Other designs require heating the mount to remove the bearing from the block. I'd much rather do this.
Top block....
Make sure to leave the corners closest to the anti-rotation guide fairly loose so you can get the guide in. The guide alone without the metal brace will tension fit into the frame.
The anti-rotation guide I got in my kit is different from the video and the manual. The metal piece on the anti-rotation guide does not exist in the manual, or the video. However, I can see why they did it. It serves as a brace, and a canopy nut. Sometimes when they make a change, they throw in a loose sheet explaining the changes, but there was nothing like that my manual.
Here I show putting the guide in now... according to the manual and the video they both do it now as well. Because of the metal support on the guide you will not be able to screw the back servo in if you install it now. I had to remove the guide in order to get the back servo in... I'll show that later. So you're better off just leaving it out for the time being. But because these pictures are in a chronological order, it wasn't until later in the build that I found the issue.
The A/R guide installed. You may want to chamfer the support holes in the frame because the canopy mount screws wont bite the way they are. Once I chamferred the holes the canopy mount screws were able to take hold. This is a tip only. The manual does not suggest this, but it worked for me.
I thought this was a pretty cool idea as well... a way to tighten up you canopy mounts without marring them up with plier teeth.
Time to add the bottom frame
Place the piece shown above into the upper frame just below the boom clamps.
Thread two screws into the tabs at the back of the lower frame. Slide the stand offs over screws. Swab on a little thread lock and screw the through the frame, and into the piece you just stuck into the upper frame.
Attach another frame support for the lower frame just forward of the motor mount. You'll need to use a stand off and a frame support in the middle.
Shown a little better here.
Before you install the other side, make sure to find this tray.....
.... and this brace. They are tension fit into the frame.
pretty cool little design CNC'd into the frame.
building the landing gear... this is simple and straight forward. You could do it without the directions.
A horizontal support. It's worth mentioning again that just about every screw goes into something metal, including the skid screws.
Landing gear complete and ready to go on the frame.
This is where the gear mounts on the frame
I made a mistake here too. The front spacer/frame support should go into holes lower than where I have it. The battery wiil not fit here the way it is.
Servo Install
I thought I was going to lose it trying to get this servo in. The guy in the video said it was a "fiddle" to get in, but you wouldn't have to take anything apart. While that may be true, you can't secure it with the anti-rotation guide installed... so yeah, you can get the servo in... you just can't bolt it down :/
I'm not sure that these spacers are completely necessary... but much like the balls on the swash, these spacers are probably needed to keep the geometry solid. So I used them....
Here I show that I had to remove the anti-rotation guide to screw this in....
make sure that you use the washers provided so you don't split the plastic on the servo's mount.
Back servo installed. What a PITA that was. This can be either a Aileron, or Pitch servo, since your Elevator servo is up front.
Here I show all three servos installed. Notice that there are no horns on the servos. Bad Idea. In other builds I've been able to get away with putting the horns on after I've mounted the servos. Not this one. Again, save some frustration and 50/50 your servos just before you mount them. Make sure to drill out the horns, ball them up, and install them before you install the servos in the frame. Save yourself a even more trouble and put the pushrods on too.
Here's a tip... when you bind your rx... make sure when you start a new model in your Tx that you select the correct swash type. After an hour of trying to figure out why my servos weren't working correctly I changed the swash type on the model to 3 servos 120.... big difference... real forehead smacker!!!
The Tail
Beginnings of a tail case.
There are three types of screws used on this tail case. Pay attention to where your screws are going to avoid ripping it apart because of slop or worse a piece wont fit.
Thread lock every screw on the tail including your grip screws.... the pieces of this tail are all anodized aluminum... the only things that are plastic are the blades and ball links.
the bell crank support goes.....
.... here
Now it was getting a little late and I was starting to get tired. I stopped concentrating on the manual and used those cap head screws to install the bell crank support. Wrong answer ... should have used the flat head screw pictured above ( a few pics back).
Ok... I wrote in the introductory post that I would decide about the blade grips when I start building the tail. I read a rather long thread in Heli-freak about the this tail. It seems that a few people have had this tail vaporize due to failed grip bearings. Not that I'm putting a whole bunch of stock in what happened to two people out of hundreds that own the G5. It could have happened because of.... set up... installation .... It could have been anything. They could have been running a different tail pulley... who knows? However, one guy said it best, put the Align 450 grips on and don't worry about. So that's what I did. The newer Align grips are weighted to reduce stress on the tail servo... a.k.a. "Tennis raquet effect."
www.rcheliwiki.com/Chinese_weightsIn the picture above, you can see the difference in the grips. Other people are flying this heli with these grips so I'm fairly certain they work. However, I haven't flown them yet so... I can't be positive.
The grips on the top are the Align 450 weighted grips... on the bottom are the stock grips that came with the G5. The grips on top are the same size they just look smaller because the camera was closer....
This is a little better angle to judge length
Tail Bell crank. This is actually 6 tiny pieces. I got on a roll and forgot to snap off some pics. But later, last night after I finished the build, I noticed the tail had some slop. The "RC Heli Resource" review had mentioned the tail was "a work of art," so I thought this couldn't be right. I tore the tail apart, and sure enough, I had used the wrong screws in a few places. I went into the spare screws bag, found what I needed, and almost all of the slop is gone. There is still a little in the pitch slider but it's not horrible.
I don't like the set screw recess on the tail shaft. It goes all the way out to the end. I was generous with the thread lock here, but I think I'll use an Align shaft before too long.
I couldn't get the bell crank to fit in the bell crank support because I used the capped screws, as I stated above. This is a correct installation... except for the excess thread lock...
Now it fits!!
I took a pic before I started the boom build up.... but that's all the pictures I took of the boom build up. Sorry about that. Really nothing too difficult about installing the pushrod guides, Horizontal Stab, servo mount, and boom supports. Tightening the belt was about the most entertaining thing about installing the boom. Not as easy as the Mini Titan, but as easy as any other heli I've built. If you really need to see how I set up a boom, check out my 250 FBL thread. That's almost exactly the same, just a little smaller
Installed the vertical fin to the tail
Well.... that's about all for the build. I still haven't soldered up the batteries or the speed controller. I suppose I'll do that tonight so when the quark gets here tomorrow I just slap it in. I might add a few pics of the ESC. It's pretty cool comes with its own remote control and infrared sensor.
My opinion of this heli mechanically... very sound. Hardly any slop, and there's none in the head... even at the mixing arms on the blade grips. The frame is the most solid/rigid frame I've ever built. It really doesn't feel that heavy. Compared to other 450 builds I've done this bird is runs in the middle of road weight wise. Not as light as the Mini T, but certainly lighter than my HDX 450. It can swing 360 mm carbon blades @ 6S. Right now is have 350 Fiberglass blades on it.
I made few mistakes with this build and I learned a lot. Probably shorter time at the bench, and quit when I get tired are the biggest lessons. I never seem to follow that advice though. It would probably save me money in the long run.
Here's a couple more pics of the completed mechanical build.
One thing that was missing is a Price break down:
Total: $859
Extra Battery: $57
store.rcsupersales.net/servlet/-strse-5560/OUTRAGE-NRG-XP25-6S1P/Detail
This is how it looks when you first open it.
I originally ordered the Rasta canopy but they were out. So they chose for me. I don't really care much, I'm probably going to rough this up and repaint it. The canopy is fiberglass and feels very sturdy. 
I thought it was pretty cool that it came with some extras. Above is a blade holder. Below are the Mega Power 6S 15C 1300mah battery it came with, a set of Fiberglass blades, and some KBDD Tail Blades. 
I bought a battery that I will be using as my main battery. It's a 30C NRG 1300mah 6S Lipo. Yes I know these pics are a bit fuzzy, I'll try to replace them with more clear ones in the morning.
Now... in another thread I ranted a little bit about RC Super Sales. You can read that post and understand how this kit happened to come with a motor. I do want to add that he (Kyle) not only added a motor, but added the more expensive of the two motors that Outrage makes for this heli. Thats a $60 dollar motor for a 450 that he tossed in there because he made a mistake, and told me the kit came with a motor when it didn't... Nice guy, great service. </end rant>
I ordered the G10 frame.... two good reasons for that. One is that it was about 50 bucks cheaper, and the other is that static issues are greatly reduced. 
Heres a very cool touch. They've seperated the parts bags according to steps in the manual. You can see clearly each step, and each part. It makes keeping parts together easy. No need to dump extra screws from the next step into a tray. No opening one bag for a few parts then moving to another bag for parts for the next step. Having built my fair share of kits now... I really appreciate this attention to detail.
Each bag has a label....
Every bag is broken into steps. The step numbers on the bag coincide with step numbers in the manual...
Got this via UPS today 
This is what's in the box
Mounting foam, metal plate for the larger helis (250, 450, 500's don't need the metal plate), manual (which isn't the greatest), and of course, the Quark.
This is where I put it on the G5. That little tray that you put the bottom frame supports into. It's like it was made for it. Couple of different views of the placement to follow.
That's the satellite rx just below the quark
All the wires fit nicely in the frame and for the most part stay hidden. I could have put servo line on them, but the Quark instructions said not to.
