PMM - The Magazine

by: GothicMixx
 
This is a one in a million chance that I’m able to review this. But I can because I won this as a prize. Today I’m looking at the Twister Remote Control Chinook Helicopter. This was unexpected to get and in a way kind of a mixed bag as I thought I would most likely break it. Yes I’m that much of a chicken. This is what you get:

Marketed at the beginners of r/c helicopters it makes a bold statement on the box, this statement being that it can practically hover by itself. Yeah, and I’m going to get to date Salma Hayek if you believe that one. This is technically a very good kit to learn on but reading the supplied booklet is a must as well as watching the instructional DVD supplied. The kit comes with everything you will need including batteries for the transmitter and rechargeable battery for the Chinook. The manufacturers had quite a bit of foresight in that they give you an additional set of blades. Also supplied is a USB PC cable which I will explain the use of further. Straight out of the box there is some assembly required such as screwing on the Rotor blades and the one niggle I had is that the screws are so tiny... so I suggest doing this one a clear bench. Additionally the battery is smaller than shown in the manual so I’m going to have to think up some after market way of securing the rechargeable battery better. Once assembled and with the battery fully charged, you are good to go.
 
Needless to say I was nervous flying this kit and I did have a few crash landings, note to self: choose an open area with some grass or soft mats if you fly this thing. I went under my apartment and flew it in the parking areas. Looking back I should have had a bit more sense. I did crash but not too spectacularly and without doing any huge damage. Any videos you see on YouTube of guys taking it off and flying perfectly forget to mention one thing. The guys flying them are all experienced remote controller aviators. There’s the catch. So as I said before practice makes perfect. By the way, this thing makes a noise like the worlds loudest dentist drill so yeah that noise will get uncomfortable on your ears after a while.
 
Speaking of practice here’s where that USB PC Cable comes in. In the manual you are provided with 2 web-links. One link takes you to a freeware remote control flying SIM program called FSM, and the other link takes you to a replica computer model of your Chinook. Installing this on your pc will be a snap but if you are running vista there are a few additional things you will have to do. The cable connects to your RC transmitter and you can then jack it into your pc and use it to control the Flight SIM program. So now you can get some confidence first with the SIM and transmitter and not have to worry about shattering your new Bird.

Make no mistake this is a very well put together kit. With practice I’m sure I will get the hang of it but it is certainly a lot of fun. Do read the manual thoroughly, do watch the DVD and if you are a complete novice to R/C helicopters go through the sim program to build your confidence.

Ten automotive wonders you'll probably never get to drive in the U.S. — no matter what.

The U.S. car market is the biggest and most competitive on the planet. Still, there are several wild, exciting and unique vehicles that cannot be bought here, no matter how much money you are willing to lay down. Many of these rolling wonders are designed and built by tiny boutique automakers that cannot or simply will not shell out the millions of dollars needed to certify their creations for sale in the New World. Others are so radical in design and purpose that they just wouldn't conform to the various U.S. safety and regulatory standards. And a few more are so exclusive and built in such small numbers that they are all spoken for before even rumors of their possible existence reach American ears. Have we piqued your interest yet? Well, here are 10 of the coolest cars you can't get here in the States. As you'll see, they are sexy, powerful and very desirable. Welcome to the world of the unobtainable.

Ascari KZ1

This supercar is named after famed Italian race driver Alberto Ascari, the first two-time Formula 1 world champion (1952-53). It's built in the United Kingdom by a small company created by Dutch inventor and industrialist Klaas Zwart. The KZ1 first rolled off the assembly line back in 2003. Midmounted in a chassis made of ultralightweight carbon fiber is a 5.0-liter V8 engine that was first used in the BMW Z8 sports car. It has been retuned to produce 500 horsepower, and will propel the Ascari from zero to 60 mph in a scant 3.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 200 mph. The KZ1 sells for about 235,000 pounds (US$344,000), and owners can drive their KZ1s at the Ascari Race Resort in the south of Spain.

Aston Martin One-77

Aston Martin was recently sold by the Ford Motor Co. to a consortium led by Prodrive owner and racing magnate David Richards. In addition to putting the final touches on its upcoming Rapide grand touring 4-door sedan, the slick British automaker is marketing an extremely exclusive sports car that will be built entirely to order and custom-fit and trimmed to the taste of each buyer. The cost: a mere 1.2 million pounds (US$1.75 million). Only 77 of these cars will be built, hence the One-77 moniker. The low-slung coupe, built on a carbon-fiber monocoque structure with hand-shaped aluminum body panels, will reportedly be powered by a front-mounted 7.3-liter V12 engine that should develop more than 700 horsepower. Even at such a price, the One-77 is already sold out.

Caparo T1

This is the closest you can get to a Formula 1 or GP2 car for the road. It even looks like a formula car, with skimpy fenders and a bubble cockpit over two staggered seats. The Caparo T1 was created by many of the people who designed the fabulous McLaren F1 road car, and they made even fewer compromises — a considerable accomplishment. Thanks to its carbon-fiber and aluminum chassis, composite body and many other parts made from exotic lightweight materials, the T1 weighs only 1,212 pounds. Not exactly exciting news. But when you consider that it's armed with a 575-horsepower, midmounted, all-aluminum, naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V8, you get a warp-level power-to-weight ratio of 1,000 horses per ton. Quick-shifting, the 6-speed sequential gearbox will take you from zero to 60 mph in about 2.5 seconds. Base price: 240,000 pounds (US$355,000).

Covini C6W

At first, the Covini C6W looks awkward and unreal, as if someone had digitally pasted a second pair of front wheels on a classic supercar. But the car with four front wheels and two rear wheels is for real. Italian entrepreneur Ferrucio Covini first worked on a car with four front wheels more than 30 years ago. The claimed benefits of having four smaller, 16-inch front wheels (the rear are 20 inches in diameter) are reduced aerodynamic drag from the smaller frontal area, better braking, a smoother ride and a drastic reduction of understeer and hydroplaning. The downsides are the added weight, bulk and complexity of the front suspension. Regardless, the C6W is powered by an Audi-designed 4.2-liter 435-horsepower V8 driving the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual gearbox. The engine is midmounted in a structure that combines steel tubing and carbon fiber. The Covini C6W is still considered a prototype, albeit one that will soon be production-bound, according to Covini Engineering. However, there's no projected price on the maker's Web site.

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss

Few sports cars carry more history or heritage than the Mercedes-Benz SL class. In 1954 the 300 SL 'Gullwing' became the first modern supercar. Its racing alter ego, the 300 SLR, sprinted to victory a year later in the Mille Miglia road race classic in Italy, with the legendary race car driver Stirling Moss at the wheel (and famous journalist Denis Jenkinson as his navigator). More than half a century later, Mercedes-Benz is honoring this truly legendary performance with the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss. Only 75 will be built and all are accounted for at a price of 750,000 euros (US$1.2 million). Like the original SLR, this special version has neither a roof nor a windshield — only stubby wind screens not even four inches high. Dual "roll hoops" behind the seats and twin side exhausts are additional nods to the famous forebear. It will be powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine that develops 650 horsepower — good for a zero-to-60-mph dash in just over three seconds and a top speed of 218 mph.

Morgan AeroMax

The AeroMax is an exclusive, limited-edition model from a small yet famous 100-year-old British automaker. It is, in essence, a coupe version of the Aero 8, a real success story for Morgan since it was unveiled at the 2000 Geneva Auto Show. The AeroMax was revealed in 2005, again in Geneva, as a concept. But reaction was so positive that Morgan decided to build 100 of them for sale to the . . . well, masses. Price: 110,000 pounds (US$163,000). The AeroMax has full aluminum body panels over a bonded and riveted aluminum chassis. The engine is a 4.4-liter double-overhead-cam 325-horsepower V8 built by BMW, which reportedly propels it from "naught" to 100 km/h (62.13 mph) in 4.5 seconds.

Pagani Zonda Cinque

From childhood, Horacio Pagani had dreamed of building a supercar. In 1999 he introduced the Pagani Zonda C12, a rakish supercar powered by a midmounted 7-liter 408-horsepower Mercedes-Benz V12 engine built by AMG. Since then the Argentinian-born Pagani has designed and delivered almost 100 cars, all variations on the Zonda theme. The Cinque is designed to be a street-legal car you can take on the racetrack. Its V12 puts out 678 horsepower and is mated to a sequential manual gearbox with automated clutch — a first for Pagani. The Cinque weighs only 2,667 pounds, thanks to the use of a new material combining titanium and carbon fiber, as well as forged titanium wheels and other components made of magnesium and titanium. Only five will be built — hence the name (cinque means five). All have been spoken for at a cost of about US$1.5 million.

Venturi Fetish

French carmaker Venturi unveiled its Fetish, the first electric-powered sports car, at the 2004 Mondial de l'auto in Paris, two years before the much-publicized introduction of Tesla's Roadster. In April 2008 Venturi announced that the Fetish was getting a new and much stronger electric motor, the VM300. This new 300-horsepower motor weighs 78 pounds and pumps outs 280 lb-ft of torque, a 72 percent increase and enough to launch the 2,480-pound roadster from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds. The carmaker claims the Fetish has a range 180 miles, at a steady 55 mph, from a new lithium-polymer battery pack that can be recharged in six hours using the 220-volt, 16-amp onboard charger, or in three hours with an external 32-amp source. Only 25 will be built, all by hand, in Monaco, and sold to an "exclusive and avant-garde clientele" for a mere 297,000 euros (US$400,000) each, roughly the price of four Teslas.