Completely new to the hobby

[William Alexander]

Hi all

I am new to this hobby and I'm really interested in getting a rc helicopter that I can build myself. At this point in time that's the main goal and flying it comes second. I'd really appreciate any advice as to what I should start off with. I don't want to break the bank and I'm not fussed if it's an indoor only model.

Thanks in advance you wonderful people

[scallybert]

When you say 'indoor only', how big a space have you got access to ?

[bigbladelittleblade]

I would say start with something like a Trex 450, it's a decent size to build (not too tiny to work on, unlike the Trex 250) and it can be flown inside. Parts are very cheap WHEN you crash and easily obtained from most rc shops, also plenty of second hand parts and helicopters on eBay.

[William Alexander]

@ scallybert I have about 5 by 5 meters and a high ceiling but like I said for me it's all about the building.

@ bigbladelittleblade I had a look and it seems great but the prices I've seen are quiet high. I managed to buy a RTF indoor heli from a gadget shop for £50 but it is tiny and probably fiddly to assemble. Is there anything you know of for less than £100? Or am I being a bit nieve to the prices?

[tomatwalden]

@ scallybert I have about 5 by 5 meters and a high ceiling but like I said for me it's all about the building.

@ bigbladelittleblade I had a look and it seems great but the prices I've seen are quiet high. I managed to buy a RTF indoor heli from a gadget shop for £50 but it is tiny and probably fiddly to assemble. Is there anything you know of for less than £100? Or am I being a bit nieve to the prices?

Sorry- but yes, you're being naive to prices. For a build it yourself 450, expect to pay around £150 to £200 for the bare frame - possibly including blades. You then need to buy servos (x4), motor, speed controller (ESC) and receiver/controller. To top it all, you'll need batteries and a transmitter.

You can buy a RTF 450 including a transmitter for about £400 (Trex 450 plus RTF), but expect to spend nearer £500 for build it yourself.

Those < £100 from a gadget shop are very cheaply made toys. Their abilities are extremely limited (basically up/down with a fan to badly control forward movement).

Sorry - but your budget is way out!

[tomatwalden]

Take a look at : Radio Controlled Helicopters - Getting Started

[bigbladelittleblade]

@ scallybert I have about 5 by 5 meters and a high ceiling but like I said for me it's all about the building.

@ bigbladelittleblade I had a look and it seems great but the prices I've seen are quiet high. I managed to buy a RTF indoor heli from a gadget shop for £50 but it is tiny and probably fiddly to assemble. Is there anything you know of for less than £100? Or am I being a bit nieve to the prices?

You could easy get a second hand trex 450 ready to fly off eBay for around £200, then you could strip it down and re-build it and this would help you learn how things work and why. I wouldn't think you would get any decent rc helicopter for less than that. I personally would not buy new because you might not like the hobby, but I bet you will, hope this helps :-)

[umox]

Hi m8 I've only just started in this hobby and so far I have just purchased my 3rd trex 450 off eBay if you search around you can get some really good bargains I.e lots of spares, batteries, charger, case some are also bundled with a transmitter and receiver. My latest purchase was £150 with all the above there are some bargains to be had look around.

[scallybert]

5m * 5m is very small for a T-Rex 450.

This GAUI EP100 SE Pro 2008-09-06 MVI_6642 - YouTube is a GAUI 100 (about 160mm blades, vs 325mm blades) being flown in a classroom - after a lot of practice...

[David Drew]

Hi & welcome to the hobby.

For indoors something like a Blade Mcpx but they come complete. The only building you will do is rebuilding after crashing but that is very instructional and a good basis for learning the basics.

As above, a 450 is a great heli to build and then fly but as you are discovering there is a MASSIVE difference between a £100 toy and a proper heli. With a toy it will break and generally be hard to fly. So much so that you may give up altogether.

Keep asking and Googling. That is one way to find out what your true destination is going to be. The people on this site are the world's greatest experts on RC helis bar-none and will help all they can.

Good luck

David

[1chris]

A trex450 is not really an indoor helicopter to "big" and powerfull except for the largest sports halls, get hit with a 450 and you will know all about it, big time.

[Mad dog]

Hi, Welcome to the world of Heli's its very addictive and requires some patience and lots of practice to master even the basic's, To save a shed load of money take a look at hobbyking they have a good range of heli's most of them clones so cheap for parts but not always the best quality, This will give you a good grounding and if you stay with it you will want to invest in quality at a later date. Join a club there is so much info available and a wealth of people usually happy to help you along. IMHO start with a 6ch heli although more difficult to master than a 4ch the rewards are worth the persistance.

[BenScoobert]

I think the naivety come from seeing big helis in shops for £40-£50. To the untrained eye they look pretty in the box but they really are just a dangerous toy that isn't likely to last 20 flights.

You can build your own hobbyking clone 450 for about £120, low quality copy of an align 450. But too big for indoors, especially if you can't fly yet. But the build principal is there.

Get yourself across to lincoln this weekend to the eagle rc fly in, look at stuff, talk to people, come say Hi

[tomatwalden]

Pretty much agree. Not sure they're that dangerous though? The batteyr/motor configs are pretty weak, and the fixed-pitch plastic blades don't have a particularly high headspeed either. I suppose if one caught you in the eye it wouldn't be good, but the risk of that is probably about the same as getting caught in the eye by a tree branch ..