600 for beginner

[Smarty]

Hey all

Just after a little advice.
I currently have a blade 400 and a trex 500 which in rebuilding, but i have been tempted into buying a trex 600, really good spec and price. I usually practice in a barn and there is plenty of farm land for me to use, I was thinking the 600 may be a little more stable in the wind down here on the south coast..

So just wondered what people's views are on this?

Thanks in advance..
Martin

[waveydavey]

You've answered your own query a great heli to learn with

[jetskier]

trex 600 are awesome helis for learning the hobby, parts backup and prices are still very good at your usual specialists

[tomatwalden]

TBH, I think the old "more stable in the wind" line about bigger helis is out of date a bit....

Sure, with flybars, the extra size and weight of the larger helis definitely made them more stable. But these days, flybarless unis are pretty good about smoothing out any cyclic movement due to the wind. The only way I find that larger is better (specifically with reference to the wind) is the amount of up/down movement due to (Effective) Translational Lift (ETL - Translational lift - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). ie. the FBL keeps the heli stable regardless of size, but the smaller helis gain and lose height more rapidly in gusty conditions due to their lighter weight.

Putting the wind effect aside, larger helis ARE more "gentle" in their movements - not surprising given the extra mass that needs to move. But, that's regardless of wind or no wind.

So I don't really subscribe to the belief that larger = "better in wind". Not unless you're talking silly comparisons (eg. nano-CPX versus Trex 700). Between your 500 and a 600, I honestly doubt you'll find the 600 orders of magnitude more capable in windy conditions.

[SaneAdam]

Hey all

Just after a little advice.
I currently have a blade 400 and a trex 500 which in rebuilding, but i have been tempted into buying a trex 600, really good spec and price. I usually practice in a barn and there is plenty of farm land for me to use, I was thinking the 600 may be a little more stable in the wind down here on the south coast..

So just wondered what people's views are on this?

Thanks in advance..
Martin

Wind aside… If you have the space to fly it… and want it… just get it

I got to a point very soon with the 500 where i decided i had to get something bigger with more presence to help with orientation and confidence at greater distances. Not so much of an issue as my skills have improved and i can comfortably fly a lot closer now.

But even with sim practice, trying any 3d move in the relatively early stages of development requires a bit more room lol I found the 500 too hard to see once i got it to a distance where i was happy it couldn't get me lol But i was a very nervous flyer initially. Not the shaky type…. just a healthy respect for the flying chainsaw. I still have that respect. But i have more confidence in my own ability after years of stick time.

[Smarty]

Ok so i think i will go ahead and buy it.. Its a Trex 600E pro thats been converted to flybarred with New head/swashplate and mainshaft ... let me know what you think of the spec and feel free to tell me what half of it means as most of it is double dutch to me.. lol •Align RCM-BL600MX 510Kv motor •Castle Phoenix ice hv 80 Data logging (£166 on its own!) •opto isolated throttle lead •3 x Align 610 coreless digital on cyclic £92 each new! •Futaba 611 gyro with 9256 digital tail servo 4.8 volt only £150 new! •Spektrum ar6200 dsmx RX •4.8V 5000MAH NI-MH to power RX with on / off switch and battery voltage reader •4 x 6s Align lipo packs 3300mah so you will have 2 x 12S packs. •Torque tube tail drive •Align carbon main and tail blades. Thanks again...

[tomatwalden]

Converted to flybarred? Most people convert to flybarless!

It's a personal thing, but when I got rid of flybars I was quite happy. They're a PITA to fix and tune after a crash, and all that flailing metal does make a mess in a crash!

If you're looking for something that'll handle wind better, I'd be looking for a FBL heli personally ...

How much are they asking for that little lot?

[Smarty]

Yeah he said he converted it back as he prefered the way it flew and it was easier to set up!! i wouldnt know either waybut assume i could always convert it back to FBL at some point.

Asking £400

[tomatwalden]

Seems way too steep to me for an old flybarred 600E. Check out the BMFA classifieds ... for example...

The BMFA Classified Ads Service / Align Trex 600e

[Grumpy]

It's all standard 600e pro EFL spec, except the flybarred conversion.

Going back to flybar would seem a strange move unless you have an aversion to setting up flybarless controllers. Personally if i was looking at it I'd be factoring in the cost of converting it back to flybarless, maybe the current owner still has the parts to do that?

The Trex 600 is a nice heli, I really like mine, but if it's a good deal or not depends entirely on what you are paying for it. FWIW the Trex 600e pro I have now was bought second hand 'built but unflown' as a standard 600 EFL (same spec as yours), without receiver but with the flybarless head and with a 3GX flybarless controller, plus a pair of 6s 3300mAh batteries. I paid £425 about a year back.

[tomatwalden]

I'd be more tempted by something like this (which has 600 blades), and an AR7200BX flybarless unit

The BMFA Classified Ads Service / Trex 550 DFC V3!

[Grumpy]

Seems way too steep to me for an old flybarred 600E. Check out the BMFA classifieds ... for example...

The BMFA Classified Ads Service / Align Trex 600e

To be fair, that's a totally different heli. That's the older 600e that was 6s powered and shares no components with the later 600e Pro... But yeah i do agree that for a used 600e Pro without the flybarless head or controller £400 is too much. Maybe if he had all the original flybarless parts it might be a bit more realistic.

[Grumpy]

I'd be more tempted by something like this (which has 600 blades), and an AR7200BX flybarless unit

The BMFA Classified Ads Service / Trex 550 DFC V3!

Yeah, that looks a pretty good deal.

[Grumpy]

Here's another one that looks ok, Listed at £450 but option is there for offers: Align Trex 600 Efl Pro Electric | eBay

It's also got the AR7200 FBL controller which even second hand bring around £100

[tomatwalden]

To be fair, that's a totally different heli. That's the older 600e that was 6s powered and shares no components with the later 600e Pro... But yeah i do agree that for a used 600e Pro without the flybarless head or controller £400 is too much. Maybe if he had all the original flybarless parts it might be a bit more realistic.

Fair enough - I'm not too up to speed on the various Align versions (there's soooo many! LOL). But £400 smackers for a flybarless EFL Pro that's been downgraded to flybarred isn't a good deal in my view.

For that kind of money, there are better deals to be had ....