Which heli next?

[Bee_random]

What about the new oxy 3 from lynx? Oxy3 By Lynx Heli Innovation Kit motor/esc OXY3-002 Model Helicopters. You could get it up and running for a sensible price with turnigy 306 servos maybe a kbar (vbar clone).
Looks good quality im debating getting one.

Lynx have produced some great upgrade mod's and I hope this heli takes off (literally). For a beginner though, with 225mm blade length (450's have 325mm std, going to 350mm when stretched), unproven design and nothing innovative in the blurb; I'd recommend sticking with a heli that is tried and tested.. above all has good parts availability and reputation for stability without need for upgrades & resiliance to minor crashes. Just another opinion, B.

[Peteski]

Thanks guys, I'd totally misunderstood the 3S v 6S thing and just presumed the 6S had more power. In that case I'd probably go 6S as I should have enough charging power available with the setup I was planning. Obviously I won't be stressing the powertrain any time soon, so probably wouldn't notice any difference in reality. But would I get slightly longer flight times on 6S or are the batteries equivalent in terms of weight and total power?

[Bee_random]

Possibly you'll get longer, but it'll be in the noise for you while you're learning. Look after the batteries by not trying to squeeze the last 30 seconds out of them and you'll gain the benefit in the long run.

[Peteski]

Lynx have produced some great upgrade mod's and I hope this heli takes off (literally). For a beginner though, with 225mm blade length (450's have 325mm std, going to 350mm when stretched), unproven design and nothing innovative in the blurb; I'd recommend sticking with a heli that is tried and tested.. above all has good parts availability and reputation for stability without need for upgrades & resiliance to minor crashes. Just another opinion, B.

I agree. In business speak it would have to have a USP to interest me. Either something truly innovative in the design, exceptional build quality, great looks or amazing value for money. First glance doesn't draw me in like the Mini-Protos certainly did, pricing looks in line with others, but obviously no idea how it compares on quality and in flight.

[Peteski]

Possibly you'll get longer, but it'll be in the noise for you while you're learning. Look after the batteries by not trying to squeeze the last 30 seconds out of them and you'll gain the benefit in the long run.

Yes, I'm learning to look after batteries at the moment with my micros. I hate it if the LVC kicks in! Not a big deal when batteries are only £2.50 each but I wouldn't want to be hurting £50 batteries for the sake of 30 sec more flight time. I've got used to short flight times anyway now as I only get 3 or 4 mins out of my micros. Actually matches my concentration span quite nicely

[Bee_random]

Hope you're not thinking of paying £50 for a battery
Haiyin – 6S 1300mAh 35 – 70C Lipo « ElectriFlyer

[tomola]

i bought a dominator 450l 6s as my first heli about 4 months ago and with the help of a local club have it flying and can do circuits pretty well already, with the right setup on the 3gx i found it quite straight forward to learn on and building it myself taught me a lot about how helis work, id recommend it but im still relatively inexperienced, although ive since bought the 500l and built that to just waiting til ive got a chance to maiden it

[Peteski]

Hope you're not thinking of paying £50 for a battery
Haiyin – 6S 1300mAh 35 – 70C Lipo « ElectriFlyer

Ah ah! No I was thinking much further ahead there! Haven't really looked at batteries yet for 450s, although I know the 3S ones are only around £12 each.

[Peteski]

i bought a dominator 450l 6s as my first heli about 4 months ago and with the help of a local club have it flying and can do circuits pretty well already, with the right setup on the 3gx i found it quite straight forward to learn on and building it myself taught me a lot about how helis work, id recommend it but im still relatively inexperienced, although ive since bought the 500l and built that to just waiting til ive got a chance to maiden it

Sounds like you are progressing really well and I'm sure the local club helped you a lot. Unfortunately I'll be going it alone for the first year or so, but I'm pretty confident after all the time on the sim and CP micros. With a strong mech eng background I'm not aversed to building one up, I'm sure I'd enjoy that side of the hobby too, but my wife might not agree with me! Out of interest how long did it take to put together for a first time build?

[simon1]

Just to throw a curve ball and something else to think about the gaui x3 Gaui X3 Kit with CNC tail grips 216002. If I was in the market for a 360mm blade heli on 6s this would be it. I had one and sold it and regretted it ever since, flies great, looks good tough as nails in crashes compared to the 450l dominator which I also have had. Iv crashed the x3 and not even stripped the tail gears they are that tough! look at some reviews on them there aren't any bad ones that's for sure.

[Peteski]

Just to throw a curve ball and something else to think about the gaui x3 Gaui X3 Kit with CNC tail grips 216002. If I was in the market for a 360mm blade heli on 6s this would be it. I had one and sold it and regretted it ever since, flies great, looks good tough as nails in crashes compared to the 450l dominator which I also have had. Iv crashed the x3 and not even stripped the tail gears they are that tough! look at some reviews on them there aren't any bad ones that's for sure.

Yes, the Gaui X3 does look great too. Giving this more thought, I probably won't get to fly this size heli as often as I would like, maybe once a week or even fortnight, so I do want something really nice to make it a bit of an occasion when I take it out. I may also buy a cheap used beater 450 size to test the water and make sure I'm not going to crash too often!

[Peteski]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, this has been really useful for me. So in summary, the options on the table so far are:-

Trex 450 (used dfc or new Dominator) - the obvious sensible all round choice
Blade 450X or 300/360 CFX - convenient off the shelf Spektrum bnf options
Mini-Protos - stylish, quiet belt driven motor, Brain FBL in combo
Gaui X3 - high quality option
Chase 360 - as above
Warp 360 - as above
Lynx Oxy 3 - new unknown punt

I'm struggling to get really excited about the Trex or various Blade options, but the Mini-Protos and Gaui X3 do look very nice indeed. But in terms of actually flying them, are they all likely to be in the same ballpark for ease of handling when setup with that in mind? I know a lot of this will come down to setup, but I don't want to buy something that looks really cool, but is overly difficult to fly as that would obviously put me right off. I guess I'm asking if any of these options don't really tolerate being flown in a tame fashion? A bit like say full-blown WC race skis which are anything but user friendly for average recreational skiers.

[myxiplx]

The Gaui X3 is one I love, I only recently bought mine after seeing it recommended time and time again. They're regarded as a great heli, with good presence in the air, capable of sport flying with long times, or crazy 3D, and also a very robust build which can reduce the damage if you crash. People who have flown an X3 and an Align 450 pretty much always prefer the X3, both for ease of build, presence in the air, and crashability.

If you can fly a mCPX, and especially if you practice with the 130X, you'll find the Gaui is honestly easier to fly, it's more stable in the air and really precise. But then that'll be true of any of the heli's in your list :-D

The Lynx Oxy3 looks like a great heli, but it's designed as a high end small model. Probably a bit overkill early in your career. I wouldn't call it a punt, the build reviews I've seen so far have been really praising the design, but it's designed for high headspeed 3D flight.

The Blade 300CFX and 360CFX both look good as a ready to fly easy option, and they're both also getting some decent feedback from people who have bought them.

[Peteski]

Just been looking at the Gaui X3 and watched the build time lapse video. Very nice indeed. Seems like the consensus is that it has no significant flaws. The Mini-Proto on the other hand might possibly have a few niggles from what I've read so far. On looks alone I think I prefer the Proto, but not much in it. If the X3 is better engineered overall and easier to work on that would clinch it for me.

[tomatwalden]

Just been looking at the Gaui X3 and watched the build time lapse video. ....

Only seems fair to have a mini-Protos time-lapse build too!