I want a Honey Bee FP and I want one now!

[est1976]

Hello all, hope everyone had a great day yesterday.

I bought myself a Raptor 30 about 4-5 years ago the whole setup cost me nearly a grand and I only ever managed to hop it around some wasteland briefly on several occassions never getting more than 8ft off the ground and hops lasting just a few seconds each. Since then I went off travelling and now Im back its been sat in the garage minus the transmitter which has gone awol.

I recently got back into it (or tried again lol) with a Walkera 4#3b, I think I must have spent over £150 on parts over the last 3-4 months whilst learning to keep this thing in the air and now I can do what I want with it so long as its tail in only. I can really throw it around my house tail in. Im just starting to learn side on and nose in.

Anyway I decided to take it outside for the first time in a while (last time I guess I couldnt fly) and now realize the extra fun when there are no walls about lol. So I decided to get something a bit bigger so I can learn outside with something more stable and I guess easier to learn on. After spending a few evenings reading another popular rc forum I chose the 'HoneyBee FP' its cheap, easy to fix, easy to get parts, not too hard to fly etc etc

1st question ... does anyone know where I can get one today (my walkera is grounded), I know most if not all model shops are closed today at least all the ones I have been looking at dont open till monday now I live in Warrington and dont mind travelling so long as its not much more than an hour each way.

2nd question ... does anyone think thats not suitable for me? I can afford a more expensive one, but this is going to be cheap to maintain and quick and easy to repair. There just doesnt seem to be much of a fan base on this forum for the 'HoneyBee FP' infact I cant find a single thread mentioning it.

Im thinking get the honeybee now, birthday time in april so that gives me 4 months of practice then I can get a electric 3d one and maybe by the end of the year I can try the raptor again.

Thanks in advance for any input !

ATB est1976

[cjcj1949]

Hi,I like the look of the head on that heli. Have you got any big pictures or video? I think we are at a similar level, I'm flying a Twister Storm mainly tail in. I'm very tempted to get one of yours. Could be a good time to get Phoenix now and have a play with lots of Helis.
Is yours brushless?

[163phil]

Hello matey and welcome to the forum.

Can't help with getting one today I'm afraid, but I can say what fun an FP is, although not really suitable for flying outside on anything but the calmest of days. It's really much better for learning indoors.

If you're hovering a 4#3b anything like successfully I reckon you'd soon outgrow the FP. Perhaps you'd be better off with a CP2 (and training gear of course!) OK, they're not popular on here, but for the money I reckon they're great fun, and cheap and easy to fix too. (I still love mine) But still not too good outdoors in any wind, and pretty twitchy but can be calmed down. Just a thought.

Whatever you do, have fun

[dandeman]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8EK1H-005-Esky-Honey-Bee-King-2-Fully-Built-6ch-Stunt_W0QQitemZ180314755603QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_T oysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item180314755603& _trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65 %3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8EK1H-005-Honey-Bee-CP2-6CH-radio-controlled-helicopter_W0QQitemZ180314752542QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item18031475 2542&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3 A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8EK1H-004-Honey-Bee-4CH-radio-controlled-helicopter_W0QQitemZ180314750246QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item18031475 0246&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3 A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

There is some links to some honey bees on ebay but i dont know much about helis except these are not the fp model.

[Bugster]

Welcome. I've got a couple of Honey Bee FPs and think they are brilliant. Over 26 hours airtime on mine now (120 odd flights) 99% indoors and they've taught me a lot. Their biggest benefit is that they seem to survive crashes that the Honey Bee CP2 and Honey Bee King 2 (both collective pitch) don't. And when you are learning like me you want to spend time flying and not repairing. Take a look at the video of my first 7 weeks here if you want to see typical crashes. Good luck in finding one.

[ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2Izv8Lse8Tg[/ame]

[scallybert]

Perhaps you'd be better off with a CP2 (and training gear of course!) OK, they're not popular on here, but for the money I reckon they're great fun, and cheap and easy to fix too. (I still love mine) But still not too good outdoors in any wind, and pretty twitchy but can be calmed down. Just a thought.

If you got on with your CP2, I can't argue with that; but my experience was that they're complete crap.

The only thing good about mine was the case it came in. And the training gar wasn't bad...

Spend more money on something better.

[brin]

hi mate welcome to the forum stick your name on somewhere, anyway have a look at the twister cp gold as you have tamed the 4#3b a bit the twister will seem more stable and should cope better with the outside there are other ones to look at like the twister storm,belt cp, mini pred and if you feel more adventurous blade 400.

[est1976]

thanks for the input guys

cjcj1949 : There's a quiet a few videos on youtube by a user called nuttcaze, you probably get a closer look at the head on the vids he has done! And no they dont come brushless they have brushed motors although I do believe they can be upgraded.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeE35Pk01P8[/ame]

163phil : I realise it needs calm conditions (less than 5mph for beginners) Im not looking for something to fly in a gale, I want something I can really abuse and doesnt spend all its time grounded thats why Im staying on fp for now. Easier to fix less things to go wrong so Im told. Its only 4 months till my b'day I can always get a blade 400 or something then ... I could afford one now but I know I'll trash I need to get some more experience on something cheap and cheerful. I dont think I would be flying it much indoors I struggle for room with the 4#3b. Here's a vid of me abusing it, not the best flight session but one of the only ones I could get the wife to video.

[ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OZENd1_8PMQ&feature=channel_page[/ame]

[est1976]

Welcome. I've got a couple of Honey Bee FPs and think they are brilliant. Over 26 hours airtime on mine now (120 odd flights) 99% indoors and they've taught me a lot. Their biggest benefit is that they seem to survive crashes that the Honey Bee CP2 and Honey Bee King 2 (both collective pitch) don't. And when you are learning like me you want to spend time flying and not repairing. Take a look at the video of my first 7 weeks here if you want to see typical crashes. Good luck in finding one.

this is exactly why I want one, may i ask was that your first copter? I mean I expect to be able to hover the thing (if I get one) pretty much straight away Im expecting it to be easier than the walkera at least. Also I read on another forum that I shouldnt bother with the 2.4g transmitter (v3) unless Im planning on taking it to a club frequently (which im not) I read the v2 is easier to upgrade I guess they meant brushless motors or changing the tx or something? Is that right?

[machasm]

In my quest for heli nirvana the HB FP were one of the first helis I had.
They do survive abuse quite well as the headspeed is quite low.
They are very wallowy though and don't hold the tail well but if you can learn to fly one of these then you stand in good staed to be able to fly the rappy for sure.
However, a word of warning, they do not fly in any sort of wind at all!!
I know as i managed to lose one in the lakes behind me when a small breeze just lifted it away over the fence and down into the lake.
They are cheap though and when I was finished I managed to sell them on at around half price.

[mattydred]

hi, century hummingbird v3/v4 is the same heli as the honeybee fp and the jp twister fp v2.
my uncle has a twister fp v2 forsale in an airwolf fuz and its only been flown about 6 times.

here is how you fly them little fixed pitch helis ;0)

[ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Zqm85QylA[/ame]

cheers

matty

[Bugster]

this is exactly why I want one, may i ask was that your first copter? I mean I expect to be able to hover the thing (if I get one) pretty much straight away Im expecting it to be easier than the walkera at least. Also I read on another forum that I shouldnt bother with the 2.4g transmitter (v3) unless Im planning on taking it to a club frequently (which im not) I read the v2 is easier to upgrade I guess they meant brushless motors or changing the tx or something? Is that right?

My first heli was a birthday present CP. See my sig about that . Far to twitchy for me and the high blade speed was very intimidating indoors. Expensive to repair after the inevitable crashes too. So I took advice and bought a HBFP. Loved it & still do - so much so that I bought a second one to experiment with upgrades. My advice is don't bother with upgrades. Each upgrade exposes the next weakness and you end up on a spending merry go round and it doesn't fly that much better just keeps getting heavier.

The stock model is not immediately easy to fly though as it takes longer to respond to input from the Tx than a 4#3B but that's also it;s advantage if you see what I mean - gives you time to spot wrong inputs and correct them. It won't take many flights to master it though and once you've mastered a HBFP then larger CP helis become less daunting and seem more stable. I've got both 35m and 2.4g versions and there's nothing to choose between them IMHO except the 35mhz 3 foot long Tx aerial poking into my 10 foot square flying area (garage) is a bit of a nuisance.

And once you've grown out of it the bonus is you will probably get 75% of the cost back on ebay Can't see me ever selling mine though.

I've read lots on the HBFP and never once seen anyone wish they hadn't bought one.

No brainer really

[MrMajic]

Also, Terrence sells the Walkera 4G1B, which is FP 2.4ghz, although you'll have to wait a week for it!

[est1976]

Went to the model shop today and walked out with a Blade 400 and Phoenix Sim , in over me head but at least I got some fp experience and I can practise on the sim. I talked myself out of the honeybee fp as I wanted it mainly for outside and I guess its often going to too windy. Until this morning I was set on a Twister CP Gold but then reading on the forum about people having motor problems put me off plus I wanted 2.4g really so it made sense to just get the blade as it came with the dx6i. Justing practising flying me raptor 30 on phoenix now and I have already completed a few loops lol probably trashed it 20 times.

Im in no rush to get the blade out just yet I need a 3-5k 12v adaptor (Im told) and some more practise on phoenix ... maybe tomorrow and I'll video it so you can all laugh when I do the dead chicken dance.

[heliTV]

Went to the model shop today and walked out with a Blade 400 and Phoenix Sim , in over me head but at least I got some fp experience and I can practise on the sim. I talked myself out of the honeybee fp as I wanted it mainly for outside and I guess its often going to too windy. Until this morning I was set on a Twister CP Gold but then reading on the forum about people having motor problems put me off plus I wanted 2.4g really so it made sense to just get the blade as it came with the dx6i. Justing practising flying me raptor 30 on phoenix now and I have already completed a few loops lol probably trashed it 20 times.

Im in no rush to get the blade out just yet I need a 3-5k 12v adaptor (Im told) and some more practise on phoenix ... maybe tomorrow and I'll video it so you can all laugh when I do the dead chicken dance.

Take it really easy at first with some training gear on, and get LOADS of practice on the sim...
Good luck!
Graham