Next Steps

[AndyC]

Hi,

I got a Blade mCX for Christmas and have now got to the annoying stage where my brain knows what to do, but the message frequently gets confused on the way to my thumbs

Anyway, I was thinking about how I would like to proceed with my new hobby, and I was hoping you guys could say yay or nay on my proposed plan.

I'm thinking of seeing if I can get a deal on a Blade 400 heli with a DX6i controller and a copy of the Phoenix simulator. My thinking is that this would allow me to practice with my mCX and with Phoenix whilst the days are short and cold and hopefully build up my skills for the 400 for when the summer comes.

So my questions are these...

1. Is a Blade 400 a good idea for a first outdoor heli?
2. Does the DX6i work with Phoenix?
3. Can you get "training wheels" for the Blade 400?
4. What other spares would you recommend to get for the 400 if that's the way to go?
5. Finally, if this is the way to go, can you recommend a dealer that might be able to give me a deal on this kind of purchase?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me,

Andy.

[Kwickkwack]

Welcome to this addictive hobby, answering your questions in short
1. There are plenty of people on here who think it is and there is plenty of good advice around
2. Dont know, someone will enlighten you I am sure
3. Training kits are available from most good shops
4. Others who have these helis would be able to advise better, Graham (helitv) has experience with a blade and will advise on the common things needed I am sure as will Ron (Boggy)
5. You could try the local shops, not sure about Southend but there is Colin Bliss in Maldon and A1 in Colchester. other than that there are several banner adds on the site which will lead you to internet suppliers. e.g. Fastlads

[matt27]

hi mate
i got my blade 400 for Christmas and i think that:
1.it is a good step up with plenty of advise available and cheap spares
2.the dx6i does work with standard lead in the phoenix package
3.training gears are available
4.this is a brilliant site for the blade 400 and has a recommended spares listhttp://www.slyster.com/heli/b400bible.html
5.i tend to use my local hobby stores as you can walk in there and talk and from the 3 i have used i haven't had a problem with any of them and i hope this is the same with all the hobby store across the country

hope you have fun

cheers

Matt

[squeaky pete]

blades are great to learn on mate, cheap to fix, and easy to do!!! plus the are rather quick when you want them to be!!!!

[carpman]

I would suggest you get a legal copy of phoenix then you will get the lead to , anyway dont be so tight that is going to save you a fortune in the long run so it pays for itself

[gramey]

I've got a Blade 400 and so far I have to say I've found it lively for want of a better phrase. I've thought about changing it but apparently all the 400/450 size heli's are 'lively' according to the guy in my LHS, T Rex 450, Mini Titan, Century etc. so a Blade 400 is as good as any for your first outdoor heli.
The Spektrum DX6i will work fine with Phoenix.
As for training gear I mend up making my own, one 1 metre length of 1.5mm carbon rod cut two lengths of 400mm each and put ping pong balls on each end. Just push a small, 5mm, length of nitro fuel tube on the rods before and after each ping pong ball. Then cable tie the two rods diagonally in the centre and then cable tie them to the landing skids, or rubber bands if you don't want to use cable ties.
Failing that Buzzflyer do a set of trainng gear for 450 size heli's about £13.00 I think.
As for spares I'd get some spare main blades, main shafts, feathering shafts, landing skid carriers? (the plastic bits that hold the actual skids) & flybars. This sounds a lot but shafts come in packs of two so you should have enough for a couple of crashes. Main blades I buy from HK as if like me you go through a few sets to start off with it's much cheaper.
As for where to buy you may want to try and find someone locally, they may not be the cheapest but I use my LHS as if I have a problem they're always willing to help. Whenever I crash mine (which is frequently) I always pop in if I have any difficulties and it's never too much trouble to help, you can't do that over the net.

With a lot of people on the Blade 400 forum willing to help you'll be in good hands when you need advice. It's only due to their help and encouragement that mine hasn't found it's way to the bottom of a bin, coupled with the deep down knowledge that it's more likely me than the heli!!!

[gramey]

I would suggest you get a legal copy of phoenix then you will get the lead to , anyway dont be so tight that is going to save you a fortune in the long run so it pays for itself

I'll second the purchase of Phoenix (never saw a reference to a pirate copy, eyesight must be going) having been stupid enough to ignore this advice initially my wallet can bear testimony to the foolishness of that decision!!

[jboweruk]

1. See my latest vid... but yes I think so.
2. Sure does. So do yourself a big favour, the 80 quid it costs will be recouped in around 4 flights....
3. www.buzzflyer.co.uk sell some decent training legs.
4. Feathering spindles, blades, main shafts, tail shafts, flybars.
5. I got mine from www.fast-lad.co.uk but you may be able to get a better deal.

[Sesame]

So my questions are these...

1. Is a Blade 400 a good idea for a first outdoor heli?
2. Does the DX6i work with Phoenix?
3. Can you get "training wheels" for the Blade 400?
4. What other spares would you recommend to get for the 400 if that's the way to go?
5. Finally, if this is the way to go, can you recommend a dealer that might be able to give me a deal on this kind of purchase?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me,

Andy.

Hi Andy
Nice to see another southendian on here. ive had a go with a couple of blade 400's their very good for what they are, with some minor upgrades you can get them flying quite well

yes the DX6i will work with Pheonix

Training legs are available most places that sell the helis. in this area you have Heaths in Hadleigh, or infact as was said earlier Colin Bliss Models in Maldon

Spares always a dificult thing as you can nearly always guarantee you will not have the bit youve just bent, but usually shafts(main, feathering) boom skids, blades are a good place to start

Last one I answered earlier, personnally I do most of my heli shopping online, although I do use the local shops when I can, although none of them I would call heli speciallists.

[heliTV]

Hi,
1. Is a Blade 400 a good idea for a first outdoor heli?
2. Does the DX6i work with Phoenix?
3. Can you get "training wheels" for the Blade 400?
4. What other spares would you recommend to get for the 400 if that's the way to go?
5. Finally, if this is the way to go, can you recommend a dealer that might be able to give me a deal on this kind of purchase?
Andy.

Hi Andy

Welcome to the forum. I'l answer your questions as best I can, but Ron (Boggy) is the B400 expert here so I'm sure he'll add something...

1. Yes - its a good first outdoor heli with some provisos. All CP helis are MUCH more difficult than contras (particularly the mCX). The mCX is ideal because it builds confidence but this can be shattered with a CP!! Mine lated 10 seconds into its first flight... The DX6i is fully programmable so you can tame it down (see Boggy's excellent sticky post) - I still decked mine with all the taming on!!

2. DX6i works fine with Phoenix - you can set a separate model memory up for it on the transmitter and there's settings for it in the program. Phoenix comes with a special dongle lead that's needed to run the thing, and it plugs straight into the DX6i

3. I got some training gear wfrom buzzflyer - 4 carbon rods with foam balls on the ends with a plastic hub to connect all the rods together. Broke the hubs very quickly and bought 2 carbon rods from the local model shop. Stuck the balls on the end, tie-wrapped it to the skids - not broken since! (It's not been transferred to my lad's CP Gold - still not broken!)

4. This is difficult - I have masses of spares but still often break something i haven't got! As a start, spare Blades, main shafts, feathering shafts plus a few sets of servo gears... A few shops stock the entire range which can be got next day, so I wouldn't go overboard with spares. that said, if you crash, it's frustrating to have to wait a day to get flying again!!

5. I would go for a dealer that specialises in helis. Most model shops sell them but often don't really understand them. My recommendation is Hobby Hangar in Yeovil. They stock all the Blade 400 bits , give excellent non-biased advice, and most importantly, actually fly helis to a very high standard! their web site is http://hobby-hangar.co.uk/ but I would suggest giving them a call on 01935-422400 - ask for Ade... I'm not sponsored by these people at all - given the amount I've spent in there, it's more likely to be me sponsoring them!!!

Hope this helps, but as always, post more questions as they occur. I'd probably have given up long ago but for this forum ...

All the best

Graham

[AndyC]

Thanks for all the helpful replies guys. I think that a Blade 400 may be purchased in the upcoming weeks .

In reply to Carpman, I did mean that I was going to buy a legal version of Phoenix, though I can see why you might have taken what I said to mean that I was going to get a pirate copy. Working for a small software company myself, it would be hypocritical of me to pirate other peoples software.

I think it's time to say goodbye to any spare cash I might have (I'm sure my wife will be pleased...)

[cjcj1949]

Hi,

I got a Blade mCX for Christmas and have now got to the annoying stage where my brain knows what to do, but the message frequently gets confused on the way to my thumbs


Andy.

Welcome to the forum. I know you want to progress but there aren't any short cuts. If you find the mcx annoying then I think you need to sort that out first. Everything else is going to be much more difficult and annoying. I wouldn't spend any more money at the moment. I remember finding it very frustrating when I started to learn the piano. The advice I got was slow practice pays.
The mcx will sit in the air and wait for you to decide what to do.There is no rush. Just practice one control at a time. You don't even need the mcx to practice with. Just imagine it in front of you. Use the transmitter and imagine what the mcx will do. This is the basic skill you have to learn. I don't think you need anything better, not even a sim, until you can enjoy flying the mcx.

Chris

[Sesame]

Andy, when you get the heli, if you want it checked out let me know, I fly down at Two Tree island down behind Leigh station, your always welcome to pop down and have a chat theres usually some of us heli boys down there at the weekend.