Newbie - Hello To All

[bantu]

Greetings; first of all: I'm very inexperienced so please go easy with me.

I've recently been infected with RC heli fever: what started off as a micro apache as a secret Santa gift for my brother in-law (I just had to take it out the box and ensure that it worked) has spread at an alarming rate with no signs of remission.

Since that fateful day in mid December I've purchased a micro apache of my own (well, 2 to tell the truth, 3 if you count the gift) and from there a Bladez 3D. I'm now looking to spread my wings a little and have found lots of helpful information on here to help me decide on which model to take the next step. Please correct me if I'm interpretating things wrong, but from what I read on here a Blade 400 would be an ideal stepping stone. Reasons being that 3D flying appeals to me rather than nitro (at the moment). I also appreciate that lots of hours are required on a simulator to help me get off the ground at a reasonably respectable level, and that the Phoenix seems to be the way to go.

Any feedback or suggestions anybody would care to offer would be much appreciated. I had a look at a few RC forums before deciding on yours, mainly due to the wealth of advice freely offered on here, so thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions.

[brin]

hi and welcome to the forum .lots of guys on here have the 400 so you should get plenty of advice and you cant go far wrong with the sim good luck and happy flying.

[DIJ]

Hi welcome to the forum, I believe the blade is considered by many to be pretty good choice for advancing, and you've got the right idea about the importance of a sim

[bantu]

brin: thanks for the welcome; may I ask for you for your personal opinion as a T-rex 450 owner? Why the T-rex 450 as opposed to the Blade 400? The reason I'm asking as this seems a point for debate and I pondered on the idea of the t-rex 450 long and hard. Your opinion would be much appreciated.

[opc]

Hi bantu

I am also pretty new to heli's,I went down the nitro route only because i've been flying nitro planks for years.As for phoenix all I can say is buy it,you won't regret it because in the long run it will save you hundreds of pounds in repair bills.Flying heli's is a very expensive hobby but you've just got to bite the bullet and get on with it.

You have done the right thing by joining this forum because there is always someone out ther willing to help you when things go t*ts up.

Good luck

Steve

[brin]

brin: thanks for the welcome; may I ask for you for your personal opinion as a T-rex 450 owner? Why the T-rex 450 as opposed to the Blade 400? The reason I'm asking as this seems a point for debate and I pondered on the idea of the t-rex 450 long and hard. Your opinion would be much appreciated.

hi mate, i was going to go for a rtf but a friend recommended the 450 as the quality was much better and the experience of building and setting up would be a better way to go and with help from the guys on the forum i went for the 450s with stock motor,401 + f9257 on the tail with hs 65hb on cyclic should have been hs 65 mg ,dx6i and pheonix and i must admit the first time i tried to fly it i was a nervous wreck but the buzz i got knowing i had put it together and it flew was great . i would highly recommend it although it is a more expensive way to go .the 400 comes as a complete kit ready to fly
and is a cheaper option but still a good heli from what i have read on here but good luck on whatever route you go.

[brin]

just to add great heli flies realy well. the only problem i have had was the stock esc
now using a scorpion 60amp and its much better.

[bantu]

brin:

Many thanks for taking the time to reply; the pendulum swings once more!

I was bidding on a couple of blade 400s on eBay earlier tonight and got outbid in the last few seconds of the auction on both of them. After reading your experience of building your own I'm now having second thoughts on whether the blade 400 is the right choice after all.

To ask your opinion once more: how long did it take you to build it and did you have any experience at all?

Thanks again.

[bantu]

Flying heli's is a very expensive hobby but you've just got to bite the bullet and get on with it.

Good luck

Steve

Steve:

Thanks for the advice. Without going in to too much detail, let's just say that I've just quit a very expensive 'hobby', so I'm more than willing to fork out for a more 'normal' hobby. I've got 2 year old twins (one of each variety) who are totally obsessed with my new found passion, and my way of thinking that money spent on a hobby that pleases both me and the kids is money well spent.

[cambs flyer]

Welcome Bantu, I hope your stay will be a long & enjoyable one.

You've pretty much answered your own questions, & done a little homework before your first post, your choice of equipment would make a sound purchase that'll enhance and help your enjoyment, the Sim is crucial and there's never enough practice you can do on a cyber field with the safety net of crashing to your hearts content and occurring no cost.

It's a great feeling when you've mastered the basics on the PC then (with guidance) take your machine out and basically start all over again but for real, and trust me you may think your an ace on the Sim but real flight is a whole different ball game.

I'm not trying to put you off, what I'm saying is it's unbelievably exciting managing your first few hovers, and taking your time gradually keeping her airborne longer and longer, with simple tail in hovering.

Your going to bust a few parts along the way, and that's an ideal opportunity to upgrade as you do so, and learn how everything goes together, and under the surface it isn't as bad as you might think.

Brin has a Trex 450, I also fly the Rex's and basically most build Helicopters are built better then RTF's, the Blade 400's simply aren't as well made as a 450 however, this can only be exploited if you have the knowledge and talent to push the envelope beyond what a B400 can do!

I for one can't, so if I had a B400 or my Rex's I could do no more on either model, however I love the kit Align produces, and for me it's more of a choice then having a machine where I've reached a point I've out grown something like the B400, as that Heli can do some pretty amazing stuff in the right hands, and for many is the only machine there ever need, had my situation been different I'd have brought a Blade 400 system in a heart beat.

However before you start doing 3D flying you have a long way to go with orientation, flying your Bird left to right, circuits, figure of eights and so on, again its all terribly exciting stuff and the buzz factor goes through the roof when you've achieved something which has caused you headaches trying to perfect.

The rewards are countless with this hobby, but you must also accept a few crashes are going to happen along the way, however Heli's are very modular in there design unlike a balsa wood fix wing aircraft, one good smack and there usually destroyed with only the electronics salvageable, with RC Heli's you bend/break a part you take it off and replace and she's back to new, no matter what you may break during learning and beyond will always be replaceable, and in many instances when you replace a part you often learn how to make that part work more efficiently.

And also take into account the total cost of your machine can easily cost that again until you've become a competent basic flyer, so over the first few months stock up on blades, main/feathering shafts, boom's, servos (good time to build up a collection of three HS-65MG's) there metal geared servos that'll survive most crash damage without breaking gear teeth, as the stock servos regularly do.

You'll also want a few extra battery's and with the blade have someone or do it yourself, but solder a Dean's male connector to the ESC which connects to the Li Po battery, E-flite Li Po's not only cost the earth but are toilet, and for half the cost you can buy better, Plus you'll need a better charger the best one in this area is the Cellpro 4S around £50ish, it'll keep the health of you Li Po's tip top and extend there working life, so long as you follow the correct procedure with those batt's, but that's something to ponder later on.

I hope this has given you a little extra info, and wetted your appetite to get cracking in what is the most exciting hobby there is.

Best of luck.

[cjcj1949]

Another bit of standard advice is to get a mcx (without its tx) and buy a dx6i and the phoenix sim. The mcx is very stable and easy to fly, in heli terms, and can be flown properly indoors. It survives crashes much better than bigger helis. Fly Phoenix starting with the biggest helis then work your way down to the 400,450 helis. Then you can understand the difference between the blade 400 and the trex 450.
The quality of the Blade 400 or the Twister Storm 3D is not as good as the trex 450 and so the trex is easier to fly, but it costs a lot more.
There is a lot to learn. Look for chat on lipos and gyros.
Everybody learns at different speeds,so there is no right path for everybody. Slow learners get just as much buzz as the quickest.

Chris

[heliTV]

Hi Bantu and welcome.

I started with a Bladez 3d from Selfridges in August....

The Bladez3D is one step up from a toy and the main problem is that the controls work differently to the way most people fly "normal" helis. With the Bladez, there is no cyclic and all turning is done with rudder. The elevator is operated with a horizontal tail rotor lifting the tail. As I remember, the rudder and elevator are on the right stick with throttle on the left....

Either a B400 or a 450 would be an ENORMOUS step up from this and may end in tears! I would be tempted to get Phoenix and a reasonable transmitter (DX6i?) and then try flying some CP helis on the sim first. You may decide to go for a small contra heli to get some real flying in that could use the same transmitter and will have the same controls as a CP heli like the 400/450. Something like the Blade CX2 or mCX would be ideal for this.

Whatever you decide, the contras do give a slightly false sense of confidence - when you move on to the bigger CP helis, it's MUCH more difficult but the sim experience helps hugely - even though my first flight lasted 10 seconds!!

That said, when you begin to get the hang of it, it's very rewarding!! If you do decide to go straight for the B400/450, get some training gear and take it VERY easy!!

All the best

Graham

[brin]

brin:

Many thanks for taking the time to reply; the pendulum swings once more!

To ask your opinion once more: how long did it take you to build it and did you have any experience at all?

Thanks again.

hi mate the building only takes a day or two some guys on here could do it in an evening but its better to take your time and make sure you have completed each stage before doing the next the only experience i had was flying the cx2 but i did have help from a friend with setting things up and i think its the only way for me to go when i move up to bigger helis another great help was joining a club not only do you get help from very knowledgeable people its also very sociable so if theres a club near you look them up.if you are going to build yourself a good set of quality tools is a must and follow the instructions very carefully its a good idea to read through them a few times before starting ,even if you go for the 400 from what i have read they dont fly straight from the box but good luck with witchever way you go.

[opc]

Steve:


I've got 2 year old twins (one of each variety) who are totally obsessed with my new found passion, and my way of thinking that money spent on a hobby that pleases both me and the kids is money well spent.

I Totally Agree!

[speedy jon]

im in the same boat as you bantu. i had a mash contra given to me last year for my bday and i love it but im now wanting to step up to bigger better and harder. the other week before i found this brill forum or doing any home work i went out and bought a mini pred to find out its not the best.i havnt seen a blade 400 but compared to the 450 everything about the pred was cheap. so you can see what a few extra pounds get you so i took the pred back and im now saving for a good tx and sim before i buy anything else. as said go to a club, from my experiance its been fantastic they all welcomed me explanied this and that and last week a member left me try his 450. the contra gives you soo much confidence but as soon as i tried the 450 its a totally different ball game and your back to learning again.but the buzz you get when i first get it off the floor maybe only an inch or so is fantastic.
best of luck mate