Belt CP V2 good or bad?

[msssltd]

A familiar story. I bought myself a Blade mSR, a DX6i and a copy of Phoenix just after Christmas. I have just about got the hang of hovering the mSR around the conservatory without crashing, and can land it on a table mat on most attempts.

I know it's supposed to be good for me, but I am struggling to progress in Phoenix. It's just way too much like a computer game and I end up charging around the place and constantly crashing when I try to slow down and land.

My customers have just started paying their January bills and I have been looking around the online stores for a suitable next step.

So what would you do?

1. Get a blade SR next week. I have been impressed with the mSR and sticking with EFlight and a heli they advertise as the next step, is attractive. But I have to say that it looks like an expensive stepping stone to me. I already have a DX6i and don't see any use for another 2.4GHz DSM radio.

2. Off the wall. It also turns out the Belt CP V2 is the model I am getting on with best in Phoenix. I spotted a deal on a 35Mhz Belt CP V2 RTF pack for a little over a ton and I have a AR6100 doing nothing. So I am thinking I could buy the 35Mhz kit, fit my DSM Rx and I should have a bargain trainer. This does presume the DSM Rx is going to work with the stock servos and gyro, which I would appreciate more information on.

3. Persevere with Phoenix and get a Trex 450 Kit and take my time building it up. I can't really justify the cost cost of a Trex 450 this month, probably not for another 3 or 4 months.

I don't mind paying the extra for the SR if it really is going to be the best option. The Belt CP V2 looks a bit of a bargain though. What I am trying to avoid is buying something I have no chance of flying at my early stage of progression.

thx

[tiddler]

1 .... Persevere with Phoenix. It'll teach you well. Keeping the heli close to you is part of the learning curve.
2 ....Get the SR. If the promotion vids are anything to go by It looks to be a good next step up from the mSR.

[dogbiscuit]

hi, i have an msr and am in the same situation as you. there are a few replies of interest to you in a couple of my thresds. try reading calling all honey bee owners in the main discusions posted 2 or 3 days ago. one guy talks about the hb king and belt cp. also here is a quote from another thread in which you posted, just in case you didnt see it...makes a comment on the sr in the middle. you have a dx6i and receiver.... (at the time i was considering hb fp, but am now thinking cheap esky cp as an option like yourself)
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Honey Bee V2.

I have the V1, heavily modified, my Dad has the V2, stock. The V2 is excellent. It flies much better than the old V1, especially with the Xtreme fibre reinforced blades (these give it a higher head speed). Not only that, but those blades are very tough. I smashed them into a ceramic tub on the garden the other day and there wasn't a mark on them.

On a calm day, or indoor, it's excellent. Really fun to fly. Plus, when you crash, it usually doesn't break anything, or if it does, it's very very cheap to fix. They say if you can fly a Honey Bee, you can fly anything.

My thoughts on the Blade SR are these. Any common CP helil can be made as docile as the SR if you have a computer Tx, so I don't really see the point of it. Plus, when you crash, it's going to cost you. Eflite parts have crazy prices.

Sims are great (I have Phoenix myself) but it's nowhere near as fun as flying for real. If I were confined to flying on the sim, I'd have quit by now because if you're not in the right mood, it's BORING.

I admit I have a bit of a love thing going on with my Honey Bee, but I'm not the only one. I have a Trex 250, 2x 450s, an mSR, an mCX, and a Walkera 4#3b, but I like the Bee the best.
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i have not tried the sim yet so cant give an opinion, but learning for real seems much more apealing (loving the msr). the king, belt cp etc.. are cheap to buy and fix it seems, and you will really learn more, as you are hands on. once set up properly they are rated as good flyers by many. you can easily sell them on, on ebay when your ready to move on.

the bit about buying a bare bones esky kit (in calling all hb owners) and adding your own computer radio looks like a good idea. this is the route i am looking into at the moment. if you get an answer to the question of fitting your spectrum rx in the belt cp i would like to hear it.

the other tread was, msr 1st heli, what next?

would be interested to now what you buy as that 2nd heli.

[PsiLo]

This is a question asked so often and will elicit a world of different responses. But here is my own experience and opinion.

I started with a picoz and very quickly went on to an Esky Lama IV coax. After mastering this indoors I tried to fly outdoors (not a good idea in anything but absolute still!!). So decided I needed an outdoor heli. I bought a Belt CP and eagerly awaited it's arrival from HK. It arrived, I charged the battery and took it in the garden, spooled up and tipped over From there I found the forums and started the learning curve that is
CP helis. It was a big jump from coax to CP but I managed it with some perseverence and sim time!

Now, where are you flying?? If you plan flying indoors then get the SR, but if you plan flying outside then read on.....

If you are happy flying the Msr and can fly the V2 happily in phoenix and want to fly outside then I say go for the V2 over the SR. Over time you can upgrade the E-Sky to T-rex (or clone) components as required and have a decent 450 class heli at the end of it rather than the SR which is a bit bigger than the 250 class helis.

As you already have the DX6i then you can tame the Belt CP down so it has much tamer flight characteristics. You can reduce the swash mix on cylic so it won't be too twitchy, you can add some expo around mid stick also. I think that the Belt will keep you interested a lot longer than the SR will and if you buy the SR you will buy a 450 or similar not too far in the future!

However, The E-sky electronics are poor, so be prepared to replace the ESC fairly quickly (they have a nasty habit of bursting into flames!) get some towerpro SG90 servos or similar when the esky ones strip (which they will on your first heavy crash). Other than that just upgrade as you grow, so motor when you need more power, gyro when you need better holding , then you can think about a clone 450 kit when you want better head etc.

[unwind-protect]

The Belt CP isn't awful (I flew mine for 6 months or so, I think). The standard electronics aren't very good (at least on the v1). The main reason I left it at the time was expensive spares (£6 for a main gear!) and poor quality control (at least 66% of main shafts were bent out of the packet). Having picked up a nicer heli, I find it hard to recommend the Belt CP.

There's little point buying an RTF kit, it you're then going to throw away the radio and replace the electronics. Bare Belt CP airframes are available. However I've seen a number of people on here have success with cheap Trex clones, which cost little more than a bare Belt CP, and can use cheap Trex spares.

I wouldn't be swayed by finding the Belt CP easiest on Phoenix. I used to fly a Trex600 on the sim, and a 450 in real life, and didn't notice much substantial "difference" in how they flew.

[msssltd]

i have not tried the sim yet so cant give an opinion, but learning for real seems much more apealing (loving the msr).

I have certainly found the sim time to be extremely useful for brain training. One thing that I have noticed is that I seem to be less inclined to make the opposite input nose in with the mSR than on the sim. There is something not quite right with the sim, or possibly it is just not gelling. I am slightly concerned that without the real feel the sim may actually start proving a barrier to my progression.

the bit about buying a bare bones esky kit (in calling all hb owners) and adding your own computer radio looks like a good idea.

By the time you have added the electronics the kit route is quite a lot more than the RTF pack. The whole reason I was attracted to the HB Belt CP V2 is that the 35Mhz RTF pack can currently be had for a bargain price of £120. An SR would cost at least £50 more, which could put toward crash spares or a Trex 450.

The SR is a bit of an unknown quantity at the moment. If there were a BNF SR I would buy it, but there isn't. The HB Belt CP2 is significantly bigger and heavier, which I thought might make it easier to fly, in spite of any magic E-Flight may have performed on the SR. I also have a soft spot for bright green things

this is the route i am looking into at the moment. if you get an answer to the question of fitting your spectrum rx in the belt cp i would like to hear it.

As far as I can tell it is entirely possible. I found this youtube video of a HB FP being converted and am sorting hoping the Belt CP V2 is similar.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHnXLi2dnCI"]YouTube- ESky HoneyBee Fixed Pitch - 2.4ghz conversion[/ame]

would be interested to now what you buy as that 2nd heli.

LOL. I was hoping I might get a consensus but it seems clear the HB is like Marmite with the more experienced heli pilots. I like Marmite and am still tempted to have a punt. At the price it's difficult to see how it could end up costing me too much.

Thanks for your interest and I hope you find the sim useful.

Matt

[PsiLo]

I flew the Belt CP for at least 6 months and upgraded it to A CopterX then finally it became a full blown T-Rex 450 SE V2. Along this upgrade path I learned a huge amount including how helis work and the skills to build and maintain them. Personally, I wouldn't have been able to build a heli from kit comfortably when I started.

I assume you are talking about the E-Sky Belt CP not the Honey Bee as you keep mentioning both? HB is a fixed pitch Belt CP is collective pitch. As for conversion to 2.4ghx, no problem, rip out the esky fm rx and stick in your spektrum instead It works without issue

If you do go down the belt cp v2 route I can provide lots of helpful setup vids and docs for you

[msssltd]

I assume you are talking about the E-Sky Belt CP not the Honey Bee as you keep mentioning both?

Indeed, tis the E-Sky Belt CP V2 I am interested in. I have just been confusing myself with all the variations of initials

As for conversion to 2.4ghx, no problem, rip out the esky fm rx and stick in your spektrum instead It works without issue

I think you may have just made a decision for me. Some instant gratification with the belt and make a start on a Trex 450 in slow time.

If you do go down the belt cp v2 route I can provide lots of helpful setup vids and docs for you

Maybe we can start with some Tx programming suggestions and anything else that will tame the beast.

[jamesb72]

I guess the answer depends on how risk averse you are, the safe/sensible option would be the Blade SR which will be robust and stable, and easy/cheap to fix, and a smaller step up from the mSR - once you've mastered the SR, you'd know if you want to invest in a 450 and keep progressing.

If you have a garden or large room to practice in, you will get a lot more practice with this, also I think you will find phoenix more interesting once you start flying a bigger heli, and can practice things on the sim then fly them for real (ie nose in hovering, then pirourettes, hovering squares in front of you).

If you could only fly at a field, then something like a 450 is going to be more stable and easier to fly outside, and there will be people there to help setup and trim, and encourage you.

The Belt CP V2 I haven't flown, but have read good things about for its size/cost - given you have the DX6i and simulator, if your patient and only fly in calm wind to start with you could certainly learn with this (get some good training gear, and start very low and slow) - and its more exciting (but more complex to repair) than the SR - it will work fine with your AR6100 receiver, but you should try to find a lcoal club or expert to help you set it up and test fly/trim it before you have a go - trying on your own could be frustrating with an early crash and hassle to fix/setup again.

The 450 option, is probably where you will end up anyway, so arguably would be a better option, but its a lot more expensive, so if I were you, providing you can get some help from a local club or flyer, I'd be tempted to get the Belt CP - keep practicing with the msr and phoenix, and go steady.

I guess the risk is you spend the money on the Belt CP, find it difficult/frustrating and throw the towel in - which is why its important to find a local club or expert to help get you off to a good start.