yet another "Newbie where should I start" question !

[Eckchaz]

Fill and fly till I'm sick of it, like it. Sometimes I find a tankful is too much and sometimes it's nowhere near enough. It's a shame you couldn't find time to get into the club mate you would love it.

I know mate.. Hopefully next year. Tbh, i've flown less than a dozen times in 3months.. I've got so much going on outside off work, im getting run down! But I have got this friday booked off from work to go fishing, so at for at least 1 day, I can relax for once! I'm really gutted I cant even make it to the club for the fly in this wkend, as i'm away

[scubacrazy123]

Well, thanks for all help guys.
Having been well and truly steered away from the original models I was thinking of, I have had a quick look on Fleabay, and found several Trex 450 clones on there, The spec of which I have copied onto here, below.
Can some-one advise if this is any good? Or at least if there are any particular clones to avoid etc?

here's the spec of 1 in particular ~

450 CARBON 6-CH 3D RC R/C Helicopter Align trex 450 RTF

Description:

• Length: 635mm
• Height: 230mm
• Main Rotor Diameter: 710mm
• Tail Rotor Diameter: 158mm
• Motor Drive Gear: 13T
• Main Drive Gear: 150T
• Autorotation Tail Drive Gear: 106T
• Tail Drive Gear: 25T
• Drive Gear Ratio: 1:11.5:4.24
• Weight (w/o power system): 450g
• Flying Weight: Approx. 780g

Package include:

• 1x RTF 450 CARBON 3D RC Helicopter
• 1x RC 2.4G Transmitter + 2.4G Receiver
• 1x Li-po Battery Charger
• 1x KV 3680 Motor + 35A ESC
• 4x 9g Mini servo
• 1x GAZ-125 Head Lock Gyro
• 1x Li-po battery 2280mAh 3S1P 30C
• 1x 325mm Wooden Main Blade
• 1x 450 Glass Fiber Canopy (Random color)

Any advice ?
Thanks again, this is very helpful.

[Eckchaz]

Just had a look on eBay... Looks a good deal to start with, think it is all align compatible parts so at least u got spares and u can upgrade the leccy's when you progress!

Not bad for less than £150 and again a more knowledgable member will confirm for you!

[waveydavey]

Well, thanks for all help guys.
Having been well and truly steered away from the original models I was thinking of, I have had a quick look on Fleabay, and found several Trex 450 clones on there, The spec of which I have copied onto here, below.
Can some-one advise if this is any good? Or at least if there are any particular clones to avoid etc?

here's the spec of 1 in particular ~

450 CARBON 6-CH 3D RC R/C Helicopter Align trex 450 RTF

Description:

• Length: 635mm
• Height: 230mm
• Main Rotor Diameter: 710mm
• Tail Rotor Diameter: 158mm
• Motor Drive Gear: 13T
• Main Drive Gear: 150T
• Autorotation Tail Drive Gear: 106T
• Tail Drive Gear: 25T
• Drive Gear Ratio: 1:11.5:4.24
• Weight (w/o power system): 450g
• Flying Weight: Approx. 780g

Package include:

• 1x RTF 450 CARBON 3D RC Helicopter
• 1x RC 2.4G Transmitter + 2.4G Receiver
• 1x Li-po Battery Charger
• 1x KV 3680 Motor + 35A ESC
• 4x 9g Mini servo
• 1x GAZ-125 Head Lock Gyro
• 1x Li-po battery 2280mAh 3S1P 30C
• 1x 325mm Wooden Main Blade
• 1x 450 Glass Fiber Canopy (Random color)

Any advice ?
Thanks again, this is very helpful.

I would look at something else mate. You'll soon wish you hadn't if you do. I asked above how much do you want to spend?

[zoombolt]

Welcome to the mine field. Carefull how you go.

[scubacrazy123]

I would look at something else mate. You'll soon wish you hadn't if you do. I asked above how much do you want to spend?

As far as the 1st part of this goes, can you tell me why I should look at something else? I can understand it is not going to be the best quality helicopter out there, but it's only £150. If all the internal bits are compatible with Align spares, of which there are plenty, then does it matter?
There are plenty of posts on this forum which say try starting with a trex 450 clone.
What would you recommend for that sort of budget?

You have to remember that there are a lot of people like me out there, who don't want to spend £500 on a first helicopter only to find that flying model helis isn't for us after all. There aren't too many people prepared to loan me their own pride and joy for me to see whether I will like it as much as I think I will.
If I can buy something for that kind of price, then if it serves it's purpose, gets me flying, and I become hooked, then I will think about spending some proper money on my next one.

As for my budget, given what I have just said, then I guess up to £200 ?

[Kozmyk]

If it's sub £200 new your looking for have a look at these.

Inwood Models : TWISTER 3D STORM ARTF INC, SERVOS, MOTOR ESC, CARBON BLADES, GYR [HEL73DST] - £164.99 with Tx/Rx (35MHz)

TWISTER 3D STORM 440 BRUSHLESS (UK) - JPerkins - <meta name=\"google-site-verification\" content=\"CddM91zvm0Cx8ZG0gCZHI0hp6L93BDJVnpgBzTrF Q0E\" />

Twister Storm 440 is almost the same as a Blade 400, most parts interchangeable.
I was looking at this myself till I got a s/h deal.

Flasher 450 PE ARTF or RTF 2 4G in case T-rex 450s comparable
Or the CF version (£60 more though).
Flasher 450 CF ARTF or RTF 2 4G in Case Trex 450SE V2 comparable
Again this one, the CF, was one I was thinking of getting. May still do.

Radio controlled helicopters - CopterX CX450ME V2 Rc Helicopter

All except the CF under £200 and from a UK supplier.

Ultra cheap deals on Fleabay really ARE going to be too good to be true.

Even HobbyKing in HK despite being a big company, their kits can be a lottery as to whether you get one that'll stay together in the air or not.
And then there's Brit based importers of HK type stuff like Giant Cod.

Like I say, I was looking at the models on the above links. Then I found a nice little deal on the classifieds and now I'm waiting for a Blade 400 and a 450 kit to show up.
You could do worse than scan the For Sale on here and the Classifieds on here and BFMA.

Hope that helps.

[jboweruk]

It really comes down to your budget, you have a sub 150 budget you aren't going to get a lot I'm afraid, so would indeed be worth a little waiting time until you have more to spare. And you ARE going to prang it, so budget a little more on top for spares. Sorry that sounds harsh but I'd hate to see somebody get disheartened.

My choice is and always has been the Blade 400, she was my first 6ch heli, and I'm still proud as punch with her 2 years on. Yes I would like something bigger now, but, and this is the real sweet thing, she fits my garden, I can't fly say a 500 class out there, so not having the money the last year or so meant my club was out of reach and the garden had to be my only chance for stick time.

There's a lot to consider, if you have a lot of wide, open space around you, and somebody to go with then size isn't so important, but a big heli, although stable, moves a lot quicker and can bite you in a moment, so you would need some kind of club membership where you can learn in safety. Budget for that too. There's a lot of difference between a 4ch and a 6ch, 4ch helis tend to being more stable for beginners. You can fly that without crashing and that's great, but you will find a 6ch a lot harder. There's more to think about. So budget for at least 300 ideally all in. That's spares, the heli, and find a club to help you learn. If you can't wait for all that, then the best advice I can give, is get Phoenix Simulator, and a controller that will work with it. You could probably pick up a cheapish one. And then fly that till your sick of it, and fly everything on it, while meantime building up the funds for a nice heli. It may seem boring, but will pay dividends in the long run.

Sorry for the long post.

[tiddler]

A suggestion,

The best and possibly the most enjoyable way to approach this hobby is in steps.

Step 1. Get yourself a used Dx6i Transmitter. A good one can be picked up for around £50-£60. It will work with pretty much anything your likely to buy in the near future and see you through for a good long time.

Step 2. Get a copy of the Phoenix flight simulator. Its about £80 new, or you might find a used one in the for sale section here. This may sound like a lot of money but believe me, its probably the best investment you can make when learning to fly helis. Plus its great fun

Step 3. Spend many hours learning on the sim. Its very enjoyable and you get to fly all sorts of helis, big and small. Best of all, when you crash them (and you will) two seconds later you have a brand new heli their in front of you that has cost you nothing

Step 4. once you've got the feel of things on the sim, then that's the time to go looking for your first heli. You will of course have been saving up whilst having loads of fun and learning to fly (without the cost of any crash repairs) and already have the transmitter so that wont be needed. Then with a budget of £150- £200 you should be able to get quite a decent used T-Rex or blade 400 and you are far less likely to smash it to pieces the first time you fly it.

I'm sure there are many here that will back me up with this approach. Why? Because in the long run its the cheapest way of getting to your goal of successful heli flying

[unwind-protect]

Tiddler tells the truth. The sim is the easiest/ cheapest way to get to your first hover. The resale value (especially if you buy secondhand in the first place) is also excellent.

To be honest, I think the heli you were looking at looks OK. The bits will be cheap, but hopefully Align compatible, so easy to replace; the servos and gyro will be cheap, and probably won't survive a crash. The transmitter, though, really isn't worth having. Budget for a proper programmable transmitter, DX6i minimum. It'll make your life easier.

In general with helis you do get what you pay for. More money buys you stronger better engineered parts that work more precisely and last longer. You can buy cheap to start with, but don't be under any illusion that if you stick with it, you won't end up spending more in the long run.

[simon1]

A suggestion,

The best and possibly the most enjoyable way to approach this hobby is in steps.

Step 1. Get yourself a used Dx6i Transmitter. A good one can be picked up for around £50-£60. It will work with pretty much anything your likely to buy in the near future and see you through for a good long time.

Step 2. Get a copy of the Phoenix flight simulator. Its about £80 new, or you might find a used one in the for sale section here. This may sound like a lot of money but believe me, its probably the best investment you can make when learning to fly helis. Plus its great fun

Step 3. Spend many hours learning on the sim. Its very enjoyable and you get to fly all sorts of helis, big and small. Best of all, when you crash them (and you will) two seconds later you have a brand new heli their in front of you that has cost you nothing

Step 4. once you've got the feel of things on the sim, then that's the time to go looking for your first heli. You will of course have been saving up whilst having loads of fun and learning to fly (without the cost of any crash repairs) and already have the transmitter so that wont be needed. Then with a budget of £150- £200 you should be able to get quite a decent used T-Rex or blade 400 and you are far less likely to smash it to pieces the first time you fly it.

I'm sure there are many here that will back me up with this approach. Why? Because in the long run its the cheapest way of getting to your goal of successful heli flying

This is as good advice as you will receive to be honest, go this way and you will save yourself £ in the future

[scubacrazy123]

Wow, I really didn't expect this level of help for such a commonly asked question, so a big thanks to all who have taken time to post.
@ Kozmyk - Thanks for the links, I like the look of the 3d twister.
@ jboweruk - i'm quite close to you (i'm in Hornchurch) so any advice on good clubs near here ?
@ Tiddler - Possibly the best advice. Thanks for your input.

I think I will follow tiddler's advice, and get a DX6i, along with Phoenix.
Then, when ready decide which heli to buy first, although I must admit it is a bit disappointing, as I was looking forward to flying soon.
Well, I guess when I do come to buy my own heli, I will be better set up to fly, and less crashing, so in the long term probably best.

Again, thanks for all the help.
All the best,
Gary.

[tiddler]

Wow, I really didn't expect this level of help for such a commonly asked question, so a big thanks to all who have taken time to post.
@ Kozmyk - Thanks for the links, I like the look of the 3d twister.
@ jboweruk - i'm quite close to you (i'm in Hornchurch) so any advice on good clubs near here ?
@ Tiddler - Possibly the best advice. Thanks for your input.

I think I will follow tiddler's advice, and get a DX6i, along with Phoenix.
Then, when ready decide which heli to buy first, although I must admit it is a bit disappointing, as I was looking forward to flying soon.
Well, I guess when I do come to buy my own heli, I will be better set up to fly, and less crashing, so in the long term probably best.

Again, thanks for all the help.
All the best,
Gary.

Gary I think you'll find its by far the best way m8.

I do however understand how it feels to want to get your hands on your first real heli. The trouble is, and we see this all the time. So many first time pilots believe it cant be that difficult to do, but just in case Ill try a cheap heli to start with. This inevitably ends in repeating cycle of a broken heli, further expense and a great deal of frustration that can so often lead to them giving up completely
If they do manage to hang on in there they will almost certainly end up buying Phoenix sooner or later and often come back to the forum saying If only I had done this first. Hindsight is a wonderful thing

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll enjoy learning to fly on Phoenix. Its a great bit of kit and many of the best pilots on here still use it to keep their hand in when not at the flying field.

[scubacrazy123]

I think you are right Tiddler, and thanks for the benefit of your hindsight. I hope that this way I will stay in the hobby a lot longer, with slightly less frustrations !!

[challis349]

i had the same thing when i first started i bought a heli first, of fleabay, and there was quite a few bits wrong with this "completely ready to fly" heli, i didnt crash it when i first flew it, but it was quite scary with the initial tentative hops around the feild, i then bought phoenix on the advice from adie at the club, and it is without a doubt my best heli purchase so far!!!!!! I am now hovering full packs, and attempting side in with real heli, whilst practicing circuits on phoenix, without the danger or the thoughts of massive repair bills, i think that you are very wise getting phoenix first, i wish i had done it that way