Hi all. Been given a EF sabre, as 1st helicopter. spares are hard to find

[Jeffro]

hi all

ive been reading and searching for a while now , and was going to buy a helicopter.

but my dad said dont bother i have an old ef sabre in the garage.

which all sounds good, but is it ok for a beginner? also i cant seem to find spares for it.

how old is this helicopter and do other parts from another model fit this.
im just about to order phoenix sim as well, and was going to get a honey bee v2, but would like to make this EF sabre work, and save the money for my next step up heli.

any thoughts and advice welcome.

thank you

[Davy Crockett]

Hi
I had a sabre and a venom night ranger as my 1st helis and being brutally honest they are appalling.
You have begun a hobby which isnt cheap and if you want to progress, the right equipment is needed.
Phoenix sim is a must, it will save you £££'s in crash repairs, a DX6 or similar transmitter and heli wise, blade MSR or blade 120 sr, blade 400 or align trex 450 if money allows (personally I wouldnt bother with Honeybee).
Bigger helis are more stable than the smaller ones but MSR size can be flown indoors
good luck

[p4ddy]

I too have an old Sabre which is also known as the Walkera #4. The sabre is about 7 years old now. I used to buy all my parts from here http://www.besthobbysite.com/shop/index.php?cPath=374_4 Despite what others say imo it's a great heli to learn on. It's tough as hell & will teach you all the basics up to large circuits & 8's

Here's a vid of mine when i just learnt nose in & a few knocks thrown in to show how tough it is

Try getting away with any of that with a 450 & have no damage

[Jeffro]

ok thanks guys. so can i use walkera #4 parts then , as they seem easier to find. I will take a look at them other helis to. but i may as well keep the sabre and get some use out of it.

[Jeffro]

Ive just been looking at the heli that are recommended. Very nice. my thinking is. i buy the blade msr or blade sr 120 as the bind and fly package, and get the dx6i mode 2 transmitter . Which i can use with other helicopter as i progress ( am i right ?) Can i use the dx6 transmitter with phoenix also. so i can just get phoenix as disc only package.

[p4ddy]

Yes the Walkera#4 & Sabre are the exact same heli but only the original V1 of the walkera #4. You wont find any parts that are actually sold as 'Ripmax Sabre' just Walkera. If your going to get the sim then i'd be inclined to get that sim/tx package before making a heli purchase as this will get you up to speed skills wise so your 1st flight should be pretty spot on.

[Cagey]

Need more pocket money.

Hi there Jeffro, don't be put off by my opinions, but for what it's worth it sounds as if you're being cautious with your pennies, good move you're going to need them soon enough. So, if you can borrow or get access to a Phoenix sim, have a good thrashing on it before you part with your dosh. This is my opinion as I said, but I have found the Phoenix to be useless for my own heli flying training, the scale depth perception is all wrong for me and I find the 450 in particular does not represent how one flies in reality. This is purely subjective, but quite a few others have expressed similar views. An MSR is as good a start as you can get, with plenty of stick time and maybe join a club and get buddied up. You'll be tic tocking like a pro soon. Good luck with it. You can use the DX6i with the Phoenix by the way, it comes as a disc and interlink cable for the T/X, very simple to set up, and on another note of caution, there are known issues with some DX6is and Phoenix, mainly undemanded control inputs and difficulty in function allotments. Cagey.

[Jeffro]

thanks for your advice. Ive been searching the web and found the msr with the dx6i dmsx transmitter for £185 and the same transmitter and price with the blade 120 sr.

now which one should i choose? the bigger due to being more stable?

But then im still think the msr as it comes with a battery charger that holds 4 batterys, so i can get some proper flying time.
and i could proberly move onto the 450 once im good with the msr. will this be a good route?

i sure i will pick up the sim on ebay over the next week or so aswell.

many thanks

[Darwil]

The msr can fly comfortably in your living room, the 120sr is a bit too big; both will fly outdoors when there is little or no wind.
My money is on the msr (I've had 2) because it is more flexible, tough as old boots and fun to fly, it is also good to learn how to hover in all orientations which is important when you are learning.
Hope this helps
D

[Davy Crockett]

+1 on darwil's post.

Msr is great and can fly in your living room and a great tool for learning the take off, hover, tail in side in and nose in and landing.

I've had msr, 120 sr and have mcpx and i honestly can't fault any of them. Yes the 3d pilots may criticise them but for learning they're great and if you total an msr, £50 ish off the bay for a new one

I use my mcpx to practice, once mastered I Try the 450

Good luck mate

[dogbiscuit]

go for the msr. the indoor bit means you will always be picking it up and flying. you will be flying any time everyday, and will learn the all important orientation far faster. this is however just the start, as when you move onto collective pitch helis, the jump in skill level is significant. i started with an msr and found phoenix difficult to get on with in the beginning, but as your real life flying skills progress, i think you will find phoenix invaluable to hone those skills. once you have mastered the msr, its mcpx and blade 400 time if you want to keep it in the cheaper eflight family. the dx6i is perfect for your needs. good luck, but be warned its very addictive and your friends outside of the heli comunity may wonder what is happening to you!

[Jeffro]

thanks for your help guys.

going to order the msr with a dx6i, going to get 2 extra batterys so i have 4 in total. can you list me the other spares i may as well get now. Cause im sure ill crash. and will save on postage costs and keep me flying for a while.

im thinking main blades , tail blades ?

thank you

[p4ddy]

Thing is an msr will sit in a hover without any input so it's not teaching you anything. It will sit hovering nose in whilst you go & make a sandwich.

[Davy Crockett]

Excellent advice from dogbiscuit

Expensive hobby but so rewarding and great forum with loads of advice

We've all been there and don't be afraid to ask for help however silly you think it is

[Darwil]

thanks for your help guys.

going to order the msr with a dx6i, going to get 2 extra batterys so i have 4 in total. can you list me the other spares i may as well get now. Cause im sure ill crash. and will save on postage costs and keep me flying for a while.

im thinking main blades , tail blades ?

thank you

As I said before the msr is tough as old boots, things tend to wear out or fall off rather than break, the most important bits to get are as you think - blades and tail rotors but it might be worth getting spare blade grips, these wear out.