Another newbie.

[eli0]

Hello guys. Now I am on holiday in my girlfriend parents house where I found a cheep (around £13 worth), almost not working heli, which gave me so much fun in the park! And now I am thinking of buying better one for me. But as you probably already know, there are so many different rc helicopters, models, forums and shops around the internet and as you probably see I am completely lost which one should I choose. The main think is, it will be used only outdoor, because I live in a small studio flat in London, and I don't want to be killed by my girlfriend for crashing hers favourite picture or macbook. My budget is not as big as I wish, around £150. Which model would you recommend? And where to buy? Because there are so many different shops and I have no idea which ones I can trust. And I don't want to buy a second hand heli, because I want to be sure that all damage for it I will do by myself Hope you guys will help me to make the right decision. Thanks in advance!

P.S. Terribly sorry for my bad English, it is not my native language.

[Paulice]

Welcome to the forum,
The Blade 130x is a fine little machine but would be over your budget as you would need a TX as well.
some other menbers will pipe up soon with other ideas.

[Mslater]

Yep, I'd go along with that, the 130 is certainly a capable yet cheap heli. I'd save a little more and go with that.

[eli0]

And what else is needed with that heli? And which shops I could trust to buy? What about repairing it, because I believe it gonna crash quite a few times. And because of my upcoming birthday, my girlfriend let me to choose gift for myself. So my budget just got increased another £50-£100.

[helimadness]

Make sure you get a good sim and do your crashing / learning on that. Then when you get to a real heli your crash bills will be a lot less. Buy a couple of mags as they have good articles that will help you learn the language.

[rmparry]

There are several shops out there as you have probably already found, but the main ones are Fast-Lad, Midland helicopters, Heliguy, Buzzflyer to name but a few, Rick

[eli0]

Thank you guys. Blade 130x is the only one which you would recommend?

[Bronek]

Thank you guys. Blade 130x is the only one which you would recommend?

Depends whether you really want to start with collective pitch heli. Perhaps good fixed pitch would be a better (and cheaper) start. There is unused Blade MSRX in "for sale" section at a good price, check it out. They don't make better fixed pitch helis.

[mattscupoftea]

I get a feeling that what you found and played with is possibly one of those coaxial helis - with two sets of counter-rotating blades? I may be wrong, but by your description it sounded like a cheap toy style heli. It was these sort of helis that got me hooked on the idea of flying bigger, more controllable helis and here I am now with two smallish helis and looking to buy a bigger model!

The thing to bear in mind is that when you step up from these little toys to the slightly bigger (only just in the case of the 130x) but so much better (more controllable, more powerful, more challenging and ultimately more fun) range, you will find that it's a whole new ball game learning to fly them. The beauty of the 130x is that it will be quite forgiving in those early stages when crashed - especially if flown outside on grass.

I would also consider the blade mcpx - It's a little cheaper than the 130x (kinda like it's little brother) and a great little machine. It's the heli that I learned on. I think everyone's excited about the 130x at the moment (myself included - I find myself continually resisting buying one mostly because I'll get in trouble with my girlfriend if I get ANOTHER heli. . .) as it's the latest greatest thing, but for learning on the mcpx is great. I've just seen a deal on a website for mcpx ReadyToFly (the kit is heli and a controller) for £136. Bargain. You'll probably want to get a couple of spare batteries for it while you're at it.

For the 130x you're probably looking at £140 plus £70 for controller (Dx6i is a good choice).

Welcome to a hobby that will gobble up your free time. Big time.

[eli0]

Thank you guys again. I am looking now for a blade 130x + dx6i. I found this price E-flite Blade 130X BNF - Back Instock Have you ever heard about this shop? Is it worth to buy from here? And one more question, what about flying time with blade 130x? and costs of spare batteries?

[mattscupoftea]

I bought my mcpx from them a little while ago and was totally happy with the service I received, and indeed the price!
Enjoy the 130x, and prepare for an interesting, challenging learning curve!

[Vikki]

Kings Lynn Models. Good store, I've spent shed loads with them no probs

[Sao]

I can vouch for Kings Lynn models, bought a few bits from there and know one of the guys personally

[eli0]

Good to know, because that shop offers really good prices. Next question, as I am only the beginner, don't you think that Blade 130x will be a bit too much for me? Because as I see in youtube and forums, more advanced users choose it, not beginners. Because I don't want to crash it completely in the very first fly.

[Vikki]

It's ideal for the learner as it will take you from your first hover to your first flip.