is this good for a future heli??

[andylakesbox7]

hi guys i am looking starting the hobby and have spent hours researching helis and flight dynamics etc etc.

i know it's best to start on a fp heli and then move to a cp but i saw this on ebay and wondering if it would be a good buy for my first cp heli. if i were to buy it i would probs buy a micro fp to practice on first but as it stands i don't really have a decent tx and from what i read dx6i is one of the best. i have a small coaxiel heli and my friend will lone me his pheonix flight sim for a bit too

i suppose what i am asking is, does this ad look as good as it seems???

ad

Blade 400 3d BNF Radio Controlled Helicopter Eflite | eBay

thanks in advanced
Andy.

[Telehandler]

There not a bad heli for learning the basics but are now discontinued hence the prices at the moment!

[simon1]

Hi Andy,
IMO i wouldnt buy that from ebay, you never know what you are getting from ebay and especially with helis its a big risk. The blade 400 is a discontinued model, so you also may struggle for parts etc. This would be my route into it Blade 130X [BLH3780UK] [BNF], or mCPX Brushless Helicopter MCPX BL (BNF) [BLH3980UK] bl, with DX6i 6 Channel Sport Radio Mode 2 TX Only [SPMR6610E]. They are small micro brushless cp helis and are great for learning on without the need for comprehensive setting up, everything is programmed from the manual. And pheonix flight sim will stand you in good stead for progressing.

Hope this helps

[TheDarkPassenger]

E-Flite Blade 450 3D BNF (Basic) Instock Now

£130 new.
You'll need a TX on top but for that price, out of the box, a steal.

I'd agree with the not ebay thing, as you don't know what you're getting.

And yes to the above too, one of the micro helis will see you well, as they mostly bounce when crashed and fly again straight away.

[450man]

If you have a club to fly at and can get some help then the 450 is not a bad way to strt but IMO the better way would be to get a Fp such as a MSRX and then upgrade that to a MCPX or 130X. To start with a 450 might be a little easier but you are still going to crash and crashing a 450 is way more expensive than a MCPX!

Either way... if you can find a heli club you will really appreciate it.

BTW have you seen this site? It has some great advice for beginners...

RC Helicopters, The Most Fun And Rewarding Of All RC Hobbies.

[Boggy]

that is a little over priced. although discontinued the spares are readily available and the blade 450 spares will fit,so thats not the problem

I would think £150 is a good price for what your looking at on the bay, but of course that depends on whether the description is accurate or not.Apart from that the B400 is a cracking little first heli.

[scuba steve]

i agree with considering a micro heli to start on. i was at the club the other day and a complete newbie had a Blade nano. this guy crashed it right in front of me at least 6 times and he just picked it up, put it back on its skids and started flying again. i had my 450 Pro with me and as we all know, one crash with that and your out a few days flying and a few quid on parts.

[450man]

OK, to be fair, crashing a 450 isn't going to be horrendously expensive. I have crashed a few times now (before I got the HC3-SX) and it cost between £10 and £25 each time. But the difference between that and a micro, like the nano or MCPX, is huge. Most of the time they just bounce and when they do break it is normally just a few quid. However, for me the real benefit of a micro is less down time. Many times with a 450 heli or bigger any incident will mean you must stop flying that day and even if it doesn't cost that much to repair it is normally not possible to repair it at the field. With micros they just bounce back and you often fly again and again or if repairs are needed they can often be done there and then. Sure, occasionally that won't be possible but with a 450 it is nearly always not possible.

When learning you need air time and in spite of all their faults and disadvantages, micros give you lots of air time.

[sjm]

Hi. To start im new too. I first got a 4ch FP heli then a Blade Nano CPX and a DX6I. Then a Blade 400.
It does seem a good way to go. The 4ch helped me get used to orientation and the Nano into flying a CP heli.
To be honest it felt like a big jump from a FP to a CP.

My advice (although new) would be forget the EBAY one and get a Blade Nano (for learning and inside when weather is bad) and if possible get a Blade 450 I have seen them for £ 130 and a DX6I for £89 at Wireless Madness. Then just get on Phoenix, look out for a post about sessions as we open them most evenings and join us. Theres allways someone willing to help out with a few tips.
I got the Blade 400 for an amazing deal or I would have got the 450.

Hope that helps

Stephen

[tomatwalden]

i suppose what i am asking is, does this ad look as good as it seems???

Andy.

As others have said - no. For less money you can get the (now discontinued) 450-3D new from a shop while stocks last. The 450-3D was the replacement for the 400 in that advert.

You can get a DX6i (get the DSMX version) for about 60-80 quid second hand.

[andylakesbox7]

haha what a response! glad i asked first. thanks guys.

first of all what does the dsmx version do and how can i tell? does it come with a lead to connect to pc?

i assume i should post in the south east sub forum to find other fliers and clubs (my friend no longer flies and he used to fly planes anyway so no help there)

it's so nice to find a uk forum! all i could find for ages was American ones which were not really convenient.

i don't have a massive space to fly indoors (don't get me wrong i can fly the syma toy about in there) but i would be flying outside more than in so i guess i was thrown down the lines of big heli for winds. a micro fixed pitch seems the way to go now (thanks ) but do they do a micro cp?? (is that the mcpx??) how much difference is there between a micro fp and micro cp? i know you have to learn to hover but would a micro cp be almost as durable as a micro fp?

i apologise for the obviously noobish questions and thank you for your responses and look forward to your replies

p.s that info site is fantastic! answered alot of my questions so far!

[Rubber Bullets]

Yes there is a big jump from micro FP to cp. Both the nano and the mCPx will be a lot more of a handful, and the mCPx will do more damage to walls and soft furnishings!

I did once see a video which showed a guy setting up an mCPx and a dx6i as a FP though. This would be pretty simple to do, with the nano to, but I don't know if the flight characteristics would be exactly the same, but it might be worth a thought. It would save you the cost. I don't remember the settings exactly, but could have a pretty good guess .

If you do go with the FP first then a Heliguy Atom or a Mini Twister Sport are both the same model basically, and are good fun for a while, but I got pretty voted with mine.

RB

[andylakesbox7]

Thanks Rubber Bullets i shall bare that in mind

UPDATE!! i bit the bullet and bought my self a dx6i radio and an msrx heli. After a few flights i can now keep the damn thing in the same place..... ok with in 2mt sq haha :S

anybody have some experience with these heli's? i am struggling to tune it to a stable beginner setup (following some online examples) but i am getting there. what would be the criteria to progress to a mini cp? i am far off yet but would like to know how i am progressing

Thanks guys
Andy.

[TheDarkPassenger]

If you look at the swash, you'll see two sets of ball links, shorter and slightly longer

Putting it on the shorter ones will reduce travel for a while until you get comfortable with it.

The other thing I did, was to reduce the DR down to 40% on AILE/EVEL and slowly increase by 5 to 10% as and when I felt comfortable.

(a side note, it doesn't like turning left very well, it needs a bit of forward and right cyclic)

[tomatwalden]

Thanks Rubber Bullets i shall bare that in mind

UPDATE!! i bit the bullet and bought my self a dx6i radio and an msrx heli. After a few flights i can now keep the damn thing in the same place..... ok with in 2mt sq haha :S

anybody have some experience with these heli's? i am struggling to tune it to a stable beginner setup (following some online examples) but i am getting there. what would be the criteria to progress to a mini cp? i am far off yet but would like to know how i am progressing

Thanks guys
Andy.

There is no criteria! Remember, first and foremost, this is a hobby - a bit of fun! The thing is everyone is different and I guess the best "criteria" for when to move onto your next heli is ... when you feel you're ready! If you get to the stage where the limitations of the mSRX is holding you back, and you think "hey, this is easy, what's all the fuss about?" ... then it's time to move on definitely!

The other thing worth noting is that the controls of a Collective Pitch heli are absolutely no different from a Fixed Pitch heli. If you can waft an mSRX around the garden - you'll be able to do the same with an mCPX. If you have more space, you could just as easily fly a 130X, or Align Trex 450 or whatever. If anything, CP helis are a little bit easier as the left stick controls height by varying blade pitch rather than just speeding up/slowing down the rotors. Height control is herefore MUCH easier!

The gotcha (there's always a catch) is the CP helis spin the blades *MUCH* faster than FP. More energy = more damage when crashes occur. Also, when you get to 130X and upwards, that increased blade speed means that the things can really hurt. From 450 and onwards, they're downright dangerous in the wrong situation, and you'll need to find a local club really and certainly get yourself insured with either the BMFA or RCHA.

If you want to judge yourself however, take a look at John Salt's video series on learning to fly RC helis. It'll give you something to grade yourself against, and give you ideas about how to progress further!

How To Fly RC Helicopters

Good luck! - Tom.