500 options...

[challis349]

I have decided on a 500 to get back into the hobby with, I know I have pmed a couple of you, but interested in others opinions, the options as I see them

Trex 500 ESP
Trex 500 efl
MSH Protos

I know the trex is the main stream and as I said before, I have been away for a while, there are a few 500s floating around in the fs section, so what's the benefits to each, all will have flybarless of some description, possibly vbar, so interested in what people have to say

Cheers

[Lynx.1677]

Stick with the Trex's. Cheap to fix and spares everywhere. I saw a protos go in once and I vowed never to get one as the whole thing was a write off. You can get carbon frames etc but for the money I would just go the Trex route. The old 500 is still a great heli, big, stable and can take a beating! The new EFL if you can afford one is awesome, all of the great qualities of the ESP but refined and way more accurate in the air. It's also a powerhouse!!

[SaneAdam]

The 500 elf pro is an amazing helicopter. Very very nice imo. It fly's beautifully i have to say... sounds great too. I wouldn't look past that if you have the funds, as it is not cheap to be fair. Nearly same price as a 550

[Lynx.1677]

The 500 elf pro is an amazing helicopter. Very very nice imo. It fly's beautifully i have to say... sounds great too. I wouldn't look past that if you have the funds, as it is not cheap to be fair. Nearly same price as a 550

I always struggled with the new pricing. A while ago for £600 you could get a 500 EFL, 550 V2 or 600 Pro Flybar!

Mad!!

Heyho, more choice is better I guess.

[sacko]

IMO the 550 is the way to go. The kit is £50 more for a much better Heli IMO.

The 500 is mint and mine was brilliant, but doesn't come close to a 550.

Take a look on Century-rc in hong kong when buying kits.

[challis349]

then I need bigger packs though Paul, I will have a look at it, but will look at the differences in price per crash, and batteries etc...

[sacko]

Pack cost is obviously something to consider, but cost wise there really isnt that much in it.

Crash cost is negligible, as some parts are bigger/designed slightly differently; they don't break.

Overall, it's obviously going to cost slightly more; worth worrying about, probably not

[SaneAdam]

It also comes down to where you fly. If you have access to a decent sized flying site then i agree with Sacko. Get the 550. Batteries are obviously more money... but you get more fun Easier to see in the sky... and i bet you would end up with a 550 anyway even if you did get the 500 eventually. If your flying site is limited in size then get the 500 pro. The 550's do have a habit of eating batteries fairly quickly. But if your not doing extreme 3d you should be fine. You can always go 12s on the 550 to ease the load on the packs.

[challis349]

If there is membership space left at Eagle, I will have a HUUUUUGE field lol, flying site is not an issue, and extreme 3d??? definitely not haha

[SaneAdam]

Well i say extreme 3d.... but to be fair, bad collective management will ultimately have the same effect on the packs I would go for the 550 with a big space to use

[trillian]

Someone at our club has a brand new 500 efl and it's very nice but as Paul says, I wouldn't spend that much as it's so close to the cost of the 550. (it's not really as different over the old version as I thought it would be actually, the frame spacing is a bit different and a few things have been remodelled and upgraded but I doubt you'd notice those things in flight).

I have the original Trex 500 with belt driven tail and based on my experience with owning it for a bit over a year now vs the experience of several friends with different variations of the Trex500 my humble opinion is that the trusty old bog standard version with the belt tail is the most rugged and trouble-free.

I got mine 2nd hand and then I've put prob 250/300 flights on it and have never had to do anything to it except change some worn links. I recently put a BeastX on it with an RJX head which gives it a bit more accuracy as it had developed a fair amount of slop.

I kept it pretty much budget spec from the start as I wasn't sure at the time how I'd like it but it quickly became my most flown heli and ends up being the one I always take along with whatever else I'm flying at the time.

[challis349]

lots of things to think about here, including how I'm going to charge, and what funds I would have left for that also

[SaneAdam]

I think all the incarnations of the 500 have been of real quality. My esp is an absolute beast and has been flown A LOT. It just keeps going without any issues at all. I agree the 500 pro is just too expensive when you look at what else you can pick up for that money as Dan rightly said. It is very nice though. Although it does not perform better than my esp. My mate has the pro. Get a 550. One of the best all round helicopters you can buy imo. It has the best of everything with only 1 down side.... it kills packs... but who cares .... i don't. With a DFC head the thing is simply exquisite to fly

[SaneAdam]

lots of things to think about here, including how I'm going to charge, and what funds I would have left for that also

It depends how often you fly and how many packs you are likely to have. I have just spent about £300 on a PL6, PSU and all connectors... that is the best money i have spent in the hobby... the ability to charge lots of packs very quickly is worth a hell of a lot more than £300 in real terms.

[challis349]

you got a list of the things you got mate? just so I can sort a budget lol, fathers day next weekend too lol