Recommendation wanted for electric heli

Kashkai

I pile drived my plane into the ground recently (as a newbie I suppose I did well lasting 10 weeks flying before I broke something) so I'm going to order a new fuselage to get it back flying. I've noticed that there are no additional shipping costs if I order a heli. So I'd like some ideas for a good starter model, one that I can fly outdoors , electric and that parts are readily available for! As it's my first heli, I don't want to spend.a fortune so Trexs and the like are out (for now:))

Cookie_Monster

Honey Bee seems to be one that comes up here a lot though not my field of modelling so can't help much more than that. Have a search of the forum for info

Bruthal

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Honey Bee seems to be one that comes up here a lot though not my field of modelling so can't help much more than that. Have a search of the forum for info

T-rex 450 definitely a great one to start with, although you want to go cheaper by the look of it. The honey bee type ones i flown for others are harder to fly than the t-rex because they are just not as well made. They are cheaper but were so much more tricky to fly that a couple of lads around here that got them gave up because they thought it was too hard. But most of the difficulty was the heli`s not being precise enough. My first heli was a falcon 3d, and while i managed to fly that around no problem, when i then got the t-rex 450 it was far easier to fly. It was the 450 i was flying the day you met me with your radian dave. I have the 600 flying again now as well, some new batteries for it.

Bruthal

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I pile drived my plane into the ground recently (as a newbie I suppose I did well lasting 10 weeks flying before I broke something) so I'm going to order a new fuselage to get it back flying. I've noticed that there are no additional shipping costs if I order a heli. So I'd like some ideas for a good starter model, one that I can fly outdoors , electric and that parts are readily available for! As it's my first heli, I don't want to spend.a fortune so Trexs and the like are out (for now:))

here`s one anyway if you want t give it a go without going the t-rex route
http://www.heliguy.com/Electric-RC-Helicopters/HoneyBee-CP3/Main-Group/

Kashkai

Thanks for the heads up Robbie.

I thought the Honey Bee would be a good place to start and at some point I'd progress to the TREXX, which I thought was of a much higher standard than the Honey Bee and thus outside my proficiency for now.

My recent crash with my Radian has shattered my newbie arrogance I have to admit. I wanted to start off with an easy to fly heli and from my research on the web (I know I shouldn't believe everything I read :rolleyes:), the Honey Bee appeared to be a good place to start.

Tha day we met, you had the TREX dacing around teh place and I thought that was a heli that I'd progress to AFTER I learned how to fly a lesser model. Now I'm confused which way to go

mr.jailbait

there are a few honey bee models,both 4 and 6 channel
have owned them,and theyre not that great.cheap quality really.
a CopterX fake t-rex 450 would be a nice heli to learn on
very easy to get parts for,and 100% upgradeable with Align t-rex parts when you want to step up.many options to buy,heres a link to them;

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A2496&_nkw=copterx+450&_dmpt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&_fcid=99&_jgr=0&_localstpos=&_stpos=&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&gbr=1&_sop=3&_sc=1

half the price of the Align.the electrics are ok for a beginner,but as i said,easily swapped for better items when you choose to.

Bruthal

mr.jailbait wrote: »

there are a few honey bee models,both 4 and 6 channel
have owned them,and theyre not that great.cheap quality really.
a CopterX fake t-rex 450 would be a nice heli to learn on
very easy to get parts for,and 100% upgradeable with Align t-rex parts when you want to step up.many options to buy,heres a link to them;

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A2496&_nkw=copterx+450&_dmpt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&_fcid=99&_jgr=0&_localstpos=&_stpos=&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&gbr=1&_sop=3&_sc=1

half the price of the Align.the electrics are ok for a beginner,but as i said,easily swapped for better items when you choose to.

Yes i`d agree with all that, i found the honey bee ones tricky to fly compared to the t-rex, the t-rex 450 and 600 were simple to fly compared to them. I was going to suggest a t-rex clone too earlier, i actually have the metal head off a clone (HK450) from www.hobbyking.com on my align 450. The metal head off it is brilliant, was €20 instead of more than €100 for the clone metal head, so the clones certainly do fly well.
The lads i was flying the honey bee`s for gave up because found it too difficult, but the difficulty was definitely more to do with the honey bee`s slop in the controls than their ability to learn to fly them.

Bruthal

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Thanks for the heads up Robbie.

I thought the Honey Bee would be a good place to start and at some point I'd progress to the TREXX, which I thought was of a much higher standard than the Honey Bee and thus outside my proficiency for now.

My recent crash with my Radian has shattered my newbie arrogance I have to admit. I wanted to start off with an easy to fly heli and from my research on the web (I know I shouldn't believe everything I read :rolleyes:), the Honey Bee appeared to be a good place to start.

Tha day we met, you had the TREX dacing around teh place and I thought that was a heli that I'd progress to AFTER I learned how to fly a lesser model. Now I'm confused which way to go

Well i learned heli flying using a simulator and a falcon 3d. The falcon 3d was always failing, first the ESC, then linkages failed, but i kept getting it going. Then i got the t-rex 450 and the very first time i lifted it off in back garden it was like a rolls royce compared to the falcon 3d as in it was very smooth and precise and much easier to fly. And the 600 is easier again i would say. Getting a cheaper one is grand but it could put you off by making you think its more difficult than it really is. One of the clone t-rex`s would be a good way to go as mentioned earlier.

here`s example from hobbyking.com, its just the bare kit, as example.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10902&Product_Name=HK-450GT_Pro_3D_Belt-Drive_Helicopter_Kit_(Align_T-Rex_Compat.)

You could come up and try the simulator, you can have a copy of it, its the best way to learn the basics of controlling a heli. And you can see the 600 flying as well.

Looking at mr jailbait`s link to ebay copter x links might be a good way to go. I`d say they would fly well and everything is there to fly. If you then decide to move up again then get a dx7 radio or something similar so you wont need any more radios at least for a while. It will fly your radian as well by binding it to the radian`s receiver.

Kashkai

Many thanks Robbie and Mr Jailbait on the info. Looks like you saved me from making another mistake and buying a heli that would cause me grief.

Looks like I have some more research to do on buying a heli. I'll check out that site you suggested.

The Doktor

Ive messed about with helis for a few years, never properly getting into it and comming and going.
Tonight i had my maiden flight with my new trex 500, and all i can say is do yourself a favour and dont waste your money on the cheap stuff.
When i was putting it together i was seriously impressed how there is little or no play in anything.
And tonight when i flew it i was amazed how easy it was compared to anything else ive flown.
I had a 400 size before and a .30 nitro, but this is .. as said above... the rolls royce.
Do yourself a favour and just get a trex

Bruthal

The Doktor wrote: »

Ive messed about with helis for a few years, never properly getting into it and comming and going.
Tonight i had my maiden flight with my new trex 500, and all i can say is do yourself a favour and dont waste your money on the cheap stuff.
When i was putting it together i was seriously impressed how there is little or no play in anything.
And tonight when i flew it i was amazed how easy it was compared to anything else ive flown.
I had a 400 size before and a .30 nitro, but this is .. as said above... the rolls royce.
Do yourself a favour and just get a trex

The 500 is nice alright, i had a few flights of one for someone before.

Duff Man Jr.

Hey came here to ask the same thing as OP. How does this one look for starting off, http://www.boyztoys.ie/?0ls:item,c:965,id:160
Which would you choose between this and the honeybee?

Bruthal

Duff Man Jr. wrote: »

Hey came here to ask the same thing as OP. How does this one look for starting off, http://www.boyztoys.ie/?0ls:item,c:965,id:160
Which would you choose between this and the honeybee?

Its hard to say, for me anyway as have not flown the boyztoys one, but its a brushed motor in them i think, brushless is the way to go. But its not that expensive the boyztoys one so you could give it a try that way.
Mr jailbaits link in post #6 would be decent enough heli i would say.

If i started off again i would go for t-rex 450 if i was seriously into it.

What ever way you do it, buying one and going out flying it that day does`t work. You will need to find someone to fly it for you to trim it etc, and learn from. They are not as difficult as some fella`s would have you believe, but are far from easy and impossible to fly for a complete beginner. Where do you live.

syl77

I myself would go with a Rave 450 if I were starting again, ok its a little more expensive but it flys alot nicer (more stable) and you have the option to swing a 350mm blade on 4S packs. flys more like a trex 500 and you have the option to go flybarless with it.

coolwings

If I wanted to go back in time and teach myself to fly helis, and had never flown planes or helis and knew nothing about it, I would stay away from all collective pitch helis of every make.
A fixed pitch heli costs less, especially with a cheap 400 size brushed motor. They are self teachable with far greater ease than collective pitch helis and they break less parts.

The collective pitch helis do fly better, but are more breakable and costly, and often get wiped out by beginers before the learning process is over.
So given the greater level of difficulty, in the absence of an instructor, the purchase is not a 450 brushless heli - it is the 450 BL heli AND the flight simulater.

Either:
400 brushed fixed pitch, followed by a 450BL collective pitch
or
450 brushless collective pitch AND good flight simulater software/radio-computer lead

The first alternative is a lot less costly. But if the poster stays in helis and wants to move up when he gets out of the habit of thumping it about, the 450 BL is an ideal thing to get at that point as a second heli.
Why suggest two helis in a sequence instead of one? The 450s with symetrical blades rotate at higher rpms, and on impact they break more parts "down the chain" into the swashplate. Fixed pitch helis rotate at much lower rpm and rotors strike objects with less force, so the inevitible bashes usually crack the rotor blade and no further damage ensues.
So the cost savings of not bashing a BL450's swashplate and tailboom once or twice while a raw beginner should almost pay for the trainer, enabling him to have two models for the same outlay.

The Twister family of heli should be fine, but the collective pitch rotor head parts in the CP are very small, thin and fragile IMO. I think the Twister V2 fixed pitch version is more robust if going down to that size. Adequate performance and robust beats high performance and fragile while you are still a beginner.

If he goes for the 450 BL, I advise the simulater at the same time, and NOT to attempt to fly the 450 at all, until AFTER having 200 crashes on the sim, and building up an ability to fly 3 x 4 minute sim flights in a row without crashing.

Duff Man Jr.

Thanks for the help, I knew they were hard to learn but didn't think I'd need someone to set it up or get a sim. I think I'll sit on it for a while and maybe invest more than originally planed.

Bruthal

coolwings wrote: »

If I wanted to go back in time and teach myself to fly helis, and had never flown planes or helis and knew nothing about it, I would stay away from all collective pitch helis of every make.
A fixed pitch heli costs less, especially with a cheap 400 size brushed motor. They are self teachable with far greater ease than collective pitch helis and they break less parts.

The collective pitch helis do fly better, but are more breakable and costly, and often get wiped out by beginers before the learning process is over.
So given the greater level of difficulty, in the absence of an instructor, the purchase is not a 450 brushless heli - it is the 450 BL heli AND the flight simulater.

Either:
400 brushed fixed pitch, followed by a 450BL collective pitch
or
450 brushless collective pitch AND good flight simulater software/radio-computer lead

The first alternative is a lot less costly. But if the poster stays in helis and wants to move up when he gets out of the habit of thumping it about, the 450 BL is an ideal thing to get at that point as a second heli.
Why suggest two helis in a sequence instead of one? The 450s with symetrical blades rotate at higher rpms, and on impact they break more parts "down the chain" into the swashplate. Fixed pitch helis rotate at much lower rpm and rotors strike objects with less force, so the inevitible bashes usually crack the rotor blade and no further damage ensues.
So the cost savings of not bashing a BL450's swashplate and tailboom once or twice while a raw beginner should almost pay for the trainer, enabling him to have two models for the same outlay.

The Twister family of heli should be fine, but the collective pitch rotor head parts in the CP are very small, thin and fragile IMO. I think the Twister V2 fixed pitch version is more robust if going down to that size. Adequate performance and robust beats high performance and fragile while you are still a beginner.

If he goes for the 450 BL, I advise the simulater at the same time, and NOT to attempt to fly the 450 at all, until AFTER having 200 crashes on the sim, and building up an ability to fly 3 x 4 minute sim flights in a row without crashing.

Dont forget the training landing gear as well.
I think finding an instructor is by far the best way, there is a lot to them besides flying them, setting up etc. Fixed pitch have their advantages alright, but while the lower head speed does make them less prone to damage etc, it also makes them less stable for single rotor ones at least. I think if you can master a fixed pitch one then a collective pitch one like a trex 450 should then be easier to hover smoothly than a fixed pitch. My young lad has a lama v3 double rotor one which he learned to hover easy enough combined with simulator, and from that he could then hover my t-rex 600. The lama v3 i actually found quite interesting, flying circuits around the back garden i would find harder than doing circuits with the t-rex 450 or 600 in spaces suitable for them.

Anyway a simulator with lots of practice is a must also. 200 simulator crashes before attemting to fly an actual model sounds interesting, but i think more realistic is being able to hover in the simulator and land repeatedly without any bother before flying the model is the way to go if learning without an instructor. I dont think its any harder to learn than learning to drive, but it could be said that some people never master driving even though they still do it every day.