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HeliHobby . Ron’s HeliProz South . Century Helicopter

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Beginners Corner > Fresh to RC helis, is t-Rex too much??
 
 
TCUNew Heliman - Location: Fort Worth, TX -
Hi everyone,

I'm currently in a bit of a bind. A good friend of mine got an RC heli and I watched him fly a few months ago. As you may have guessed, I've been wanting to get one since, however, I like to do my research, and I believe I need some help.

From what I've read, a decent electric heli can be had for 150, but all in all, most people say it's just a gateway to the rex, and that they should have, in retrospect, gotten it to begin with. Therefore, I was wondering, should I do it right the first time and save the headache later? or is the rex just too much to start with?? I'm personally very fond with mechanical tidbit of things and have had my share of RC equipment. I also don't mind the electronics and all the tinkering after all I'm working my way to an EE degree right now..

And, (since I didn't write enough already :rolleyes , do you think a good starter setup can be had for ~400? not necessarily 3D capable, just enough to get it going around the block.. I would also rather take the time to put it together myself, and from what I've seen, most kits come around %80 assembled. Is there a bare bones set available??

Thanks in advance,

looking forward to reading some responses!

*also forgot to mention, I've never flown anything myself, but I hear the sim is a pilots best friend.
04-27-2008 05:39 AM
 
 
george0079
Elite Veteran
Location: Terra Firma

Quote 
From what I've read, a decent electric heli can be had for 150

Stay away from these. In this hobby, you get what you pay for. A cheap heli is exactly that. A CHEAP heli. They don't fly very well, and they are built with low quality parts.

Quote 
should I do it right the first time and save the headache later?

Yes. You will thank yourself for it, later.

Quote 
I've never flown anything myself, but I hear the sim is a pilots best friend

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Most of the people that REALY irritate me
are in my family

Steve
AMA#891089
04-27-2008 05:52 AM
 
 
TJinGuy
Key Veteran
Location: Socorro, NM - USA

Yes the Rex is a nice bird but so are many others and it is no means the destination of all pilots. I personally went the ESky King2 route and then added a Mini Titan to the line up for the extra room to grow and to have a second toy to play with. If you are really serious about learning to fly then you need to grab a sim and start there. I use Phoenix and would easily recommend it over the others. Trust me, and many others, when I say that the sim will pay for itself. Once you get that and have a go at it, while continuing to read on here, you will have a much better idea of where you want to go next.

As for a good starter heli, I feel that if you like to tinker, want to save some cash and are not scared of some steep learning curve ... the ESky bare bones kits are the way to go. Get one of those with the ESky brushless motor, esc and head holding gyro and you will have a pretty good start for not a lot of cash. Or is you prefer a somewhat upgraded heli from the get go, look at the Blade 400. It is a little weak in areas but it is a good starting place if you want to hit the ground running. Of course for only about $200 more you could have the Rex or Mini but remember that those are more expensive to fly and fix. Alas there are so many options

One other word of wisdom I will leave you with is this ... everybody that really gets into this hobby owns at least two helis if not more like four, so don't be too worried about where you start. Think of your first heli as a "gateway" drug, it is only a matter of time until you get into the real hard stuff

- Chris

I own the King of helis! And a Mini too!
TAKE OFF AND LANDING CHAMPION SUPREME
04-27-2008 05:55 AM
 
 
Blik
Senior Heliman
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

TCU, The best investment would be to start with a flight simulator. Check the FS posts and you can pick one up for around $100.00. If you want to get into this hobby be prepared to spend some cash. You can get a good beginner heli like a Blade CX2 for under $200.00 complete with a transmitter but used mainly indoors. If you want to start with the Trex 450 it will be out of your price range due to the seperate items required. You will need an ESC and motor(usually comes with the kit), Transmitter, Receiver, Gyro, Servos, Lipos, Charger and spare crash kit parts. I am not trying to scare you but once you get bitten by the RC Heli bug it's hard not to spend money.

Cheers
Blik
04-27-2008 05:55 AM
 
 
sinte
Heliman
Location: tacoma,WA

you may want to look into the E-Flite Blade 400 RTF. you'll have your radio & fully built heli right out of the box for around $400...i think they even include 1 battery. that heli should be able to take you pretty far until you feel you're ready to upgrade.

i started with the blade cp pro. it took me through learning how to hover, crashing\re-buiding, forward flight and into beginning 3d (flips and rolls) before i upgraded to the t rex 450. the t rex is an awesome micro..either way you go enjoy the challenge!

.....sold his soul for flip and roll.....
04-27-2008 06:15 AM
 
 
tailspin90
Key Veteran
Location: Portage, IN

Good Choice:
Best bang for your buck would be the Blade 400, about $400.00 to $450.00 at most hobby shops. Big bonus it comes with a nice radio that you can use down the road.

Best Choice:
A Rex with a decent radio(DX7) could easily cost $1000.00 depending on how many batteries you get and what equipment(servos, gyro, charger) you choose.


For sure get a sim. I don't know anyone who's serious about heli's that doesn't have one.


Tailspin90
04-27-2008 12:27 PM
 
 
macsgrafs
Senior Heliman
Location: Barnstaple, Devon, UK

TCU My advice is get a flight sim, Phoenix is what I use & it has a large collection of aircraft, heli's & scenary to boot. You will need a transmitter to go with that & my suggestion is either a Spektrum DX7 or Futaba 7ch. Get the hours on the sim BEFORE buying a heli, believe me within a couple of weeks you will be ready to fly the real thing & without the heartache & expense of crashing the real thing. You WILL crash in real life, as do we ALL, it's in the post so to speak, just hope it's 2nd class postage & takes longer to arrive at your door.
Once you've got the sim sorted & able to put the heli where you want, then the crashes will be smaller & not so often...it's the cheapest & best way to learn. Get a heli only after you have sussed the sim.

Regards
Ross

Seems to me that ALL heli's beat the air into submission
04-27-2008 12:43 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Dave M
Senior Heliman
Location: Mi.

Trex 450 is a common and good point to start. Just spend some time on a simulator first... then you will know what to expect.

It's OK....It's not your fault !!!
04-27-2008 01:56 PM
 
 
sinte
Heliman
Location: tacoma,WA

the simulator is a very good tool. but there is something to be said about just going for it as well.
when i started i had no sim other than 15 min here and there at the lhs...but if you can afford a sim and a heli all at once, do it. if you need to spread out your purchases i'd say get the heli and start hovering

.....sold his soul for flip and roll.....
04-27-2008 03:15 PM
 
 
speeddemon370
Senior Heliman
Location: Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada

You're going to get some conflicting opinions. For example, if I had to start all over again I would have gotten the sim first. Then the heli.

Blade 400 is an awesome choice though. I have a rex450 and a b400 and the b400 is much better as a beginner beater. You are going to crash it, alot, and there's nothing you can do about it. Better to crash a beater. Can't beat that included radio either. It'll cut down on the pocketbook sting of buying another heli later.

with 2 ears and 1 mouth you should listen twice as much as you talk
04-27-2008 04:15 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
TCU
New Heliman
Location: Fort Worth, TX

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. A good friend of mine said he has realflight 3G that I could have, but his transmitter is broken, any idea where to go from there? is there a way to get a normal radio and connect it??

Also from the suggestions it looks like I should in fact opt for something a bit less to start out with... that and my parents hammering at me saying I'll drop the hobby soon anyway. Either way I've been looking around and the Esky King II looks like a good point to start.. any thoughts on that???

Cheers
04-27-2008 10:19 PM
 
 
speeddemon370
Senior Heliman
Location: Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada

Blade 400. That's my thoughts on that.

I don't think you can get realflight to work without the "dummy" transmitter. Even if you plug in your own real tx you need the dummy box just to go through. There's a bit of proprietary software in there that the program recognizes and won't run without. I'm sure to prevent pirating issues. Either way I certianly would be interested to find a way it could work without. Someone must have found a way.

with 2 ears and 1 mouth you should listen twice as much as you talk
04-27-2008 10:33 PM
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Way2slow
Senior Heliman
Location: Jeffersonville Ga

What kind and where are parts available. I've learned the hard way, buying one that does not have local support totally sucks. Two of my first were the Helimax Kinetic 50 and a Helimax MX450. I bought those from Tower Hobbies because the were fairly cheap and was told they were good heli's. Every time I need a part I don't have, it's either pay outragous shipping charges or wait up to two weeks to get them. Unless you want to buy two Heli's alike and use one for parts and one to fly, then you've just gotta hope you don't break something before the replacement parts arive that you used last time.

I finally bought a Trex 600N and a Trex 450SE V2. Since I'm still learning and not doing anything fancy, I can't honestly say the SE fly's any better than the MX450. The 600N does handle a whole lot smoother than the K-50 though. The main thing with the Trex's is their is just about every part made for them 80 miles from me and I can call one day and have it the next. Beats the hell out of having to wait two weeks.
04-27-2008 11:20 PM
 
 
TJinGuy
Key Veteran
Location: Socorro, NM - USA

The King2 is a great little heli. No it is not fancy and no it is not as high quality as a Mini or Rex but who cares? Once you learn how to setup a heli and do a little fine tuning, it flies great! Parts are cheaper than anything else and many of the parts from other helis fit (main gear from B400, spindle from Rex450, Rex or Mini or B400 head will pretty much bolt right on). Plus you can buy a bare bones kit for $65! Oh and you get 10-12min flights with a 2100 pack!

And no I am not an ESky salesman but man do I like that little heli! It makes a great beater and once you can fly it, you can fly anything!

- Chris

I own the King of helis! And a Mini too!
TAKE OFF AND LANDING CHAMPION SUPREME
04-28-2008 01:26 AM
 
 
zaw
Senior Heliman
Location: Lebanon, NH - USA

I started with used Blade CP at the wrong time when -20F out side so I was limited to my small basement, where there was a lot of stuff to hit. I learn a lot about rebuilding heli for sure. After I got bladeCP hover in basement, I was able to hover my friend 400 without any problem in basement also. Don't listen to people that say BladeCP is not stable, they just don't know how to fly it.

Blade 400 have larger motor, larger blades and a lot of power. if could be dangerous if you don't know what you're capable of.

I got a Honey Bee King 2 now, also used and broken. bought parts fix it and now it fly that really well, its handles winds pretty good as well with telebee gyro it came with.
Nice thing about King2 is cheap to start with $160 Ready to Fly and extremely easy to upgrade for LESS, it seems Esky built it with that in mind. $55 for Brushless+ESC and $60 based model Gyro. HBK2 is very good starter heli, IMO.

Also RR/Esky forum got a lot of nice people.

When you are good and ready and not crashing anymore then move on more more precision machines like Trex even better Raptor 90. I don't think I'm ready to crash a expensive machine yet.

BCP+CP2 mix Separates BL, DD-tail, HH //\\ HBK2 JGF 400 11T //\\ Friend's B400
04-28-2008 02:51 AM
 
 
Triguy
Heliman
Location: Nevada, USA

TCU-


No, the Trex is not too much for a beginner. I just started flying two weeks ago with a Trex 450se. Freaking awesome time. This was a used heli, already trimmed out for the most part, and I've been flying planks for a few years. I had to do was install my radio and do the radio setup. That being said, I stayed near the ground for 6-8 flights, then picked it up a few inches, then a foot, now I'm hovering tail-in really well (relatively) and starting to work with other orientations.

I am rediculously happy I started with this heli... though it my only experience. But so far, it is just the coolest thing in the world. Dude... you will DIG flying.
04-29-2008 12:50 AM
 
 
Zman9545
Senior Heliman
Location: CA, USA

Quote 
if you need to spread out your purchases i'd say get the heli and start hovering

Sorry... I don't completely agree with this. We all have different learning abilities so there might be some truth to that statement , but it's not ideal for your average person. If you did have some money to spread out, you learn that you won't real quick if you go this route. Definately SIM. If not go to your LHS or friend's house to utilize the SIM if available. Whatever it takes, get on a Sim. While your building your skills on the Sim you could be assembling any of the highly recommended helis that other members mention. Once you get that completed, you have some experience under your belt to accomplish a successful hover.

My 2 Cents


Zandro

The ONLY way you fail is when you quit.
04-29-2008 04:10 AM
 
 
Skarn
Senior Heliman
Location: Pasadena, MD

Quote 
When you are good and ready and not crashing anymore then move on more more precision machines like Trex even better Raptor 90. I don't think I'm ready to crash a expensive machine yet.

After staring on the Blade CX, then the Blade CP then finally my TREX 450 SE v2, (and now Raptor 50) I personally don't agree with your statement. What some people fail to realize is:

1) A good heli like the trex 450 SE v2 is not expensive to fix! Just because a heli itself is expensive, does not mean it will cost a lot to fix! I've had 5 major crashes with my Trex to date and each one has averaged around $25. My most expensive crash cost just over $50 but most of that was my cosmetically flawed Radix blades.

2) With a good, larger heli, you won't crash as often!

You say don't listen to those that say a Blade CP isn't stable, they just don't know how to fly it. Well, that's not entirely true. Yes, you can fly a Blade CP with enough determination and make it look easy. But is is NOT as stable as just about any of the other heli's! Not even CLOSE to a trex 450 or larger. So yes, it can be done, but I say why deal with that much frustration and cost when you can get a decent one from the get go. In retrospect, it would have been a lot cheaper and more fun since I'd have more flying time vs. repair time had I done just that.

Skarn

It's better to burn out than to fade away...
04-29-2008 04:21 AM
 
 
sinte
Heliman
Location: tacoma,WA

Zman,
that's cool....i see your point, but i have to say a sim does'nt make a guy bulletproof. a beginner is gonna crash plain & simple. will the sim improve thier odds??..probably yes, maybe no.
i chose the do or die path and crashed mine within 30 seconds...lol
had it fixed and back at it the next day. i guess it got me past the fear of trying cuz i was scared to crash phase pretty quick.

at any rate, i guess which ever path of learning you choose it's all about flyin.... i guess i chose the hard way

.....sold his soul for flip and roll.....
04-29-2008 05:26 AM
 
 
Fire_Paramedic
Heliman
Location: Palmdale, California. USA

Ok.. I have a sim, The realflight g3.5. i have been able now to hover pretty well, that is until i try something else and get ssstupid.. but yeah i can hover that real well and i have a blade cx 2 that i can fly a whole battery lenght without crashing most of the time... I also have a honeybee fixed pitch that i am just waiting for a part to getin so i can get used to that also.. But i think i am going to get the trex 450 i dont know what version is the best yet but still researching. But i figured i will get it and buy the time i can complete it i will be good on the sim and on honeybee.. So please tell me if that is a good plan or not
05-01-2008 09:06 PM
 
 
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Beginners Corner > Fresh to RC helis, is t-Rex too much??
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