proffate61

I"m wanting to step up from coaxials to cp and have heard good things about the blade 400 and the align t-rex 450. Some say the 450 is easier to fly but it would seem it's gonna run about $200 more than the RTF balde 400. I'm willing to pony up the difference if it will make a difference - easier to fly, cheaper to repair, more room for growth down the line, etc.

What's the plusses/minuses of the two heli's?

nick4622

Main differences is that the 400 is RTF, and the trex's are not compleatly built.
Align combos come with everything you need minus the Tx Rx and battery.
The build is easy and after its built you will know more about your model than if it was RTF.

The blade comes with everything you need to fly out he box.

Ipersonaly think the trex is of higher quality than the Blade.
I have heard some bad things about the e-flight servos.

Iput my trex 450 pro in the air for around $600

450 pro combo (w/ servos, gyro,motor ,and ESC) Purchased from helidirect.com $344.00
I think Iprice mached from helipross.com

DX6i w/ ar6100 $200.00

NRG Li-po battery 3S 2200 mah $50.00

I think you will be happy with the quality of Align, I was.

jesses151

My Feedback: (1)

Another thing to consider (and I push this alot with my freinds) is how available are the rebuild parts? If you crash are you going to be able to go to the LHS and get back in the air the next day or are you going to be sitting around waiting for parts? In my area the B400 parts are plentiful and that helped me alot as far as getting back in the air after a crash when I was getting started. I do agree with what was said about the B400 servos though they don't hold up , even ina littlecrash.
-Jesse

augerin2

I go + one with that Ready Heli battery Voltz ia about $22 & work great. I have both for my 450 & 500 & prefer the voltz battery. more punch.

Rob2160

See my post in your other thread.. Go for the Trex 450 clone.. it is better to fly and much less expensive to repair (I'm referring to the clones)

They will be cheaper than the Blade 400 also.

even the most basic hobbyking V2 clone has a more substantial head than the Blade 400 which is cheap and light by comparison ( I have both)

Also watch out for faulty servos in the Blade 400.. they are common.. with a TREX clone you decide what servos to use and can ensure you get quality..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgoztDiEZ7k[/youtube]

proffate61

Well, I popped for an HK450...we'll see how it goes.

Now to begin to compile the list of bits I"ll need...radio, servos, gyro, motor, esc, battery...

proffate61

Hmm.. the math is scary in that it adds up way low...

been reading lots of sticky threads, build threads, etc.  To get everything at hobbyking - a clone, clone radio, servos, motor, batteries (plural) gyro, ESC - it adds (w/0 shipping) to a whopping  $142.

Yes, that is not a typo - one hundred and forty two dollars. For a 450SEV2 clone, 6 ch radio and all the other bits one needs.  And i've seen reviews on multiple forums of these 'cheap' parts (c'mon, a servo for $2.99? Really?  6Ch 2.4 radio w/ receiver for $35? Really?) but the word is this will work, fly and do so pretty well actually.

Once the kit gets here and if it looks 'real', then I'll likely spring for all the other bits ($95) . I'm just kinda skeptical, but I guess the overall cost is low enough what's to lose, right?

desertblade400

When I crash, I want my parts now. The two hobby shops near me stock everything I need for my Blade 400 (plus the other EFlite machines), so I can get back in the air quickly. They don't have much for the Align birds. Your LHS may vary.

Flying Fiz

Go the Align 450 or a HK clone, not the blade 400. I have all three and the blade 400 is always under repairs, one hard landing and all hell breaks loose. I had such a landing not long ago, and one set of servo gears gone (again) and the tail rotors caught the grass a bit hard and now the tail rotor gears need replacing (a very painful repair to carry out). Also a slight crash and the feathering shaft (among other things) goes every time.The one good thing about the blade 400 (and the main reason I bought it) is you get a DX6i tx, which is very good, and so you get the 400 heli for like $150 bucks.I built a HK 450 GT and it flies better than the Blade 400. I'm yet to build the Align 450 Sport but I figure it will be better again (it would want to be for the price) and the parts do look a notch up from the HK clones.

3D 4 ME

I dunno, I just bought and flew my Blade 400 over the weekend and I think its great. Although, I can already tell that the servo rumors might be true. They look like they'll strip after one crash. But I haven't crashed yet, so I wouldn't know. All in all, you should just go by parts availability. However, I don't think you'll crash the Blade 400, its very stable. I'm a co-ax pilot as well, and I flew my Blade after flying nothing but 2ch toys, and training on a simulator. I think the Blade 400 can only crash if you're flying fast or doing 3D, but there is no way that you can crash in a normal hover. If you can fly a co-ax, you can fly this one. But again, go by what your hobby shop stocks most.

Flying Fiz

Mate,If you have really gone from a 2ch toy heli to a full 6ch Blade 400 (or any cp heli for that matter) and flown it first attempt without crashing and any drama's you are one in a million! Congratulations. So on that basis next weekend you'll be ready for inverted 5 foot off the ground.

Rob2160

Hey I understand your skepticism but trust me you will be pleasantly surprised.

The quaility of these HK kits is FARbetter than the cheap plastic head and tail on a Blade 400.

Don't be fooled by the lack of price.. low price does not equal low quality these days..

A few examples..

In 1997 my first laptop cost me $5000.

I can buy one now for $499 and it is 1000 times more powerful, and much better quality.

In 1990 my first mobile phone cost $1800 and was the size of a brick.

now I can buy a Nokia for $19 and the quality and performance is much better..

the "Maths" is called "Mass Production" in a cheap labour economy (Our friends the Chinese have it mastered)

One piece of advice.. go for some Metal Gear Servos

I have these ones in this heli

and I have these one (stronger and cheaper) in this heli.. They are PERFECT even after morethan 100 hard flights.

Rob2160

You sir must be an absolute ACE..

99.9% of us have to work really hard not to crash when learning. (I didn't crash either until the servo failed, but I was working very hard and sweating plenty.... and that was after hundreds of flights with the MSR and 120 SR.. (and being a full size helicopter pilot)

You sir are one in a million.. While I truly admire your positive enthusiastic attitude, just be mindful of advice to new comers who may jump in too deep beyond their ability based on comments like yours... (those I highlighted in RED!)

Statistics don't support your observations.. Just search for Blade 400 Crash on youtube..... http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...400+crash&aq=f

proffate61

OK, ordered most of what I need from hobbypartz (radio, servos, motor,  spare blades.  They're out of stock on the ESC and I didn't see the gyro I wanted.  $73.

Flying Fiz

Try HobbyKing or Hobby Wing - they have heaps of cheap esc's etc.Link to Hobby King http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/s..._index.aspLink to Hobby Wing http://www.hobby-wing.com/rc-helicopter.htmlHobby Wing have better quality gear and one of the clone lines (Tarot) is basically Align - I'm certain (along with a number of others) that they come out of the Align factory. But Hobby Wing is slightly more expensive but MUCH better customer service and the send the gear asap.