sky44

ok i've got a few things narrowed down.

i've looked at most of E-sky's CP models. honeybee CP, CP king 2, and belt CP. they seem nicely engineered.

the blades CP seems a little cheap? not sure.

what else should i consider?

i suppose parts support is a big deal.

i'd be more interested in a slightly slower handling model over one that offers maximum aerobatics at this point.

i def. want to go with a 6 channel collective pitch model. I raced RC cars for a number of years. i'm fine iwht crashing. i'll buy a sim.

should i get a model with a tail motor (as opposed to belt/shaft drive) as my first model? i've heard they're a little easier to tune/fly right off the bat. on the downside the little motors burn out. but they're like 8 bucks. so i can deal with that if it'll be better to learn on.

Druss

tail motors tend to burn out quickly and are a hassle to replace.

I'd vote for the belt cp... and i've had the blade cp, king2 and belt cp... i sold the blade cp but still have the king2 and belt cp.

homeunt

My Feedback: (3)

if you plan to learn to fly a CP helicopter. You should look at Honey Bee FP first. Regarding to your sentence 'I don't mind about crashing' I guess you could be prepared to spend some money into reparing.

If you don't mind about crashing (spending about 200 dollars in total in repair only)
go for Belt-CP, it is a really good helicopter except it breaks really easy.

Speedfrek

I was wanting a CP heli at first also I had raced cars so I had the orientation down.. YEA RIGHT!!!! This is COMPLETELY different..

SO with all of the positive feedback that Nuttcaze had given the Honeybee FP I thought I would give it a try. And this thing is DURABLE. I have slammed in to everything. If I was breaking things when I hit the ground or slam into the golf cart I would have spent over $50 in 2 days and hours repairing the heli But with this little learning heli I broke the end off of a flybar. So I just shortened it.. (free)

I couldn't imagine spending even $30 on replacement parts each time I crash it.

nuttcaze

everyone knows I'm gonna chime in on the HBFP being the best first heli, cause it is Sky44 its just like Homeunt said, the Belt CP is an awesome machine, well built and breaks ALOT of stuff when it crashes, it gets very expensive very quick, so Be like me, Speedfrek, and alot of others that find/found out that the HBFP is the best route for beginners, you're gonna want a single rotor heli anyways, so starting with a coaxial doesn't make sense but jumping right to a CP heli doesn't make much more sense, if you can hover the HBFP you will have no probs transfering to a CP heli, and it'll cost you ALOT less money that way .

And for some info on the HBFP - [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDep7-bI3Zc]My HBFP guide[/link] and [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0wtEw_pqSM]Why Buy a 4ch Heli[/link] (crappy vid but you'll get my point )

Druss

guys, lets not get overboard here... I know that each person learns differently but with the help of real flight g3.5 I was hovering on my second battery of the king2...

he says he definitely wants a ccpm, and while I know you guys all want to give good advice and save him some money I say if that's what he wants and can learn on his own, either good or bad, then go for it... you never know. I know a lot of ppl on here are price conscience but if he's got the cash to burn then he can actually learn a lot from rebuilding a crashed heli. I totally agree that he's going to crash, but if he can afford it then it's a good learning experience too.

nuttcaze

yeah, you def need to know how to repair your heli, but you're right about getting the heli you want, thats why I never bought a coaxial, I just think they are dumb looking IMO, I knew I wanted a single rotor so I ended up with a HBFP, although actually getting the HBFP was determined soley by the fact that I wasn't sure if I'd be able to fly helis let alone stay interested in this hobby, so I opted for the cheapest single rotor heli available, glad I went this route though, it too had its benefits, but the one thing I did learn is that I'm always gonna have this hobby

Phelansa

About the HBFP..... allow me to stick a snake in the grass. I tried to fly my friends HBFP, around the time I was getting proficient at flying my Lama V4. It was terrible! That one days worth of experience is why I never bought an HBFP for myself.

It was not until a couple of weeks later that the reason for my bad experience dawned upon me. I tried to fly the FP at 6500 feet elevation (close on 2000 meters for the metric guys)!

I am sure that like all the other ESky product the HBFP is a very good little Heli. Just keep a close eye on what you intend doing with it .

Skarn

I personally did not want a FP, I too wanted a CP. My opionion is to NOT get a motor driven tail heli! Get something with a belt driven tail.

The Belt CP is decent. But if you can afford it, I'd get at least a Blade 400. The general rule of thumb is the larger the heli, the better. It is a fact that the larger the heli, the more stable it is thus easier to learn on. Heck if you can afford it, get a Trex 450 SE v2 or a Mini Titan. Yes, they cost a lot more, but you won't have to upgrade and with the full CNC and carbon fiber, crashes have averaged me only $25.

Good luck!
Skarn

Druss

I think you might have a couple of misconceptions Skarn...

The Belt CP and the Blade 400 are the same size, i'd rate the servos as about the same durability but the blade 400 has a better gyro and radio, other than that I'm not sure whether it's worth more than double the price. I also agree that the trex 450se v2 and e325 are better helis but at around $1000 to get into the trex and $800 to get into an e325 they aren't the first helis that come to mind when choosing a budget intro level heli... and the e325 is all plastic like the belt cp and blade 400, still a better designed and flying heli but all plastic.

Now I don't have a blade 400 but i'm basing my comments on the threads in the eflite forum. I do own a trex 450se v1 though and have flown a friends e325.

sky44

alright.. i'm still not into a fixed pitch. i actually have one of those little 2 channel toy helis and i've got that thing down pretty well. so i guess i understand the basics. granted the VERY basics.

king 2 vs belt CP?
the king 2 i hear is underpowered. but that might not be all bad for a beginner. i've seen them for under 150. so that would save me cash i could spend on a sim and a crapload of broken parts.

there's really no reason to go with a tail motor then. that saves me a lot of headache. it seems like tail motor copters are kinda dying off.

how about esky stuff vs blades? seems like the blades cost a lot more... is it worth it?

Skarn

I understand Druss....the main reason I recommended the B400 over the Belt CP is because you get a decent radio as well. As for the TREX450 SE v2...I got my complete setup new with HS-65mg on cyclic, S9650 on tail and GY-401 all for around $850. Yes, not cheap, but I did say "if you can afford it...." so I wasn't talking budget level at the time.

Skarn

homeunt

My Feedback: (3)

hey there, I was in same conflict,
HBK2 vs BeltCP then vs Blades helicopters
I read couple threads and people's opinion on youtube whom have both blade series and esky series recommended me Esky very much and from my experience for having both HBK2 and Belt-CP, if there is no $$$ limit, go for Belt-CP but that thing is very fragile!
If you have about 200 300 or 400
go for HBK2 but be very careful.

nuttcaze

the HBK II flies great when modded, and can still be flown in garages, the Belt CP is alot better outside. I like them both, leaning towards the HBK II for my fav of the 2 only because I fly it in my garage all the time. No space issues.

sky44

how's honeybee king 2 durability compared to the belt CP?

something a little smaller might be nice. could fly it around at work

homeunt

My Feedback: (3)

durability, Belt-CP is definately more fragile. Almost same crash happend for both HBK2 and Belt-CP. Belt-CP lost a lot of head parts and the tail. HBK2 lost only 2 parts in the head.

sky44

well.. i guess that settles it.

HB k2 with a brushless upgrade should be pretty powerful anyway.

sky44

so who has a good deal/good service on the honeybee?
i'll pay a little more if the person i'm dealing with actually speaks english and will help me if something is wrong.

Druss

just as a word of warning, I do not suggest you fly the king2 indoors near ppl. an office environment is a bad idea. an empty warehouse would be ok....

sky44

yeah i work for a metal fab shop. i'm quite aware of the danger of these little machines.

nuttcaze

buy from [link=http://www.ka-planes.com/helicopters?b=1]Ka-Planes[/link], best service around, 4 of my helis came from there, plus they have an actual store to call up too.

dooleyje

Yes Druss the Blade 400 combo iis worth it. The heli fly's great and the new DX6I is also iimpressive. The gyro is OK

Jim

dooleyje

Also WWW.USHOBBYSUPPLY.COM

Jim

Jason Paul

[link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com/]Hobby Lobby[/link] also has a good reputation, and has been around for 40 years or so.

Judging from comments and limited personal experience, Hobby Lobby, KA-Planes, and BP Hobbies are all reputable. I'm sure there are plenty of other good shops though.

It's generally recommended to steer clear of xHeli, RaidenTech, and Nitro Planes (all the same company). The don't have a very good reputation for customer service.

Jason

Druss

That's relative and personal experience. You can find belt cps for $170, add a telebee gyro for $50, add a dx6i (just tx and rx) for $180 and you're at $400, still $70 cheaper. Even if you ignore the price difference, I'd say with the telebee and dx6i they would be equivalent helis. So the "combo" is not better in my opinion.