I have both the raptor and he shuttle zxx. And I would say its a toss up. If you are just beginning then either one is ok, just find out who has the most abundant parts and lowest prices in your area. If mail orderering then its a non issue. The raptor has the advantage of being able to be upgraded to a 50, which for me is a big plus. As you progress into doing aerobatics the 30 becomes more and more difficult to get power out of. With the 50 conversion it flys close to a 60 put crash prices are like the cheap 30. And it has tons of power without having to tweek it so much. You might also want to look at a Sceadu 30 or 50 or the Kyosho 30 heli's as well. But just so you know the raptor is probably the most popular heli out there and there is a reason for this.