RE: cheep heli for a beginer.
i first went the "cheap" route. Found out the hard way that parts break and are pretty expensive. The Piccalo "fun" is priced cheaply but from what I hear it's not the best quality, but if you don't have a lot to spend then you don't have much choice.
I broke down and bought a TRex. I'm into it for about $1000 and I bought "budget" stuff. and have only 2 battery packs. The good news is that if you are patient, you can buy all your parts and in a couple months maybe have enough to fly. The TRex kit is pretty cool, and it's only $180. but you still need a ton of electronic stuff to fly. I bought mine, and just bought a new accessory each week until I had a complete model.