I would recommend the T-rex 450 SE
It has metal parts, a simple servo setup, and will satisfy you through every stage of flight. I dunno what the big deal is about setting up eCCPM, I did it and I'm a noob, you just gotta tell the tx which swash plate and poof it's happy.
I know i did it too then found finless's videos so it not hard but its nice to have some peace of mind that you did it right. and the only problem with the SE for a begginer is the price. notice how he said it was his first heli. i dont think he wants to spend upwards of 1000.00 to start.
The last thing I want is hidden damage on a metal part, that
fails midflight the next time I take it up.
this is another good point why not to get a T-REX SE. if you put it into the dirt(and since your a begginer you probably will) the metal might not break but it will stress majorly and could break in midflight. i've seen it happen.
A 600 I think would be a bad idea for a beginner. The phrase "the bigger they are the harder they fall" will quickly come into play. The crashes my poor Trex CDE has gone through would've completely destroyed a larger heli
this is somewhat true. here is a video of a 600 crash from a bad RX and a lockout.
http://video.helifreak.com/tmp/ca7d4...?downloadmedia
he goes in sideway and almost nothing breaks. I doubt that a begginer that is hovering will put it in harder than that. and im sure crashing from a hover will probably do less damage. maybe just blades. but agian like the SE price is a big factor. but replacement parts for the 600 arent that much more than an SE or XL.
Actually im gonna correct what i said before about getting a 600.
If you have the money to do it right, get it. and get some tranning gear you will thank them later. but a good setup will set you back about 1800 - 2200. this isnt that bad considering other 50 size bird, mainly nitros. the fuel will eventually push the cost over that of the 600.