Well the Fixed pitch machine like I have is alot more forgiving. You can ditch it pretty hard without damage and setup is alot easier than a collective pitch machine. The fixed pitch is also alot more stable vs. collective pitch. No you can't do 3D with the fixed pitch but it will get you accustomed to the twitchy flight characteristics of a single rotor. The Walkera #4, Falcon 40, Esky Honeybee all make a fixed pitch machine. They are cheap, easy to repair and should be a better choice than collective pitch.

Just my two cents.