frenchstan

I got the Blade 400 after starting out on my two Blade CX's, one CX, and a simulator. Radio seems very good, airframe repairs seem to be easy so far, and parts prices are OK. Note that my Blade 400 would NOT hover correctly out of the box, (unlike the CX's and CP) but I was lucky enough to have a good heli pilot nearby at our club's indoor golf dome, and he adjusted it. After that, I was OK to continue re-learning/hopping/hovering. I'm happy with the 400 so far, but as you can tell, I can't compare it to other brands.

Some things I noticed: Be sure to measure when you attach the battery velcro; make sure the battery location you set-up allows, say, a 1/4" clearance from the rotating motor cage. Second, if your experience is limited, like mine, you WILL need more radio/airframe setup information than the included manuals provide. They are OK, but they just assume more experience than you get with a coaxial CX and a CP. (Get some heli magazines and/or a good heli generic manual?) Third, round off the sharp tip on the lower vertical stabilzer blade or it will "catch" when you are hopping/hovering backwards. Fourth, get yourself a good caliper for measuring parts diameters and lengths of paddle arms, etc. Fifth, buy a set of "training wheels" or use the ones from other basic heli's. You probably won't need them for long, but they'll save you $ on blades. Sixth, try to get a set of small JST (JIT?) type screwdrivers, they seem to work a little better than Phillips cross-head screwdrivers. Last, if you can afford it, immediately get a set of spare parts; one or two spare batteries (the 2100 mAHr works OK), a set or two of spare servo GEARS, spare servo, a "hardware" set, feather shaft, main shaft, two main rotor sets, tail rotor set, flybar paddle shaft, tail boom, tail boom supports, and a spare belt. So far, my only major repairs came when I got blind-sided by a "planker". Good luck.