You picked a great copter. You will however have a lot of work to do as you learn, you will crash. I fly outside alot. Any slight wind will be hard for you to navigate with. You will need to move your your controll arms on the servos to the 2nd hole. This will make the copter more responsive. You should also be able to fly this in the living room with some practice. These things are a blast. I buy 2 packs of blades at a time. I balance the blades by snaping them together and balncing them on 2 pop bottle caps until I have found good matches. dont worry about upgrades. I do have an aluminum swash, and heat sinks to prolong motor life. You may have bent your inner or outer shaft in the crash, but Im betting it is a unbalanced blade issue. Be sure to check the tracking of the blades also. with a little time and practice you wont have to work on your copter much. I replace blades after they get old because I think the plastic deforms and affects flight. Some may think that is nuts, but at a buck a blade it isn't so bad. I hope this helps. Just my 2 cents, Have Fun!