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Old 07-12-2010, 02:17 PM
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KellenR
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Default RE: 6 CH 2.4GHz BlitzRCWorks Black Rogue 500 3D Aerobatic RTF Radio Control Helicopter w/ 100% Preflight

I dont know.  The videos by Peter for all of BananaHobby stuff shows the aircrafts flying great.  They also always say they fly and handle "like a dream".  Well anything can be edited and I'm sure its only the best video clips spliced together to show one amazing flight.  I mean from what I see it looks like a great heli.  Only think you need to keep in mind is that bananahobby.com is just a reseller for several "generic" asian-based brands such as StarMax and Exceed etc..  I've purchased a F-18 EDF Jet from them and its pretty decent for what it is (and only $150 RTF). 

The only thing I would definitely recommend is not using the Tx and Rx it comes with.  (I'm not sure which one this comes with, usually they're like TopFire or some other no-name brand).  But  I've heard lots of terrible reviews about them malfunctioning and locking out.  I got mine with the Tx/Rx (I sold it for $25 as a pair on Craigsslist.  it would have only knocked $15 off the price of the RTF package if I didn't get it).  I flew one flight with it, my first flight.  I noticed right away that the left gimbal stick (rudder/yaw) was tilted inward off-center without anyway to correct it, just a by-product of it being cheap.  The flight was ok but a little twitchy and didn't have good response in your hands.  I later was showing the jet to a friend and hooked it up in a parking lot just to taxi around to show him the movements.  I was horrified when the transmitter cut-out on me while the jet was about 30 feet away.  It just locked up and was unresponsive... the ailerons and elevator started flapping up and down on their own and then froze in an awkward position.  The transmitter then re-engaged after about 4 full seconds.  If I was flying when this happened it would have been a disaster and very dangerous.

So I changed out the receiver immedately and installed a Spektrum AR6110e (mid range DSM2 rx).  I dont fly it rediculously high or really far since its a small jet so didn't need the full-range Rx.  With the Spektrum Rx bound to my DX6i Tx I've had no problems and would recommend the jet to anyone.  At $100 its a really cool go-to plane that is fun to fly, the EDF sounds cool, and usually turns some heads.

Another negative about buying generics from say bananahobby is that replacement parts are scarce and always need to be custom ordered.  They say they carry all replacement parts but I dont see parts for these models on their site.  And no local hobby shops carry parts for any of their kits.  If you're looking for something like an extra plane or backup heli for a windy day, for like around $100-$150 thats ready-to-fly then bananahobby (and the like) is a good source.  But if I were you and going to spend close to $400 by the time its said and done then I would look into more mainstream models that are proven to handle well, have a ton of parts available everywhere, and are compatible with other manufacturers.  I mean you can look at Align's products or E-Flite if you want to spend $300-$400.  Its just makes sense to me.