i am no noob to r/c i have tons of expeirience with nitro rc but absolutely nothing with heli. i wanna get a small, cheap cool heli that is isnt really super beginner but complicated enough that im sick of it in 2 weeks.

so my questions are what are some good helis? and what are the good manufactures?

I would counsel you to start off as MANY of us here have and that is with the E-Flite Blade CX2. It is very stable and easier to learn to fly comppared to other types of Helis. It is a coaxial rotor design, so there is no need for a tail rotor.

Once you get comfortable flying the stock config, you will find MANY aftermarket upgrades that will make her more sporty. [8D]

One thing, though: The CX2 is not meant to be flown outside in the wind. As little as 5 MPH will make the Heli almost impossible to fly. However, on those calm days, it is a lot of fun to take her out and get her up a little higher and do some more sporty flying. She's great for flying around inside the house and annoying your pets!

ALL KINDS of information here on the CX2. It will take you about a week to digest it all and get caught up.

Bry pretty much has said it all. All I would add is that compared to some of the other coaxial design heli's this little heli is the real deal. It is a great introduction into RC heli's. It has enough features and upgrades available to keep you going for months on end. Alot of the guys in this forum have single rotor helis however we all have a special place for the CX2. In my opinion it is the perfect starter!

Yea he's right, get the cx2, with in one week you'll learn enough from the cx2 to start off wanting a 6channel, but still have fun with the cx2. The second heli that I would recommend, is the V4Lama, its way cheaper, and can be upgraded also, and will fly just as good as the cx2 with the right trim...tho not as good as the cx2, but right with it with a better price. You can get it for under 90$ at XHeli.com, $88.00 or horrizon Hobbys for the cx2. Hope this helps out, and have some great flites.

The CX2 is the way to go if you want to fly indoor. Personally I was fed up with its limitations after just about two weeks. If you want to fly outdoor, skip the CX2 and the 300 class helis, and go directly to bigger machines. Depending on your budget, the bigger the better.

It all depends upon what you want to do with them. I now have a shiny new TREX 450 V2 to fly around outside, but I will always like the CX2.

I flew the 'REX last night in about 15 MPH winds and I had no trouble keeping her in a semi-stable hover.

The CX2 or Lama are both fine to learn on, but don't expect too much out of them unless you want to pump in a lot of money and time in upgrades that you can't carry over to anything better later on. An upgraded blinged out coaxial can cost more than a better single rotor heli package and even upgraded, it's still a coax, which is fine if that's where you plan to put your flight time and bucks - I didn't and didn't know that info up front.

If I were starting over again I would have found someone that had a Lama or a CX2 in my area and flown it around for a few hours (minutes maybe) to get the hang of it and put the $179 I spend on the CX2 towards my Shark. I had no idea that I would pick up and fly the CX2 so quickly.. it was much easier than I expected it to be. The only real thrill I got with it was when I flew it outside in the wind and crashed it because it was so underpowered and was being carried away by the wind lol.

Like Georges said, I quickly tired of the CX2's limits and moved onto the HBK2. Looking back at all the money I've spent to date, I should have gone right to the Shark 450 because it would have been as easy to learn on as the BCX2, saved me a bunch of cash, had the performance and stability of a trex for much less than half the cost - complete.. not for a bird without most of the things needed to fly it heheh.

Before you drop the cash on anything, shop around, get a good flight sim, go to your local flying club and ask around to see if you can train on a coaxial bird or single rotor bird there with training gear when there is no wind.

Then later, go back to the club and fly the trex 450's and 600 so you can honestly compare it to some other trex clones on the market. You will find that the gap between them is getting smaller all the time and the money you save is yours!

And remember, everyone crashes and a $2,000 crashed/downed bird with an expensive super computer transmitter won't fly better than a $400 downed bird because four more $400 birds are still in the air!.

There will always be better high end birds for less and less money as time goes by. Learn with the cheaper ones and save. That's the best advice I can offer you, of course it's only my opinion, and you will find many.

Best of luck to you in whatever you decide to get, and happy flying!

Steve Evans

Alot of people wouldn't be flying single axial heli's today if it weren't for the cx-2. Most would get frustrated by not just the tough learning curve; but the parts and complexity.

The CX-2 will introduce You to R/C helis without Marrying it; teaches You the basics, and parts replacements, adjustments, etc.
parts are READILY available, and it upgradeable. It is ready to fly with the Spektrum TX.

Alot of people have single rotors, but still fly the heck out of the CX-2 as it is a great indoor helicopter. No waste of Money, if You enjoy it.

I know I would have never, personally, started out with the single rotor.

Gary

I would recommend a "Used - EXCELLENT" CX2 from the classified. make sure it is the CX2 not a CX, the CX2 has the Spektrum 2.4GHz DSM Transmitter. I just sold one in excellent condition with aluminum swash, upper rotor, main shaft and two batteries for $120 SHIPPED. There are some good deals if you shop wisely and it has a better transmitter than the Lama.

Get you a sim that comes with a controller or has capabilities of connecting one. There is a place that has realflight g3.5 with usb controller for 159.00 I highly recommend it, I was in same shoes not to long ago and glad I decided to not get the cx2. Instead I found a cp pro for under 125 in new shape

Simulator also lets you stretch your legs practicing some maneuverer's you usually would dare try and I find it helps. G/L

Sim is good idea, and you will be able to fly anything you would like ... but Whether your flying a 6channel, or a 4ch cx2, theres always gunna be that really windy/cold/hot/rainy day when the comfort and fun of flying and relaxing in the house with the cx2 is priceless...[8D] my opinion, go ahead and get the cx2, you'll enjoy...