Just wanted to know what are the necessary upgrades for a piccolo fun. I am a beginner and want to find out what would be the best parts to start with such as bearings, swash-plate, batteries and so forth. Haven't bought anything yet. But it is all stock and has the piccoboard plus with it. I am going to use my own radio a prism 7x with spectra module. any help would be grateful thanks

Have you purchased the heli yet?
If not, I have a Piccolo fun with all of the best upgrades for sale.
[link=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2840161#post2840161]Specs here[/link] Something like $210 plus shipping. More if you want the gy240 gyro.

If you have purchased the heli, I would recommend getting these upgrades:
CNC ARL (the stock ARL always twists on me)
Aluminum hub (holds the bearings on better)
Bearings
Ball-in-swash (or the lightweight aluminum swash that comes with BiS)

For the best performance, I would recommend ditching the mixing board and running separates:
3 cell LiPo
gy240 HH gyro
Whatever main ESC (Pixie 7p)
High frequency tail ESC (Schulze or TREC)

Have you taken a look at the [link=http://www.ikarus-modellbau.de/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=138982&page=0&view=collap sed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1]Ikarus[/link] board? Or [link=http://www.pgoelz.com/piccolo1.html]Paul[/link]'s? Or [link=http://www.dream-models.com/h/flying-index.html]Radds[/link]?

Looks like it has all the upgrades, lol. yes I have already purchased this one got a good deal from lhs going out of buiss. fun arf picco for $140. but I know its just the basic. haven't even took it out of the box yet. been prac. on sim. Already looking for upgrades go figure hehe. I have looked at ikarus, pauls and rads, good sites. like I said I haven't even flown this one yet and just kind of trying to get an idea of what extra parts I would need to keep on hand. with the exception of blades and tail boom thats a given. I have flown nitro planes for years but this heli thing is sure humbling lol. I will look into the upgrades you mentioned, are these to make it fly better and stability or just better parts than oem. Also what is your opinion oh the HH chip for the board. thanks for the info and help.

I have not used the HH plugin for the Piccoboard, but as I understand, it does not give the heli true HH performance.
Order the CNC ARL, Aluminum hub, Bearings and start working through Radds steps. The BiS does help with control accuracy (small improvement)
The bearings probably don't help with flyability, just prevent wear that will lead to sloppyness in the controlls.
Make sure the linkages are friction free.

Do you have a spot indoor to practice? Micro FP helis do not like wind.
Oh, I painted some of the linkages bright yellow to be able to find them if the head popped off in a crash. You can see them in this pic of my Moth conversion.
http://www.vinceherman.net/rc/Moth2.JPG

Two of my brothers also fly Piccolos, and they got tired of repairing the landing gear. I read about a DIY Landing Gear project ans we tried it. Fantastic results!!!
http://www.vinceherman.net/rc/LG.jpg
They absorb impact rather than transfering it to the frame. If it bends, you can easily bend it back with your hands.

thanks for the info. what is the gear connected with just clear rtv? do you have the link on how to make this. what is the arl you mention. (Newbie). I'm looking into bis, alum hub and bearings. Also fixin to order some extra batt.pks. also these are the bis and hub what do you think from hobby lobby IK3002 Aluminum Swash-plate for Piccolo Heli ..... $ 86.90 IK3006 Aluminum Center Hub for Piccolo Heli ..... $ 31.20

thanks for the help. and I just might be interested in the picco you have for sale>

Do you mind a phone call? If not, shoot me a PM with your number and I'll call.
Since this is not the Ikarus board, I can say - DON'T PAY THOSE PRICES!
The hub should ba about $10. The Aluminum swash is abailable in other places for less, too.

ARL is the Anti Rotation Link. The stock one always twisted for me, and the replacement ones were much better. It clips to the pin that holds the hub in place, and one ball on the top half of the swash. It keeps the hub and the top half of the swash from rotating independantly of each other.