meatsack

So like thousands of other wannabe heli pilot newbies, I purchased the Bladerunner at the local supermarket after Christmas for 35 bucks and was instantly and completely hooked an this flying thing. I've been spending every waking moment on the web since then looking for my first real electric heli, although I'm under no illusions about the fact that the Bladerunner is designed for a child to learn to fly quickly, and anything new that I buy will be much more difficult.

There are several "deals" in the $175 - $250 range on eBay that include everything but the kitchen sink. The primary players appear to be the eSKY 3D CP six channel, the Dragonfly 22 six channel, the mini Dragonfly 22 4 channel (FP I assume), and the Thunderbird. All of these setups include the transmitter and the simulator connection cable, and some also include spare blades and other misc. spare parts.

I've been burned on eBay before and the reviews that I've read on all of these forums have good and bad things to say about all of these cheap helis. I'm still a bit confused as to whether or not I should bite the bullet and go for the CP, or play it safe and start with the FP, which sounds much easier to learn on.

The other issue is that while I enjoy flying the Bladerunner inside, we live in a pretty small house so anything bigger could be a problem. We're avid RV'ers as well, so something that I could fly outside without having to worry about the slightest little breeze would be a big plus.

Having said all that, am I barking up the wrong tree with these eBay package deal offers? Will I regret buying one of these? Should I save my pennies for a bigger heli that's capable of flying outside?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

pwterry

First, FP vs. CP. Some say the FP is easier to learn on, other say CP. You'll get mixed reviews. The FP is a little less complicated and likely a little more durable than the CP. The FP is mostly for indoor, while a small CP can be flown indoors or outdoors (Although anything more than a light breeze is not good until you've learned to hover well). The CP is more aerobatic and is capable of inverted flight. Note: I've only flown CP (nitro & now an electric), so I can't speak for the FP abilities.

Second, the Ebay thing. Sorry you've been burned on Ebay, I never have. As to the heli deals, I ordered an Esky HoneyBee 2 3D from "R-C-Helicopter" (Ebay) on December 15, and received the HB2 on December 25 (Yes, Christmas day - it was sent via Extress Mail, which delivers 365 days). The HB2 came with spare blades, two li-poly batteries, and training gear for $220 shipped. The heli was in good condition, and was trimmed to fly right out of the box. Both batteries were good, and the charger works properly. My several inquiries via "Ask Seller a Question" were answered promptly.

My 2 cents - Hope this helps.

rlmarch

I ordered Honeybee2 from ebay(rc-experts) for 185.It came with two li-ion batteries, slimilator,and transmitter. A good deal if it worked.
I'm still trying to communicate with them in hong kong. I think its better to buy At a local shop. So when something wrong they dont your just a idiot who can't turn the transmitter on right. One day I hope to fly the HB2. Hope you have better luck!

rlmarch

Problem solved. Everything is good with RC-EXPERTS!

pwterry

That's good to hear. I just ordered a barebone HB2 from them. I flew my honeybee into a power line & broke enough stuff that the barebone was just a few $ more than the individual parts.

butthead222

I have purchased 2 helis on e-bay. A Jabo II and a Dragonfly 22D. I beat the s___ out of the Jabo learning to hover inside. It still flys well. Only thing is the tail motors seem to burn out. This seems to be a problem on most of the helis with the tail motor. The Dragonfly is FP but has the direct drive tail motor which I like. I think they are ALL hard to learn to fly. I know you are going to need to get parts at some point in the furture. Don't let that stop you though. They are a blast and I will continue to buy the parts and fly. I don't know if more money will get you a machine that is easy to fly. Hope this helps.

RockyHelpU

^^Butthead, are you Army or Airforce?? I see you're on the ROK right now.

They say not to learn on a Micro and Definatley don't teach yourself. I've found that it is possible and with a little persistance quite easily accomplished if you go LIPO and Brushless you'll get alot of Practice time early on. Ebay bargains??? Hmmm, I bought my Hummingbird from HeliHobby and had a fairly good experience with them. Since then I've purchased a couple of Ebay heli's not Micro's though. If you're thinking about the Micro's on Ebay, they seem to have a mixed reputation around the forums. BTW you're going to want to look into the brand of LIPO's they're selling you and what kind of Charger. Do your research. Shotty LIPO's come cheap, you get what you pay for.

If you don't want to get burned check out the sellers feedbacks, all of them, COMMUNICATE with the seller. If they don't respond quickly bid else where.

Good Luck and welcome to Heli's

butthead222

The heli I am trying to fly now is a Dragonfly 22D it has the direct drive tail motor. I have gotten pretty good indoors hovering but I used a Jabo II (my first heli) to learn. The Dragonfly flew real good for the first 5 or 6 battery packs. Now Idon't always have control of the motor. It sometimes wont shut off or will speed up etc. It is intermittent and if I squeeze the 3 in 1 board slightly it goes back to normal. I am very frustated as this bird is new. I beat the Jabo to death but it is still fliing. I just got tired of replacing the tail motors. As you noticed I am onYongson Army Base in seoul and it is very hard and time consuming to get anything. Any idea on the motor thing. If I have to replace what would work?

meatsack

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the feedback. I'll definitely be doing my homework on this one. I'll be visiting a couple of my local shops for some advice, maybe even just buy the TX and cable and do some simulator practice for a few weeks before buying the actual bird.

BTW, I wasn't intending on slamming eBay when I said I'd gotten burned. My issues were very early on in the eBay days before there was much buyer protection in place, and I know that there are several good, reputable sellers out there now.

Thanks again all.

fcabanski

Hey I bought the eSKy from eBay and the receiver burned out, and the seller replaced it without a problem.

The bad experience I've had is an XR-1 I purchased from a local shop in Houston called Mom's Hobby Shop or Fast and Furious or Remote Control Hobbies or Wholesale Hobbies. They told me it was a mistake to purchase from eBay, and assured me the best thing was to purchase a new one from them and use the eBay one for parts. If I bought local, I wouldn't have to deal with mailing things around if problems happened. Well, their XR-1 was broken right out of the box as the tail rotor didn't work. They told me to bring it in, and after a one hour drive there told me they couldn't even look at it without voiding the 'warrantee.' I would have to mail it to the manufacturor to be checked. The manufacturor was willing to replace it, but with shipping at my expense.

I'm still learning on the now repaired eBay copter, and the store bought XR-1 is waiting to be returned to the multi-named, bad business hobby shop once the BBB and my credit card companies get the refund processed.

eBay so far 100% satisfaction - and it was pretty much the same helicopter for $100 less.

Store bought 100% dissatisfaction.

RockyHelpU

Butthead, I've replaced my tail motor with a GWS direct drive unit, can't recall the number right now, it hasn't went out since and that was a year ago.

bswole

I bought the honeybee2 off eBay as well. The transmitter burnt the first time I turned it on, and the board burnt when I plugged the li-poly in. I've read that these particular cheap li-polys can potentially put out close to 20v. That'll do it.

I had a JaboII before this. That thing begged to fly.

andy98801

I've had a gws dragon fly for almost a year and nothing has blown or gone out. I smashed it good but it still flys. Got it at Hobbytown USA for 209.99. Just ordred a dragonfly 22a for 64 bux from rc-expert.com with no electronics or anything. I usually install my own electroncs to keep the burnt electronics smell from comming out of the black boxes. Later y'all

Andy