Hello-
First, I need to explain that I've never bought or flown a heli, or any other model for that matter. I'm a newbie in the truest sense. I've always been facinated by model planes, but have been discouraged that I would have to drive an hour or more to find a suitable place to fly (I live in downtown Dallas).
I visited my local hobby shop (Hobby Town in this case) and the owner suggested I learn about electric helicopters. A challenge to learn but worth it and I wouldn't have to drive for miles.
He (the owner) suggested I buy a Hirobo's Skyrobo Mini RC. He said this is a great one to learn on and it will take some abuse. He also said it's easy to fix and find parts for.

Now my questions:
- Is this the best one for someone with no experience? I don't want to spend upwards of $350 and find that I've outgrown it in a year.
- Is there a difference between the Skyrobo Mini RC and the Skyrobo Lama? They look identical. I can't seem to figure out if these are the same model or not.
- He sells this model (Kyrobo Mini RC) for around $350. Is it better to buy from your local hobby shop or find it cheaper online?
- What about used? I've seen several used ones on eBay and other sites.
Any other thoughts?

Thanks for any and all advice.

- Jeff

Hi Jeff,
I often fly the Hirobo XRB Lama SR, which is similar to the models you listed.
They are a lot of fun. They practically fly themselves. They are perfect for flying in your house. They almost CAN'T damage anything. They pretty much guarentee success, since they are so simple to fly.

But they are definitely on the toyish side. They will not keep you challenged for long.

Definitely buy from your local hobby shop (LHS) if they carry the product. Support the business that supports you. When you need to get a prop so you can fly for your firends later in the day, can the internet help you? No, only the LHS can. Keep them in business. Much of the 'savings' that you get online is eroded away when you pay shipping. The rest, I pay gladly, knowing that I am helping keep the LHS running.
Don't get me wrong, I do buy online. A lot. But if the LHS has it, I buy there first.
Vince

I would also like to recommend to you the BCX (blade CX). They are pretty darn cheap and are easy to buy. The repars are also cheap because the most expensive part is about $15. They are also easy to fly and are graet for beginners. They are out and indoor and arn't that big. It is so easy to fly that we name it the Hover King.[sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]two thumbs up!

to see a blade CX then just go through this link http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=157347

I bought the blade cx and loved it for the indoor flight aspect.
Two problems though.. one is I out grew it in one week, I live just north of Dallas and it is way way too windy here to take a small electric heli outside like the blade.
I bought a 200.00 sim.. the G3 and just finished "building" a .30 scale Venture this week.

For my money I would skip the small beginner heli for 200.00 bucks and buy a sim and then invest 1000.00 or so into a beginner larger outdoor helicopter.

If you think you might not be into this for the long haul then by all means buy the blade, it is awesome for indoor fun and easy to fix, but long term it is too small and limited.