Ok, so I have navigated RC Nitro boats, driven RC Electric cars, and flown both electric and nitro RC planes. I think it is time to try the next RC hobby, helicopters.

I am an avid kit builder. I love building the cars, boats and planes from a box of small parts. The more parts the better!

I have read through many posts comparing axial, FP and CP designs, and which I should start with.

Esky vs. E-flite vs. Align.

So, since money is not a huge issue (I don't mind paying for quality and paying a bit to fix my crashes, but I don't care to flush money down the toilet either) what should I get?

I really want something I can assemble, so I don't think the Blade 400 would be my choice, but it does appear to be a good value. The Honey Bees seem nice, but I think I will outgrow them and then that is some money wasted.

The Trex looks good, but all of them are 80% pre-built from what I can tell. That is better than the RTF ones I mentioned before though.

So is there any good electric KITS (less than 50% pre-built) out there?

Thunder Tiger Mini Titan ARF.

It depends on what size you're looking for. For the 450 electrics and smaller I do think the MT E325 is the only kit easily available. If you go into the 500 electric and larger though they are pretty much all kits.

ohh I got a kit for you, build a custom Compy FP with the belt driven tail, you'd have to order everything seperately so it'd be a complete build ground up

[link=http://www.aero-fever.net/index.php?cPath=20_30]Start Here[/link]

You might look at the Raptor E550 Kit.

Well, I went ahead and got a Trex 450SE V2 from my LHS.

I was there with my wife and she said you wnat it, so get it.

If I had known about the Beam E4, I might have gotten that instead, but since my LHS stocks almost all the parts on the 450, I figured it would be a good choice.

I ended up finding Bob White''s videos, so the assembled parts had to come apart anyway for verification of factory assembly, so the partially assembled pieces did not matter as I reassembled them.

Now I just have to get the servos, Gyro and buy a new radio.

Which gyro should I get?

Should I get the 9303 2.4 or the DX7 radio?

I have heard there are draw backs to the 9303 with limitations on the programing of various channels, but the 9303 gives me extra channels to use with my more complex aircraft.

Send your wife to me with her check book!! LOL[X(]

Get the DX7, its a very nice radio.

You can also get the GY-401 gyro....many use it and love it including me.

Good luck!
Skarn