Lurp06x

Well iam new to RC helicopters. an i was hoping everybody would show the same generosity as to other nubes to me about answering my questions on rc helos. I have been looking at buying one for about 4 months now an have been looking at all the different helos an things that come in it an trying to understand it all on my own an the best one i should get. I bought a $20 esky flight similator. but havent got it yet. i have been watching many videos an reading a lot about rc helos an have found one helicopter that i like but i keep changing my mind on which one i want after finding some new info on rc helos. My budget is at the highest $200 iam a college student an cant afford high priced helos. http://www.xheli.com/rtfeshokiii2.html
this is the helo i have on mind right now its a 2.4g esky honey bee king 2 but the motor isnt brushless (which i dont know what that still means) its 6 ch.
But a lot of people are saying size matters. i think its size is 400 but not sure. but for suggestions i dont want a co-axel helo i have one an it got old fast. I do plan on using it outside an only outside.

dude7422

build as you get more money hobby king for heli & servos, battery and charger
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...Helicopter_Kit ..>>>also dont buy a rtf clone the heli hk450 is 35.99 if you join email
see what a exi450 looks like trex450 clone

ilikethatsite

welcome to helis. I will give you a few things to consider and let everyone else pitch in. I do not have this heli but I have read a number of people having good luck with it

1. I would suggest looking at your local hobby store and see what they carry. You will crash this thing and you will need parts. Having to order them all the time from online takes time away from you being in the air.

2. xheli.com is famous for being out of stock so if this is your source for parts be prepared to wait months for parts. There are a number of people here that will beat them up. I personally have been buying from them for over a year and have never had a problem, I even own one of their heli's and love it.

3. bigger helis are easier to fly. I would even recommend saving your pennies a little longer and getting a bigger bird 450 size. It will be easier to fly. This heli will fly fine on a day with no wind or inside, but will be a little wild with wind. The wind is NOT your friend!!


I personally started with the Axe cpv3 (which is the same size as the one you are looking at) and now I have 2 450's and I am selling my axe. Love the Axe but with I had put that money into a 450 which is why I am selling it now!!!

schreydog

My Feedback: (2)

lurp, the hbk2 is a good choice, but you may as well get a brushless motor and esc, as i have 2 of them and the stockers didn't hold up. I got mine for just over 100.00, if all your getting is the 2.4g for70$, I'd get the fm tx and invest in moter and speed control. that is my opinion only. brushless motors are more powerful,run cooler and extend battery life. helis use outrunners i believe, the can somehow powers the pinion, much less friction thus less heat and more power. good luck and i'm sure plenty of responces will be coming mark ps use the training gear to start at least

arcavasion

My Feedback: (3)

I also have just started with CP helos, and am by no means an expert (and dont claim to be), and compared to the majority in here, I am certainly a noob myself. All I can tell you is what I know about the 450 sized arena from a very fresh perpective starting out.

A couple things first:

Do you already have a radio and receiver or other RC experience? If not, this sized heli, RTF complete, will put you over budget, as it will set you back 300-375 even for the clones. If you are talking about something smaller, dont read anymore of this post, because "I know nothing" (Col Klink).

If you do have a bit more to spend, and you want to try a 450 size, and you are not opposed to building one (which can really teach you quite a bit about helo's in the process), look at the HK-450 from hobby city. Without receiver and radio, you are in at under 200 for trex 450 clone. The kit itself is 35 bucks. Add the electronics, and the not so cheap shipping, and you are still in under your budget for a real nice machine. If you need a radio and receiver, add t least 100 more. You will end up needing to know how to assemble them anyway. Mine was tad under 200 sans radio/receiver. Keep in mind that you will need parts, so consider this, as lack of parts will dampen your enthusiasm.

I did not build my first. I bought a complete kit for $370.00 (Shark II-450) shipped. Great (fantasic) Heli, but poor hardware, so I had to spend some money to upgrade hardware and buy a tail assembly which I did not need (could drill out broken screw), but I do have a nice align tail 450 metal assembly for sale.

IMHO, you are on a budget, and this is not a cheap hobby either way, but it makes no sense to train on an expensive model. You will break parts. You are setting your budget low.

I very well may end up graduating to the better known brands when I get better, but for now, a will drive the Subaru WRX, instead of the Audi S4, and not worry about the dings on the door in the parking lot.

Last thing is that you will end up spending money than you thought, its horribly addicting, although very rewarding. Welcome to the dark side.

Lurp06x

I guess i never considered kits. money wise it looks the best way to go. an from my perpestive i can work on the sim an practice there while i build my helo an an slowly build income to pay for the parts needed as i go. but if i go this way what are good models to buy that arent brain buster or are unforgivable when you make a mistake building them. also i dont have a radio or reciever. so the hbk2 is small i am guessing too. xheli.com isnt my only source but all the rc hobby shops around me have closed an the closest one is a 2hr drive from me.

Lurp06x

forget about that theres too much to look into if i am going to buy a helo. i dont know how to assemble one an i dont know if they come with directions on were exactly each servo or motor or esc or any of the things needed to make it fly only thing i can find is a kit for the frame an the parts need but not how to assemble the parts onto the frame. an for the radio an receiver does it matter which brand as long as the they are ment for each other it will work for you helo. an also some of these radios are crazy in price. i am starting to think that maybe my orginal idea is the best. theres too many what ifs an i dont know any body who is an expert on this who i can go an talk to for advice besides this site. I am a cabinet maker an have built complex things before but this there are too many blanks that is needed to be filled an very little references besides what to buy. which doesnt help because every site i go to they want everybody to buy something.

ajmaki

im also looking at the honey bee king 2 for my first heli and i personally think its a great choice. its built like the big ones, its easily upgraded and its collective pitch ccpm. for me, its everything i want. im sure ill crash it a few times but it will grow with me. and you can find it for well under $200. look on ebay. im sure the wind is the enemy, but im used to flying super lite foam airplanes, and the best time to fly is at dusk and dawn. the wind seems to die down at those times. usally.

jerrymac

My Feedback: (2)

Have you considered the Esky Belt CP? It is larger than the HBK2 so it will be more stable to fly. You should be able to find a RTF version for under $200. I have a Blackhawk 450SE and several HBK2's and I can tell you that the 450 is much easier to fly, at least for me anyhow.

ajmaki

ok ive thought about it and have done some research and i think ive changed my mind once again. now, im really likeing the belt cp and if its gonna be easier to fly then why not. the only problem is that its a little too expensive. so as of today this is what id like to do, buy a bare bones ARF and slowly put it together as $ comes in. like someone already suggested. and in the mean time ill get a simulator to mess around with. itll actually cost a bit more doing it that way but itll allow me to start out with a pretty sweet machine. and something thats abit easier to fly than a mini. anyone know where i can buy a kit ARF of the belt CP other than xheli?

e-flight22

What everyone has mentioned thus far is what i think to . A simulator will help with general orientation, control movements, and provide some "stick time" to help when really flying. But, nothing works as good as flying a heli . The type of heli you get truely depends on your budget. If you could, id suggest getting a trex 450 or raptor 30/50, both work great, but that is if your budget is around $1,000. The nice part about going this route tho, is that anything u invest into the heli now, can/could be something you could use down the road for another heli, like the radio, gyro etc... Whereas when you get the blade cp, blade 400 etc... you really cant reuse the equipment/radio gear that comes with it.


Def. checkout the local hobby shops/local clubs in town. Here is the website to an r/c heli club in the twin cities that i belong to. Def sign up on our site, its free and ask questions . Here is the link to the site: http://minnesotarotorheads.org/index.php We are out flying pretty much every weekend and weekdays to, so sometime in the future you could stop by our field and check it out.



David

FLYGUY09

I would highly suggest getting a 450 sized heli or larger. Most websites list their heli's in separate sizes...which is what we call classes such as class 250, 350, 400, 450, 500, 600, 700, etc. so it's easy to shop for a specific sized heli.

450 sized heli's have a main rotor diameter of 680 mm or slightly larger to 700 give or take and a motor that spins 3500 KV (KV = revolutions per minute per volt) to 4200 KV.

Right now the only 450 heli I know of less than 200 is a E-Sky Belt CP. Lot's of folks have that and I have heard it's a good 1st time heli that is cheap to fix. I have a Belt CP V2 which is slightly different design than the original CP and it is a close comparison and I love it.

Also, when you feel you are ready to fly, put training gear on it no matter how dumb it looks, training gear will help save you from crashes where your trying to land your heli and it's tilted off of center which happens all the time.

phillyD

ajmaki
This is an option
http://www.helidirect.com/esky-beltc...ics-p-2867.hdx.
another http://www.helidirect.com/esky-belt-...een-p-8388.hdx
Then skip over to here http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_64...82/key_/tm.htm
for your info in "search this thread" or post a question.
All helis need some part upgrading even the T-Rex; most people change the servos to Hitec 65's etc.
Cheers

victorzamora

Would you be opposed to building a kit if someone could list off the entire set-up (EVERYTHING you need) besides the Transmitter/Receiver for just over $150? It's the T-Rex clone from HobbyCity mentioned above. I'm going to buy a 450-sized helo for myself as my first real heli...and I'm a college kid myself (Freshman Aerospace Engineering major at V-Tech!!). The only difference in the set-up I'm recommending to you and the one I'm buying is that the kit I'm buying is a bit more expensive. Everything else is the same.

3x HXT 900 servos
1x TP 2415-06T Motor
1x Assan GA-410 Tail Lock Gyro
1x Rhino 2150mAh 3s1p 20c pack
1x D-MG16 digital metal gear tail servo
1x Supersimple 50A ESC
1x Turnigy 3A UBEC
1x HK-450 Heli Kit

That adds up to: $150.46 plus shipping

john2364

I think that bigger is better. Bigger is easier to fly. People who tell you to get the cheep honeybee FP are just saying that for the cheap parts however, the cheap parts will add up and its incredibly hard to learn to fly. I did not learn until I got the belt cp. Since then I have upgraded many things on it and it flies well. There are better options (even within your budget) however, the belt is not a bad one.

The hobby city heli is probably great for the money however, unless it is a direct clone, you will have to order replacement parts from hobby city. shipping is 20-26 dollars there and you really do not want to pay 26 dollars in shipping for a 6 dollar part.

victorzamora

It is a direct clone, 100% T-Rex compatible. That's helpful. One thing I'd do, though, is switch my motor recommendation. I ordered what I listed above but swapped the motor out for a Typhoon 3550kv motor from Hobby City, too. It's my only amendment. Apparently, 4400kv is not the way to go .

brainox

you can try the [link=http://www.twift.com/RC%20Toys%20&%20Hobby/Skyartec%20WASP%20V2%20-%204%20Channel%20RC%20Helicopter.html]Skyartec Wasp V2[/link]. i think it's a good heli for starters. i think one of my friend started out with that.

i suggest you start with 4ch's, not 2ch (very difficult to control), not 6ch (too early i suppose)

it's less than 150 and shipping included..

ewoodcox

Hey guys, for a first time heli building a kit is a bit dauting, I started last January with a HB FP and out grew it quick,  The RTF King II was a bit much for me to fly in the gym (winters in Central NY), I built a HB King II RTF with a AR6100 receiver, telebee HH gyro, and Esky 3900KV/rpm and Esky 25 amp ESC, FLYIES GREAT!!!!!

In spite of my success with the King II, I like to have multiply helis and modifying the King II was allot of work for a nub so I wanted something easier.  I final went with the HeliMax Axe CP V3, I have two and it is about to be three.  I also ordered the HX450 from HobbyCity and am dying to build it, I love my King II, but I mostly fly the CP V3, parts are easier to come by, both of my LHS carries parts, kind of pricey but I don't crash too  much any more.  You can get a CP V3 for $129 shipped and start flying out of the box (I've bought from these guys http://www3.omnimodels.com/cgi-bin/w...I=HMXE07**&P=7, fast shipping, two new helis RTF out of the box ).  Then while you learn the intracacies for fixing crash damage you can start to train yourself on how to build that $150 TREX clone from HobbyCity.  While you are at it, you should look at these batteries for the Axe so you can fly non-stop ;-)

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6471  gives your 7-8 minutes of flight time

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6790 this works well too, I have one, plan on getting more

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=7309 we have a bunch of these, they give between 8-9 minutes of flight time

I am a nube myself, I fly as much as possible and carry two helis in my car at all times to fly when the weather permits, I recommend you get something that flies, that you don't have to mode (replace the King II motor with brushless), after two weeks of flying you will be ready for those projects (you will be quite good a replacing blades, feathering shafts, blade grips).

Good luck and get into the air,
Ed

jabbra

for beginners, a lot of people recommends a coaxial heli. they say it's suited for beginners as its easier to fly. not sure if the wasp v2 is coaxial but it looks okay to me.

FoxK

I agree with jab....I think some of these recommendations are 1) Over $100 so after replacement parts for damage which will happen with a first time heli flier, it can get expensive.....and 2) 6 channels is just more controls to have to manage.  Believe me, a 4 CH chopper means you have to manage throttle, pointing the chopper, sliding left/right and moving forward/backward.  Any more than that is just too much to manage if you're new IMHO.  I am learning too and got a Lama Co-axial V4 4CH chopper and so far, have only busted 1 set of blades in training so I recommend this type chopper or similar

victorzamora

I just get bored with Coax helis.  I've been flying my T-Rex 450 Clone a lot and have done a LOT of flying today and yesterday.  I don't even have my training gear on it yet...and I'm still doing fine (so far).  I'll tell you what, a 6-channel belt- or tube-driven tail helicopter will serve you well.  Follow Radd's instructions.  Yeah, your progress will be slower.  With a Blade mCX or CX or something like that you'll be able to hover well and pretty stable from the first time you power up...but after 10 battery packs you should be able to do everything that heli will let you.  You're going to be slower to learn and progress, but you will be able to progress much farther than you would with a Coaxial heli.  If you don't buy one that's RTF, go to your LHS for set-up help.  They'll normally be more than happy to help  you out.

Go with a 6-channel CP helicopter and a sim.  You will be MUCH happier in the long run.

FoxK

Sorry....i re-read your post and saw you weren't interested in co-axial.  My bad

debay

My Feedback: (1)

that radio on the Blade 400 is one of the most flexible radios out there (in its price range). you can fly 10 different models with it. slightly inaccurate.

Ybenjulkay2x

the hk450 is one of the best price, I have 3 and 1 trex 450 sa, the hk 450 is a 100 % t rex compatible. also check Deal Extreame for servo; speed control; brushless motor; gyro; and lipo batteries if you want to save shipping, their shipping are free and they're cheep.
Don't forget to get a pitch gauge, you need it 100%.