Lift .... Thanks for your "Book"

I'm concidering a Heli ... need a "START"

your logic and info appealed to me.

being a good Heli to start with, plus made in USA is enough sell.

Thanks

Raptor V2's are the way to go.

When you see seasoned pro's flying them because they just "fly so well" then it makes the decision that much easier. They are also cost effective to learn on as parts pricing seems lower than average. Biggest drawback is that "everyone" seems to have one and your machine will look just like 20 other people's Raptors.

The Caliber and Hawk seem to be the next best 2, in-line for "best beginner" copter....

...just my opinion.
(just bought a RapV2 and can attest to it's excellent flight characteristics).....it's popular for a good reason!

You don't have to be an art major to decorate a helli a little to make it different =>

For the most part "pros" don't fly Raptor's. You find them spending time on Robbe, JR, X-Cell, and an occasional Kyosho diehards.

The "get a Raptor" line was played hard from 1999-2001. There are other options now that you have:
JR Venture
Kyosho Caliber
Hawk Sport
Sceadu 30

These are all "good" machines. The only bad machine is the Nexus but other than that they are all "good". Just depends on your goals.

If you want the absolute top of the line "best" 30 out there to use in 3D then I would get a Raven 30 and put a CF torque tube, rear servo mount and a GY-601. You'll find this to be the most hard core 3D capable machine around.

If you want the absolute top of the line "best" 30 for sport/scale and solid 3D flying then the Hawk SE equally equipped as the Raven 30 would be fantastic choice. The number of bearings, features, and LONG lifespan that doesn't get sloppy like a plastic machine make these helis a better choice.

Agreed. Right on point!

None of the machines you mentioned are bad...

But having owned a shuttle, raptor, hawk sport and flown a caliber 30 i rate them:-

Caliber 30
Raptor 30 V2
Shuttle
Hawk Sport

Thats for a beginner in the UK....

However, as parts are more available for the Raptor over any of the others in the UK the raptor would be my recommendation...

Having waited weeks for hawk parts and knowing ripmax then the raptor wins everytime...

Century Heli, Comes highly recommended. I strongly suggest a unit that has the most upgrades that you can afford as your initial kit, because these upgrades can be very expensive to buy later. One major drawback with Century is that it is not carried by many Hobby shops because Century does not associate themselves with the usual Hobby Distributors. So parts are bought directly from Century.