i will be buying a new heli very soon since my first was a gaint Mistake[:@]. i want to know what everyone thanks of the thunder tiger helis and align helis. any and all info is greatly appreciated! i need as much help as i can get! and if there is any other brands out there you think is better let me know! i dont need a radio system, i will be buying a spektrum dx7 very soon!

Are you looking for electric or nitro? budget?

Myself, those are two of the last brands that I would buy. Depends what you are looking for, but some of the best quality brands out there are Miniature Aircraft, Hirobo, and JR . . .

- Tim

I agree thunder tiger and align are not the BEST makers out there but they are certainly the best supported in terms of parts and help from other pilots. I own 2 leptons and I know how difficult it is to get parts (which is why i own 2).

i have a budget of $875 but some of that is goignt o buy a spektrum dx7 as well. im looking for an electric heli. as far as getting parts goes i know all about that. i have a robbe futura se that i just got last week! i cant fly it because i cant find parts for it. i really i like electrics that why im trying t0 figure out which new heli to get. my first heli was a disaster. it was an exceed g2 that was i flying nightmare. after all the money i could have bought a trex or something nicer by now. im sick of wasting money on it so its time for something new!

I understand, in a similar fashion a friend of mine purchased a used Jaguar a couple of years ago because of how the car handles the quality of the components and the apparent minimal maintenance they require. Then this year, when a few lights started blinking on his dashboard. He was floored to find out what the cost would be to replace some of those components if they could not be fixed. Then he was also floored that he has to travel over 2 hour to get to a Jaguar certified shop. Great quality product, but poor street support and overly expensive repair parts. Same as Miniature Aircraft, JR, and Hirobo.

Myself, I'm very happy with my Ford Expedition and my Dodge 2500 truck. Support is right around the corner, and the repair fees are not going to give you a heart attack. Similar to my Hyper Raptor 50, my converted Raptor 90 3D, and my Trex 450XL (soon to be SE).

sniperviper01:

What size of helicopter are you looking for? Given what I paid for my 450 and what I paid for my Hyper Raptor 50, I'm having a hard time figuring out which size you are looking for based on your budget. Specially if that includes purchasing a radio. UNLESS you are looking at used helicopters.

Rafael

im looking for a 450. i think i found the kit i want! i found a trex 450 se for $359 and free shipping. this should fit in to my budget just fine. i completely agree with you about the parts availabilty and price! i can find parts for a trex at almost every hobby shop in town. as for the other more expensive quility brands good luck. thats an internet order which ofcourse menas shipping fees and worst of all a week of don time waiting for parts.

If you're putting some of that $875 into a radio then you don't leave yourself much budget for the heli. The DX7 is $340 w/ the ds285 servos. So if you go for a 450 size then you might be ok. Some places are selling the 450 se v2 for under $400 so that leaves you $100 for a gyro, maybe the logictech 2100t.

i already have 2 gyros so thats not a prob. as for servos im going with the hitec hs-55. i can get them for 40 shipped off of towerhobbies.com. this is the heli i found. http://www.modefosheli.com/inc/sdetail/34086 . so figure i should have like $120 to spare

You did not learn with the G2 as we all expected. Buy cheap get cheap as another person pointed out on this thread:
[link]http://runryder.com/helicopter/t441459p1/[/link]
I was hoping you got the message, cheap is NOT the way to go.

HS-55 servos are not recommended for a TRex. I've seen them fly with those servos and the only thing I can do is take cover. I don't want to think what would happen if one of those servos decided to fail in flight.

The recommended servos for a TRex are the HS-65 or if you want to go a little cheaper, the HS-56. By now I'm starting to worry about your safety, but there is nothing I can do, you are responsible for that, not me. If you want to share with us what kind of gyros you have, you are welcome to. I would recommend the Futaba 401, the JR 500T, the CSM 560, or similar higher end gyros. And the tail servo plays a significant role on how the gyro will work there are several servos out there specifically designed for tail rotor applications.

Then, have you allowed in your budget the purchase of a charger, a balancer, and at least 2 battery packs? I saw the link you provided, and I'm still confused on what is included with the heli and what is not included. I think one (1) battery pack is included but I'm not sure. I have 3 battery packs and I blow thru them so fast that my charger can't keep up. It's a good hour and a half to charge one of my packs.

Bottom line: There are two things you get when you buy cheap. One you already found: frustration. The other is lack of safety. I hope you are not faced with that one, I've seen it happen and I would hate for it to happen again.

Rafael

i have asked around and most people i talked to said the hs-55 was a very good servo. thats why i was going to go with it. but if the hs65 is a better choice then i will look into that instead. the price of the hs-55 was never rally a concern to me. it was that so many people recommened them. safety is a concaern for me to. this is a hobby and nobody wants to get hurt having fun. as for gyros i have the gyro that came with my exceed g2 and i have a jr g5000t. the cheapy will not be used thats for sure. im more then likly will get a new on! if i go over budget thats ok. i dont want to spend that much on a heli only to crash it because of cheap parts!