How difficult is the intitial setup (assembly and rigging) of the ARF T-Rex 450 SA ? I have no experience rigging rc helicopters, and I'll be using Spektrum DX6 radio gear and servos, Align gyro, and LiPo battery. The brushless motor and ESC should be included with the aircraft. Other than experience, what else do I need to get the setup reasonably correct for my first flights ? The manual for this heli seems really high quality in its detailed instructions. Also, where can I get training gear for this bird ?

if you have no experience then i would recommend getting someone to help you.
it is most important that you get it right else it can be dangerous/expensive just
getting it off the ground.

go to a shop/join a club and you will save your sanity.

I would strongly advise watching Finless's T-Rex videos.

I made training gear. 2 pieces of CF tubing (can be arrow shafts), 4 ping pong balls, some hot glue to hold the balls on, and rubber bands to hold it all to the skids.
Do you have the S75 servos? If so, I highly recommend getting some Hitec HS65 servos to replace them. The slop in the S75's will make the already very difficult task of learning, even harder.
As mentioned earlier, watch the Finless videos.
Hook up with an experienced pilot and have them look over your heli, test fly it, and listen to their recommendations. http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx will help you find clubs in your area. (there is one IN Rolla)

The machine itself is pretty easy to assemble. What's harder is to setup the ESC and the gyro to make sure that the bird is ready to fly. One thing to remember before anything else : Do not install the pinion gear until you are absolutely 100% certain that the ESC is setup correctly. Then install the pinion and tie down the heli tightly for the first spooling up of the rotor. Always wear protective eyewear while you look for vibration, and adjust the tracking. Follow the ESC, gyro, and motor setup instructions to the letter. Finless Bob's videos are a must too. Do a range test too. MAke sure there are no glitches, no shivering, you need a solid connection between the Tx and Rx.

Don't hurry through the build and setup, be methodical, use a fluo marker to highlight what's done, and be careful. If you can, ask for help from someone who knows what's he's doing. I had a Blade CP Pro before I built the T-Rex 450, and I must say that a 3000rpm headspeed made me quite uncomfortable at first. Pretty impressive bird, flies great, but it could be really harmful to you and to bystanders.

Good luck.
Georges

I bought the same heli and radio. The 450sa comes pre-assembled straight from the factory. You can pretty much install the electronics and go. This is what I did soon as I got mines. After a few flights I got curious and took the whole thing apart down to the last screw. It's a very easy heli to put together and maintain.

If you follow the manual to the letter it will get u in the air without any problems. If you want to really set up the heli like a pro the I suggest you [link=http://helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?t=12455]visit Finless' T-Rex build videos[/link]. They are very informative if not educational. Pay very close attention to the CCPM videos.

The only tricky part setting up your heli will be the gyro. You will not find the gyro set up vids for that particualr gyro in the TRex section. [link=http://video.helifreak.com/?subpath=finless/hdx300&filename=tail_gyro.wmv]Click here for the Align gyro setup videos.[/link] Hope this all helps and welcome to the family