I will shortly be starting to build a 500 from a kit that includes motor and esc. I know I will need servos and receiver, ( already have trans) and gyro......what else? Will I be able to find any of these on RCU, ebay, etc used to try and save some money? Any help appreciated.....Thanks WC

You'll need 3 servos for cyclic and 1 for the tail. How about batteries? You can use 2 3 cell lipos wired in series or you can run individual 5 or 6 cell packs. I personally haven't bought anything used off of Ebay. I've heard people talking about Zippy lipos. Haven't heard anything bad about them and they're quite a bit cheaper than the big name brands. I don't know where to get them but I'm sure someone will let you know. Alan

Get some SMC lipos, you get what you pay for. http://www.rremodels.com is where I get them, he's supplied them for a couple of review projects and they are good stuff.

i use zippys they are great. i talked to a pro at my LHS and he loves them he uses them in the trec 600
o and they are at hobbycity.com

OK, Thanks...lets get more specific.....I will be using my Futaba 7C 2.4 trans, and I have a good many types of servos, what receiver and gyro? I have a charger and will get battery later, so what gyro, receiver and servos? Thanks WC

i like the logictech 2100t gyro the instructions are a little more complicated than th gy401 but they are less cash, no drift, and are proven to be just as good as the gy401 they are $105 and the gy401 is $140.
if you dont like that get the gy401! it will fit all your next helis needs

I saw few posts the other day about someone selling a knock-off of the gy401 for $35 bucks. It was either on this site or Helifreak. The guys that are using it say they can't tell the difference between it and the genuine Futaba gyro. Anybody else heard of these? Feel free to speak up! As for servos, I'm using Hitec 5245mg's on the head and a Futaba 9257 for the tail with a Futaba gy401. Both are digital and the 5245's have metal gears which is a must. If you run them at 6 volts they are faster than at 4.8 but you'll need to use a step-down between the gyro and the servo as the 9257 is only rated at 4.8 volts when used on the tail. Remember, get the best electronics you can afford as it will save you money in the long run. Buy once, not twice. Ask yourself what kind of flying you want to do and decide from there. Alan

a knock-off gy401 thats just as good? i'm interested. hmmm... xmseller have the g401b thats 35 bucks ....is this it? http://www.cnchelicopter.com/servlet...o-G401B/Detail

for 35 bucks i would pick up a few to play with. if you play your cards right you can get a trex clone from hobbycity for 36 bucks then buy all the other stuff and you would have a nice beater heli for under 150 bucks[X(]

Yes, that's the one. I personally haven't tried one, but the posts I read from others who have claim it works just as good as the real deal. I'm not in the market for one right now as a just bought a brand new gy401 that I'm going to use on a 450 with a Hughes 500 fusalage but if I had heard about that one sooner I would've given it a try. Alan

Most of the posts I've read said that it only added 35 bucks to the cost of a 401.

http://www.ronlund.com has them for 120 I think.

Here you go Barracuda- http://helifreak.com/showthread.php?...ighlight=g401b. This is the post I saw. Chaos RC out of CA- $35 bucks. Alan

the gyro has been comfirmed by members of the rcuniverse as well. they all like it. very much. i remembered that they mentioned it was much better than the telebee. now i'm convinced that these gyros are authentic. i'll pick up a couple and do a complete review. i'm already drooling at the possibilites that this gyro will perform great and for 35 bucks[X(] woot !

Great! Keep us posted. Alan

there is something you need to consider first before you listen to all this about the 35 dollar gyro...your going to need to take measures to eliminate the static buildup from the tail. if you take care of it=non issue. if you dont=your beautiful new 500 will be a scrap pile. heres a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idXXN-w2VAA if you write this guy a letter he will help you totally eliminate this potential for disater. Do not ignore or your wallet will hate you.