nissanlove

what is the difference between a 4#3 and a cb100, i am really interested in the cb100, how durable are they, stable, parts availability, that kinda stuff, ive been looking at helis forever everytime i look i find a different model with more goodies and less price and i dont know what to choose i need help!!!

erdnuckel2

Sound familiar from computers nissanlove ...

I don't have the CB100 (yet - almost hit the buy button yesterday night, but I am soo way over my budget in helis that I really try to "curb my enthusiasm" ...

Well, a 4#3 is a heli that has been around for roughly 3 years (in its original "form"). I bought one of these original ones right after I got bored with the circles (there was NOTHINGelse) of my 10$ 2ch styrofoam bird ... BIGMISTAKE!!! I did not get it in the air until about a week ago (and then only flying coaxes for almost the last 3years and with "training wheels").
The (original) 4#3 has the reputation of being one, if not THE most difficult and b.... y bird in the sub-micro (=palm size, around 8inch rotor) class of helis you can possibly find! Seems like that got (slightly) better with the introduction of the 4#3A and later 4#3B - however they are still not easy to fly and (IMHO) more for an intermediate or even expert pilot than a beginner. (However, I would dare claim the same for the CB100)

The 4#3 has a 90degree flybar (like the larger, 450 or 500 class helis) while the CB100 has a 45degree flybar (which supposedly makes it more stable and therefore easier to fly)

The 4#3 has a simpler head design (sorry never bothered how the technical term for it is ) while the CB100 has a socalled Bell-Hiller head (a closer look will show you this head is more complex ... and therefore complicated - which means it will be more difficult to set the heli up right)

As I did not crash my 4#3 a lot (as I barely ever flew it) I cant say a lot about durability - what I believe the people who told me (now) is that the brushed motors are a very suboptimal solution. Someone told me the 4#3 main motor would only last one hour ... after flying (=hovering) a few batteries every day for the last week I doubt this motor will even last that long.
The CB100 on the other hand is a double brushless motor equipped bird. Those motors have the reputation of overheating MUCHless than brushed ones and also be much MORE durable and lasting.

As far as parts availability goes the 4#3 will clearly loose out to the CB100. 4#3 parts are getting harder and harder to find and soon they will be most likely out of stock everywhere. As the CB100 is kind of the evolutionary successor of the successor of the successor of the 4#3, there should be plenty parts available everywhere.

One of the parts I would bet you will need most to replace is the (almost) hair thin wire landing skid (was the case for me with the 5#6 which has exactly the same!!) One hareder crash is enough to bend it beyond fixability!! (even though it can be bent back well ... just looks pretty ugly afterwards ... but do that a few time and the wire will break...)

Looking at the big picture I would vote for the CB100 if you want to only choose between one or the other - particularly because that is the newer bird which comes with a number of distinct advantages!

However, if you consider flying outside, I would also look into the slightly larger class of helis (4#6) or the still larger ones like FreeSpirit FP. (Maybe even the - still larger - HoneyBeeFP/4#1/CB180-D,Q,Z/UFly ...)


Essentially you are right ... waaaaayy too many choices ...

Hope that helped a little

Sven

nissanlove

thank you very much for taking your time in helping me, after reading for days and talking to several lhs im staying away from micro and have decided to build a 450 clone, again thanks for taking your time i do apprecaite it