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Where to from here?

3K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  andyw 
#1 ·
Hi All,
It's been a while since my last post, but I've been reading the forum lots
.

Anyways, I am currently teaching myself to fly my Walkera 1#B (http://rchobby.com.au/product_info.p...roducts_id=464). Am still in the "Learn to Hover" stage, but I'm getting better at it. Now I'm averaging 4 or 5 battery packs through it before I have to send off for more spares!

I don't know if it's my dodgy skills or the Heli but I'm finding it really difficult to even hover and I'm ready to believe all the bad things people say about the Walkera brand, however the price of spares is real cheap which is a real plus at my current skill level as i'm sure I'm singlehandly keeping the local supplier in business.

Anyways, even at this early stage I can see that I want to upgrade to something of a better quality. I've gotten a go-ahead from my Financial Adviser (read Missus) to start saving for a new Heli. Hopefully by the time I have enough in the bank for a new Heli my skills will have increased enough to make me feel more confident about flying a more expensive machine.

My Question is which Heli should I go for? I'd like to stick with Electric but I don't want to spend a huge amount of money otherwise it will take me forever to save. I'm thinking a budget of around $500 might give me a good starting point. I don't really want to spend much more than that otherwise I'd be to worried about all that money flying around ready to smash itself to bits at the first oppotunity.

I'm thinking of maybe looking at a Blade 400 but thats mostly because of the DX6 transmitter that comes with it, which from what I can understand, can be used with other Heli's as well. If not the Blade then something of a similar size or type and I'd like to get some opinions of what sort of Heli I should be looking at and why.

I'm not sure if I should go for a RTF or a Kit. I've not built a kit before but i guess that would give me the advantage of buying the bits as I go along and spread the cost over a number of weeks/months but I'm not sure of my building ability which is why the RTF option is very attractive.

Mick
 
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#2 ·
Hi Mick . the blade 400 is surely good value , but its still a small heli..... BTW that DX6 radio with it can only be used for smaller electric helis too , it's not a " full range " radio..
Depending on the budget; hate that word ; I'd recommend a Trex 500 or a Gui Hurricane 550 ; lots more expensive, around a grand( flying) + a radio , but a MUCH better heli......
Both from Wattsuprc , a sponsor....

http://www.wattsuprc.com.au/product_detail.asp?pid=204000 , and ,,,,
http://www.wattsuprc.com.au/product_detail.asp?pid=KX017004A ..

Hate decisions!!!!
 
#3 ·
Hi Mick . the blade 400 is surely good value , but its still a small heli..... BTW that DX6 radio with it can only be used for smaller electric helis too , it's not a " full range " radio..
I have just bought a Blade 400 and one of the reasons for getting this one was due to the DX6i. I like to have a 2.4G radio and I was of the opinion that I would be able to use the radio on other heli's as I progress.
What do you mean when you say it is not a " full range " radio and is no good for other heli's.
It is sold separately as a full range radio that can be used for anything.
Read this: http://www.modelflight.com.au/spektrum/spektrum_dx6i.htm

Cheers
Andy
 
#4 ·
Seems some shops sell it with the DX6 , the origional version , and some with the DX6i ; the shop I saw them in had the DX6 bundled ...

The DX6i is the better radio , and is " full range " as defined by MAAA
 
#6 · (Edited)
Ok so maybe the Blade 400 might be a fairly good choice.

Pete, I'd love to spend about a grand and pick up a Hurricane, they look great, but at this stage I'd be to scared of having so much $$$'s flying around and it'd end up sitting on the shelf gathering dust. I think once I am confident on flying something like the Blade then I can look at a hurricane later on as my third Heli, providing the Missus extends my savings budget that long :D

Besides, on the budget I've been given it'd take me a very very long time to afford one and I don't think my poor old Dragonfly 1#B would last the distance!!! At least the Blade at $475 from RC Hobbies is achievable for me.
 
#7 ·
I finally got to check out a blade 400 at the field today .

it's definitely great value ; it flew straight and tracked perfectly straight out of the box......however the servos are poor quality , and the gyro is similar ....
It was set up for 3D out of the box , ;I suppose that's why it's called a Blade 3D :D , but that meant its control was way too touchy for a newby . I set the cyclic rates to 70% , and adjusted the " stunt mode" throttle and pitch curves to the same as Normal mode , just in case the newby owner accidently hits the wrong switch ....

the DX6i is very easy to navigate through , and has all the necessary functions ....

I'd suggest anyone contemplating this heli factor in the cost of 3 Hitec HS65 servos , and a 401 or similar gyro with a good tail servo ( I reckon a good gyro/servo on the tail is the most important setup for any heli ) , at around another $400 , and then you'll a heli that will serve you well..

It's really great value as supplied , but does need the suggested upgrades......
 
#9 ·
I finally got to check out a blade 400 at the field today .

I'd suggest anyone contemplating this heli factor in the cost of 3 Hitec HS65 servos , and a 401 or similar gyro with a good tail servo ( I reckon a good gyro/servo on the tail is the most important setup for any heli ) , at around another $400 , and then you'll a heli that will serve you well..

It's really great value as supplied , but does need the suggested upgrades......
Thats fantastic info Pete, thanks. Those Gyro/Servo upgrades? Do they need to be done straight away or could a n00b like me who would be happy to get it up into the air then down onto the ground again in one piece delay the upgrades as/when budget allows?

im not sure what their shipping is like but radio model supplies in perth has the blade 400 for $450.
That sounds like a really good deal. Do you have a website for them?
thanks
 
#12 ·
Good advice by Peter about upgrading the servos.
I found out the hard way that the standard servos break easily.
Had my first crash today with my Blade 400, just a bit of a nose in landing from perhaps 2 feet in the air, which made the rotors stop very quickly when they hit the grass.
All 3 of the swash servos are buggered, stripped teeth on them all.
I will definitely be replacing them with metal geared servos.
 
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