kyle 9

Hey guys,
well i have had alot of fun with my blade msr, and its such a fun flyer, but im looking to upgrade. I do have a fligh sim, but im not a big fan of it because its not the same as in real life.

Now the helis i have in mind are Blade SR, Blade 400, Align 250, and maybe the Heli-Max Novus 125 CP.

if i get the 400 or 250 i would tame it down to make it fly like the SR.

I wont do any crazy 3D, just maybe basic inverted, loops, and rolls when i get better. I will be flying just for fun.

Now this is my BIG problem... I just got accepted into the paramedic program at my college, so i will not have alot of time to fly, just when im bored and not busy, which wont be alot[]. So i need something that is duarable, easy to maintain.
I wont spend more than $600.00 on the heli, becuase i wont be able to afford anything more, and also i dont want to spend too much money to repair after crashes.

is a belt alot more maintenence than a motor? because if its alot more i probably wont have the time to maintain it, so i will just get the SR, but i dont want my motor to keep dying on me...

I want to be able to fly it outside better in a bit more winds than my MSR can take.

I know no one likes these "What to get posts", but im very sorry with me getting accepted into college it changed everything and i dont want to say bye to this hobby!!!
Thank you very very much

gnd2

Belt tails are MUCH better than motor tails. I don't even recommend getting any CP heli with a motor driven tail, just not worth the trouble.

No CP heli is going to be durable enough to withstand a crash without needing repair. You'll have to expect to replace main blades, main shaft, feathering shaft and possibly servo gears (unless you get metal gear servos), landing gear and tail boom at the least.

The 250 size is going to be very difficult to learn on. Bigger is more stable and CP is going to be very different from your msr. It's going to take a lot of patience and practice.

I think the blade 400 is going to be your best bet out of those, but a lot of people seem to feel that the electronics need to be upgraded.

You might be able to do a trex450 or clone within your budget, you might want to look into that, but you'll have to do some research. Will probably be much more stable than anything your considering and last you much longer.

Considering the school situation, you might want to reconsider whether now is a good time to step up to CP. Like I said, it's quite a bit different from coaxial and fixed pitch and will need time and patience to learn.

noobflyer01

+1

kyle 9

Yea thanks very much... i was thinking about sticking with the blade msr but i wish to get into alittle bit bigger heli, something that is able to fly outside. And i was thinking about getting the blade 400, but then i seen the blade sr come out and i thought that it would be perfect for what i want, something easier than a normal CP and a bit cheaper... then i found out you can tame down the blade 400 and make it fly the same as the blade sr, so i think i will get the blade 400.
I have to go to my LHS soon and pick up parts for the blade msr and ill talk to the guy and see what he thinks.

out of the blade 400 and SR, which one will cost more in a crash? I looked at the cost of the replacement parts, and they seem very similar.

Also i would look at a trex 450 clone, but my LHS stocks parts for the blade 400, 250 and probably the SR.

gnd2

If they have parts for the trex 250 they should parts for the 450. The 450 is probably the single most popular CP heli in the world and should be easy to find the parts for. The parts will be interchangeable on most clones.

People worry about the crash cost of Align because the kits are more but I really don't see much difference in the cost of the common crash parts. In fact, I think the Align shafts work out cheaper since you can buy them in packs. My blade CP shafts always came individually for around the same price as a trex 450 2-pack of main shafts or 3 pack of feathering shafts. Woody main blades were about the same also, maybe $2 difference. The only crash that has really cost me was when I broke a motor wire and had to replace the motor. As long as the electronics are intact it's generally not too bad IMO. Though my budget isn't quite as tight as some peoples so....

I don't have a blade 400 but I've seen a lot of people recommend upgrading the servos right off the bat, so keep that in mind. I've flown a blade 400 and honestly feel a trex 450 or clone with decent electronics is superior, more stable and easier to fly.

kyle 9

yea thats true... i have to go to my LHS soon and ill check what they have, but i know for sure they have kits for the trex 250, blade 400, many cx3's and MCX, and MSR, and im sure they have the Blade SR now, but i havent been there for a while before the SR came out. soo i will check if they have any parts for the 450 and i can always have them order me a align 450. or a clone
they also have an align 600N but i cant spend that kinda of money becuase of schooling and stuff soo

gnd2

Haha, ya, I actually have a 600N also and it is a bit more expensive to crash, like 100 bucks for main blades... but I haven't crashed that one... yet Knock on wood. Fuel isn't cheap either and it should have quite a bit more space than the 450. Sure is a fun heli when you're ready for it though

kyle 9

how much would it cost to change the electronics in the blade 400 ?
would that be the servos? or the gyro?

gnd2

Electronics refers to servos, gyro, motor, esc, receiver - everything electronic

The servos are the main thing that people seem to complain about, but I'm sure you can do with a better gyro which will make it easier to fly, as well as better motor and ESC which may or may not be necessary.

The cost can vary quite a bit depending on what you get. I don't think it's worth getting a blade 400 just to switch everything out though. I think it will end up costing more in the end.

The nice thing about Eflite is that it's assembled and they have good instructions compared to a lot of the other brands. Align has pretty good instructions also. The clones aren't going to have very good instructions making it more difficult for a first timer but you can find lots of info on the web. The principals are nearly identical for all the eCCPM electric helis.

I really have mixed feelings about eflite. As I said, my first heli was a blade CP. I think they're a good company that make some fun helis. The coaxial and fixed pitch helis are fun and good quality for what they are. But for CP, I feel like they're more of a "get your feet wet" kind of deal, if you stick with it before long you're going to want something better. So if you're sure you're going to continue in the hobby, in the long run it will be more economical to get something better up front and spend the time learning how to assemble, tune and fix it. If you're not sure and just want to "play around" or try it out before jumping in, the the B400 is an easy affordable way to try it out. That's how I look at it.

kyle 9

I was looking at the align 450 just because i thought it would cost more to upgrade all the electronics, but also i think im more in this hobby to just "play around"... since i heard this paramedic program is very hard. i wont have to much time to "take it serious" but i want something bigger in size and also a bit harder to fly than my MSR.. Thats y i was looking at the Blade SR, and blade 400 the most. and then also the blade 250 because they have it at my LHS too

kyle 9

I was looking at the cost of replacement parts between the blade 400 and SR, and it looks like the blade 400 is cheaper.

I think i might get that one over the SR, but can u tame it down to fly just like the SR, or is it still going to be harder to fly .

I would probably use the horizon rc youtube video to tame down the 400. is that good?

KrazyKoots

I just bought the novus 125cp, and i also own the original novus cp, a blade sr, and an MSR, im new to the heli world(4months) but i gotta say the novus cp is not a good next step,its just plain hard to fly.The blade sr you cant get parts for, and the transmitter that comes with it is terrible and needs to be upgraded to a DX6i almost right away so figure 200bucks for the RTF kit and then two weeks later 140 or so for a new trans. The novus125 cp flys as stable as the Blade Sr has a good transmitter with built in dual rates, and a non-motor tail. it flys ok inside and can handle quite a bit of wind, and seems pretty solid in a crash, ive only had it for a few days but it flys Great my favorite heli by far but................................Mine has some issues that have yet to be resolved, the motor seems to over heat, and i seem to get some wierd half power flights on occasion. If heli max resolves these issues for me a(which they should) i wont be able to say enough good things about that bird. but if you want BIGGER go with the Blade 400 I think. wish i would have got that instead of the BSR. thats my 2cents.

kyle 9

alright thank you... i was thinking just that... i havent been to my lhs yet (hopefully next week sometime), i remembered they had the novus cp when i bought the MSR, and i thought forsure it would be my next heli.
then i seen the blade 400 and trex 250 and i thought that would be my next because i heard the smaller the heli they harder to fly.
When i seen the novus 125 cp on towerhobbies i thought it would be perfect for me and i was hoping it would be easier to fly then others
I like the blade sr i just dont like the price for replacement parts. its a bit more than the blade 400
I want a heli that doesnt cost under 600 for the actual cost rtf, but i dont want to spend alot of money on replacement parts becuase i just can afford that right now.
since the novus cp and 125 cp are smaller their parts would also be cheaper correct?

i was also thinking about just sticking with the blade MSR, but i want at least one more heli, thats a bit better in wind, and not extremely hard to fly for a beginnner, thats all

KrazyKoots

Well the partsaren'tcheap they are about the same BSR however theyareinterchangeablewith Walkera 4g6 parts which are cheaper. The blades are cheaper for sure though novus 125=6.99, BSR=16.99 and thats what you willusemost. other parts are close though. you can buy 10 sets of the walkera blades online for about 25bucks though, and they are exact replacements for the helimax parts. Look at your needs really, if youwantmore of achallengebut need an indoor flyer capable of 3d in the future go with the novus 125. if 3d is not an issuemaybetry the 125 fp. keep in mind you wont "FLY" the BSR, blade 400 or the trex 250 in your house or apartmentor dorm, you could hover them but thats about it.Maybenot even hover the 400 inside its pretty big. once you get comfy though the novus line is able to be flown inside you house. the regular cp does not like the wind too much, but the 125's reallyhandleit quite well.


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kyle 9

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Well the parts aren't cheap they are about the same BSR however they are interchangeable with Walkera 4g6 parts which are cheaper. The blades are cheaper for sure though novus 125=6.99, BSR=16.99 and thats what you will use most. other parts are close though. you can buy 10 sets of the walkera blades online for about 25bucks though, and they are exact replacements for the helimax parts. Look at your needs really, if you want more of a challenge but need an indoor flyer capable of 3d in the future go with the novus 125. if 3d is not an issue maybe try the 125 fp. keep in mind you wont ''FLY'' the BSR, blade 400 or the trex 250 in your house or apartment or dorm, you could hover them but thats about it. Maybe not even hover the 400 inside its pretty big. once you get comfy though the novus line is able to be flown inside you house. the regular cp does not like the wind too much, but the 125's really handle it quite well.


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Yea i dont really need it to fly indoor, thats what my MSR is for
but i do need one to fly outdoors in my backyard, or even parks.
I do want the 3d becuase i want to be able to fly inverted and to flips and rolls, thats all (No crazy 3D)
and yes the blades for the SR seem quite expensive soo thats why i was looking at the 125. I just hope my LHS carries parts for them.
But is there a way to tame down the 125 CP, or no?

KrazyKoots

Yes, it has real good dual rates built it on a switch from the factory, as well as a fully programable transmitter.

KrazyKoots

Little update, as i mentioned i had a bit of an overheating problem with my 125cp, I called Heli-Max support and they were very nice and are sending me a new motor, as they think its the problem. No questions asked and they said it would be here in 2-3 days. Great Service Heli-Max, keep it up, and I'll be buying an axe 400 next.
Kyle 9, I really think you would like this heli, I took it to the Field yesterday and even with its problems all the guys were really impressed with how well i flew even in the wind 5mph with 10mph gusts. I was doing figure eights no problem and some highspeed banked turns. It really turns some heads when you get it out in the open. Also I havent had the tail blow out on me once even with the power issues. and the HH gyro Held rock solid even in a cross wind.
Also FYI you can get this Heli for around 239-249+tax. Tower is running a real good rebate coupon deal right now.

kyle 9

alright thanks
i think this is going to be my next heli too! i just hope my LHS carries parts for them, but even if they dont i can always order them and fly my MSR until they come in. Im going to my LHS some time this week to pick up parts for my MSR (cant wait to get it flying again), and im going to talk to the guy about the 125. It sounds like the perfect heli for my needs: Not too expensive, parts arent too expensive, small enough to fly in backyard, big enough to handle more wind than the MSR.

One question: If you land the 125 too hard will it stripe the gears in the tail? thanks

Also i am happy that heli-max is sending a new motor just like that. I never new they had such good part support. Thank you for all your help, and I'll let u know about my next purchse. Now i just have to start saving

KrazyKoots

A hard landing could very well strip the gears, just depends on how hard, and how fast you cut the power to the motor. For starting out dont use Idle up mode sometimes called stunt mode. In this modedropingthe left stick dose not shut down the motor but actually introduces neg. pitch and applys full power to the motor if you did this in a crash you wouldsurelybreak something. Sountilyou get used to it and are ready for some inverted flight dont use idle up or 3d mode. It will take some work to break the badhabityou learned with the msr of just dumping the left stick when it gets away from you. With a CP heli you need to do just theopposite and apply more left stick gain some altitude and gather things up rather than just let it crash. there is alot more power involved here, as well as a much higher rotor speed and alot more rotor head parts. I have had a semi hard landing wiht my 125 and it did not cause any major damage just chipped the blades a bit. but upon impact i had already sut off all power to the motor. If i hadent the gears would strip. On a good note though, heli max includes an extra set of main blades, tail blades, and tail gears right in the box. the best advice i can give you is the first time you wand to go intoforwardflight get to a very open area with nice soft grass, a good smooth place to take off and land, and nothing to run into(accept the ground). And maybee buy some training gear also it can really help get the feel for things and save you some money on blades and gears while you are getting started.


As far as im concerned right now Heli-Max product support is second to none. I am still waiting for a problem with Eflite to be resolved with my Blade SR, thats going on 3 weeks now. And for Heli-Max to do tis for me so fast really impress me, enough to make me go with the Axe 400 as my next bird.<br type="_moz" />

aviateac

I have the AXE 400. I've had many equipment problems, mainly the Helimax gyro. I purchased a Futaba gyro, but due to the numerous minor accidents, it really wasn't much help. I have shelved the AXE 400 for now and plan on getting another brand of "400" or bigger. Parts are hard to find in my local hobby store too.
Do a lot of research. Over all it's not a bad heli, but there's better out there..