MaxThrottle

I've been looking over a number of posts on several different electric Heli's. I'm already leaning to the tried and true Align TREX 450 SE bu before I plunge I always ask first;

What Electric 3D or CCP Heli would you recommend if you were starting from scratch?
Is there new stuff on the horizon (e.g. Align 500 & 600) that might better the current status quo.

Also what is the best of the best set-up for these recommendations.

Thanks for the input.

Skarn

Well, I went through the same thing you are back in December. I already had a BladeCX and a BladeCP. After much research, I decided on the TREX450SE v2. I couldn't be happier.

My setup:
TREX450SE v2
HG-65mg on cyclic
S9650 on tail
GY-401 gyro
Stock 450xl motor
Stock 35a ESC

All the above is what was recommended to me and seems to be the standard. Lately some are recommending the upgraded Futaba tail servo, but you need a voltage stepdown for it and I'm very happy with the S9650.

BUT there are a lot of people that say the Mini Titan flies even better than the TREX450 and is slightly cheaper.....but my LHS sell the Align parts I need.

Good luck bro!
Skarn

Kaelan

400 size... yeah.. the Trex is pretty much one of the besat out there.. I like my Blackhawk 450se.. as far as other sizes.. I'd look at the Hurricane 550.. it's bigger..more stable that the 450 size.. that'll be my next heli...

bigairhonda

Id buy the Blackhawk 450se from Mike at Ka-planes. Great service and has a wealth of stocked parts on hand. Also it will be half the price.

MaxThrottle

Thanks and keep it coming.

cactus hopper

There are a lot of good alternative to Align products, and most of them are a lot better value. Mini Titan, CopterX, HDX 450, EXI and Black Hawk just to name a few.

Skarn

That's debatable but I'm not going to fight

One of the deciding factors for me was the fact that the LHS's in my area all carry Align parts and Align has a proven good reputation. I'm not saying there aren't alternatives, but there's nothing wrong with Align either.

Skarn

cactus hopper

Align is good goods, the only thing wrong with it is that it is way overpriced. I don't have a Trex but if I did I doubt that I would buy anything locally because I don't like paying three times as much as I can get it online for. I have three or four clones that are compatible and I don't buy anything for them locally either.

perryj676

Well, couple things to add to your possible consideration of some of the brands cactus listed:

1) He said better value, not necessarily better. While I suppose it's still debatable, after seeing some of the higher-end clones I have found and think 98% of the buyers out there would have a hard time believing the trex is so much better as to demand the premium it does. It's a great heli, but in flight, and even sitting next to an HDX or Blackhawk I couldn't find the extra $100+ worth of difference with an electron microscope.

2) Most of the trex 'clones' have a vast majority of parts which are 100% interchangable with the trex brand, making local availability possible for you.

I went through the same thing recently and have decided that my next bird will be one of the ones that Cactus Hopper listed. With the money saved I can buy another 7100 reciever, battery, servos or something.

The Trex sets the bar, no doubt. But really, we are talking about differences so small you would most likely never see or feel a difference without looking for it. Is it worth it? Well, to many it is. I personally like to stretch my dollar and think I will get just as much out of an alternative brand for less money.

srouthouse

well its just because your missinformed and need to do some more homework.

all e rc trex v2 no electronics $270
electron hobbies copterx se v2 no electronics $235

both of these heli dealers are in the usa now, you can save a little more on the copterx if you wait for it to come from china but thats only 15 bucks.

the other copters mentioned like the hdx is a small niche market with weak parts support compared to the copterx or align.

i have and fly the blackhawk hard and the trex and copterx are both superior by leaps and bounds. [less damage in hard wrecks just a more sturdy build] and i really dought i could slap a -6 scorpion in a blackhawk and have it last more then a day or two. but hey the blackhawk has been good to me and my parts guy and supplier is the best there can be.

if you want the #1 heli get the trex and theres no shame getting the copterx either quality is high. the other helis work just fine and are allot of fun but your limited on parts but for that they are much cheaper so in the long run its close i just prefer less down time.

perryj676

Copterx is what I decided on as my next heli. It is just too good a deal to pass up. Already have a DX7, motor, and gyro. So for less than $350 with servos, another batt and misc odds and ends it will be in the air for less than the Align packages sell for with a lot of cash to spare.

Not sure if I was the the misinformed person you are talking about, but if I was, you just further reinforced what I was trying to say without singling out a single brand. That and well, I am fairly new to the helicopter side of RC, so perhaps I am misinformed, at the very least I do have a lot to learn. I think most of us do. I don't really know what you mean about weak parts support though. The majority of things I break with any regularity (flybars, feathering shafts, blades...etc) appear to be interchangeable between most of the clones. If I end up with a catastrophic wreck, chances are the LHS is going to have to order something in anyway.

I haven't worked HDX in person, so I don't know about that its compatibility, but according to the helidirect website, it looks like it's mostly compatible. I do know it's is an equal to the trex in quality and I feel a better value due to it's lower cost (ignoring replacement parts concerns), at least if the 500 HDX and Trex 500 I was checking out last weekend were any indication of their typical quality. Anyway, to get back on track, there are a lot of options out there. Many of them are good, but you may also pay a premium for some. Just keep your eyes open and I am sure the good folks on the board will help you find something suitable. I'm looking forward to my new copterx (though after flying those 500's last weekend, I am wishing I would have thought more about a 500 class. They are so stable in the wind!).

Thanks for the web references, not bad deals for US suppliers!

-Perry

srouthouse

i didnt mean anything in a bad way, and copterx is a good way to go and i have both copterx and align parts. there really are not many trex clones, you have copterx and thats the only decent one thats close. the exi is just a copterx ae with plastic parts. the hdx doesnt have that many parts that mix and is not really a clone at all. my point is there is only a 35 dollar difference between the align and copterx not a 100 and copterx and trex are worth the extra money over some of the other helis i have and fly them.

gotta remember this, theres a dang good reason people are stealing aligns ideas. wrecks that i can fix in 30 minutes with my trex take 2 hours with the blackhawk because the cheaper ones will not hold up as well when they slam into the deck lol.

would i pay 100 more for a align no way but for 35 bucks id go align. [not sure really why lol cause the copterx is so close]

Demo Up

Why not buy the CopterX from www.heli-bros.com, out of Corinth, MS? $185 DELIVERED for an AE V2, $205 DELIVERED for an SE V2. Steve Blackard there at Heli-bros and I have emailed each other, I'd go with them if I was looking for a kit.

MaxThrottle

Thanks Guys. I finally took the plunge. Align TREX 450SE.V2. The LHS has an entire wall of parts for this heli. And since I lost count of how many guys in my club have the same, I'm figuring I can more readily swap parts.

And after taking the day to put it together and try it out.... I'm gonna need parts.