Beam E4 or Mini Titan SE?

[halfcab1981]

Hi all,
I have been away from my Trex 450 SE for about a year and I am just getting back into flying it. I have been tempted by some of the newer and other brand 450 size helis and was wondering if anyone could provide some comparison between the Beam E4 and the Mini titan SE. Both are around the same price and seem to be good machines. I would probably stick the componentry from my Trex into whatever I got, so a barebones kit would be ideal but I wouldn't worry if it came with motor/esc.

Before I had the break from flying I was doing some basic aerobatics, loops, rolls flips etc and just starting to hover inverted. What annoys me about the Trex is how hard it is to access/maintain and repair some parts, especially the tail drive system, and I have always found it a little bit squirrelly and the head a little sloppy. Bearing that in mind, does anyone have any advice about alternatives?

Cheers,
Kent

[''Pop Rock'']

I would have to say the Beam E4, it's much better than the Mini Titan. The Mini Titan is rugged but the Beam is that much simpler and flys much better!
You'll like the performance of the Beam compared to the Mini Titan.:)
Also you might want to put in the Scorpion HK2221-6 or 8, the headspeed makes a huge difference in the handling, you won't find your tail blowing out during collective pumps anymore.:)

[spanky47]

I put in quite a bit of research prior to purchasing a Beam. What I discovered was that the Beam E4 was virtually the only 450 class heli that supersedes the the TREX 450. It also has a very authoritative head system. Just my opinion...

See Finless Bob's build videos under the tech room.

[Phoenix Flyer]

BEAM E4 For sure.

I have had or flown most 450 sized helis. And i would have to say that beam is the best. I am not a fan of the mini titan simply because off its complexity. The beam is a very simple design and many design features that make it smoother running. Like the tail drive belt goes straight around the mast and back to the tail out put gear, much like raptors and Ely Q vision 50's. Another thing i really like about the beam is the size of its ball links. I am sure they are 2mm. A mini titan runs a very small ball link size and it is possible to make them pop off under load. My opinion get a beam and a Scorpion 2221-8 and a 60a esc. You wont be disapointed.
Hamish

[skunkworx]

There are lots of good new 450 class helis out and the T450-V2 is now only about mid-pack. I would personally go with the Beam because of how simple the design is (kinda like a Trex that actually makes sense! lol), but it's not exactly "top dog".

In the 450 market there is the Minature Aircraft Furion, The NextD Rave, and Outrage G5 helis as well as a few others, but I figured you wanted to know which ones were considered the best. The nod really goes to the Furion after seeing one in action, but for the money, the Beam is probably the best bet of them all. You run everything identical to the Trex, so no switching blade sizes or battery cell counts etc... Just know that you are no longer limited to E-flite or Align!!!

[Whiteshark]

Beam is
Beautifully Engineered Action Machine.
Beam will be :thumbup:the right choice. !!

[Thrashaero]

........
but it's not exactly "top dog".
In the 450 market there is the Minature Aircraft Furion, The NextD Rave, and Outrage G5 helis as well as a few others, but I figured you wanted to know which ones were considered the best
......

What makes them better?

[skunkworx]

Engineering is much better, parts are easier to assemble and maintain, and the parts actually work instead of building up tons of slop in a short while. I've had my trex450SE-V1.5 for about 2 years now and they never seem to get the design right. The tail is junk, the swash is absolute crap (has been since flight 50 or so), the two-piece frames make it overly bulky and hard to work on, access is difficult to many of the internal parts (rear pulley, tail box, motor mount).

This is where the Beam shines. One-piece frames, one-piece tail box, better servo layout, actual serviceable swash plate, better looking canopy (subject to personal opinion I guess), and they have better gade metal in the construction.

The Furion is Miniature Aircraft. Pretty much 'nuff said after that, but if you want details, they have everything that the Beam has, but lots of stuff is made out of CF instead of metal so it's lighter and possibly stronger (blade grips, swash parts, frames, battery tray, etc...). Combine all that with MA's indisputable record for performance and you get one knock-out machine.

The Rave looks pretty cool. First 450 with a torque tube that I've ever seen. I can't really comment much beyond that as I've only seen them at the shows and none of them were flying. Very well built IMO, but like I said, I can't really comment too much on them other than they are said to perform much better than the heavier T450.

But, in defense of the Trex, it has the best parts support. The Beam is cheaper in most regards, but it doesn't have as good of a parts supply network....or at least not yet I'm sure that'll change soon :YeaBaby:

[Big Fil]

Well I just picked up a Beam for many of the same reasons. The slop build up and serviceability of my V2 over the last couple of years had gotten to me plus it was just time for something new. I very carefully considered every single of the current 450 options available today and waited some time before making my decision, most importantly, for my situation.

I think this is the most important thing for people to research because when it comes down to it all of these machines are solid and fly well. Had I went for the machine that flew best (for what i like) I would have went for the Rave. But i had many other considerations as well, a big one being I didn't want my 450 bird to become more expensive to crash because (for me) my 450 is a beater machine and I didn't want to invest into a new power system. Sure I could run 3S on the Rave or G5 but they are essentially designed to run bigger power systems and longer blades. Plus having it fit in my existing 450 case eliminated those two options (for me) since I like to throw my case in the truck and fly at work when I get a chance.

This brought me to the Beam, Mini Titan SE, and the Furion. Furion while very nice is expensive and the extra complexity in the head and tail wasn't what I was looking for at this point in time. The Mini Titan SE head is a work of art and is very tight and smooth. IMO it's the best looking head in the 450 class. The thing I don't care for on the mini titan is the frame layout and servo layout. While the front tail box is nice in the way it is a removable module their is not much room on the frame to mount things and I don't care for hanging stuff off the side of the heli.

In the end I ended up going with the Beam and am actually finishing up some last touches on the thing today after building it yesterday. Parts quality is nice, frame layout and serviceability is well thought out, and the parts price is great. Servo install was so nice compared to the V2 and there is plenty of room to where everything can be mounted inside the frame but there is tons of room to get to things for serviceing. The other part I also prefer which the beam also has is a single stage belt drive design. It's teh same style as on my Logo and they are simple and reliable with no gears to generate slop as they wear. They are also very quiet and run smooth.

I won't pass any real judgement on the Beam until I fly it and beat on the thing for at least 6 months to a year. From a build standpoint I like it so far and for a stacked frame design heli I think it's well executed and as simple as it can be made. Obviously the only way to reduce parts and complexity is to go with a molded design like the Logo.

[jrumer]

I just got a Beam and love it !! It is the closest Heli to a trex 450 but all the little annoyances are fixed with this heli.Very easy to work on and the ball link lengths in the manual are spot on from the swash up! the length from the swash down to the servos is determined by the servo used.

[Big Fil]

I just got a Beam and love it !! It is the closest Heli to a trex 450 but all the little annoyances are fixed with this heli.Very easy to work on and the ball link lengths in the manual are spot on from the swash up! the length from the swash down to the servos is determined by the servo used.

Really, I found on mine that the links from the servos to the swash were off by about 5mm from teh 38.7mm suggested length to get everything to sit level. Other than those looked good.

[jrumer]

Really, I found on mine that the links from the servos to the swash were off by about 5mm from teh 38.7mm suggested length to get everything to sit level. Other than those looked good.
Thats the links that I said were up to the servo used:thumbup:

[Thrashaero]

The Furion is Miniature Aircraft. Pretty much 'niff said after that, but if you want deails, they have everything that the Beam has, but lots of stuff is made out of CF instead of metal so it's lighter and possibly stronger (blade grips, swash parts, frames, battery tray, etc...). Combine all that with MA's indisputable record for performance and you get one knock-out machine.

The Rave looks pretty cool. First 450 with a torque tube that I've ever seen. I can't really comment much beyond that as I've only seen them at the shows and none of them were flying. Very well built IMO, but like I said, I can't really comment too much on them other than they are said to perform much better than the heavier T450.



I'm pretty sure I saw the Furion at a local hobby store. At the time I thought it was being put out by Hobbico, possibly under Heli-max. It looked alright except I was kind of put off by those carbon fiber blade grips...I'd be afraid they would be weaker than solid aluminum and of course require more screws. Perhaps cheaper to replace though.
What about the Outrage G5? The only thing I know about it, uses quite a different motor/battery setup.

[Big Fil]

Thats the links that I said were up to the servo used:thumbup:

See where i misread you. Guess i looked at is as being servos up.

[liaan]

G5: the other issue is blades.. they run the longer 335mm (i think), length.. not so easy available.
and yes.. 6s setup normally mean new balancer/charger. etc etc etc.

i prefer 3s setup.. can use batteries in my planks as well. also prefer easy/cheap blades such as align 325 woodies.

my 5billion zimdollars.

[skunkworx]

I'm pretty sure I saw the Furion at a local hobby store. . .

It looked alright except I was kind of put off by those carbon fiber blade grips...I'd be afraid they would be weaker than solid aluminum and of course require more screws.

Actually, CF is stronger and lighter than metal (hence the reason why we use it in our frames [and just about anything else!]), but it is a little bit more expensive. I cannot quote if they are any more crash resistent, but they won't bend like metal will. Chances are you can replace individual pieces if they were to break instead of an entire set of grips like you would on most helis--potentially saving you money in the long run. You'd have to look up prices to fairly compare the two anyways, but that still doesn't give you a good crash-damage assessment. Sorry I can't provide any extra info on that.
The Furion could possibly end up being more expensive overall, but you probably won't out-perform it. I crash too often, so the Beam is the best choice for a 'beater' heli to me (and will soon be my next heli in the fleet!). Also, I've never been a fan of MA's looks. While it's not hideous, it's definately not as sexy as the Beam! :bad

Overall, I think the Beam is the best all-around heli because it's simply badass in all aspects: ease of maintenance/repair, durability, kit price, spare parts prices, performance, and last but not least, styling. If you were to go with anything else, it'd be a sacrifice of two or more of the values I just mentioned and would pretty much make it unworthy in comparison (unless you were driven by a specific value such as; performance [and hence why I mentioned the Furion]). I'm just glad that I have an alternative to my Trex now. I never would've gotten one if the Beam had come out back when I first got into E-helis!

[jrumer]

Actually, CF is stronger and lighter than metal (hence the reason why we use it in our frames [and just about anything else!]), but it is a little bit more expensive. I cannot quote if they are any more crash resistent, but they won't bend like metal will. Chances are you can replace individual pieces if they were to break instead of an entire set of grips like you would on most helis--potentially saving you money in the long run. You'd have to look up prices to fairly compare the two anyways, but that still doesn't give you a good crash-damage assessment. Sorry I can't provide any extra info on that.
The Furion would probably end up being more expensive overall, but you probably won't out-perform it. I crash too often, so the Beam is the best choice for a 'beater' heli to me (and will soon be my next heli in the fleet!). Also, I've never been a fan of MA's looks. While it's not hideous, it's definately not as sexy as the Beam! :bad

Overall, I think the Beam is the best all-around heli because it's simply badass in all aspects: ease of maintenance/repair, durability, kit price, spare parts prices, performance, and last but not least, styling. If you were to go with anything else, it'd be a sacrifice of two or more of the values I just mentioned and would pretty much make it unworthy in comparison (unless you were driven by a specific value such as; performance [and hence why I mentioned the Furion]). I'm just glad that I have an alternative to my Trex now. I never would've gotten it if the Beam had come out when I first got into E-helis!
+1 :thumbup: