Need Some Advice on Trex (Which One?)

[F1Atom]

I'm thinking about getting a Trex450 sometime in the future. I am getting tired of the Blade CP frustration and want something better.

I know there are a lot of trex450 models out there such as the 450X, XL, S, SA, SE, DVD, mp3, STD, iPod and well you get the idea. Which one should I get? I know for sure the SE is out of the question. Its a bit too pricey for me and I'm on a budget because I'm a college student and I would like to spend less than 1000$ or even lower if possible. I'm not into 3D yet I just want to do normal flight stuff for now.

So...I have been looking around and I have narrowed it down to two the XL and SA. As of now, my choice is leaning towards the SA cause I'm tired of the plastic and want better quality.

Which one should I get? I open to any recommendations. Anyone have good/bad experiences with the XL and SA?

When I do buy one what equipment should I get? I have sort of an idea:

-Radio: Futaba 6EXH 6-Channel FM Micro/4 S3107 Servos 50?
-Gyro:Tellbee or Esky's HH
-Servos:not sure, besides the ones mention already
-Motor:not sure
-ESC:not sure

Another thing is it cheaper to buy the heli piece by piece or go with a combo kit?

Thank You!

[skunkworx]

Combo kits are usually cheaper.
The SA would be a really good choice. You can do lots of straight swaps with the SE parts when you can afford them, but you'll end up paying almost double for it over the long run.

The thing with helis is, you get what you pay for. The plastic stuff will work great for most average flying including simple loops, rolls and stall turns.

The Align 430L with a 25A ESC should work great. GY240 is a good alternative to the 401, but still up there. As long as you get a heading hold gyro you should be OK. I definately recommend spending the extra dough for the Hitec HS65MG's. Super tough (but cost a bit more) and then you'll never have to upgrade them.
Radio: Optic6 should work fine, but you should really get the best you can manage to afford. Budget batteries are HXT from United Hobbies or DN power (2 for $80 right now!).

[peterob]

I wouldn't get the 6EXH because it doesn't have sub-trim, your mechanical setup will suffer without it. Rather go for the Optic6 as skunkworx says, or maybe pick up a used DX6 somewhere.

[WayneBrown]

Have you considered used? there are occasionally complete airframes with electronics and batteries for sale, add charger and tx/rx..

[skunkworx]

Good idea Wayne. I would try local if you can. I went to a local field and had 3 different people offer to sell me their helis because they didn't have a clue what they were doing with them.
I bought my first gasser about 6 yrs ago and couldn't get it to work very well. Nothing was wrong with it besides the setup and I ended up selling EVERYTHING tools, support equipment, even 3/4 gallon of gas for $700 (I paid almost $2,000 for it!!!). So keep your eyes peeled!
Be wary of anything used on Ebay (or at least get insurance!), but there are lots of good deals to be had all over the place. Check the classifieds or advertise that you are looking for a certain setup and see what comes up.

Good luck!

[kgfly]

I agree with Wayne, you can often get a nice 450SE for well under $1000 and then you just need radio, charger, maybe some batteries and of course spares. A good spec to look for on a second-hand 450SE would be:

TRex450SE - Align 430L(3550), Align 35A ESC, 3 x HS-65MG, GY401 + S9650

I agree with skunkworx on the HS-65MG servos for the swash but have other recommendations for the rest of the gear.

Summary
-Heli: Trex450SE for robustness but 450S if you really cannot afford it
-Radio: DX6/AR6000 or DX7/AR6100
-Gyro: Logictech 2100T
-Servos: Swash = HS-65MG, Tail = HS56 for budget or JR DS3400G for performance
-Motor: Align 430L
-ESC: Align 35A (G model with the 5V BEC)
-Charger: FMA Cellpro4S or eStation-BC6
-Lipo alarm: from fellow helifreak Efliernz (PM him)

Which T450
The SE primarily for its greater robustness. The plastic head and tail on the S/SA will fly perfectly well but a lot more bits will break in a crash. Being plastic, they are mostly cheap but it still means a lot more time rebuilding/retuning than with the metal parts which almost never bend or break. Ultimately you are likely to have many SE parts but if short term cash is more of an issue than twice as much over the long term then certainly the 450S is the only other choice worth considering. The XL(CDE) is an old design without direct CCPM. This means more slop in the controls via the bellcranks and a poorer layout for your battery and electronics. There is really no reason to today to buy any model other than the S or SE.

Which motor/ESC ?
It's usually cheapest to get the motor+ESC bundled with the kit and unless you spend a lot more dollars you won't get anything significantly better. The 430L+35G are an excellent combo for going from beginner to high performance 3D.

What radio ?
I am a big fan of the many safety, performance and reliability benefits of the new 2.4GHz spread spectrum technology. I think anyone without a major investment on legacy radio gear would be crazy to go with an FM radio when there are these better choices available. Personally I would recommend the DX7 as the best 6/7 channel radio currently available by a long mile.

Best - Spektrum DX7 with AR6100 Rx
Budget - Spektrum DX6 with AR6000 Rx
Alternate - Futaba 6EX FASST with matching Rx

Which charger ?
A high quality charger is vital to safety as well as ensuring the best performance and maximum lifetime from your batteries so this is not an area to pinch pennies. There are some excellent choices around. A lot depends on your budget but more on the combination of your current needs and your expectations for the future. If larger eHelis are in your future you might want a higher power charger now than would otherwise be needed if the T450 is as big as you think you will go.

Notes
1) Most chargers require an external DC power supply so budget $50 to $100 for a decent one.

2) For now the only LiFe cells available are the A123/M1 cells from DeWalt 36V power-tool battery packs bought on eBay for ~USD$100 and which contain 10 cells rated as: 3.3V 2300mAh 16C/33C. They weigh 70g each, can be 100% discharged without harm, present near zero fire risk even if abused and can be charged at up to 10A=4.3C.

FMA CellPro4S (~$65)
- Requires DC power
- LiXx charger: LiIon/LiPo/LiFe
- 2S to 4S LiXx
- Integrated true balance charger (charges each cell separately)
- Normal and Fast LiPo cycles
- ~50W/4A output
- 1C LiPo charge: 3S <= 4000mAh, 4S <= 3400mAh
- A123 charge rate: 3S <= 1.7C, 4S <= 1.6C

The best budget charger around for small 3S/4S packs. It won't charge your Tx or Rx packs but at USD$65 is great value for an intelligent and safe LiXx charger. If you don't need NiCd/NiMH support and are sure larger helis with larger batteries
are not in your future or are on a tight budget then this can be an excellent low-cost solution.

eStation BC6 (~$170)
- Integrated ac/dc power supply
- Multi-chemistry charger: NiCd/NiMH/Pb/LiIon/LiPo/LiFe
- 2S to 6S LiXx
- Integrated 2S-6S balancer
- Normal, Fast and Storage LiPo cycles
- 50W/5A output
- 1C LiPo charge: 3S <= 4500mAh, 4S <= 3400mAh, 5S <= 2700mAh, 6S < 2300mAh
- A123 charge rate: 3S <= 2.2C, 4S <= 1.6C

A great integrated package providing a one-box solution (ac/dc power supply, charger and balancer) that will easily do the typical 3S to 6S batteries you would use in a T450. The 50W/5A output means it's not well suited to the larger capacity 6S packs used in say a TRex600, but it will charge lipo packs at 1C up to about 4500mAh capacity for 3S or 2300mAh for 6S. Although it initially looks expensive, since it is all 3-in-1 you don't have to buy a DC power supply so in fact it is very competitively priced.

Recommendations
Budget 3S/4S LiXx only: FMA CellPro4S
Budget 3S-6S multichemistry: eStation BC6
Most convenient mid-range: eStation BC8
Best value high-power/future proofing: Hyperion 1210i-A + 2xLBA10

Spare parts
You will need to budget for (and ideally purchase along with your heli) the following spares:

3 x (pair) Align Pro 325 wooden blades
1 x (pkt) flybars
1 x (pkt) feathering shafts
1 x (pkt) main shafts
1 x (pkt) main gears
1 x (pkt) main bearings
1 x (pkt) tail boom
1 x (pkt) Outdoor first aid kit
1 x (pkt) main blade holders

Happy shopping :D

[F1Atom]

Thanks for the info. Really appreciated. I will be looking at those for sale ads much closer now.

I was looking at these combo deals at RC hover and sound pretty nice
https://secure.bizsiteservice.com/inc/sdetail/69386
All I need is an Optic6 w/ Receiver and a Battery for this one

And: https://secure.bizsiteservice.com/inc/sdetail/69385
Which everything I need except the charger cause I already have one.

What do you guys think? Any other good deals out let me know.

Thanks Again! :noteworthy

[WayneBrown]

http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?t=31708

[F1Atom]

To WayneBrown
I appreciate the offer but I need to save money first.
I'm still recovering from all the money I spent on books for college. :arggg:

Thank You though!