Ahhh so many choices!!!!!

[ghtracey]

Greets :)

So I'm ready to order a chopper and am stuck on the horns of a dilemma. Nitro or Electric. Raptor Titan or Mini Raptor. I know both have their advantages and disadvantages. Nitro = Noisier/Messier/More Support Tools, Electric = Less stable/Lower flight times/Battery cost and maintenance.

My problem is, this is my first heli. I'm not new to nitro and can tune an engine, I've flown planks. But, where I live, there is a noted shortage of heli pilots. A friend and I are both taking the plunge and are looking for a little experienced advice on what you folks think would be a better first time machine. Give or take a couple of hundred dollars, setup costs are pretty close so the decision isn't being based on price. I've watched and read nearly everything I can find on the Raptor, T-Rex, and Mini-T. I'm confident I can do the setup, and hopefully I may even find another pilot here to have a look at it. I've also spent a lot of time on G3, so I figure I can at least hover one :lol:.

Which do you think is a better first bird, based on flight characteristics?

Thanks for the input.

[Jermo]

IMHO the T-Rex 450 SE is the minimum heli I'd suggest. Most folks suggest the biggest size you can afford so it comes down to your budget. Nitro gives longer flight times while electric is quiet and clean.

If budget and clean/quiet weren't a concern I'd be after the T-Rex600N (nitro) or Raptor Titan (I've still not given up on this one) or for Electric the T-Rex600.

readyheli.com has the 450SE with battery on sale at a very nice price..

[DebianDog]

> Which do you think is a better first bird, based on flight characteristics?

I would say what do you want? Titan or Trex 600 They both fly great.

Short flight times and expensive batteries or a slimy helicopter you will have to tune and buy fuel for all the time. :wink:

[ghtracey]

> Which do you think is a better first bird, based on flight characteristics?

I would say what do you want? Titan or Trex 600 They both fly great.

Short flight times and expensive batteries or a slimy helicopter you will have to tune and buy fuel for all the time. :wink:

The choice was actually Titan or Mini-Titan, but yeah I know where you're going with it. Based on simulators I'm leaning towards the Titan for stability and smooth flight for a newb (well it does wicked 3d too, but that's not in the plan yet :lol), based on lifestyle, the Mini Titan is easier to haul around, and will fit in the cab of my truck as opposed to the box. :P

I'm thinking that I'll probably go with the Titan 50, if I buy the mini I just know I'll wind up wanting to order the big bird, and well, the "department of finanace" probably won't be overly impressed when I tell her I want another heli. :lol:

[BarracudaHockey]

if I buy the mini I just know I'll wind up wanting to order the big bird, and well, the "department of finanace" probably won't be overly impressed when I tell her I want another heli.

Hehe yup, I know all about that!


I'm not new to nitro and can tune an engine, I've flown planks.

Do yourself a favor and be open to learning on this issue, take it from someone that flys both, they are two different animals, I've seen a lot of plank pilots that "know how to tune....." burn up perfectly good heli engines.

[DebianDog]

Yeah you can't sit them on the table (like a plank) and run them wide open. :lol:

[ghtracey]

Yeah you can't sit them on the table (like a plank) and run them wide open. :lol:

LOL yeah I wasn't planning on that. I've been reading the engine tuning things I've found, I'm definately not assuming anything at this point. But for some people the thought of tuning a nitro engine is a deterrent, I just meant that I wasn't worried about the learning curve there. :)

I'm thinking of getting the Titan kit with the TT 50 in it, so tuning should be that much more fun. :lol: BTW, loved your review of it BH, when's the other half going up?

I'm thinking Hitec 5625MG's for Collective and Cyclic and and the 401/9254 combo for the tail.

Something I haven't quite figured yet, does the Titan combo come with a muffler?

[BarracudaHockey]

Stick with the OS.

Soon.

Yes.

[DebianDog]

I have not met anyone displeased with the Titan :wink:

[Pinecone]

Realize that between Trex 450SE and Mini-Titan E325, the Trex is about 4th generation, so lots of things wrong have been fixed. The E325 is first generation.

Also a Lot more people fly Rexes so there is more help available, lots more people have parts (both local and mail order). And the Trex SE is all metal head, adn the E325, last time I looked, had no metal head parts.

[ghtracey]

Realize that between Trex 450SE and Mini-Titan E325, the Trex is about 4th generation, so lots of things wrong have been fixed. The E325 is first generation.

Also a Lot more people fly Rexes so there is more help available, lots more people have parts (both local and mail order). And the Trex SE is all metal head, adn the E325, last time I looked, had no metal head parts.

All true, and yet people who own both say the Mini Titan flies smoother. :D Sure there are a few issues to be worked out, there always are with a new model, but I think TT did a bang up job on this one. The T-rex 450 was removed from the list already.

I've pretty much decided on the Raptor Titan 50, I was just about to put the order in. I figure when the winter hits and its -40C here, I can always just get myself a lil blade or nightranger to play with inside.