T Rex - 450 Vs 600

[Sneeky_Pete]

Hey,
I'm completely new to R/C Flight and need some advice. I've been told that the bigger the helicopter the more stable it is and the better to learn with. I've found 2 packages, one is a T-Rex 450 SE V2 with HS-65MG's, GY401 & Futaba S9257, 2 extra Xtreme Power 11.1V 2200mAh 18C Li-polymer Batteries plus the Align supplied battery and a swag of spares. Or the other a T-Rex 600 Fibre Glass frame with 3 x Xtreme Power XS 621 Servos (metal gears), GY401 & Futaba S3152 Servo, Xtreme Power 22.2V 4600mAh 20C(LR), Align 7.4V 1900mAh 12C Battery For BEC& Charger and 600 Fibre Glass blades and all other running gear. Both are pretty much the same price but the 450 is all Carbon Fibre and has 2 extra batteries and better servos. Being that this is going to be a long term kind of thing which is the better buy for a newbie like myself?

Cheers, Sneeky_Pete

[DA54]

Out of curiousity, what $$ are you looking at?

My personal choice would be the 450 as it will require more finess in control -- being a little more unstable. Also, the 600 is very intimidating as a first machine. I wish I had just started with the 450 instead of working up thru all the Blade series and other micros. Could have saved a BUNCH of money. I like the 600's now also, but still fly the 450 to try things out on first.

Just my .02 for what it's worth

[Sneeky_Pete]

Thanks DA. I'm looking at about AU$1000 for either package. I see what your saying about learning with the 450, Cheers.

[Skiddz]

450s are cheaper to crash, but a little more squirrely. 450's support equipment could potentially be less expensive since you only need to charge 3 cells instead of 6. 3 cell packs are 1/4 the price of 6 cell packs. ($75 vs $300)

Having said that, I fly my 600s a LOT more than my 450s. :)

[Pinecone]

All the packs with the 450 are marginal. The Align (if it is the 22C0 will be lucky to make it to 20 cycles. The XL motor in the V2 really needs at least 20C packs.

I have no clue as to the servos in the 600 kit. But the tail servo is marginal.

[Sneeky_Pete]

18c packs would be ok for learning though I would imagine? I'll only be hovering and some basic forward flight for some time I'm guessing

[FreeFlow]

I have a Trex450 SE (New) V2 and thinking about either the T-Rex 600 or Raptor e620. What would be a better choice in the 600 series? I don't do a lot of 3D (Still on the SIM) and would maybe carry a camera...

Thanks

Mark

[wlfk]

If you're halfway handy with a soldering iron, go for A123 packs and the 450. I run them in my 450 with the largest pinion and a headspeed of about 2500, which is great for sports flying. Their care and feeding is much less demanding than LiPo, and they are safer.

You will learn faster if you buy lots of packs and fly a lot - and for this reason if no other I think it would make sense for you to go for the 450. I have a Logo 600 (same size as the T-Rex) and the battery packs are 6x larger than the 450 size and the flight time is no longer. If you get a big heli the packs can cost as much as the helicopter.

If you buy spare parts on Ebay you can sometimes get them very cheap for the 450 - 2 to 3 times cheaper than from the shops for the parts that you break the most often. If you buy the 600 then you have to pay full price.

And invest in the full-metal head. The aluminium CNC parts rarely break or bend, so it will save you money in the long run.

I use the 450 for 'experimenting' and the big Logo for fun. I couldn't afford to crash it more than a few times a year (and even then it would still hurt). It actually doesn't feel much more stable than the 450, except in strong winds.

K

[Sneeky_Pete]

A123 Packs? I haven't seen or heard of them befor. The more I look at the 600E the less I like the idea. I think if/when I go for that sized heli I could buy a lot of nitro for the price of one battery pack.
I'll definately go for the SE V2 as all the CNC Head and Tail make it seem worth the while without the extras with the 430xl motor. TrexTuning gave it a pretty good alround wrap.
All of my parts I'll have to buy online as I'm in rural/regional Western Australia and therefor the "LHS" is non-excistant. Oh the ebay!

Thanks for your help fella's

[DA54]

If you look at the threads here, you will find that many people have done cost studies that show that the T-Rex 600E and the T-Rex 600N are a push once you tally total fuel cost versus battery cost for length of time flown. It is just that the batteries are an up front cost versus a pay as you go for gasser fuel.

I would not even consider trading my electrics for nitro powered. No cleanup required, no excess noise, no tuning, etc etc etc.

[seanh]

Just wanted to add my two cents worth.
Sim..Sim...Sim .Get a Simulator first or at least with what ever you are going to get. I've got the Real Flight G3.5 and love it. There are others, ask around.

I've got both the 450 and 600 but started with the Blade cp. well walkera 52 but I really don't count that.

The blade CP is not near as stable as the 450 but is dirt cheap. you can find them on ebay for $150 sometimes less. From what I've been told if you can fly the Blade CP you can just about fly anything. You'll learn about replacing 4n1's motors; then probably upgrading to brushless which will get you into ESC's then adding a gyro, all in steps with out having to worry about programming the transmitter.

Now if you have someone in the neighborhood to sit with you face to face and help with the build, setup, transmitter programming and maybe using a trainer cord the go with the 450 it is by far a better heli. If you have the money to burn get the 600 your learning curve will be shorter. Now you don't have to have someone sitting there helping but you can do in a month or so what's taken me just over a year.

fly the biggest heli you can afford to crash.

BTW the blad CP's bigges problem is burned motors. That's keept me on the ground more than crashes.

[Pinecone]

And LOTS of people left, o rnever really got started in, this hobby due to the Blade CP. That's why the experienced people say to save your money and get a Trex.

As for learning and packs, best would be to get a 430L/430X motor and put in the V2. You will be easier on the packs and gain about 1 minute of flying time per pack due to the lower amp draw.

[Sneeky_Pete]

Yeah I've bought a cheap sim off of ebay called Pre-Flight. It's good just to get the basics of which controls do what. I've had my transmitter for the last 12 months (JR X-388S, no bloody manual though!) and have been flying with that. Hardest problem is trying to see the model when it gets a little farther away. Do some of the other sim's have like a chase-cam setup?

Amazing how it all starts, first I bought a picco z clone, wanted a Twister CP, now it's turned into a T-Rex 450 SE V2 befor I have even purchased anything!

[RexChop]

Get a 450 first to see if you like it; then get the 600 so you don't feel the 450 was a waste of money since you would have been used to a 600. Once you step up to the 600 from the 450, everything gets easier. Just buy good equip to support a 600 later on.

[kidphc]

The 600 outside of the blades isn't too much more expensive to repair. However, saying that almost all crashes include the blades. :( The battery packs are a $$$ killer though.

I love the 450, but frankly where I live the 600e wouldn't even make it into a safe hover due to limited space. So the 450 is the trasher. You really have to think about it. The 450 fits inside of the tail boom of a 600. It's fricking huge. It doesn't look like it at the store but when it's on the kitchen table. Man is it huge.

Have you thought about a 500? It's right in between the two in size and cost. Not having wood blades readily available is about the only down fall I can think of.

[Sneeky_Pete]

Just when you think you've made your mind up, along comes another player. The hurricane 550 looks like a good deal. Nearly 600 sized but at 450 price. Is it too good to be true? Has anyone here had any experiance or chance to compare the to from an end user standpoint?

[RexChop]

Gaui is supposedly comming out with a few new helis through Readyheli.

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=62102

[Heli8ight]

I bought a T-rex 600 hundred as a first helicopter well actually I had a Blade CP(which I wish I never bought) anyways the 600 is great but for a first real helicopter but is pretty intimidating. as some one else mentioned having something a little more touchy is good practice I just picked up an EP200 and after about 20 minutes it was hovering in the living room comparibly to a 450. I would recommend a 450 to anyone at all levels for scale or 3D, also batteries are cheaper.