Would you recommend it to a Friend?

[Johnnyv44]

So all of you with the Blade 400's, are you glad you have one? My LHS has a really good deal on a brand new one and I had bought a HBKII and I always seem to have problems getting parts for it. I know that if you're going to fly you're going to have a few crashes now and then.

Thanks
JohnnyV

[Heli Jim]

I like it however, I agree with a lot of other posters, that the servos
are the real weak link. I am replacing the servos with JR 285's and
a 3400g for the tail. You can get them in a package deal for about
$160 but well worth the money.

The only other thing I would say to a friend, is that it's NOT ARF....
you DO need to go thru and check things and make sure that the
adjustments are correct. My pitch was a lot more negative than it
was supposed to be. A couple of turns on the links cured that and
a little balancing tape on the blades and a little adjustment for tracking
and off I went.

Yeah, I'd recommend it to a friend.

[Johnnyv44]

Thanks Jim, He's got them for 365.00 and I've seen them listed as discounted from MSRP on different places on the web for like 469,00

[LockMD]

Agree with Jim, just be aware that you will (or should) replace the servos. I did the exact same servos as well as added a gy401 gyro and now this thing is SOLID.

So as long as they are aware that upgrades are needed YES I would recommend it.

[CoronaL]

I would say it depends. If your friend has the $ to spend upfront to get something better I would recommend the TREX 450 v2 a better radio etc... However, he'll spend ALOT more up front. The Blade 400 is decent. I defended it quite a bit, and bought 2. Sold my unused one after I recieved a used TREX 450V2 after I recieved alot of criticism for defending the blade. I wanted to judge for myself. Well, truth be told, the TREX is ALOT better. I still like my blade400 for what it is. But the servos are JUNK. The tail servo needs to be replaced IMO as it's absolutely worthless. First crash the cyclic servos will probably strip. They center poorly anyway, so flying the chopper takes alot of practice. This past weekend I had several back to back flights in a huge gym, where there was an indoor flying event. The TREX felt so much more solid than the Blade. I still have the stock tail servo on it though. I have replaced the cyclics with HS65mgs which helped.

So in the end, if your friend doesn't want to spend >$500 and likely won't be flying a ton, then the Blade400 isn't a bad choice. I'd recommend it to someone with the warning that plan on spending $100 for servos, and get a better charger, b/c at least for me the eflight charger took about 1.5hrs to charge the stock 1800mah pack, and didn't balance worth a turd. So your at $369+100+79(fma direct cellpro 4s), $550 there. The stock DX6i radio is quite decent IMO, plenty for what a starter will need. Anything past beginner though will probably want a 7ch though.

So rambling a bit more.............. Ask your friend if he'd be satisfied with this one chopper, and likely won't buy more.... IF he's an upgrader, or a person that enjoys "better" or more upscale items, options etc... then get a better chopper up front. It will save him down the road. If he's a value shopper and satisfied with not having the best, then the Blade400 is a decent choice. I do agree though now, that it's not setup right out of the box to fly. I thought it was, but after more experience I see I just didn't know better.

btw I'm not trying to call any of the Blade 400 owners cheap or that you didn't get a good bird. I'm an odd person...... I'm kind of schitzophrenic between cheap and I gotta have the best. Obviously, the two are usually polar opposites. I bought the Blade400's b/c I felt and still feel they are a decent value. I got into my TREX's b/c I felt they offered more quality at a reasonable price, and could perform better, once the nut behind the wheel isn't so loose ;)

[widower]

I also agree with Jim. For a decent price, it gets you into the hobby quickly. Parts are easily available (except for stock servos which you will want to replace with something else when the strip after the first crash) and replacement parts are cheap.

If he/she enjoys the blade and grows into this addictive hobby, they will want to upgrade to a trex or equivalent. If they upgraded their blade servos, they could always re-use them on their next machine.