Current and/or Ex-Owners of T-Rex 450 SE/V2 AND Blade 400 Comments

[stvjeep]

I'm trying to get any perspectives that I can on people who have owned/flown or do own both the T-Rex 450 SE/V2 and the Blade 400. While researching it's VERY hard not to find a non-biased opinion. Owners of one or the other say the other is crap. Anyone who has flown both please comment on your comparison findings. This is in regard to SPORT flying. Non-3D.

[skunkworx]

If you are going to take the plunge, the T-rex is a much more sound airframe albiet at a higher cost. There was another post somewhere that discussed this in pretty good depth, but alas, not much use because it was just back and forth.
One of the best helis you can get for the price would simply be the HoneyBee King II. You can pick up the set for around $170-$220 and be in the air, and most owners will contend that it is perfect for the beginner. Cheap, available parts and a very capabl flier. I cannot comment personally however because I've only seen them fly, not owned.

My other recommendation is the Blade CP Pro. Before anyone goes scoffing at this idea, watch this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbCLylSm-OI
Other than the radio, you can do this same setup for way cheaper than just about any other heli out there and it'll beat the pants off of just about anything else I've seen flying. You could probably pick up a used CPP for dirt cheap on ebay and get everything going on it for less than $500 compared with almost $1,000+ for the Trex or $600-$700 for the B400.

[damyxz]

Yes the blade CP pro is aerobatic capable....in the hands of a pro pilot, we are talking beginner here and for beginners the blade CP series are really frustrating to fly( if it ever flies). The HB king V2 is a good small heli for the price. No to blade 400( Just really hyped up kit because it's a brand name...basically not even worth the money you pay for it) Yes to the Trex series. Any model trx 450/ 500/ 600 will be a good start up heli if you can have someone to help you set it up. The secret to owning a good flying heli is in the set up. Another suggestion is the e-sky e-smart (really high fun factor for the price) A larger heli, easier to for a beginner to fly and cost less than a trex 450 to set up. Still needs some experienced help to set it up though.

[skunkworx]

Yes the blade CP pro is aerobatic capable....in the hands of a pro pilot, we are talking beginner here and for beginners the blade CP series are really frustrating to fly( if it ever flies).

Not true. If you can get a Trex in the air as a nOOb, you can definately get the CPP in the air. The difference is all in the electronics. Considering most people expect the CP/CPP to be doing tic-tocs out of the box, it's no wonder that everyone gets frustrated and goes for the 450. Trust me, if you put the same quality electronics in the CP/CPP, you'd be flyin just as well as the guy in the vid (he's only been flying for a little over a year) The setup you see in the video is super easy to do. Once you get a good radio, you can do just about anything, with any heli if you put your mind to it. The biggest thing is that the Trex simply has more people using it, therefore, more support is available which is probably why the Trex has a higher success rate, but getting one is a little unecessary in the "bang-for-your-buck" category.

[widower]

I have a b400 and I can see myself purchasing a trex450 maybe next summer. I just want to be proficient at loops, roles and maybe inverted before 'moving up'. The b400 was cheap and allowed me to get into the hobby at a low cost. Plastic replacement parts are also cheap so crashes don't hurt the pocket book. I don't regret purchasing the b400. It's gotten me a long ways.

So if you have the money and don't mind spending it, go for the trex. If you're a newb or want to try the hobby first, get a b400. My wife would have killed me in my sleep if I purchased a trex. The price is close to double the b400 once you include a charger, gyro etc.

[terrybeb]

I have the T-REX 450 SE V2 and my Buddy has the Blade 400. he put in the JR servos and the 3400G tail servo. He still has the original Gyro on it. Blades are mushy but work fine for now as he is just hovering. I find the blade to be a very smooth flying heli. I doubt it will do what the T-Rex will, having said that if your a beginner your not going to be using the performance enhancements of the 450 anyhow. I find nothing wrong with the Blade other than it really needs a better tail servo and while your at it get the other three in a package deal and be done with it. Until your actually sport flying the Gyro once set up with the 3400G is respectable for the beginner pilot.

My 2cents

[Hotwings]

I own several t-rex 450's, i have flown two blade 400's. The blade 400 would fly out of the box, not well but they would fly. once set up a little (tail especially) they flew ok for a beginner. I don't think that there's any comparison apples to apples. You get what you pay for, the 400 is fine for a beginner. Ron

[concept1]

the 400 is a great start for a begginner. and it will fly well, add some upgrades and I have seen them fly very well, but it is designed as a first start for a new guy on a limited budget. I have a local JR rep who flies one that just has carbon blades and it is a nice machine for what it is.
the Trex is deffinatly better. No way would I recomend a Blade CPP! yes I also had one that flew well, but it is not even in the ball park of the 450's, it is really more of a play toy.
for someone who is sereous on getting into the hobby the Trex or Mini titan are hard to beat

[Gr4yb3ard]

Yes,

I've done the cppro and it got me flying, but I think it was too much for a noob. I finally got it going, but then got a 400. Much, much more pleasant, and I think I've got something that will last a while.

Went out and bought a t-rex, it's pretty cool, but now I don't want to fly it, cause it's pretty, and expensive, and pretty expensive... well, I'll just have to get past that, right?

So, FWIW, I don't think you'd go wrong with the blade 400. I stated previously that I predict it will be the next volkswagen of the industry, we'll see.

But, if you get a wild hair and get a 'rex, you won't go wrong either, the quality is definately there, and just go check out the number of posts for these birds versus anything else!

Heck, it's all good. Don't worry, go out and fly something!!! ;-)

Gr4yb3ard
"Huh? ...what was that?... ...are you awake?... ....yeah!, what happened... ...I thought I heard something... ...good lord, we were both asleep.... ....well, everything looks good... ...aah, lets discuss this when we get back..."

[damyxz]

Sorry for this late post..been out of town. Regarding the blade CP, byt the time you buy the kit and all the upgrades, the cost will be nearing a trex 450 XL kit. And still if it was a beginner, that's also time and money wasted trying to make the blade CP fly right. Then there's the fact that the blade CP electronics are highly prone to failure especially the 4 in 1. Personally I'd rather wait a little and buy a heli with less aggravation connected to it. Price wise, I have seen a trex 450XL kit for about 99 bucks at a local hobbytown, add an 80 dollar gyro, 55's) a good tail servo HS 81(20 bucks), JR 6102 with RX and 4 digital servos( 200 bucks or less if get it used or from Ebay), battery 25 bucks from hobby city(3S 2100 mAh 20C), charger (esky 2-3 cell) 11-15 bucks. total = 414 bucks...still cheaper than the blade 400.

[ag4ever]

I had this same delima when looking at my first Heli.

I was thinking of getting a coaxial, but was turned off by the toy like quality and the toy like transmitters.

Then I looked at the CP and Blade 400, again, I was not happy with the feel of the CP (did not like a motor driven tail. The blade was a serious continder.

My final decision was made by the radio. I really wanted the DX7 fo my planes, and did not like the look or feel of the DX6i. It just feels too cheap and toy like for my tastes.

Now granted, the entry price for a Blade 400 is very reasonable at less than $500.

I have more than that in my Trex 450 SE V2 than the all up cost of the Blade 400.

My specs are:

Trex 450 SE V2 - $500
DX7 w/AR6100, 3 DS285 - $350
GY401 - $140
F9257 - $55

So for a basic setup, I have $1045 in the Trex which is more than double the price of the Blade 400. (If you factor in the extra batteries, tools, gauges, and training wheels, I have more than $1,400 invested in my bird.)

Now granted you can go with a 450sa and the DX6i and a lesser tail gyro/servo and lesser cyclic servos, but if you are doing that, I personally think you should just get the Blade 400 since hop-up parts are starting to hit the street. With good hop-up parts the blade 400 gets close to the full tilt Trex 450.

If I was buying a kit today, I honestly would look at the Bean B4 since I think it is the best kit on the market. It just does not have the parts support the align birds have.

So my personal view is:

If you have the $ go with the Trex 450 or Beam B4.

If you want to get in the air for a minimum investment and still get non "toy" functionality, go for the Blade 400.

And I don't mean any disrespect to those helis I called toy grade, but they are not in the same class as the serious hobbist kits. They are still good fun though.

No matter how you cut it a beginer like me can't reach the full potential of any of these machines. And contrary to popular belief, you can setup a heli without hands on help. I watched the finless videos and the Jeromo radio video, and had my heli hovering on the first try. No drifting, no vibrations, and no troubles.

[mupchu]

Sorry for this late post..been out of town. Regarding the blade CP, byt the time you buy the kit and all the upgrades, the cost will be nearing a trex 450 XL kit. And still if it was a beginner, that's also time and money wasted trying to make the blade CP fly right. Then there's the fact that the blade CP electronics are highly prone to failure especially the 4 in 1. Personally I'd rather wait a little and buy a heli with less aggravation connected to it. Price wise, I have seen a trex 450XL kit for about 99 bucks at a local hobbytown, add an 80 dollar gyro, 55's) a good tail servo HS 81(20 bucks), JR 6102 with RX and 4 digital servos( 200 bucks or less if get it used or from Ebay), battery 25 bucks from hobby city(3S 2100 mAh 20C), charger (esky 2-3 cell) 11-15 bucks. total = 414 bucks...still cheaper than the blade 400.


While that is cheap . . . that setup would perform worse or about the same as a blade 400.

I own a blade 400, and a trex 450SE-V2. While I would tend to agree that the Trex platform as a whole is better than the blade, I would not say that of the 450XL, or SA models. If you are going to get a Rex . . get a SE-V1 or SE-V2. Better to spend the money up front instead of replacing so much along the way. I don't see the advantage of getting the cheaper plastic Trex's other than you can get better components to start with. To get the low price you are doing the same thing the blade does suffer from and that is cheap components. The airframe itself flies really well, and honestly the Blade400 is a good value for what it is.

[skunkworx]

Forget about the SE V-1 if you can, go straight for the V2. It comes equipped better right out of the box and you can tame it down -VS- maxing out on performance and having to get the better ESC and motor/Frame/tail block/head and one-way bearing upgrade. There's probably more things than that, but it's just a much better idea to spend the extra pennies on the V2 if you can (and if you decide to go the T-rex route that is!).

One huge lesson I've learned is that there really are NO bad helis out there. While some are better for beginners, eventually you'll grow into better helis if you stick with it for long. I agree that the Trex and the 400 are both good routes because you can basically learn to set them up yourself with little help, but at the same time, even the 'nicer' helis are difficult for someone who has absolutely no help at all. I've fixed quite a few birds that flew great, but were cursed up and down by their owners (and in some cases, the former owners) because they couldn't figure out how to get them going. Just be patient with anything you select and ask around. Someone is bound to know lots about it and you can get help with it if you need it.

[ginnz]

as a beginner heli, e-flite did a good job with the blade 400. it has cheap parts, and comes with the DX6I! which is far better then the other rtf beginner heli's!

if you like heli's, the DX6I gives you lots of room to grow!

[smokin3000gt]

I started with the B400. It was/is a great heli to learn on. As nervous as I was to fly it, it's not as nervous as I would've been with a new shiny rex. After I was getting the hang of flying, I upgraded my servos to hs65mg, bought a trex 450 head only to find out that the swash wouldn't work with the Blade. Was looking for another gyro and tail servo. Using ALIGN blades. After I had the 450v2 head in my hands, and I could do a comparrison (smoothness of swash bearing on the trex vs blade) I stopped for a minute and thought 'what am I doing? I might as well buy a rex instead of trying to transform this bird into one'

All I can say is I understand what all the trex guys have been saying all along. What a pleasure it is to fly! :happyd

Even though I love the B400, I promised myself I'd put it on ebay. ARF

If you stick with the hobby you will slowly (not very slowly once you get started) and surely end up with a 450.

Hope that makes sense, the night is winding down

[smokin3000gt]

as a beginner heli, e-flite did a good job with the blade 400. it has cheap parts, and comes with the DX6I! which is far better then the other rtf beginner heli's!

if you like heli's, the DX6I gives you lots of room to grow!

They hit the nail on the head! Parts are everywhere, and they come in pairs. One thing that I haven't heard mentions on here much is if you are new, and you invest in a rex, you better know that you love this hobby. (though it was love at first sight for me and most of us) The Blade is a great bird to find out how much your willing to fix/repair/repeat.

[Entityofme1]

I can honestly recommend saving your money and buying a t-rex over a blade 400. A friend of mine has a Blade 400 and to this day he consistently has to do maintenance on it almost every day/flight to get it to fly decent for the next day/flight. I'm not talking about a tiny bit of torque here and there on some screws like many of us may do after a post/pre flight inspection.I'm talking about substantial maintenance with boom adjustment from it slipping inside the frame and using CA glue to keep it in one place. It's gotten to the point where he has actually started apologizing to me over his heli for me spending so much time with him on trying to get the bird to fly right when we go flying together.

I actually don't mind helping him at all on it. It's just that many times the efforts we put forth to try and make a difference in it's flying characteristics all seem for nothing. Literally this bird is one of the most frustrating to set up CCPM wise on the swash and head than any I've encountered althought my experience is only across the board with 3 different heli's. It's very painstaking to try and get the blades to track perfectly and reduce vibrations. It became almost impossible for the heli to maintain a stable hover with the inadequate gyro and tail servo that came with the kit. He eventually bought a 401 and 9650 servo for the tail which finally got it under control. The ball linkages come off the head far more frequently in flight than what would be considered acceptible as a random mechanical error. This often more than likely is always going to induce a crash which he has indured a number of times from that very issue. The bottom line is he has almost as much money on replacement parts than he has the helicopter over the course of 3 months. I'm telling the absolute truth. The parts are very inexpensive which just reinforces the regularity of mechanical hiccups he has experienced. Grant you some of those issues were pilot errors from lack of setup knowledge due that it's already built (you don't learn anything setup wise from buying it already assembled),but most were not due to his part and were solely because of the heli's design.

I'll close with asking that a flame war not be started over this post if you just consider what I've told you as a genuine effort in an attempt to offer people help. I'm not claiming the blade 400 doesn't have a value or use because it does come with a decent remote and gets the buyer out of toy flying. However, it is worth more to think long term about what you really want out of this hobby and your flying for the future in respect to what you are willing to spend for a higher level and overall better experience.