Help!! Blade400 or Trex450

[laz51]

I am looking to get a 400 size heli which would be the best the blade400 or the trex450 and why?? Thanks to everyone who replys to this thread.

[wichmanj]

this is covered alot. I would do the rex. the intial cost is cheaper on the blade but you can buy a used rex setup for 500 600 RTF radio and all. I think you will like it more and you will have at least that in the blade getting it to fly smoothly/

[Flyemhigh]

T-rex without a doubt. I own some eflite helis and I have a t-rex 450se. The trex is alot more heli than the 400. It is also better built. I am always spending money on the eflites compared to the rex which is seldom. Another thing to look at is parts availability. I would check with your local hobby shops and see what they are selling. That way you are not waiting on parts that you ordered online. Which ever one you choose good luck and be patient.

[Mon_t]

The T-rex 450 and Blade 400 both have good and bad points....
That being said I would recommend the T-Rex for the following reasons.
A lot of people end up replacing the cyclic servos on the blade as they strip if you look at them the wrong way. I ended up replacing them with hs65hb's.
Then you need to upgrade the gyro as the g110 isn't that great and then of course if you upgrade the gyro then you end up putting a digital tail servo on.
The stock eflite batteries are not that crash hot.
Also they seem more fragile in a crash compared to my friends T-Rex.
So if you factor in that you will need to spend an extra $150-$200 for a gyro/servo combo.
Then another $70-$90 replacing the cyclic servos...
So if you think about it its really $460+200+90 = $780.
and then after a while you end up replacing the stock charger..... so there's even more money that you could have put to it initially.

B400 Pluses,
They do fly well once setup correctly..
Horizon's support is Excellent
The DX6i is good. But can be had separately for around $200 now.

T-rex minuses.
They are heavier.
The swash plates wear out really quickly.
The head dampers wear out after a couple of flight and usually end up being replaced by fuel tubing.
Better parts support (where I live anyway)

Can't think of anything else right now.
Hope this helps.

[carlo_the_wonder_frog]

T-Rex, you have to build it yourself which is important because you will crash guaranteed and have to rebuild. The swash plate and dampeners do NOT wear out after a couple flights, if you build it correctly they will last a long time. There have been some issues with swashes wearing out a bit soon, but these are people who are flying hard 3d, if your a noob you won't be doing that for a while.

Besides the T-Rex has to be built and you can provide the best electronics right off the bat, with the blade 400 you will be forced to replace all the servos right away after they cause a crash that sends you back to get even more parts to fix all the stuff that the crap servos breaking in mid flight cost. Your looking at $150 to replace the 3 cyclics with good Metal Gear servos and a nice digital tail servo on the blade 400. So whatever the cost of the 400, add $150 to the cost and several hours of setup. Another thing the blade 400 is touted as having been flight tested at the factory, this is total and utter BS, they never fly well out of the box and have to be gone through with a fine tooth comb to get all the links the correct length and all the gyro settings down, plus all the radio programming redone.

Don't get me wrong, the blade 400 is WAY WAY better than e-flites P.O.S. blade cp, and with a little help can actually fly pretty dang well.

Your decision will probably stem on what your LHS carries and price of all the items. Its not unheard of to spend $1600 on a well built T-Rex450 with all the best upgrades and a nice radio to boot.

Good Luck!!

[Wrench]

Another thing the blade 400 is touted as having been flight tested at the factory, this is total and utter BS, they never fly well out of the box and have to be gone through with a fine tooth comb to get all the links the correct length and all the gyro settings down, plus all the radio programming redone.

Good Luck!!

Mine flew perfect out of the box. I found the Blade 400 a great Heli to learn on, cheap to buy parts for and easy to find. The only upgrade I believe it needs is the servo's. But at less than $3 a servo gear set they're cheap enough to fix. I use the Blade to try new things before I try them on my Trex600. :)

[Kurtzz]

There is no way you can spend $1600 on a TRex 450 and nice radio. Maybe $1000 tops, including a DX7 Radio, Futaba 401 gyro/9650servo, 3 HS65MG's for cyclic.

Kurtzz

[sokal]

sI6HkR49oSU
been flying for 8 months started with the cpp
my 400 has the JR heli pack and the 401 and CF blades and flies great


i agree the trex is a nice bird built well and flys well

and the 400 with some TLC will also fly well
servos and gyro isent topnotch as in why i upgraded them

if your just starting out the 400 is a good start
gets you in to this size heli and parts are cheap

either way you will be happy and flying
total cost $750 blade 400 and servo/gyro/blades

[7wt]

Just make sure what ever you pick you can get a ready stock of parts. I chose the Blade because every store around here has a good stock of parts and they are pretty reasonable. The cost to repair a Blade is a fair bit cheaper than the cost to repair a Trex. I love my Blade and I will probably end up spending a lot of money on it in the long run. I am a firm believer in dancing with the one that brought you. That being said, I plan on having several in my stable after the curve has been learned. Logo 500, Trex, and a MiniTitan are all on my short list.

[nickwa04]

I suggest 450 sa. I started on cx2 moved to 450sa and love it when i crash i try paying aluminum parts. But at least buy dx7 i bought the dx6 first and regretted it. I have saw the blade and seems to me the t-rex is better for the long haul. i have been flying for about a year and now have an aurora on order but will never get rid of my t-rex 450 but its al a matter of opinion

[fishboy77]

I suggest 450 sa. I started on cx2 moved to 450sa and love it when i crash i try paying aluminum parts. But at least buy dx7 i bought the dx6 first and regretted it. I have saw the blade and seems to me the t-rex is better for the long haul. i have been flying for about a year and now have an aurora on order but will never get rid of my t-rex 450 but its al a matter of opinion

Can anybody tell me why the DX7 is so much better than the DX6i for this application?

[04stangman]

Trex, without a doubt.

[iflymyhelishigh]

yeah the DX7 is better because

more channels
better programming

its better in the long run if you want to get a nitro heli because you want to have a governer or rev limiter.

[iflymyhelishigh]

ALSO.

http://www.helihobby.com/html/trex_helicopter.html

you can get a 500 dollar 450S setup w/o charger.

[Scotty T]

Trex 450SE v2 go for the gold, you won't regret it.

but then again, if you are new and you crash a lot, a B400 might be a better option.

[srhadden]

If you enjoy building, get a t-rex, you can learn a lot about setting up a heli by building one and watching the finless videos. If you just want to fly and not bother, then try the blade.

[benzee1]

I plan on getting a B400 very soon. Cost is main factor. I can fly NOW for under $400 (lhs by me is $389). Trex 450 is $800-1200 once all is said and done. I'll learn 3D on the B400 then I plan on moving to a trex 600 or 700 later. I have CX2 right now. I've learned to disassemble my CX2, then I'll learn to repair the b400. When I go for Trex, I'll be buying a part at a time so I can have the best of the best when assembly time comes.

Everyone has their own opinion. As much as I'd like to have trex now, I know that it's better to work my way up to it. Maybe 'cause I'm older and wiser now.

[singingperry]

Sokal, great flying buddy on your video! I wish I had you as a neighbor, need a test pilot. I just spent a week and 400 bucks rebuilding my B400 after several bouts with those stock servos. Got the JR high speed servo set with metal gears and the Futaba 401 gyro among other crash necessities. They say its worth it but its tough gettin back on that horse. I must say that the B400 is easier to fix than it looks once you know where those feathering shaft bearings go.I was surprised how good it flew out of the box, until a skid snagged on the grass and pulled the heli over causing a mild blade strike. Thats all it took to strip the servo gears, even after replacing the gears the stock servos just gave me problems. I still love my heli though. The radio alone is worth the price of admission.

[Alpha_&_Omega]

i had the same decision to make a few months ago. never flying heli's before and with a tight budget i got a 400. stripped the servos and upgraded to hs65 mgs (simple mod to the frame. then added a gy401 and s9650 on the tail. eventually i threw a trex head, tail, motor w/esc on and a castle bec. now after the crashes have stopped i sold my parts and air frame and 400 hundred parts and used the cash to upgrade to a t-rex v2. once i sell the stock head, tail, esc and motor I'll be around a 200 dollar upgrade to a better frame. also the v2 feathering shafts, though expensive, donot bend nearly as easily as the ever swaping b400 equivilant.

[HeliSmith]

The Blade 400 is a nice heli but I like the Trex 450 and yeah the package we have is nice. I like the SE V2 package personally but a lot of guys like the S because it is light with the same performance ability. I guess I like the bling and not having to replace broken head parts.

The DX7 isn't better than the DX6i they both use DSM2 and feel very nice when I am flying with them. I went with a DX7 because I knew I would want to go nitro eventually which I have now. I do like the look and feel of the DX7 better but the DX6i uses 4 AA batteries so that is a real plus. I am always having to stay up late the night before a weekend flying day because I forgot to charge my radio.

[sokal]

both are great
depends on your buget and the level your at

the b400 is a good starter to get you in to the hobby. crashes cost less

the rex is a well proven frame handles great and has many performance upgrades


so buy what your pocket can take
both will put a smile on your face

[Slyster]

I agree with many here.. that the Blade 400 will 'get you in'..... my wife wouldn't have let me spend the money needed for a T-rex (I had no radio)... but on Ebay I found a B400 for $359 and free shipping... I am in! Of course... once your in.. realize that no matter what you will be out 1-2 grand after a few years since you will want the Trex ANYWAY!

[Modifyit15]

T-rex is a good heli along with the blade, But I will tell you I gaot rid of my trex after buying the blade because the blade has way cheaper parts and my main purpose for having a small heli is to try the hard 3D. and you know hard 3D will include a crash sooner or later. so in the long run the blade is way cheaper and flies just as good witha new tail servo (futaba 9257)

[TowPilot]

T-rex is a good heli along with the blade, But I will tell you I gaot rid of my trex after buying the blade because the blade has way cheaper parts and my main purpose for having a small heli is to try the hard 3D. and you know hard 3D will include a crash sooner or later. so in the long run the blade is way cheaper and flies just as good witha new tail servo (futaba 9257)

I like how you said this in public and hopefully while sober :)

I think I'm on the same track of using the B400 as a great little learning machine. I bought them used, with the upgrades, so how much cheaper can one get into the hobby, have a great flying little B400 with the 401's and JR's or HiTec servos?

And like you said, repairs are less costly.
I'll raise my hand and be counted :thumbup:

[JOMAZQ]

Along the lines of Sokal's post

I'd submit that if you've got a computerized radio, go for the trex

If you happen to have a dx7 or 9303 laying around then I would tend toward the TRex

:D