New Align 450 Plus RTF and Disappointed

[howboy]

Hello all,

Well, I am still a newbie, and was progressing fine with my Blade 450 3D, actually learning from a few crashes. Still using training wheels, and lost my practice tennis court when school let out for the summer.

So, with the Blade needing some more setup after servo replacements, etc., I thought I'd get a fresh heli, and decided to try the Align 450 Plus RTF, since I've read some good stuff about Align.

I received the Align 450 yesterday, read the manuals last evening, and this morning decided to fire it up on my work table attached to training wheels.

So far, I've had problems positioning the battery so the cables would connect, have had to adjust the flybar paddles to level correctly, and have found that the tail slider does not return to center properly. Also, I have found a potential problem with two sets of servo wires too close to the tail belt drive gear. The battery positioning is frustrating, since there is only about 1-1/2 inches of wire from the ESC, and the battery can only be mounted with the battery wires facing up, which makes for a bulge to the side of battery wires.

Firing it up on my work table, there was one set of beep-beeps that would not stop, the flybar would not level, and the cyclic response does not seem right, compared to my Blade.

As for the T6 radio, I'm also disappointed. It has an overall "cheap" feel and look, and the switch labels are confusing. I had to ask on this forum which position "normal" is so I would not start up in "idle up."

So far, I'm disappointed with this Align product, and at a loss what to do. Return it to the vendor? Mess around trying to make right a "Ready to Fly" helo? I don't want to take it outside for a hover yet, until I'm satisfied with operation on the work table.

Any others with the 450 Plus RTF that have had problems? Disappointments? How do you mount the battery and deal with the cables? My Blade 450 3D is way better, so far.

Thanks,

Howie

[walkera4g3]

Align hasn't been getting any good rep lately with this RTF 450. For the cheap price it's a very basic and introductory heli. I'm seeing more and more complaints about Align lately too. Isn't the Align 450 RTF cheaper than your Blade 450 3D?

[willr001]

The tail slider behavior is normal for heading hold, you can use rate mode to see centering. Sounds like the esc doesn't know your throttle settings. Did you try having it relearn your throttle endpoints?

[howboy]

Hello again,

Well, I've decided to send this Align 450 "RTF" back to the vendor. I'll have to pay for UPS, but I don't want to get involved in trying this and that to get it to fly.

I messed with it some more after my post, and had problems with the battery connectors. I can see the ESC connector eventually breaking from the manipulating I had to do to disconnect the battery.

My Blade 450 3D was fine out of the box, instructions were good, radio was fine.

I've been going over and over the manuals (helo and radio), and realize that the manuals aren't very well written either, disregarding the typical Chinese twists on our language.

I have done much research on Align, and was expecting better. Blade has their faults, but my 450 3D is basically a decent helo, and easy to work on. I have experimented with the programming on the Blade, and the Spektrum DX6i is easy to work with.

I can't ship the Align back until next week, so I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks again,

Howie

[anthony1]

i'll admit to not being a fan of align but i think there heli's are fantastic value for the money, i haven't had any experience of their new 450 plus but i have had great success with the 450 sport that i still fly today, it has gone through a number of upgrades, ie it is now flybarless with a beast x, the tail servo is now a 520 and the cyclic servos are futaba, i bought it as a barebones kit so i never had to deal with bad electronics,
my friend has a blade and the trex sport is better quality, i think from what i've read about the 450 + it's not align's best effort but made to bring people into the hobby, IMHO buy a sport kit(the belt one not the tt one) build it, again this is a great experience for repairing, and fly i don't think you will be as dissapointed as you are now

[Beachbum55]

Howie, don't give up yet! I need help also.

I just unpackaged my second RTF 450 today (1st one got crushed in shipping)and got the battery charged.
I found the solution to the battery is to connect first and then strap in. I have the charging plug on the starboard side so it won't interfere with the aileron servo.
I also have the problem of the tail servo not centering. It will stay wherever you move it to and will not go back to center until you move the stick past center in the opposite direction.
Throttle hold is also reversed from the sim. On the T6 back turns it on and forward off.
I will re-read the transmitter manual and see if there is a way to change this.
I will also try the advice from above post about the heading lock on the tail rotor.

Any help on any of this would be greatly appreciated.

[jonbailie]

I think you should give a build a try sometime. Check out one of the newer super combo 3GX kits from Align. The 450 3GX kit is nice, and goes together pretty well. If you've got a few mechanical skills, a helicopter build can be really gratifying, and will definitely plaster a smile on your face.

I think a flybarless helicopter should be your next choice. They're generally more stable and have the potential to perform better overall. If you can hover your Blade around ok, maybe give a 500 a shot. I went straight to a 600 after learning to fly my 450, and found it was much easier to fly due to the size and weight.

Just a few thoughts. Whatever you decide, don't let one bad bird get you down too much. There's always more helis to buy


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[Van Scott]

Once you build your Sport V2 , fit a Spectrum Receiver & your DX6i will be fine to fly it with.
I followed a similar route & found the Align Sport was a massive leap into rock solid control & response compared to my old Blade. And easier to repair !
I think you need to try a higher spec model than the one you have. Sport V2 would be perfect !!!

[Beachbum55]

Originally Posted by willr001

The tail slider behavior is normal for heading hold, you can use rate mode to see centering. Sounds like the esc doesn't know your throttle settings. Did you try having it relearn your throttle endpoints?

I am in the same situation as Howie. I checked the transmitter set up and the heading hold is "inhibited" ( their terminology) meaning off. Doesn't matter where the throttle stick is the rudder control sticks.

I will make a short video and try to attach. It will make more sense.

Help!

[VortechZ230]

Amen!.... Sport V2 is one sweet heli!, super easy to work on and repair......

[wocka_wocka]

I have a sport v1, not sure of the upgrades they made to v2, but the v1 is great to fly as well.

[tracks]

hey guy..

I have had my 450 rtf for about 2 months now..I have posted many positives about this heli..I guess you could say ..nothing is truly rtf..there were a few bugs to work out....loose belt,tail servo not aligned,blades were not tracking well...other than the normal pre-flight..I love this heli..

as far as the battery..I have the same amount of lead from the ESC..and I have no problem with battery hook-up..I just slide the battery lower on tray...canopy fits well...

yeah my idle-up was off....but the manual tell s you that...kinda like a fail-safe...ya gotta read it..

but hey..send it back and try again..so goes this love-hate hobby..

John

[howboy]

Hello again,

I've decided to return the Align 450 RTF. "Ready to Fly" to me means maybe checking for loose screws and a once-over before first flight, but you shouldn't have to do any replacing parts or changing programming.

I have considered a kit, but since I'm new at helos (about six months), I'd rather concentrate on learning to fly. I have flown the helos on Flight Simulator X on my computer, with settings on the real and advanced side, and am pretty good at the R-22 and others after about five years. I have built models for about sixty years now, and recently built the Tamiya Leopard R/C tank (you actually build the gearbox and differentials on that one), so I'm familiar with assembling kits.

I am not giving up by any means, I enjoy this hobby, and even enjoy repairing and setup after crashing. I have too much invested in my Blade 450 3D to quit. I have parts for that one to last many crashes, so am considering another Blade 450 3D. I am also considering the Blade 500 RTF, I agree that bigger is better. Flybarless will come later, it seems to me to be almost too easy compared to flybarred. I want to get good at flybarred, then go flybarless with a kit.

I'm glad I didn't rush out to the yard with the Align RTF. I would have crashed on my first flight. I don't think they programmed the tail rotor right.

Thanks for all the input.

Howie

[gothicbunny]

I know building a kit may seem a little daunting, but there are many important skills that you will need for flying anyway. The first thing is learning to do a proper set up in the head assembly. The second thing is the heli is going to crash and having built from a kit means you can also repair anything that breaks. Thirdly, you will know what parts go where and how well they are fit together which may not be as obvious in an assembled form.

We all want something that we can just go fly, but these things do require mechanical knowledge unless we are willing to pay somebody to fix them or just buy a new RTF when a $5 part breaks.

[tracks]

hey..

I did do the hurry -up in the yard thing...and all went well,after the checking of everything...basically this heli was RTF...it flew well

but you are doing the right thing by sending it back..if there are mechanical failures...

some times these rtf,s are good...sometimes they are not

for the years I have been a member on this site...the knowledge of these freaks is amazing...listen to em..they can resolve anything...this site is priceless..

best of luck to ya with the return...

John

[jonbailie]

Originally Posted by howboy

Hello again,

I've decided to return the Align 450 RTF. "Ready to Fly" to me means maybe checking for loose screws and a once-over before first flight, but you shouldn't have to do any replacing parts or changing programming.

I have considered a kit, but since I'm new at helos (about six months), I'd rather concentrate on learning to fly. I have flown the helos on Flight Simulator X on my computer, with settings on the real and advanced side, and am pretty good at the R-22 and others after about five years. I have built models for about sixty years now, and recently built the Tamiya Leopard R/C tank (you actually build the gearbox and differentials on that one), so I'm familiar with assembling kits.

I am not giving up by any means, I enjoy this hobby, and even enjoy repairing and setup after crashing. I have too much invested in my Blade 450 3D to quit. I have parts for that one to last many crashes, so am considering another Blade 450 3D. I am also considering the Blade 500 RTF, I agree that bigger is better. Flybarless will come later, it seems to me to be almost too easy compared to flybarred. I want to get good at flybarred, then go flybarless with a kit.

I'm glad I didn't rush out to the yard with the Align RTF. I would have crashed on my first flight. I don't think they programmed the tail rotor right.

Thanks for all the input.

Howie

If you can put together one of those scale rc tanks, you should be just fine with a heli build

The newer super combo kits are very nice, but I would still recommend flybarless. I think it could benefit your learning curve. It's a bit easier to learn hovering, thus you progress into other types of flying more quickly, especially fast forward flight, banked turns, etc.

I would seriously check out the Align 450 V2 3GX kit. It's really nice, especially for the money, and it'll get you well on your way to thoroughly enjoying this hobby. The Blade helicopters are nice too, but the best ones are the newer 'X' machines, like the 300x, 450x, etc. I wouldn't worry about having to fly with a flybar first, then 'progress' to flybarless; just jump into it, and you'll be glad you did There's no huge difference in flight, but flybarless helicopters will generally feel more 'locked-in' and stable, and will not be quite as difficult to get in the air. Aside from having to program the flybarless controller, which isn't generally too hard anyway, the flybarless birds will be your best bet for a future-proof machine, as well as helping your learning process progress at a generally faster pace.


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[jonbailie]

Originally Posted by gothicbunny

I know building a kit may seem a little daunting, but there are many important skills that you will need for flying anyway. The first thing is learning to do a proper set up in the head assembly. The second thing is the heli is going to crash and having built from a kit means you can also repair anything that breaks. Thirdly, you will know what parts go where and how well they are fit together which may not be as obvious in an assembled form.

We all want something that we can just go fly, but these things do require mechanical knowledge unless we are willing to pay somebody to fix them or just buy a new RTF when a $5 part breaks.

Important information ^^



Information and know-how is priceless in this hobby.

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[sarah1097]

Howboy I am surprised you gave up so easily. Everyone who flies helicopters and is usually pretty serious, always completely re do and set the helicopter up the way they want it. It would be hard for align to sit and make a helicopter ready to fly and please every single person out there. the best way to learn how to do this is simple just sit down and do it. I have built several helicopters and I have always built align, and I had a blade 400 as my first. The blade 400 was nice, but the align had a lot more precision. I bet that if you actually sat down on that work bench and complete re did the servos, and or used the dx6i 9which is what your use to anyway) and set this align up, you would love it. If you have had to rebuild your 450 then you know every time you crash, you pretty much start all over with your settings and you re do it. It is easier because you have an idea where things need to be. Again, give it a try, helicopters are not an easy hobby, they take time and love. If you do not know how to do something, simply ask people will help you. some of the things you mentioned or so minor, it would not take long to fix at all. Remember if you give up, you dont learn anything. give it a chance you wont be sorry, I have two 450s a 450 pro a 700f3c and i had a 600 esp, which I sold sadley since I loved that one also. good luck

[tracks]

hey,

what they said..dont give up..It definitely takes time and patience for helis..lots of sim time...aka....lots of practice

I am by no means an experienced flyer...I hover,small circuits.....but I fly within my ability.. I cant throw my helis around like alot of these flyers..but I like flying the way I can...it is truly fun..and thats what its about(aint it?)..

If you ever have a problem with your helis...just ask here...these folks eat,sleep,and breathe helis...they definitely pulled me through...the experience and knowledge these folks have is amazing.

but I am still a-bit leary of going FBL....

[willr001]

Originally Posted by howboy

...
you shouldn't have to do any replacing parts or changing programming.
...
I don't think they programmed the tail rotor right.
...

As I told you in like the third post, the tail rotor is fine. Perfectly normal.

The esc beeping throttle position thing isn't "reprogramming" so much as just something you have to do the first time to have it learn your transmitter. Usually you plug the battery in with the throttle at 100% (idle up), it beeps a few times, then you throttle to 0% (throttle hold) and it beeps some more. Done. Heli setup and ready to fly. 10 seconds.

I think you are imagining problems where there are none. The only actual issue you seem to have brought up is the flybar paddle alignment, but that is easy enough to tweak. Maybe I missed something?