new to 6-ch

[RyanF]

Hello, I have been flying small 4-channel helis for some time, specifically the megatech housefly 2. I want to get into 6-ch helis and I have seen many things about the trex450's. It seems like the best heli to get because it has support for a variety of projects. I was wondering If I could have some help in getting a parts list together by november for my birthday. My price range is around $300 and I live in an area with open fields where they just harvested corn and beans. I want to also get a small wireless camera I can mount on it for FPV. I got into looking at 6-channel helis for about 6 months and know what most of the part names of a heli are. Also, just curious, how much lift can these helis get when you hold them? My megatech had about 5-10 lbs before it broke. It works but something happens to it as far as control goes. It gets flying for about 3 minutes then looses its control and spirals and crashes, usually breaking blades. I have since taken it apart and used the servos and radio to make an FPV mount. I have no receivers or transmitters, only knowledge about the hobby. Any help on getting a new heli is helpful. Oh and no clones. I prefer to keep stuff genuine ever since I got a new graphics card for my PC that was made by a company who discontinued it a month after I bought it. And yes, I know a lot about PC's and am transferring hobbies. I used to be a part of another site and made many posts on the topics of PSPs and Xboxes. http://www.acidmods.com/forum/index....rofile;u=14489

[eightythree]

$300 wouldnt even get ya a new kit.. Then factor price of an entry level transmitter, charger, batteries, tools etc... Best bet would be to shark the forums for good used deals.
The 450pro is a very good heli. I can only comment on 3d flying, not sure about what sort of load ot can handle.

Welcome to the hobby. It can be very addictive and wallet draining for sure!

[RyanF]

I have been in the hobby for a few years but I just started looking at 6ch helis recently. I have talked in the chat here to some people who had clones. He owned some E-razors and said they can use the parts from align helis. It looks like they might not be as bad as I thought they were. The only reason I hated clones was because I was screwed over by a company in the PC fields. It may be different in the heli areas as each hobby has its differences and the bad guy may be better or worse in each one.

[Lunar Wolf]

Consider getting a good clone line a Tarot 450pro kit - under $150 shipped but your'll still need a good 6ch radio set like a DX6i, servo's, motor, esc, gyro and batteries.

@ $300 you will still be short for a new build but as already said look for a 2nd hand machine.

[RyanF]

and don't forget the charger. I have almost nothing for this and my parents are only allowing a small budget. I have seen some on ebay that are ~$170 and $50 for the shipping. They look like the genuine trex helis and have everything but the charger. Do you think those helis are real?

[robbancs]

I'd also consider getting a single rotor fixed pitch heli first. I know many people here have learnt on collective pitch (6ch) right away. But at the beginning you'll crash a lot, and a fixed pitch heli is super-cheap to fix, it doesn't even break in most light crashes, unlike a 450.
Once you've learnt the basics (it'll be much different from your coax, so you've got much learn), it'll be much easier to move on to a CP heli.

[hydmech]

take a look at this tread. the fp 450 is one of the most forgiving helis i have ever flown, and with a cheap tx/rx it fits your budget.


https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=262663

[Miami Son]

A $300 budget just won't cut it at this level even with a clone. By the time you buy your bird, the tools necessary to set it up properly, a radio and receiver, batteries and a charger, you'll be well past that budget. Your first crash will likely cost you $30-50 and the learning curve is such that without the additional expense of a simulator you can expect many more crashes. If all you want is to take a small camera up, look into a larger fixed-pitch heli and forget about ccpm until your budget can handle it. You don't need 3D to take pictures anyway.

[RyanF]

I have wanted to do 3d flights, but I also wanted to get into aerial photography. Some of my flights will be in an indoor area, specifically a 1 acre building that used to be a factory with tall machines used for cutting metal. It has a good 30' ceiling, more than enough to learn basic skills eg hover, movement, spinning. I will have to go out to the back of the building to do the 3d flights outside. I just wish I had an RC hobby club in my area but this is a small farming community. Anybody here know of a hobby club in Tipton, Indiana? I have seen RC cars in the area but not helis.

[Miami Son]

Only an experienced pilot would consider flying indoors with a 450. I commend your ambition, but you really are going about it all wrong. Even learning to hover with a 450 ccpm bird requires a lot of clear space because you need room to correct if something goes wrong. Flying indoors and around equipment is a recipe for disaster no matter how high the ceiling. There really are no shortcuts and with your low budget and lack of a sim I'm afraid you're headed for trouble. These are dangerous machines that can do a lot of damage, so consider that before you attempt something like flying indoors with no sim training and no ccpm experience. Either wait until your budget is enough to include a sim or, as I already suggested, find a bigger fixed-pitch heli for the time being.

[RyanF]

There is no way I am going without a sim. having said that, this building is nonoperational. The presses have since been sold and the pits filled with concrete. The building is a good 500 yards long of just clear stretch nothing blocking the view. It makes it perfect for tuning the heli as I have learned how to tune them without them getting off the ground. I understand that I may be spending a lot of money past the budget for it. I am just trying to get all the stuff for it this year because next year I will be 16 and own a car.

[sarpilot]

I would start with a sim like Phoenix which is designed for helicopters. It has planes too but truly designed for helicopters.... For $100 or so you can practice and crash to your heart's content for free.....

[CoolKD]

I would also recommend staring with a sim. With the kind of budget you got, it's just not enough for a CCPM heli. Learn to fly and save up for a real kit. I personally don't like Clones, I would rather look for some better main stream stuff. (not talking "dirty" about people that have them)
Like all ready mentioned, this hobby is very wallet hungry and don't let the budget point you in the wrong direction. I have had 3 friends that was so fed up about there cheep kit not working right that they actually quit the hobby because of it. Is it one thing you don't want when starting out is to fiddle around with the heli more than you fly it. I made that mistake and yes, I learned allot from it but would never go that route again if I had the chance to start over again. So I try to talk people out of getting the cheep stuff..
Nothing is cheap in this hobby. Good luck

BTW: If you do decide on getting a clone, I hear allot of good stuff about the 450pro TAROT. It's a true copy of the Align Trex450pro. Don't know about the quality difference. I still don't recommend it personally.

[SQRT(-2)]

Want into 6 channel cheep, I had a Walkera 1#A and liked it, and it is reasonable. It is a good little learner heli.

http://www.wowhobbies.com/walkera1ar...ansmitter.aspx

Get the foam blades with it. Most crashes the damage is minor and you only have to replace the blades.

http://www.wowhobbies.com/copterxcx2...ter-1-2-1.aspx

[RyanF]

I have found a trex 450 on ebay. I was wondering if this is a real one or clone. Can anybody tell? http://www.ebay.com/itm/TITAN-6-CH-H...item19c4e723d7 All it needs is a charger.

[Miami Son]

Titan is a clone and a bad one at that. Why eBay allows sellers to misrepresent garbage as Align T-Rexs is beyond me. Be very careful with helis on eBay listed as T-Rexs as most are not genuine.

[chrismechanic]

there is nothing wrong with starting indoors... i learnt to fly in a school gym.
it was alot easier than trying outside in the howling winter winds.
i also learnt on a cp heli too... i did not want a fp or coaxial junk..with a sim or course.

i have fitted a keychain cam to a 450 but i doubt a 450 would lift a proper camera and still fly nice...good luck.
chris...

[lcc014]

I would agree with others who suggested to fly a FP heli first before moving into CP heli like 450. I bought the T-REX 450 Pro kit from ebay, no motor, no servos, no gyro and no ESC for about $280 including shipping. I then bought the electric and electronics for my 450. So far, i have spent more than $500 on top of the 450 Pro (including TX and RX) to get all the necessary components to build and setup my 450. It is a wallet hungry hobby.

I also flying my FP heli (Hirobo SRB Quark) right now indoor and outdoor. It is a little bit smaller the a 250 but with foam blades (main and tail). Most of the crash only involve broken main blades and tail blades. No damage to the heli itself. This heli allows me to practice all the basic maneuver and it will be a stepping stone to move on to CP heli like 450. I also own a sim - Real Flight (about $200). It helps to learn hovering ....

Thanks,

[sarpilot]

You said you had $300 I think and that will not buy much more than a good sim. Start with that and save for a good heli like the 450Pro or whatever no BS many of us have been down that "but it's cheap" road and regret it. You get what you pay for in everything in life....

[shock]

I commend your efforts. If I were you I would get the $70 EXI pro 450, and dynam heli kit combo for $50 from xheli. That leaves $180 for a dx6i and a couple batts. Also invest in a multi blade setup if lifting power is what you want, not 3d. Clones are a great way to see if you want to invest more into the hobby, or if CCPM helis are not for you.