Worth going for a trex 550 from a 500?

[Like2fly]

I have had a trex 500e for around 6 mhts, and I like it very much. A huge step up in quality and stability from my blade 450.

I am now tempted to get a trex 550, but I am not sure if the size difference is big enough to be worth the step.Would you say the difference in feel and flight is substantial, or are they rather similar? (I know the figures, dimension and weight, but for me they are hard to interpret. )

I am not into 3D , I just enjoy scale and sportsflying very much ;-)

Thanks a lot.

[taoY]

Size wise 550 is a bigger step up than 450 to 500. Bigger heli is more stable and easier to see in the air. They do require bigger space to fly. As long as you have the space to fly, it is definitely worth to step up to 550.

To make it more difficult for you, especially you already have 500, Trex600 Pro is another good choice. It is not much bigger than 550 and you may share the battery with 500. Most people uses 3300mAh to 3850mAh battery pack on 600pro. 500 uses battery in the same size range. Depends on how you setup the batteries in 600pro, you can easily share the packs between them.

550 is 6S setup which needs one battery. 600 pro is a 12s setup which requires 2 batteries. Some people prefer to deal with single battery than two. Personally, I don't find it troublesome to deal with two packs. On the other hand 550 can also be a stepping stone of getting 700 size heli.

Either one will be a good choice and you will like it.

Happy flying

Cheater

[koppterx]

it's really not even a question. night and day difference, and I have owned both.

[Way2evl]

I just maidened my 550 today froma 500 and it is night and day difference. Great bird. I'm about to do a thread on it. If you ever plan to go 700 which I think you will because you want to move from 500 to 550 get the 550. The battery packs are the same and can be used in series from the 700. That was one of my major deciding factors. Also the 550 can handle the wind like nothing. Even on 520 blades it is very stable. 500 are great, but once you fly the 550 you wont want to go back. You don't need any more room to fly the 550. All it is is collective management. I measured my 550 next to a 6HV and my physical size was bigger. The 6hv boom is about 40mm longer, The 6hv is a very sleek bird though. I would never switch from a 550 to a 600, not enough difference. Might as well go 700. Sorry about rambling, but I did just get done flying mine and it was great.

[markleyland]

It's a lot different than a 500, such a nice sized heli that you wont get bored of very quickly.

[Like2fly]

Thanks a lot for all the great input! You are very clear and "aligned" (pun intended), so now I just need to decide which one. Oh and then there is the funding

Thank you, very helpful !

[Way2evl]

Sell the 500, keep your 450. You'll never turn back.

[adrian]

Recently sold my 500ESP & got the 550FBL fitted out with v-bar, the 550 is a peach to fly. Flying idle1 settings she'll do all I want out of her in the way of acrobatic pattern style flying & idle2 she turns into a bit of a beast for the 'gentlemans' 3D that I can manage on my old slow thumbs.
I always wanted a Trex600 but was warned off it as being a bit underpowered for its size, the same motor & ESC in the 550 with its 520 blades is about spot on I reckon.

[seldredg]

Let me throw another question into the mix. I'm learning on an MCPX and sim and want to go bigger. I already decided to skip the 450 size. Any reason not to get a 550 instead of 500. I have te room, and I have wind. Plan to use Helicommand or copilot II or some stabilization syste, to help learning.

[Way2evl]

A 500 is a great first heli to have. It is easy to see, it is powerful, it can withstand a good amount of wind. It's a great beginner heli. If you already know how to fly and have the basics down it is pointless to purchase a 500. A 550 is just the better bird to have and it allows you to grow. It flys big, isn't much smaller than a 600. Having said that a 450 is a nice option because it's not much smaller than a 500. If you are still learning on an mcpx get a 450 be ause it will fly way bigger and crash cost are minimal. When your ready to go bigger get a 550, and when your ready to go bigger get a 700+.

[60something]

Might as well go 700. Sorry about rambling, but I did just get done flying mine and it was great.

Need to understand that as you move into 700s, the cost to operate gets way more expensive. There is a bigger cost jump from the 550 to the 700 then there is from the 500 to the 550. 450 is a lot smaller than a 500, just like a 500 is a lot smaller than 550.

Moving from a mcpx, go to the 500 - skip the 450. The 500 will bring you closer to the experience of dealing with larger scale helis (while still keeping the pucker factor under control), with fewer of the downsides of going right to something like a 550. Odds are tho, you'll wind up with one of each...

[ryem3]

Originally Posted by seldredg

Let me throw another question into the mix. I'm learning on an MCPX and sim and want to go bigger. I already decided to skip the 450 size. Any reason not to get a 550 instead of 500. I have te room, and I have wind. Plan to use Helicommand or copilot II or some stabilization syste, to help learning.

Personally, I wouldn't do that. The 450 is really an ideal size to learn on. Sure, a 500 is great, but it is expensive to crash. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" is totally true for helis. A 450 can hit the ground with light damage. When a 500 goes in, it can be quite a mess, even with frames breaking. Very rare to break frames on a 450. After flying an MCPX, a 550 is a very intimidating size. Even the 500 is at first! In my personal progress, I found it very good to make the steps from 450 to 500 to 550. A 550/600/700 are all fairly close and require pretty big space. The experience is pretty similar; more a question of cost in that class. From the 500 to 550, the blades are 10 cm longer, it is a big step and the 550 is a heavy bird. I love mine and it is my latest. Great progression from a 500.

[Like2fly]

Originally Posted by ryem3

Personally, I wouldn't do that. The 450 is really an ideal size to learn on. Sure, a 500 is great, but it is expensive to crash. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" is totally true for helis. A 450 can hit the ground with light damage. When a 500 goes in, it can be quite a mess, even with frames breaking. Very rare to break frames on a 450. After flying an MCPX, a 550 is a very intimidating size. Even the 500 is at first! In my personal progress, I found it very good to make the steps from 450 to 500 to 550. A 550/600/700 are all fairly close and require pretty big space. The experience is pretty similar; more a question of cost in that class. From the 500 to 550, the blades are 10 cm longer, it is a big step and the 550 is a heavy bird. I love mine and it is my latest. Great progression from a 500.

Hear, hear!

I think the 450 is a great learner, easy and cheap to fix. I would never have been able to fly my 500 the way I can today, if I had not had the 450 "to crash with" ;-)

And for some reason the 450 is now easier to fly with the added 500 experience...

[adrian]

Dont discount the 450 size helis, cheap(ish) to buy & cheap to rebuild after the inevitable crash + you can fly them off small areas. I have a 550-but the 1st thing I fly is my 450 everytime-just to get my thumbs up to speed. If I want to try anything new on a heli-its done on the 450 1st.
Every heli pilot needs a 'beater' nearly all the guys I fly with has a 450 for this purpose.

[seldredg]

In looking into the next size heli to get, while waiting for DX6i to come back from HH, I spent some time looking at Youtube videos of people hovering their 450s and 500s for the first time. The 500s looked a lot more stable--less twitchy--- especially with some wind thrown in. Besides stability, I want something large enough to see easily flying against a background that will be green or brown hills, not sky generally. One of biggest issues with the MCPX is hoq quickly it gets too small to see clearly. I figure on minimzing crashes and making training easier by using a stabilization system. It does seem that many people think the 550 is too big to go to too soon, but what is it that makes people think a 500 or 550 is too big, excluding operational and crash cost?

Wouldn't more mass make it easier? With programmable radios, power and controls can be dialed back. I hadn't really considered a 550 until someone I met at a flying field mentioned it (everyone there was flying a 600 or 700). And I've seen some used for sale that aren't much more or are the same price as a 500. The only place I can fly near my house if an AMA flying field with a lot of space, so space-wise, the 450 vs 500 issue won't matter.

[oy2503]

I started with TRex 450's and now have a 500esp, which is a very nice bird!

But looking at the TRex600's I didn't want any of those. The old one is rumored
to be a heavy battery eater and the newer one has the motor upside down and
is rumored to need a high headspeed (yeah, lots of other peoples opinions).

So now I am building a Beam 600 - it's a lot like a 550 deluxe. Many good thoughts
has gone into the design. From reports, it's very strong and crashworthy. And it
flies extremely well.

I'll probably maiden it in about a week or maybe already thursday, if I'm lucky. If my
family will leave me alone to build it. I am putting a VBar and Graupner des806 BB MG
servos on it. With a Futaba 9254 on the tail. Plus a Hyperion (Scorpion) 4025-1100
driven by a Castle ICE 100 ESC from 6s-5000.

OP: If you want something larger than the 500, check this one out. It's not cheap, but it
sure is nice.

Cheers
Erik