What Walkera should I buy!?!?

[Maxthepersonz]

I would like to buy one and give it a try. I have heard nothing but good things.

Walkera always seems to have new models so here is what I am looking for...
Must be...
1. Most up to date
2. Flybarless
3. Smallish in size.
4. I would really like a driven tail, not a tail motor. But I would consider a tail motor.

One last question. How does the tail preform on the v400d02? Thats the biggest one I would consider but it has a tail motor.

[vronny]

Originally Posted by Maxthepersonz

I would like to buy one and give it a try. I have heard nothing but good things.

Walkera always seems to have new models so here is what I am looking for...
Must be...
1. Most up to date
2. Flybarless
3. Smallish in size.
4. I would really like a driven tail, not a tail motor. But I would consider a tail motor.

One last question. How does the tail preform on the v400d02? Thats the biggest one I would consider but it has a tail motor.

I think the best heli is v120D02S shaft drive an probably one of best FBL rx they have. It flies great with good power. If you want something smaller try the Genius cp or Mini cp both have tail motors.

[Majic1]

I was going to say the same thing. You want "smallish". You want FBL. You want most up to date. In that category, you basically have the 2 micro's. The Genius CP and Mini CP. Both, as vronny point out have tail motors. The other 2 would be the V120D02s and the V200D03. The D02s is a 120 size heli and D03 is a 200 size heli.

I would probably agree with vronny and get the D02s. They both are FBL and they both are shaft drive. They both are the most up to date. However, the D02s is made mostly of composite elastic materials (except the carbon fiber tail boom), which makes it "almost" crash proof in comparison. The D03 has a lot of machined aluminum parts such as the rotor head/blade grips & swashplate, which are more expensive to replace. Because they are both shaft drive, they are prone to gear stripping, which some people have designed mods for this issue.

There is one sure solution to stop stripping gears. Take vronny's advice and "Don't Crash It"!

[jonbailie]

I'll second (or third?) the v120d02s. It's a great little micro, as I've said many times before. I've got two of them now, and fly both of them. I've got some xtreme cf blades on one, for some sport/circuit flying, and the other has stock blades on it for 3d performance. Both of them perform the way they should and have had little problems with either. It's a nicely sized helicopter, it's small, but not too small to see further away and large enough to perform very well, it's very stable with the new fbl system in the receiver. It has a pretty powerful drivetrain system stock, with nice torque and a nice high headspeed. All in all, it performs very well for the trained pilot and beginner alike.

If you want something smaller (and either already have a devo radio or don't own any radio), the Mini CP is the way to go. It performs beautifully too. Flies 3d pretty decently, and is also nice and stable for a beginner; it won't get old, no matter what flying style or stage of flying you are at.

If you already own a wk radio, like a 2801/pro, the Genius CP or D02s (wk-version) is your best choice. Genius cp flies similarly to the mini cp, but is not quite as stable and doesn't perform as well as the mini. It's still a great little heli, though (I have three), and is not like likely to get old any time soon. It's awesome for training and learning orientations and flight routines with.

Good luck with your purchase? Have you decided what to get yet?

[zadaw]

The V120D02S will satisfy all your criteria but the most up to date is the Mini CP. It has features not seen in any other micro heli before

1. Receiver's firmware can be updated online. This is similar to what you do for high quality FBL systems.
2. Telemetry readings for motor temp and voltage.

The downside is that battery life can be very short, from 2-4 minutes.

[elau]

How well can the V120D02 handle winds? My plan is to get a V400D02, but if you guys can convince me I could consider the V120D02.

[jonbailie]

It'll handle wind just fine. It's not a fixed pitch bird, and the flybarless unit is superb for a micro... You'll do just fine in the wind with the v120d02S... Make sure you get the one with the S at the end!

[andione1983]

+ 1 on the v120d02s

Sent from my Galaxy SII

[ColorMeGone]

Hi, I'm new to the Helli market myself, i'm awaiting the arrival of my ( New V120D02S V2 ) I figured with 6 axis, i'd have the best shot of having a nice experiance, until the first wreck.... I understand that its not a matter of if, But When you wreck em...
is the Devo 7 a good begginers trans?? this is whats heading my way...
I assume that im also way over my head with this because ive never flown any kind of heli before.. figured the parts are cheaper with a 120 than a 400 class...

[john aeras]

Originally Posted by ColorMeGone

figured the parts are cheaper with a 120 than a 400 class...

not necessarily...

[crf69]

none.

besides the v200d01 FP.

[geckgo]

OP,

It almost sounds like you are thinking of "smallish" as being a 300-400 sized bird, so I don't know if the criteria above are along your line of thinking. The MiniCP and Genius are tiny little 100 size or smaller and the V120 is a 120 size. The 120-130 size should be the smallest bird you will see that does not have a tail motor. Go smaller than that and they need one 'cause the bit's n pieces are so small it would be difficult to make a workable shaft/belt drive system.

If you are new to collective pitch and you want something "big and stable" to fly on (this was my thoughts when I started), keep in mind that an FBL head is going to make any bird more stable, and probably more wind resistent. So a 120-130 sized FBL is going to behave a LOT better than a flybar that size.

I started with a 450 w/ flybar, and my V120D02S (which I loving call "voodoo") is probably every bit as stable as my 450. Plus, the little guy is hard to break. I only have to make a tiny repair after a crash that would cost me at least 100 bucks on my bigger bird. Sometimes as much as tightening a screw.

So, it's okay to go "small" sometimes, and there are benefits. I don't know how Walkera is on birds larger than 300 size, and if it were me, a 400-500 size bird I would personally go with another company or build an align clone. I mainly got a walkera radio for their smaller "fun" stuff, cause it's cheaper than the Blade equivalent and just as good, if not better. My V120 handles crashes as good as what I've heard guys say about the mcpx, the stability is terrific, and for my level, it'll do anything a Blade 130X will do, at a fraction of the cost.

Oh yea, I've planted it in the grass several times on accident and have yet to strip a tail gear on mine. Others haven't had that kind of luck, but for a torque tube, it seems to be fairly rigid.

Well, that was more than 2 cents but hopefully it's helpful. I'm still pretty new but glad to share as I learn.

[Judo JoNny]

Glad to hear your experiences regarding the V120D02S geckgo, as that is probably the next bird I'm going to get. I have just purchased a Mini CP and am having an absolute ball with it. In all honesty, I actually think it is superior to my mCPX and the Devo 10 is also a nicer transitter than my DX6i to boot. I am not a hardcore 3D flyer, and am still relatively new to CP heli's, but the Mini CP just seems more stable and responsive at the same time. I'm very happy with Walkera so far, despite some of the QC issues I have read about them.

[geckgo]

hehe, I got the V120 when I ordered a miniCP. Gonna wait a while and get a miniCP too since I already have some parts for it and extra batteries I don't know if I just fly differently or if it's cause I don't do 3D but I don't have any problems with my helis. I think of the baby CPs as a trainer for my 450. Actually flew the big guy yesterday without getting the shakes too bad. I have gained a ton of confidence flying the little guy and it's more durable than I could ever have hoped. Having never flown an mcpx, it would be unfair for me to make a comparison, but a nose dive into the pavement only breaking a landing gear has me convinced that it's tough enough. I've heard the mini actually fly's better.

[Judo JoNny]

Haha that is lucky! What vendor did you order it from? The mCPX is a very tough lil' bird. It was the heli I started learning CP on, and I smashed that thing into just about everything...not to mention slamming the sticks a lot before I got used to using TH. The only thing I broke were the skids as well, everything else is fine.

Having said that, the Mini CP certainly does feel more stable, and responsive...both are great fun to fly, but at this point I definitely prefer the Mini CP. It even looks better in my opinion. Like you, I've also developed more confidence in flying my larger 450 due to these little heli's...so pretty happy with that.

[geckgo]

Got her from helircstore.com, they are an american distributor so I can get my stuff shipped faster than waiting on a boat from Hong Kong. There is a guy there named bob that always puts handwritten notes on my reciept. Last bunch of parts I ordered he sent me two free precision screwdrivers. So far every order has been a little bit of a surprise.