Do you think Blade will bring out anything between the 130x and the 300X?

[Grant Smith]

The 130x with its small size, light weight, open servos and integrated electronics doesn't seem brilliantly suited to prolonged outdoor use (although I will get one for just that!) and the 300x seems too large for park flying, so do you think Blade will bring out anything in-between, say 200-250 size?

[TheHeliDude]

Maybe just because that's the biggest gap in size in there helis now. But I think a 200 wouldn't be anywhere as durable as an mcpx/130X and also wouldn't handle wind very well. I was concerned a 450 was going to be too big but now it's the only thing I fly. I like the 130X though for durability and trying new moves

[InFocus]

The mCPX with the same 'open' servos and electronics seems to be holding up very well to prolonged outdoor usage.

[Diogenes]

Considering it's popularity and "hackability", they should keep making the MCPX. Or better yet, offer a V3 variant with BL straight from the factory

[The Steve-O]

i fly a 450 for park flying, it really can handle smaller spaces, i've also flown a 550 in a gym, so i rarely fly heli's where they were meant to fly. my mcpx handles upwards of 10 to 15mph winds outside with the fff blades on it, and i think i've flown in gusts up to 20mph, this is stock, no brushless mod, nothing fancy.

[jon302v8]

I have a Gaui 200 which (at 300g) is between the 130X (100g) and the 300X (500g).

At the parks around here which are baseball field size I bring the Gaui but end up flying the 450X more. The 450X handles much more wind and once I adjusted the BeastX it seems just as responsive. It is easier to see and doesn't crash any worse than the 200.

In my backyard the Gaui is flyable but if the blades touch anything it means a main shaft, blades, and maybe more. A stock mCPX can fly in the backyard but it seems very underpowered compared to the other two. I recently converted it to double brushless and WOW now it's very responsive. It still crashes well compares to the 200 and 450X. But it lacks the locked-in feeling of the AR7200BX in the 200 and 450X. And it requires the hacking and testing.

So I have hope for the 130X in the backyard. Stock strong locked-in performance, some wind handling, and some durability.

[Thalios]

Yes, they will come out with a 248.4X.

They need helis in every .5 increments...

130X
300X
450X
500X

Why would you need anything else?

[jon302v8]

Originally Posted by Thalios

Yes, they will come out with a 248.4X.

They need helis in every .5 increments...

130X
300X
450X
500X

Why would you need anything else?

Well to be fair they didn't space them evenly... The 300X is 5 times the mass of the 130X and the 450X is only 1.4 times the mass of the 300X.

I cancelled my 300X preorder. It's a good value but honestly if you already have a 450X I think it will fly and crash similar but just be harder to see.

[Thalios]

I agree that the 300X is too close to the 450X. But with a 130X and a 450X, that covers 90% of park flying capabilities. And if you think the 450X is too big and the 130X too small, there's the 300X in the middle!

[jon302v8]

Originally Posted by Thalios

But with a 130X and a 450X, that covers 90% of park flying capabilities.

I agree about these two. I love the 450X for baseball size parks and larger. I expect the 130X will be great for the backyard and smaller parks. I might eventually get rid of all other helis :-) OK, maybe a MSRX for indoors. I rarely drive to the RC field to fly anything big. The mCPX is kind of love-hate right now. Stock it is so weak.. and brushless is great but requires so much tweaking...

[The Steve-O]

Well to be fair they didn't space them evenly... The 300X is 5 times the mass of the 130X and the 450X is only 1.4 times the mass of the 300X.

what about the blade size differences as these are more important than the mass of the heli

[InFocus]

Originally Posted by The Steve-O

what about the blade size differences as these are more important than the mass of the heli

Curious, why do you say this?

I assumed the mass of the heli, would pretty much dictate the blade size needed. Although I guess head speed would also play a role too.

From a durability and performance point of view, the lower the mass, the less energy that needs to be absorbed in crashes, thus reducing the damage in the crash.

Lower mass also means the heli can change directions quicker, assuming it has the blades/head speed to do it.

Again, the above are my thoughts, I don't have as much experience as many folks, thus wondering why blade size is more important.

[The Steve-O]

Blade size is the lifting area of the helicopter, if you want decent performance, you can't have too much weight per area on your blades. As you increase blade length, you need to increase motor size, which needs more battery, the larger blades require more servo to move the blades for control, and the larger blades provide larger area to control the heli with. The blade length and the rotor disc area are also not linearly related, which would explain the large mass differences for smaller motor differences, as your small increase in blade length can accommodate a much larger increase in weight. At least this is the way i always looked at it.

[Agibbs996]

Small helis is a big chunk of Walkeras business and they have multiple small helis. So, from a business perspective, it would make sense for Blade to offer at least one additional model because, I think a lot of people outside of the Pacific Rim would prefer Blade over Walkera just for the warranty and part support issues in itself.

[jon302v8]

If you look disc loading (heli mass / blade disc area), the 300X doesn't look as good as the other two:

130X 1290 g/m^2
300X 2067 g/m^2
450X 1756 g/m^2

I think the 130X + 450X will be a great combo.

[Mojappa]

An in between size would be pointless really. The 130 should handle all yard/gym/small field flying. The 300 will be well suited in medium sized fields and for everything else there's 450's and up. This baby step style progression is kinda silly if that's what you're after, nut up and fly a decent sized heli, they're not as scary as you think. If you want it for space constraints then as I've stated, the bases are pretty well covered.

[Lord Nelson]

+1 on the opinions expressed here. I have a couple of mCP Xs and a 450X. A 130X is on order. I'll probably pick up two of them and about a half a dozen batteries.

The mCP X has been the heli I fly the most and I suspect this will be supplanted by the 130X. I love the 450X but I really can't fly it often if anyone is around. I suspect the 130X will be the absolute perfect size for public park flying.

The mCPX will continue to be the trainer, and the 130X for areas that I am starting to get proficient in.

I will break out the 450X for those occasions in the early morning or late evening when no one is around. I would think that the 450X could be flown in most situations where a 300X could fly. That is why I am giving the 300X a pass. The 450X has the same electronics, is probably more stable, and crashes would cost about the same as a 300X.

[litehawkdown]

They can't even keep up with all the heli's they have now! Why ask them for more??????

[Napoleon_Tanerite]

They already have the market cornered on the small helicopters with the MCPX and smaller, and I imagine they will continue to develop better "small" helicopters. The problem is that between the 130X and 300X size there really is a no man's land of size where you transition from open board/servos into self contained units. You can't go a whole lot smaller than the 300 and keep self contained units (maybe a 250, but I doubt that will happen with the 300 in the lineup). On the same note, you can't go a whole lot bigger than the 130 and retain the open servos/boards practically.

I think the success/failure of the 500 will dictate where Blade goes from here. If the 500 flops, I doubt Blade will build anything larger. If the 500 performs well (financially) I imagine Blade helicopters will continue to grow. Imagine a BNF 700X? Given the lukewarm response to the 500 that has been seen here, I don't think the 500 will grow much beyond a niche market. Blade still has the perception of being "second tier toys" among heli enthusiasts, and it will be a very big uphill fight to change that. Blade has always appealed to the hobby shop patron who walks in and wants to walk out with a flyable helicopter. This implies the majority of Blade customers are more of the beginner-intermediate skill level, and a larger helicopter will intimidate those people. Given its size and price, the 500X/3D will not be an impulse buy, and Blade will have to directly compete with Align for the customer's dollar. That means producing a superior product that has a competitive edge either in price or performance. BNF convenience loses its appeal when you are selling to the true heli enthusiast, who does not really mind building a helicopter, and in fact usually enjoys the challenge.

[Lord Nelson]

Good post Napoleon Tanerite. I figure I am one of those transitioning pilots.

I need to learn to fix a crashed 450X and set it up properly. When I get completely comfortable with tearing that heli apart, I would like to build something. Haven't done it yet because I was learning to fly CP where my level has gotten to a point where I am starting to get comfortable flying inverted. I also didn't have the tools yet. Starting to acquire things like digital pitch guages, blade balancers, drivers, etc.

If I was going to go to a 500 / 550 size, I would probably build a Gaui X5 or a TREX 500 or 550. Given my flying area which is a public park, a Gaui X2 would probably be my first build. Fun and fast without being too large and dangerous to others.