thiking about buying another indoor heli

[bmw540i6]

i have 2 mcx and thinking about buying a different indoor helicopter... what do you guys think of the heli max axe cx?..... also thinking about getting a small helicopter that has a rotor on the tail... i saw a video on youtube.... seems much faster than the mcx..... are small heli with tail rotor easy to control like cx heli's..... they look much faster though.

[FR4-Pilot]

Check out ClearView RC Simulator first ($39.95). Have a game pad (2 stick) or get Esky's simulator (comes with a USB RC transmitter controller) for $19.95.

ClearView comes with a couple dozen helicopters - Blade CX, Walker4#3, single rotor 4 channel heli's, even some big Trexes. There's even a link to a website where this guy has more free helicopter models to download and use in the simulator. There are dozens of parameter for each heli, and they all "feel" different. Great tool - I just bought a Quark SRB, which is way different from the mCX (my first heli). Try it out, free 30minute demo version to see for yourself.

And it does planes, too! Different landscapes, water, smoke (for the gas planes & helis) - you can even design your own heli with extra software, very cool. When you crash, things break off - if a tail rotor breaks off it spins uncontrollably. If you break landing gear, well maybe you can land, maybe not. Very realistic.
What an awesome (and low cost) option to crashing real helis!

[CharlieS]

The Heli Max CX is a bit more responsive and you can make it more or less hard to fly just by how tight the Blades are. Flight times are super long, more then 20 minutes probably very close to 30. It's definately not as easy or as stable as the MCX so if you're getting bored with your MCX and don't want to try modding, the Heli Max is probably a good option.

They have a collective pitch version too, but you probably need "big indoors" to really enjoy it anymore then the CX.

[FR4-Pilot]

The new Heli Max Novus helis look pretty cool - I'm interested in the FP version.

Anyone seen a price for the FP?

[linac]

FR4-Pilot, congratulations on your Quark. How are you finding it so far?

I'm in a similar situation to you bmw. I would like to move up to a Quark, but speaking with another pilot at my LHS, he had suggested a Walkera 4#3B, brushless, which would be more challenging and perhaps hold my interest longer. Also, is the Novus the same helicopter as the Walkera? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

[FR4-Pilot]

Linac,

The Quark is awesome, period. I'm by no means an expert on fixed pitch heli's, but I'll tell you there is nothing "easy" about the Quark, coming from the mCX as my only other helicopter. Even though the Quark is only about 2x the size of the mCX, the area it "wants" to fly in is huge (like a gym or field). The Quark is advertised as an indoor/outdoor (calm or no wind) heli - true, as long as indoor means LOTS of space and as long as outdoor means little or no wind (trust me on this one!). Basically, all I can do inside is take off, hover, yaw around and land. I took it outside and realized how differently it handles from the mCX. There is always some wind, and I'm not really prepared for this yet (I smacked it into a brick wall sideways - just a scratch on the canopy!). Laminating the foam blades with some wide clear packing tape helps a lot as I've been through 3 sets of blades so far. Flying it is a rush, no doubt. I think the "chopping" sound of the blades have something to do with it...

With the Quark and other FPs, you are always couteracting the last stick movements you made, which really increases the amount of concentration and coordination required. For example, to go forward with the mCX, you just push up on the right stick and hold it for as long as you want to go forward (same for backwards, right and left roll). When you want to stop you let the stick return to center and the mCX will return to a hover rather quickly. With an FP, you gently "tap" the right stick up (and let it return to center) and the heli starts moving foward, and keeps moving forward until you "tap" down on the stick to cancel the forward motion. This changes everything! Tap too much or too hard and the thing takes off FAST which is when you realize you have a lot to learn. Crashes are inevitable! Accidentally tap left or right and now you got some complex movement to try and cancel out to stop (you have to do the exact opposite to bring it back to a hover).

So I decided it would be a good idea to buy a simulator, the ClearView one seemed to be a good fit (not the best, but I don't have $200-$400 to buy a simulator - still paying the Quark off!). Long story short, ClearView works very well and has many helis you can fly (and free ones to download). I don't know how technically accurate the models are, but they all do "feel" different. For example, there is a BladeCX, which seems to handle exactly like the real mCX I'm accustomed to. I also found a Blade CX2, which handles more like the Quark and other FP helis (doesn't self-center itself too easily). It still flys like a coax, but definitely harder to control than the mCX or CX. This is great news because I thought all CX helis were the same, but maybe not at least not as far as the simulator is concerned (the sim is already earning it's keep!). There are also BIG helis to fly but the one that has my interest the most is the little Walkera 4_3 (I'm not sure exactly which one this is, but it's has the white canopy with pink/blue splashes). This one is a true FP and I've been practicing with this one a lot as I can actually control it and not crash it nearly as much as the other ones. So, I'm wondering if the simulator model is true to the real model, if so it seems to be a GREAT micro FP to use as a stepping stone to the larger ones. And, it could be flown indoors just like the mCX doing real manuvers, not just take off and landings.

Anyway, I wanted the Quark so I could fly outside, which I eventually will (skillset and weather permitting of course) but I didnt' realize how important it was to be able to practice inside too. The Walkera or the Novus FP seem to be able to provide this but for now I'll have to use the sim. I thought I read somewhere that the Novus is some knock off of the Walkera - don't know for sure. If anybody has info I'd love to hear it.

I've learned a lot from the sim - and its really fun (almost as fun as the real thing, no kidding). Get one and try the helis for yourself - you'll be awefully glad you did.

-John

[linac]

John, thanks so much for your in-depth and practical comments on the Quark and ClearView. Your advice is appreciated. I think the next "step" up for me will be a sim!

[FR4-Pilot]

No problem, and good luck. Lots of things to consider, but you got to admit, it's a whole lot of fun!

-John

[miamiheli]

Originally Posted by FR4-Pilot

The new Heli Max Novus helis look pretty cool - I'm interested in the FP version.

Anyone seen a price for the FP?

FP on ebay for 195 and 15 shipping. ON BACKORDER til mid may though.
Item quantity says 10 then at bottom it says backordered.

CP , same seller, same backorder, 210 and 15 shipping.

Plenty of the walkeras available NOW at different levels of set up.

$226 free ship from Hong Kong for metal upgrade and brushless
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=250409448471

Metal but no brushless, USA seller. Same price as novus FP but you get metal and CP.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190298350619

A store near me will be carrying the novus so I may buy from them but if the prices are too far off, I may buy a walkera and just get parts for the novus from the shop- they should interchange since they are the same units.

[musicman101353]

Quark. You can't go wrong.

[FR4-Pilot]

I have and love the Quark. But as an indoor heli all I can really do is practice tail-in hovers. I see all the videos on line of people flying them in their living room/office (I can not do that!) - very impressive given my experience (or lack of) where I find the Quark to really want some room, like outside, back yard, big field, in a empty garage, etc.

This is just my opinion - but I'm new to the hobby (Christmas of 08, starting with an mCX, just recently moving up to Quark with high dosages of simulator supplements).

-John

[FR4-Pilot]

http://www.rocousa.com/detail.asp?Pr...YOSHO_20101RSC

[nortelnetworks]

how is that kyosho heli?

[FR4-Pilot]

Originally Posted by nortelnetworks

how is that kyosho heli?

Looks like it flys well on the video, but some people over in rcforum aren't too happy with it.

Stumbled on it while searching for something else - looked pretty cool, I thought anyway.

-John