1st Helicopter and yes I have searched :D

[lehtior2]

I have had Great Plandes RF3 for a year now and can hover pretty well on that. I would now like to get a proper heli. I have been looking at the T-Rex 450 and 600 mainly. What would you suggest initially, of of the two mentioned or something else? I will most probably be using a DX7 radio, unless someone can change my mind. Also, what motor, esc and servos would you suggest for the heli. Gyro-wise I understand I should be getting a Futaba Gy-401 so should I look for a package with a Gy-401 and a S9254 bundled?

Thanks for the help!

Lehtior2

[cholyoake]

which heli you go for depends on where you fly and how much you can spend. the 600 will be more stable and easier to fly because its bigger, but everything is more expensive. the batterys cost $300 each, compared to $80 for a t rex 450. for the 600 the blades cost $120 for some v-blades, $60 for v blades for the 450. so everything costs more, and as its big you cant easily just fly it without a big field to fly in. i don't know any of the good things about flying a 600 compared to a 450, other than its more stable but i do really want one (even though i can barely afford a 450, i can just go without flying for a few weeks to save money for spares) but maybe someone else can answer that question.

also, for the tail servo for the 450 the 9254 will be too big. people apear to be using the futaba 9650 or the 3400g (i can't remember who its made by, i think its jr) for the 450.

[creightoncarr]

Other than the blades, obviously a component of nearly every crash, the parts for the 600 are really not that much more expensive than the parts for the 450. Bottom line is you won't regret yhour decision either way you go. My money says that before your through you'll have both.

[nwtampaguy34]

trex 450 align 430l motor / align rce-b35g speed contoler / hitec hs-65mg servos x3 / futaba 9650 digital servo for tail/ gy401 gyro/ dx7 rx. also dont get the trex sa as the plastic pieces break alot in crash. 325 pro wood blades and also invest in some gorilla gears and paddles. i am about 2 months new in any type of flyin rc and i love it cant get enough of it. also for fun at radio shack there is a toy called the mosquito its like a small chopper and a blast to play crash up derby with 2 of them there about 60.00 LOL

[321]

Since you're at the early learning stages, one of the most important things will be to build up your flight time and experience. So if you fly electric, you won't want to fly 8 minutes and then wait an hour and a quarter plus cooling time to recharge the battery. That will get you nowhere fast. You will therefore need a number of batteries and the means to charge them in a minimum of time (a multi-battery charger and a power supply). This will be considerably less costly with the 450 vs. the 600.

The 450 will also be a lot less expensive to crash than the 600. On the 450 SE versions, the parts hold up to crashes pretty good and thus keep your costs down. Also, a good set of blades for the 450 are under $40.

All that being said, if the wind is never-ending in your area, the 450 is going to a lot less enjoyable to fly than the 600. If it's a windy place and you can afford the 600 then go for it, otherwise you might want to consider a 50 nitro instead.

[octotus]

welcome to freaks.

to paraphrase many an experienced pilot - buy and fly what u can afford to crash.
because crashing is not a "if" question - it is a "when" question - especially for newbs it is a "when not" question. So - if u want to stay longer in this hobby and enjoy it - make sure u buy something that u can sustain by repairs and spares.

apart from all the caution: again to use a much cliched phrase - bigger is better. buy the biggest heli that u can afford to crash and spend on repair... long live helis

cheers.
k

[rdlohr]

I fly the 450 daily and the 600 on weekends. The 450 is so convenient to throw in the car, fly in a park, then carry it in a bag to work that it lends itself to my lifestyle.

Either bird is a great way to get started. Just avoid the $200-$300 heli wanna bees that many newbies succumb to because of initial price.

[lehtior2]

Thanks for the help!

It was so late yesterday when I was writing the first post that I forgot to mention a few things. My budget is max 1200$ plus radios so that is quite tight for a T-Rex 600 atleast with more than 1 battery With that I need to get everything I need to fly because I only have a sim right now. I will be flying in our own fields so space and transportation wont be a problem. There will also be a 20x20 or 20x40 meter (not sure which yet) 5 meter high area sheltered from the wind that can be used for flying.

I'd like a heli that can stand a bit of wind, won't be too hard to learn with and that can fly proper 3D later on. Atleast according to the videos I've seen of Alan and Danny Szabo flying T-Rex 450s and T-Rex 600s, the rexes can do that

It's true that I'll probably end up with both a T-Rex 450 and a T-Rex 600, it's more about which one I should get first. I have been looking mostly at electric helis because I have no experience of glow helis so that would be harder for me.

Thanks,

Lehtior2

[eschummer]

Hi Lehtior2 -

I started flying (or rather TRIED to start flying) helis on a Blade CPP thinking that the combination of being able to fly indoors with ultimate 3D capability would give me the best of both worlds. After numerous crashes, upgrades of this and that, and even an investment in a complete HDX-300 setup as a smaller "T-Rex clone", I k\had no luck with this. I finally gave up and invested in a 450 SE V2.

It flew right off the building board, and I now have a bout 30 flights on it that have been nothing short of exhilerating and delightful. BIGGER = BETTER! I live in a rather windy area (San Francisco), and am now lusting after something that can handle the wind better (or EVEN better - the 450 is great compared to the CPP!).

If you can afford it even marginally, get the 600 - I now wish I had, but the time will come! As someone said earlier, in the end you'll probably have both. Skimping at the beginning will make it that much harder to slide into this! One man's opinion...

[Azlum]

At $1200, you can't afford a 600. Especially when you factor in multiple batteries and a good charging setup.

Get yourself a 450, save a little extra cash for a GOOD charger/balancer setup, and then buy a 600 later on when you can afford it.

You will love the 450, its a great heli... capable of everything the 600 is capable of, just not as easy to see in the air, and not quite as stable.

[pjones]

I am just a noob myself, having only flown planes (15months) and a blade cx2 counter rotating blades. Got myself a Trex-450-s and hovered first off with minimal simulation. I have only had a couple of flights but i can keep it in the air where the blade cx2 would be blown over. It is a very stable heli, I love it. I hope this helps..

Regards

Paul.

[lehtior2]

Which version of the T-Rex 450 should I be looking at and should it be cf or alu? I'm assuming I should buy some spare parts, including a few sets of wooden blades, to start off.

Also, should I buy my DX7 bundled with 4 JR DS821 servos? Finally, would a Bantam e-Station BC6 be a good charger? It has an intergrated balander and can work off AC or DC. Also, it is capable of charging LiPos upto 6 cells so I could use it with the T-Rex 600 I'll probably want at some point later on.

Thanks,

Lehtior2

[soneebee]

TREX helis really nice. flies okay too.. what is the 450 helis difference?

[carlo_the_wonder_frog]

Don't get the servo bundle if it is possible, get just the Tx/Rx and charger combo. Get the Hitec HS65MG servos, they are extremely robust and you will not have to disassemble them to replace gears every crash like you would with plastic geared servos. This is assuming you are getting the T-Rex 450 heli.

The bantam charger should work great, for even less expense and easier operation you might look into the FMA Direct cellpro 4s charger. It is a fairly inexpensive LiPo charger from http://fmadirect.com/. You will need the correct Balance adapter for your specific batteries and also a 12V DC power supply.

[Pinecone]

To start with, there are cheaper packs to learn to fly a 600 with. The $300 packs are needed when you start flying more aggressively and need the power.

Like these: http://www.readyheli.com/DN_Power_6S...dnp20c4400.htm

So two packs for the price of one super pack.

[Pacolyps]

If you look around like at Heliproz you can get a complete set up for a discounted price. I recommend going with the 450 and buying extra batteries and spare parts. You could buy three batteries and a charger and balancer. You will be happy having the extra packs, especially when you are just hovering and getting used to the feel of things. If you have extra money once you buy everything I would get spare parts; blades, feathering shafts, main shafts, tail blades, a belt, booms, flybars, paddles, tail rotor shfts, tail blades, gorilla gear, ect. You will need it all eventually. Good luck and happy flying!

[lehtior2]

I have been looking around lately. Should I get the SE V2 even though it costs a bit more than the others? Also, should I get a CF version immediately and just buy a few sets of wooden blades to use in the beginning?

Also, could anyone suggest a good online RC heli store in the UK or mainland Europe? Preferably one with English on its website

Thanks for all the help, I couldn't do it with out you!!

Lehtior2

[cholyoake]

a great online store in th euk is modelhelicopters.co.uk ive bought a lot of things from there and NEVER had any problems.

also, if you get a bc6 charge, it can do 6 cell batteries but its limited to a 50watt output (i think its 50 watts, might be more). it would take 97 watts to charge a 22.2v 4400 mah pack, charging at 1c (4.4 amps) which is out of the limits of the charger. charing at 1c normally takes about an hour, but for this charger it would take much longer (not exactly sure how long). i would say get a cellpro 4s (does everything that you need for a charger, including balancing, and its cheap), or if you definetly know you want to get a t-rex 600 in the future, then get a better charger/balancer, but it will cost a lot more.

a great place to buy the cellpro 4s (if you decide to get one) is aurorra.co.uk:
http://www.aurorra.co.uk/shop/produc...cat=258&page=1

[dct]

To save money buy a Trex XL cde not a V2.
I had over 400 flights on my XL before I went to me Trex 450 SA.
The SA will fly as good as any SE with the right pilot...And both of my helicopters fly better thin I do....
Don't spend that kind of money until you KNOW your going to keep flying helicopters...!!!
Buy good parts that you can put on ANY Trex down the road. like , gyro servo's speed control ,battery charger ,this will make your helicopter fly better and you will learn faster.
Buy good batteries right from the start,,, don't buy the cheap ones. (( Buy cheap buy twice )).

[sambo60]

I have to say that you might like the HDX450. It is a very very nice kit, and was extremely easy to build with the finless videos. It costs very little (especially if you get it from them on ebay) and the spare parts are cheap. My only recommendation would be to get the align links for the head and use those instead, as the links are the only part in the kit which is crappy quality, and caused me a crash.