Blade Introduces the 330X

[Crashalotjoe]

Originally Posted by douglas4

I couldn't agree more with you. Blade started the whole thing for me. It suits my needs from a price point. Sure I can afford to buy a higher end heli but why would I. Costs more to fix and maintain. I just want to fly with little to no fuss. Blade Heli's fits that niche for me. I love the whole Spectrum Bind and fly aspect of it. Very smart move for Horizon and Blade heli's. I don't feel the need to spend more money on a higher end heli so I can show off at the field how much I can afford and keep up with the Jones's and feel part of the gang so to speak.

"Hey look at me, look at me, how much I can spend, look at my pretty expensive machine" "do you like it..look..I'm like you now...accept me, accept me".

I have no ego to feed and my testosterone levels are fine. For me...function more than form. Less is more. Keep it simple. Have fun...play...fly....fix...enjoy.

FG

P.S. This thread should be for Blade Heli flyers only. If your not a supporter of Blade Heli's you shouldn't be here.

As usual, these threads drift away from their original purpose.

Nobody is saying that Blade have done a bad job in the past after all, most of us started with Blade heli's. They are one of the few creditable players in the BNF/RTF market and thank goodness for that.

The point of the thread was to discuss whether this new heli is a good move for Horizon, the beginner, the intermediate pilot, all or none of them. It seems that Blade flyers generally support it, others, including myself think it's a dumb move that serves only Horizon because it is not a beginner heli and it's unlikely to be an effective intermediate pilot's heli.

As for your rant about those of us outside the Blade market just showing off, I suggest that if you actually owned and flew any of the higher end heli's that you brand as just for "keeping up with the Jones's" you would realise why we are prepared to actually spend our hard-earned and why we moved on from Blade.

I'm in this thread as I (like most here) started off with Blade and I care about the heli market and bringing new blood into the hobby. Newbies need a reasonably priced, reasonably robust and trouble-free heli that gives them a good experience if they are to remain in the hobby. This is what Blade have done historically.

The 450X developed into the 360CFX, the 230S was pretty revolutionary, the 180CFX had its issues but was a brilliant heli. This new one doesn't build on that, it doesn't support beginners, it is unlikely to satisfy the intermediate pilot and it is in a similar price range to the Align 470 which is a kit but a pretty good heli.

The only people benefitting from this new heli is Horizon - flogging off their old bits.

[douglas4]

Originally Posted by jrman83

They all fly. If the quality of whatever you fly with Blade is adequate to your standards, then great. Because I can guarantee you that although they may "all fly", they DO NOT all fly the same. If that is the most you want out of the hobby, cool. But don't think that others who want a little more do it for the vain reasons you mention.

Well I wouldn't say my reasons are in vain. Your right they all don't fly the same. Agreed. The most I want out of the Hobby is to just fly. As far as my standards go I have different standards for different things. We all do. The blade line for me is the like the next step above the the toy line of helis. Plastic fantastic....add some CNC and CF bits...good electronics...gyro and the like. And it's better than it was stock and flys better and handles better. In my mind anyway. Hey....maybe it's all in my mind after all. lol.

FG

[douglas4]

Originally Posted by Crashalotjoe

As usual, these threads drift away from their original purpose.

Your right, and for that I'm sorry to all in the thread. It seems some of us want to defend our reasons and passions for doing so. For that I will strive to curb my enthusiasm.

Doug a.k.a "FG"

[JonJet]

Originally Posted by Crashalotjoe

As usual, these threads drift away from their original purpose.


The point of the thread was to discuss whether this new heli is a good move for Horizon, the beginner, the intermediate pilot, all or none of them. It seems that Blade flyers generally support it, others, including myself think it's a dumb move that serves only Horizon because it is not a beginner heli and it's unlikely to be an effective intermediate pilot's heli.

As the OP...I can assure you that the intent of the thread has little to do with anyone's opinion of how why or none of the above...

The purpose was to announce a new model

If you support it - like it - want it...you are welcome to peruse the info supplied and decide if it will be a part of your fleet

If you don't...that's ok too...but I see no reason that you should try to force your "kit is better" mentality upon the Blade community

But I fully understand why you do it...

The Blade Forums is where all the activity happens...

The Blade Forums is where all the action is...

The Blade Forums attract the most users - posts - replies

I sometimes peruse the forums in you "kit heli" fanboi signatures...

And find no action - little activity - and frankly...they bore Me to death

You are welcome to post your opposing opinion simply because you think keeping up with your other fanboi post count is the thing to do...

But it doesn't faze the Blade Community one bit and your rants fall to the floor dead


I will say that I appreciate your business though...as some of the devoted Blade Haters of HeliFreak are My loyal customers with "supposedly hidden" ebay accounts to protect your "kit heli stature" as well as your HF Feedback records

If you support the new 330X...welcome...

If not...do your HF brothers a favor and move on

[jrman83]

Originally Posted by JonJet

The Blade Forums is where all the activity happens...

The Blade Forums is where all the action is...

The Blade Forums attract the most users - posts - replies

I sometimes peruse the forums in you "kit heli" fanboi signatures...

And find no action - little activity - and frankly...they bore Me to death

You are welcome to post your opposing opinion simply because you think keeping up with your other fanboi post count is the thing to do...

But it doesn't faze the Blade Community one bit and your rants fall to the floor dead


I will say that I appreciate your business though...as some of the devoted Blade Haters of HeliFreak are My loyal customers with "supposedly hidden" ebay accounts to protect your "kit heli stature" as well as your HF Feedback records

If you support the new 330X...welcome...

If not...do your HF brothers a favor and move on

If your site analysis is true, this is mainly because it is the largest sub-forum on the entire site and nearly all heli pilots on the site started with Blade.

Also, fanbois can be Blade fanbois also...pretty sure. As each of our own signatures refer.

Pretty sure nobody is trying to convince anyone to change their minds and mostly stating their opinion of this new model.

[Crashalotjoe]

Originally Posted by JonJet

As the OP...I can assure you that the intent of the thread has little to do with anyone's opinion of how why or none of the above...

The purpose was to announce a new model

If you support it - like it - want it...you are welcome to peruse the info supplied and decide if it will be a part of your fleet

If you don't...that's ok too...but I see no reason that you should try to force your "kit is better" mentality upon the Blade community

But I fully understand why you do it...

The Blade Forums is where all the activity happens...

The Blade Forums is where all the action is...

The Blade Forums attract the most users - posts - replies

I sometimes peruse the forums in you "kit heli" fanboi signatures...

And find no action - little activity - and frankly...they bore Me to death

You are welcome to post your opposing opinion simply because you think keeping up with your other fanboi post count is the thing to do...

But it doesn't faze the Blade Community one bit and your rants fall to the floor dead


I will say that I appreciate your business though...as some of the devoted Blade Haters of HeliFreak are My loyal customers with "supposedly hidden" ebay accounts to protect your "kit heli stature" as well as your HF Feedback records

If you support the new 330X...welcome...

If not...do your HF brothers a favor and move on

Why are you quoting me in your rant!!?

You clearly haven't read (or at least understood) anything I've written on the subject and I certainly have not propogated the thought that 'my kit is better than yours' and neither am I a 'Blade hater'.

I have said (too many times now) that I fully support Blade as it is a very much needed segment of the market and they have produced a number of heli's that have been great for newbies and intermediates alike. Although I don't fly Blade heli's these days I see Blade's position in the market as being the prime entry point into the hobby for wouldbe flyers and therefore Horizon have a responsibility to make sure these people have a good experience. If they dont; the newbies get disgruntled, move on and the market dries up a bit more. That's why I am a concerned onlooker - I want to see good innovative models to attract new flyers into the hobby that I'm passionate about.

[crsorrell0653]

Great Forum, all comments welcome. Blade have done a great job really over the years. I started with the 200srx, 230, 270,360 etc, and spent last weekend flying with a friends 250cfx, and most are now either lost or hanging from the ceiling with various scale canopies disguising their ownership. Job done....

BUT, surely it is not a sin to say I have now moved on to SAB, Align and other makes mainly because of quality and variety. The hobby is a moving technology feast, so enjoy.

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by Crashalotjoe

I'm in this thread as I (like most here) started off with Blade and I care about the heli market and bringing new blood into the hobby. Newbies need a reasonably priced, reasonably robust and trouble-free heli that gives them a good experience if they are to remain in the hobby. This is what Blade have done historically.

Historically, Blade hasn't always been about the newbie. Not in entirety. Blade provided an entire cradle-to-grave avenue from the most basic of co-axial helis all the way up to the 700X. As much as I despise what Blade's become these days, I still post nothing but praise for the 550X. Outstanding heli. Funny thing is I was *this* close to dropping some serious bucks on a 700X. I'm very thankful that Blade, intentionally or not, put the writing up on the wall causing me and others to spend that same money elsewhere. They had a great thing going with the Pro Series and it seemed like there was no limit for Blade. I remember people even speculating they might start making nitro helis next. Nope. Instead, Blade snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by pulling the plug too early instead of sticking with it for more than barely a year.

[douglas4]

"Ahem" (clears throat). Um can we get back to discussing the Blade 330X please. I'm reading and following. Sorry I steered it off topic.

I like what the new one has to offer.

Class, Please raise your hand if you would like to speak. lol.

FG

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by douglas4

"Ahem" (clears throat). Um can we get back to discussing the Blade 330X please. I'm reading and following. Sorry I steered it off topic.

I like what the new one has to offer.

Class, Please raise your hand if you would like to speak. lol.

FG

Until people get their hands them and actually start flying them, what's there to discuss? Seriously? It's just the old 450X with a different FBL unit and servos that are already well known from other models. Nothing really new to talk about so, as always, right or wrong, the conversation goes in other directions. It is what it is and human nature will never change.

[learnedthehardway]

A quiet forum is a happy forum. I always check the forum before buying a heli. If it has a couple threads praising the machine and not much else that's a good sign. They're out flying it and not posting problems.

The 380 Protos has come out on top of all the "which is the best 380" threads. Go in it's forum and it's​ really quiet. Occasional person popping in to say how much they love it or with a couple tuning questions and not much else. When things are going good there isn't much to discuss.

My P380 knocks around in my truck all week, pull it out after work and on the weekend and it works every time. Flies perfectly and has all the power, ease of repair, everything that makes a good machine. There's nothing more I want out of it.= Nothing to talk about.

If there's 2 posts of praise and 2 dozen posts for help then that's one you want to avoid.

The 330x forum will say it all after a few months or less. Few issues upon release isn't a big deal if they're addressed and cured. After the new smell wears off if the forum is somewhat quiet with some occasional praise then we'll know it's a winner.

If it's filled with questions why it fell out of the sky? Am I having motor or esc issues, servo problem or rx problem? Swash separated without a crash, yadda yadda yadda then we'll know it's one to avoid.

Time will tell. All you have to do is look at thread titles. Since it's already built you won't have all the issues from setup/build mistakes made by the owner so there should be a lot less help needed threads than a kit heli forum. Especially a small kit heli that attracts a lot of first time builders.

[Mike680]

...moved to the more relevant "Tell us what heli you want next!" thread here in the Blade sub-forum...

But, in a nutshell, Blade listens far more to their Facebook crowd than they do with input from here even though they solicited it.

[douglas4]

Originally Posted by learnedthehardway

I always check the forum before buying a heli. If it has a couple threads praising the machine and not much else that's a good sign. They're out flying it and not posting problems.
When things are going good there isn't much to discuss.
My P380 flies perfectly and has all the power, ease of repair, there's nothing more I want out of it.= Nothing to talk about

I have to agree on what he said. But I'm sure I'm not alone here. I look at the classifieds everyday. I'm always looking for that elusive deal that can't be passed up. Ok I have no life.

That said.

Why do I always see a lot of high end heli's up for sale all the time. Has anybody noticed this or is it just me...? and I might ad they out weigh the blade line of heli's for sale.

FG

[Indokast]

if I was newer to the hobby I would be interested in the 330x.

My only issue is that it has no bailout. As a newer pilot I would at least want that.

However, if the 330x sells well to newer pilots, think of all the spare parts it will sell since it has no safe or bailout feature. It may be in part a move to increase revenue for this reason. Good for blade, but not the new pilot in that regard. Otherwise it is a decent entry level bnf 325mm heli without the hassle of programming a fbl unit.

At my level for that price, I would prefer to purchase other options. However it is always fun to bling out and customize a blade heli. 👍

[douglas4]

Originally Posted by Indokast

Otherwise it is a decent entry level bnf 325mm heli without the hassle of programming a fbl unit.

That"s what I said earlier about not having to program a complicated FBL unit. In fact I emailed Horizon Hobby about the AR636A from the Blade 250cfx being used in another Heli and they told me it's the same but has different parameters and could not be used for my Blade 450 if I wanted to convert. So the plan now is to not buy the whole BNF 330x. I'll just buy the AR636A for it and the Blade FBL conversion kit and convert my Blade 450 to FBL. $63.99 for the AR636A and $92.99 for the FBL conversion kit =$156.98 to convert. ($196.80 CAD for me).

FG

[learnedthehardway]

Is good to have different options. Some are great with electronics but all thumbs with mechanics. Some guys are great with nuts n bolts but allergic to electronics/tech. More common than you might think.

A BNF 450 with a simple fbl will be a option for those with no experience with either, or those who've been around a while but still not very good at either yet can fly good enough to want a 450.

Also good for those who don't care to/have time to, do or learn to do either. They just want to fly. AKA my lhs' favorite customers since they buy a model and bring it in for repairs afterward. More common than you might think.

No set way you have to do this stuff. Maybe Blade is trying to cater to a crowd everyone else ignores yet spends more money on the same model than the average guy

[jrman83]

Originally Posted by douglas4

I have to agree on what he said. But I'm sure I'm not alone here. I look at the classifieds everyday. I'm always looking for that elusive deal that can't be passed up. Ok I have no life.

That said.

Why do I always see a lot of high end heli's up for sale all the time. Has anybody noticed this or is it just me...? and I might ad they out weigh the blade line of heli's for sale.

FG

A lot of the high-end helis are actually pretty popular and some fetch a decent price as a seller. For instance the Goblin 380, if that is considered high-end. There are many of them out there and so you will see quite a few for sale at any given time. It is not a trend that says they are not good helis. I picked up one there myself and it is one of the better models I have in my stable. That said, people do things for different reasons, financial issues or just to get funds to try out that next platform. MANY people will buy something, fly it for 4-6mos and then sell it and buy something else to try out. You will lose a little money here and there doing it but it is a great way to try out different helis, all the while gaining experience in building, setting up and of course flying across different makes and trying to settle on the one you want to keep. I have done it with a few myself.

I own about 6-7 different models of Blade helis. I gave up flying them some time ago. As compared to other things I own, the ones I own for Blade fly very docile and the control is not the same and once you get used to a certain level it is hard stepping back. I own 2-230s. I have not tried to put them in the classifieds because I don't think they would get me that much and I'm not going to give them away. For the most part the Blade helis will not sell for very much unless they are sold close to the time of release or they are the 270 or 360. I sold the 360 I owned and it sold fast but all the electronics on it were not stock. The 180s seem to sell okay, but they either have to be bone stock and not flown or crashed much or completely blinged/modded out to the point they really aren't a Blade heli any longer.

For the most part, don't look to the classifieds for trends.

[jrman83]

Originally Posted by Indokast

if I was newer to the hobby I would be interested in the 330x.

My only issue is that it has no bailout. As a newer pilot I would at least want that.

I felt the same way about this heli and lack of SAFE, but then I thought about the many posts where people say stop adding SAFE to everything. I would want it with this one.

[douglas4]

Originally Posted by learnedthehardway

Is good to have different options. Some are great with electronics but all thumbs with mechanics. Some guys are great with nuts n bolts but allergic to electronics/tech

I can fly no issues. I can set up my heli mechanically to the point of little to no trim at all. I can set up my gyro and program my Tx no problem. I'm good with both electronic and mechanical. I just "prefer" a simpler FBL unit that's all. I have no allergies. As I said before less is more keep it simple for me. I'm just saying. hehe.

FG

[jrman83]

Originally Posted by learnedthehardway

A quiet forum is a happy forum. I always check the forum before buying a heli. If it has a couple threads praising the machine and not much else that's a good sign. They're out flying it and not posting problems.

Quiet forums can be good or bad, or it can be that they aren't worth talking about anymore. It depends.

Blade has 31 sub-forums and many of those have been here since this site started and if I counted right, at least 20 of them are on discontinued models. So yeah, they occupy a lot of space here, but it doesn't really say much other than they used to spit out models faster than anyone and many of them been around for a long time.