Tell us What Heli you Want Next!

[Krager]

Yes the 180 is kind of in its own class, there's really nothing to compare it to, smaller than a 250, bigger than a 150.

The 180 is a good example of Blade dropping a model after a relatively short production run. It ran what, a year or two? Sometimes they drop a model to replace it with an updated version, but that's less often the case and they'll go a long time between discontinuing the old version and introducing the new one.

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by CraigHB

The 180 is a good example of Blade dropping a model after a relatively short production run. It ran what, a year or two?

It started shipping Oct/Nov 2014, so about 2.5 years. Definitely a lot better run than the Pro Series got.

[Number]

Originally Posted by Mike680

Nope, and I never said it was a powerhouse. However, lots of people liked the original nCPX. Ask the member named Number here. He'll tell you and he can fly the crap out of his.

Nano CPX = very good.

Nano CPX + MyLiPo 205mAh 1s HV LiPos + Micro Motor Warehouse 8020-14 motor + PH2 connector = incredible.


Cyclic feel is the best compared to any of the other Blade micros (mCPX, Nano CPS, mCPXBL, 130X, 180CFX, 130S, etc) and it's got a good power-to-weight ratio.

The biggest problem with the Nano CPX is the stock motor and batteries. The stock connector is a big bottleneck for power especially after a few cycles, and myLiPo batteries have tons more power output compared to stock. The stock motor is decent but only lasts a very short time before it totally sucks.

https://micro-motor-warehouse.com/co...-ph2-connector
https://micro-motor-warehouse.com/co...cts/cl-8020-14
https://micro-motor-warehouse.com/pr...ph-2-0-pigtail

Nano Cps cannot be saved. Wobbly, twitchy, unstable and unpredictable.



The stock connector (2-pin Molex Picoblade) is only rated to 30 mating cycles before the internal resistance soars through the roof. Have a look for yourself.
http://www.molex.com/webdocs/datashe...CB_HEADERS.pdf

[danb1974]

Take a hint from xk k123 / k124 scale models

(If only they were dsm compatible...)

[Number]

Personally I want another 130X. Haters gonna hate, but that heli was lightweight and flew extremely well, when it flew. And that IMO was its only real flaw. Tail gears were a nightmare. The 130X with a 180CFX style tail drive would be a dream come true.


Linear servos.
Yeah yeah they suck they get dirty blah blah. But you know what? They're ridiculously durable. Worm gears have near infinite stall torque and there are no gears to strip. I crashed the living crap out the 130X and not once did I damage a servo, other than wires getting ripped off or falling off from vibration which any servo is susceptible to. For me, the durability is worth having to clean them every 100 flights.

Weight.
A stock, unmodded 130X had a very low disc loading and thus the stock motor was nearly sufficient, if you didn't mind it getting blazingly hot. Mine got super hot but it never burned out once. If they put a brushless motor of equal or slightly higher power from the start (Oversky HP06 maybe) it would be a winner as far as power systems go. The stock inrunner made enough power for just about everything I could throw at it. It just got hot, that's all.


I actually didn't mind the 3-in-1. I only had it lose binding ability once, which was repairable. That's my only gripe, really. They need to make them stop losing bind so often and having to be sent to megasmicros for repair. It's lightweight, and easy to remove and install.


So what I really want:
-130X frame that's easier to replace the elevator servo. Keep the material as the stock 130X frame is extremely robust.
-180CFX tail system. Gears that aren't so pathetic.
-130X head. Nothing really wrong with it that I ever found, maybe other than the weak swashplate. Lighter than the 180CFX head.
-Outrunner motor
-Linear servos
-3s 300mAh (130S batteries maybe) purely to reduce temperatures. Should be similar in weight to a 2s 450mAh which is what I always ran.
-More durable canopy. I love the lightweight stock canopy but of course they're made of eggshells and love to shatter. Make it out of more flexible, less brittle plastic and you'll have a winner.
-No boom supports. Seriously, not needed. Not needed on the 180CFX (I ran mine without) and with a stronger boom it wouldn't be needed on the 130 either.
-Aluminum tail boom. Seriously Blade? Carbon fiber? Whose idea was that? It's light, but it shatters.

HUGE:
-NO SAFE crap. I just want a nice flying FBL unit with piro-optimization. Don't dumb this bird down with weak main motors, electric tail motors, and rescue stuff.


There's probably something I'm missing. I'm probably the odd man out with this list of stuff. But it would certainly be something I'd buy.

[yakky]

I sort of wish Steve had asked this question a little differently. I think for Blade to survive and flourish, the question needs to be:

"What should blade do to cater to the entry level heli market. How can blade best serve people coming into the hobby."

Lots of folks on here have great ideas BUT they aren't necessarily what Blade needs right now. Blade tried the upper end of the market, they made a decent product, but lets be honest, the other guys had strong products that were as cheap if not cheaper.

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by Number

Nano CPX = very good.

I knew you'd chime in. I've seen videos of you flying the heck out of yours.

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by Number

Personally I want another 130X.

Uh, didn't you already have one that flew awesome and pretty much fixed all that was wrong with the stock version?

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by yakky

I sort of wish Steve had asked this question a little differently.

I wish he or anyone else from Blade would be a little more prominent with their participation in the Blade forums as a whole instead of posting a drive-by question like that and never to return with any feedback on peoples' suggestions. Where's Brian Bremer these days? I thought he might be the new Brian James here after he quit Horizon. He actually did post quite a bit here.

[Number]

Originally Posted by yakky

I sort of wish Steve had asked this question a little differently. I think for Blade to survive and flourish, the question needs to be:

"What should blade do to cater to the entry level heli market. How can blade best serve people coming into the hobby."

Lots of folks on here have great ideas BUT they aren't necessarily what Blade needs right now. Blade tried the upper end of the market, they made a decent product, but lets be honest, the other guys had strong products that were as cheap if not cheaper.

Problem is they already have 6 different helicopters almost identical, just one small bit bigger. They are giving the impression there's tons of different steps to take one heli at a time before you get all the way up. When in reality starting with a CP micro, once you learn that you can jump right up to a 360 class and it's WAY easier to fly.

Blade Nano CPS (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 130S (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 230S (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 250 CFX (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 270 CFX (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 360 CFX Trio (Self Level/Rescue ability!)

While the rescue self level stuff might help in the beginning, it's certainly not necessary EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. If you still depend heavily on rescue on a 250mm, or 360mm class helicopter, you should not be flying a 250 or 360 class helicopter.

By the time you're flying such a powerful heli you should be able to maintain basic flight, even if its just hovering in 4 orientations. A micro will help you learn those more cheaply.

The variation is nice, if you don't want a 130mm heli you can get a 230mm heli.

But a 230, 250, 270?? What in the world? WHY?

They're all so close to each other in size and performance (the 270 being the exception as it has lots of power, but it still has rescue) that it's just so unnecessary. Heck, after looking more closely, the 250 CFX looks like a 230S with a bigger battery.

Back a few years ago, I learned to fly helis. I got a sim, I flew the heck out of it, until I could do decent aerobatics. My first real life aerobatics was on a Nano CPX in 2013. Then I got a 450. Just like that. No self level and it was a total of 3 steps: Sim, micro, big.

There's not really even a reason to do that anymore. You can learn on the sim to do all orientations, then jump right in to a 450. Other than the intimidation factor of a big helicopter, bigger helicopters are TONS easier to fly than micros. Way slower and more stable. Or if you're an adrenaline junky with deep pockets going from master at sim to a 600 or 700 would be even easier. The bigger the heli the easier it is to fly - and that's completely true.

I know it sounds crazy, but I'm dead serious. My friend kept trying to convince me years ago that you are actually less likely to crash a 700 because of how dang slow they move. My biggest concern was the cost of a crash and he just kept repeating this statement to me. And I didn't believe him. But once I flew a 700, it's 100% true. I dumb thumb my 470 and darn near smash it into the ground on a regular basis. Not once have I genuinely come close on my 700. Now i stand behind that statement with 100% agreement.

[gabeoravitz]

+1 all of this.

Self level is neat but it is a dangerous habit to get into, I think. Unless you plan on staying with a 230s or smaller forever where crashing is less dangerous to yourself and others around you. Having to train yourself to hit the level switch, THEN hit HOLD should that not suffice...is scary imo.

And while we're keeping track, I started with micros in 2012 and it went micros, 450, 700/sim. lol

Originally Posted by Number

Problem is they already have 6 different helicopters almost identical, just one small bit bigger. They are giving the impression there's tons of different steps to take one heli at a time before you get all the way up. When in reality starting with a CP micro, once you learn that you can jump right up to a 360 class and it's WAY easier to fly.

Blade Nano CPS (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 130S (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 230S (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 250 CFX (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 270 CFX (Self Level/Rescue ability!)
Blade 360 CFX Trio (Self Level/Rescue ability!)

While the rescue self level stuff might help in the beginning, it's certainly not necessary EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. If you still depend heavily on rescue on a 250mm, or 360mm class helicopter, you should not be flying a 250 or 360 class helicopter.

By the time you're flying such a powerful heli you should be able to maintain basic flight, even if its just hovering in 4 orientations. A micro will help you learn those more cheaply.

The variation is nice, if you don't want a 130mm heli you can get a 230mm heli.

But a 230, 250, 270?? What in the world? WHY?

They're all so close to each other in size and performance (the 270 being the exception as it has lots of power, but it still has rescue) that it's just so unnecessary. Heck, after looking more closely, the 250 CFX looks like a 230S with a bigger battery.

Back a few years ago, I learned to fly helis. I got a sim, I flew the heck out of it, until I could do decent aerobatics. My first real life aerobatics was on a Nano CPX in 2013. Then I got a 450. Just like that. No self level and it was a total of 3 steps: Sim, micro, big.

There's not really even a reason to do that anymore. You can learn on the sim to do all orientations, then jump right in to a 450. Other than the intimidation factor of a big helicopter, bigger helicopters are TONS easier to fly than micros. Way slower and more stable. Or if you're an adrenaline junky with deep pockets going from master at sim to a 600 or 700 would be even easier. The bigger the heli the easier it is to fly - and that's completely true.

I know it sounds crazy, but I'm dead serious. My friend kept trying to convince me years ago that you are actually less likely to crash a 700 because of how dang slow they move. My biggest concern was the cost of a crash and he just kept repeating this statement to me. And I didn't believe him. But once I flew a 700, it's 100% true. I dumb thumb my 470 and darn near smash it into the ground on a regular basis. Not once have I genuinely come close on my 700. Now i stand behind that statement with 100% agreement.

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by Number

Heck, after looking more closely, the 250 CFX looks like a 230S with a bigger battery.

It's a little more than that. It has the 300CFX carbon frame, 300CFX motor and longer carbon main blades.

[wab223]

I hope Spetroto comes back. One thing I find rude on internet forums is when people ask a question, particularly for criticism, approval or feedback and then never come back to acknowledge.

Its not like he has not read the forum or is too busy.

I appreciate that he may not want to get embroiled in criticism of the product but other heli marks seem to be able to hold dialogue with their customers.
And I am sure many of us would not be employed if we could not do like wise.

EDIT: If any of you Helifreak guys think I was too harsh in post #5 please let me know. Maybe I am too critical. I hope not.
I have bought 2 Oxys, 1 Gaui, 1 Synergy and 6 Blades since I started CP helis.
Not in that order. So I am not trying to just bash Blade for the sake of it.

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by wab223

EDIT: If any of you Helifreak guys think I was too harsh in post #5 please let me know. Maybe I am too critical. I hope not.

I thought it was fine. Nothing in it that isn't true.

[Brute71]

An updated MCPX BL, dual outrunner brushless, and separate the esc from the fbl and have them actually able to be separated without a soldering iron for repair/replacement. Also, piro comp.

Bring back the 180CFX, maybe use EC2 connectors instead of the JST's and use the H3060 tail servo as standard. Really didnt need much improving to fly reliably and well.

[wab223]

Mike, thanks for that.

I have to be honest I am slightly skeptical of the Blade/Horizon business model.

Why do they need to continually bring out new models rather than perfecting the models they have. It seems like a never ending conveyor belt.
All I can think is that it is so cheap for them to turn out their product and they get a massive injection of revenue from initial sales that they continue on that path?

I hope Danny will come back.

[wab223]

Brute71, imo they should start using xt30 connectors.

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by wab223

Why do they need to continually bring out new models rather than perfecting the models they have. It seems like a never ending conveyor belt.

Because claiming "New and Improved!", whether it's true or not, always sells.

I hope Danny will come back.

Who?

[Mike680]

Originally Posted by wab223

Brute71, imo they should start using xt30 connectors.

Agreed. The little red JST connectors with aluminum pins are pure crap. I've switched my 230S and 180CFX along with some other small models to XT30s and they're excellent connectors.

[wab223]

Originally Posted by Mike680

Because claiming "New and Improved!", whether it's true or not, always sells.



Who?

Did they recycle him too?

Sorry Steve.