Originally Posted by zadaw

I won't take the Walkera either, in fact I won't take any Walkera CP of over 120 size. Helis of this size are getting quite dangerous and I don't want to take risks with parts flying out or parts failing in mid flight. After all, the labor cost for assembling the heli must be less $10 in China and that would be done by factory girls who do not have a clue about the hobby.

I think the profile of Walkera is very similar to Eflight. They specialize in 100-120 class helis but once you get above that size, their reputation for quality are not good at all. I think both the Blade 500 and Walkera 500 are intended as flagship models to show what these companies can do, not that they expect many sales. In fact, I have never seen a V450D01 or V500D01 sold on the streets of Hong Kong. It seems they are mainly sold overseas.

i think they just want to broaden their market, but rtf isnt the way to go with machines that big, because what if a spindle bolt is loose on a 500 and some newb is hovering right in front of his face? blades build quality isnt great by any means and thats going to be a problem.... on my 4503d when i had it, i had quite a few screws and bolts come loose, and some of the frame screws were stripped from the factory... this was before i really knew what a quality bird was.

ooooooooo... fun-flys are going to be so much fun this year! I'm just gonna sit back and watch the battle of the brands!

Originally Posted by nick779

on my 4503d when i had it, i had quite a few screws and bolts come loose, and some of the frame screws were stripped from the factory... this was before i really knew what a quality bird was.

Then why didn't you check it before you flew to make sure everything was in order? That would seem a responsible thing to do before flying any R/C model.

Originally Posted by 3DMad5

Then why didn't you check it before you flew to make sure everything was in order? That would seem a responsible thing to do before flying any R/C model.

it was my first larger cp... i assumed it was all good because it was RTF which was my own fault, which would be something a common newbie would do...
after my first dumb thumb crash i checked everything over and found all of that...

that is my worry, that another newbie will make the same mistake i did, and will get hurt. i mean when i first got into rc, i thought RTF literally meant take it out of the box, charge the lipo and fly... but thats obviously not the case, especially not with blade

Originally Posted by nick779

it was my first larger cp... i assumed it was all good because it was RTF which was my own fault, which would be something a common newbie would do...
after my first dumb thumb crash i checked everything over and found all of that...

that is my worry, that another newbie will make the same mistake i did, and will get hurt. i mean when i first got into rc, i thought RTF literally meant take it out of the box, charge the lipo and fly... but thats obviously not the case, especially not with blade

I'll remember to check those bolts too, as I'm thinking of getting a Blade 450 3D for my birthday. I was just wondering whether it came out of the box like that or they backed out after a few flights.

Originally Posted by 3DMad5

I'll remember to check those bolts too, as I'm thinking of getting a Blade 450 3D for my birthday. I was just wondering whether it came out of the box like that or they backed out after a few flights.

I'd look over your manual, particularly the Post-Flight Inspections and Maintenance.

Here is a snip from the 4503D manual.

Originally Posted by theexpertrcpilot

ooooooooo... fun-flys are going to be so much fun this year! I'm just gonna sit back and watch the battle of the brands!

sorry but the only battle of the brands this year imo is going to be between Mikado for the xxtreme and SAB heli for the goblin

Originally Posted by 3DMad5

I'll remember to check those bolts too, as I'm thinking of getting a Blade 450 3D for my birthday. I was just wondering whether it came out of the box like that or they backed out after a few flights.

i crashed it on my second pack, so it really didnt have time to work itself loose, especially from plastic...
and the crash wasnt super hard, it needed blades, landing gear, tailboom(only slightly bent), feathering shaft(wasnt bent, i just replaced it for good measure) and a flybar

Originally Posted by Alan Hahn

I'd look over your manual, particularly the Post-Flight Inspections and Maintenance.

Here is a snip from the 4503D manual.

how many noobs are going to read that and even do that?
same thing most noobs are just changer the pack and try and fly it right out of the box

the other issue is in the US any way a 500 is to big for park flying at least as the AMA defines a park flyer

Originally Posted by Elios000

how many noobs are going to read that and even do that?
same thing most noobs are just changer the pack and try and fly it right out of the box

the other issue is in the US any way a 500 is to big for park flying at least as the AMA defines a park flyer

Well, if they don't read, it's their problem.

Users have some responsibilities too.

Originally Posted by bassplayinDude

HH says all adjustments can be done via Spektrum Tx.

If you can point me to where, I will do my best to get it fixed!

Thanks,
David

Originally Posted by dribbe

If you can point me to where, I will do my best to get it fixed!

Thanks,
David

Just saw your post now. Will try and find the spot I read about the Tx but I know it was on the HH website.

Originally Posted by dribbe

If you can point me to where, I will do my best to get it fixed!

Thanks,
David

OK, this is from: http://www.horizonhobby.com/products...-x-bnf-BLH4080 last paragraph

The Blade 500 X brings you all the benefits of BeastX technology through the amazing Spektrum™ AR7200BX flybarless control system. This groundbreaking innovation combines a 7-channel DSMX® receiver with the BeastX system into a single, compact unit that weighs barely over ½ an ounce. Perhaps best of all is how simple the AR7200BX is to set up. Because BeastX flybarless technology doesn’t require a special interface to make adjustments, you can easily tune your heli’s response at the field using just the AR7200BX unit and a DSM2/DSMX computer transmitter with heli programming.

I may be reading this wrong, but it reads to me as if the AR7200BX can be adjusted using a DSM2/DSMX Tx.

Originally Posted by bassplayinDude

OK, this is from: http://www.horizonhobby.com/products...-x-bnf-BLH4080 last paragraph




I may be reading this wrong, but it reads to me as if the AR7200BX can be adjusted using a DSM2/DSMX Tx.

This is just the way you setup a normal BeastX (via the transmitter sticks and the pots on the unit), I'd be surprised if the AR7200BX would be any different.

Maybe I'm missing something!

Originally Posted by bassplayinDude

OK, this is from: http://www.horizonhobby.com/products...-x-bnf-BLH4080 last paragraph




I may be reading this wrong, but it reads to me as if the AR7200BX can be adjusted using a DSM2/DSMX Tx.

I think it is accurate. No computer or programming box needed. Maybe there is a better way to word it to avoid any chance of confusion.
David

Although I'm not a big fan of E-flite I think they are providing a product that many people have advised newbs to get. When a beginner says that they want to buy their first CP heli quite a number of people advise them to get the largest heli they can afford as the larger the bird the more stabil it will be.

The part that is unnerving is that these beginners are the people who will fly their mCX's until the battery is nearly dead and the thing won't fly any more, then they charge them back up using a charger that only gives them a green light when it's done. I think that the people the 500 is being marketed to don't know enough about proper battery safety to be messing around with 6s packs. The RTF version is said to have everything in the box needed to fly, but no mention of what charger is included. Plus $99 for a 6s 2900mAh replacement battery? YIKES, you can get a 6s Gens Ace 3300 mAh battery for half the price.

Has anyone noticed that the blade grip control arm on the FBL heli is on the trailing edge of the blade as opposed to the leading edge like other FBL helis?