I need some recommendations for a small RTF indoor helicopter. I want something that will be good for lots of flying without having maintenance problems. It would not have to be a RTF if there are better alternatives. Cost is not important.

How about some recommendations.

RC Man,
What size are you looking for? In sub Micro
The best indoor copters are the eflite Blade mCX and the Nine Eagles Solo/Free spirit. Both are great copters that do not need a ton of maintanance. The third option are walkeras which tend to require quite a bit more upkeep as motors are not as long lasting.

mCX- Most expensive, best support and most mods available. Speed easily adjusted with mSR swash. Parts available at Local shops and online. New Tandem Co ax due out this week.

Solo/Free spirit- Least exspensive, faster ff out of the box(now available as Revell proto) Parts mostly online www.clubheli.com for Solo/free spirit and at Tower under revell name.

Walkera- Online, practically no support from manufacturer. Older models available as Novus line at tower with a higher price and some support.
Steve

Thanks,
I have heard that Walkera is the worst so I will stay away from that. I will check out the others.

I see that Tower Hobbies has Heli-Max helicopters. Are they made by someone else and renamed? Are the good or junk?

.

Take a peek at my review of the blade MCX
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1152670

Take a peek at my review of the blade MCX
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1152670

My favorite--disclosure, it was my first--is Esky Lama V4. It's flown just under a year with no parts required other than blades and one skid. In a confined space--mine is 11x7--it will stay challenging longer than submicros (MCX) as it's almost twice as large. But like MCX it will be immediately flyable, starting from scratch. It's also substantially less expensive (~$90) than MCX.

MCX is at the (price) high end of indoor funflyers, along with its singlerotor hangarmate MSR and Walkera CB100. At the low end is a plethora of $20-60 3-ch coaxes. Don't discount them altogether. After months of flying cx, fp, and cp, I bought 2 3chs for an average of $40 each. They're a challenge unto themselves. Where aileron control gets you out of a lot of tight spots with a 4ch, 3ch doesn't have aileron. But other than the lack of 4-dimensional controllability, they can be just as stable and manageable.

RC Man,
Helimax Novus are rebranded Walkera. The Axe line isnt too bad, however they only come in FM not the 2.4ghz of the mCX and Solo/Free Spirit. Also the Axe is a little larger, in between the mCx size and the CX2/3 size. If You do go for the Axe series I would only go for the new commanche as it is the onle one with the folding blades. As it is a little larger folding blades will take more abuse. In the mCX/Free Spirit size folding blades are not needed as copters barely weigh anything. With the 15.00 rebate and 15.00 coupon code you can get a good deal on one. However the Solo is on Sale at Club Heli for 63.00 right now.
Steve

RC Man,

do you already have a transmitter (preferably a spektrum DX) ... as it seems a little as if you do ...

In case you have the transmitter already (or you could try to buy a used CX transmitter here on RCG or similar places) you can find the mcx on ebay as bnf right now for 89.99$ free shipping - plus you could get a 10$ mail in rebate from Horizon Hobby.

So that means new mCX at your door for 80$ (hard to beat deal ... )

Thanks all,

I will probably get the Blade mCX with out a transmitter and use my existing transmitter. I have an old Futaba transmitter with a Spektrum module that should be ok for indoor flying.

Are there any spare parts that I should stock up on?

Who makes good spare batteries? Are larger batteries available for more flight time?


.

I'd consider the Blade CX2, with mcx bigger brother (but still not that big).

You have a proper Swash configuration, yet still co-axial, so you still have that stability, going a little larger in size. Looks great, been out longer than the mcx, so alot more spares and upgrades available. Highly recommend it.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=824

If he were going to go with a larger coaxial he could buy a Lama V4 for half the cost of the CX2 and have money left over to buy other gifts.

Originally Posted by Barak1001

If he were going to go with a larger coaxial he could buy a Lama V4 for half the cost of the CX2 and have money left over to buy other gifts.

The Lama 4 and CX2, for most people, are not indoor heli's. They're too big. I don't like the game controller transmitter on an mcx. I love my Walkera 5G6-1 that is 2.4Ghz electronics and metal head parts. For an outdoor heli, the Lama 4 is nice, but an already modded CX2 from the Classifieds or Ebay is even better. It wouldn't be new, but it would be 1/2 the price and have almost as much in mods already on it.

Originally Posted by Barak1001

If he were going to go with a larger coaxial he could buy a Lama V4 for half the cost of the CX2 and have money left over to buy other gifts.

The CX2 really isnt that much larger, we are talking inches, rather than feet!

kodak_jack, in an average sized house, the CX2 can VERY EASILY fly from room to room, between doorways and undertables and chairs. It's even advertised as an indoor helicopter on the manufacturers website, however can be taken outside in calm conditions - as with any other Heli.

Jet,
I have to agree with kodak, I have the mCX and the CX2. For indoors I would go with the mCX. With the size difference you get to do a lot more flying with the mCX. Also If you hit something with the mCX their will be no damage. The CX2 can cause damage to Items such as TVs upholstry and other items. I myself have more fun with the mCX inside. My CX2, Esky V3s and my Solo ProII fly outside. (Although Pro II can also fly indoors easily).
Steve

Originally Posted by sleb

Jet,
I have to agree with kodak, I have the mCX and the CX2. For indoors I would go with the mCX. With the size difference you get to do a lot more flying with the mCX. Also If you hit something with the mCX their will be no damage. The CX2 can cause damage to Items such as TVs upholstry and other items. I myself have more fun with the mCX inside. My CX2, Esky V3s and my Solo ProII fly outside. (Although Pro II can also fly indoors easily).
Steve

I'm glad to see that someone included the Esky Lama V3 in the list of possibilities. I've owned just about every kind of coaxial heli out there during the past 3 years and on the top of my list for indoor performance, durability, ease of maintenance and availability of parts, nothing compares with the V3! Less than half the price of a CX2 but with build quality and parts as good as, if not better than that of the CX2. A little trimming out of the box and she'll hover hands off for many seconds too!! The only thing I dislike about the V3 is that green color! No problem though, a little cosmetic work and mine looks like this. I highly recommend the Esky Lama for newbies!