I have a Blade 120 SR heli. It's supposed to be a 'indoor and calm day outdoor' flyer.
Well, where I live calm days are few and far between.
Indoor flying is dangerious in a small place.
So my question really is, "Who makes a BIG wind resistant beginner heli
that I can take outside to the park on a lite breezy day? Say 5mph wind?
The Blade 120SR sucks in a breeze. And, so do I.

Blade mCP X. Not big, but probably the best beginner anything. You can set it up to be mild enough and because it's a CP heli no bad tendencies in the wind. Just make sure to have good eyes.

Yes, the bigger they are the better they fly for sure.

My vote is for a Swift NX, but getting one in the air would cost a lot more then an mCPX. |It would cost about that of a good 450 set up, but it is even bigger, much easier to keep oriented som it is a lot easier to fly (so far less crashing and repairing).

What budget do you have?

You might find this thread of interest:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1406690

Yes, bigger, heavier helicopters are easier to fly. Yet they cost more to repair.

I had flown 450 sized helicopters only for the last 3 years. I have started to fly my Raptor 30, I guess you could call it a 550 sized helicopter? It is sooooooo much easier to fly then the 450. I do have a 450 that is super stable, but it is no where near as stable as the Raptor.


Buzz.

I would buy 450 sport clone. I can fly mine in very windy conditions. Its heavier than a v2 and if you use a larger batery maybe 2650mah you can probably get an even more stable heli.

James it depends alot on your wallet and your skill, there is a few things I would like to point out.

There is no reason that with some help (buddy box and simulator time) you cant go directly to a Trex600 (like I did), but with no help you can put yourself and others in harms way.

Originally Posted by ck986

I would buy 450 sport clone. I can fly mine in very windy conditions. Its heavier than a v2 and if you use a larger batery maybe 2650mah you can probably get an even more stable heli.

I dont recommend a clone for a new person those tend to have more problems then higher quality ones, all the problems can be fixed but for a new person that can be difficult.

I'm looking for a RTF. I don't want to try and assemble a kit.
I just bought the 120SR. Not happy with it. Outdoors its a KITE.

Try the Blade 400 and get some trainer kit to go with it.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...400#quickSpecs
or
http://www.toddsmodels.com/Blade_400_3D_s/102.htm


Also you can get a Trex 450 or 500, but you would have to pay someone to build it for you.



I just bought a used Hirobo Quark and I like it but outside it get pushed around badly, same problem as you, I will probably end up buying a Trex 500

Trex 450, $420 + Controller, Reciever, Charger, Batteries.

Trex 500, $581 + Controller, Reciever, Charger, Batteries (twice the size as the 450).

Controller, DX7, $200
Reciever, $50-60
Charger, $50-$200
Batteries, 450 $20 to $50, 500 $40 to $100

Example of a newbie with a trex 500

Lot 1 - T-REX 500 ESP - 09/05/09 (1 min 47 sec)

Originally Posted by james1300

I'm looking for a RTF. I don't want to try and assemble a kit.
I just bought the 120SR. Not happy with it. Outdoors its a KITE.

Well then you will find yourself with a bit of a conundrum.

There are not many RTF electric sets available in the bigger sizes (those that use 500mm blades or longer). And the few there are out there, use electronics that are very questionable for use in these sized helis.

If you want RTF because you do not want to learn how to set-up a heli, then I suggest that you stay with the smaller ones as the performance of the servos & gyros used in them is not as critical and the Radio gear used with them does not have to have the range (you will never fly them very far from yourself) or need as demanding set-up firmware in them.

He could go with larger ones but he has to be prepared to pay someone when even he crashes it, which is acceptable to some people.

The 450 clones do not really have any problems, both of mine flew right out of the box. Now the 500's are a different story. I would not advise anyone to buy a clone 500, align all the way.

Originally Posted by ck986

The 450 clones do not really have any problems

Hmmm ... I think it's safer to say that some people experience problems and some don't.

I purchased three HK-450 kits and corresponding inexpensive Hobby King components. I already owned an Align T-Rex SE and wanted to see what the fuss was all about. On all three kits, the tail rotor hub was machined asymmetrically such that the tail would vibrate violently even before I mounted tail blades. All three hubs were unusable.

The plastic main blades that come with the kits are pretty warped.

The Turnigy MG90S servos had less travel than Hitec HS-65mg servos, so I had to modify the setup recommended by the Finless Bob videos.

The diameter of the Hobby King swash was slightly smaller than that of the T-Rex. This caused interference between the bottom of the swash and the top of the main shaft collar at full negative collective.

For one of the gyros (HK-401B), the connector that plugged into the rudder channel of the receiver had it's wires in reverse order.

I was able to notice and work around these problems because I've built a handful of helicopters before. But a novice might be tripped up.

In contrast, the build of my Align T-Rex 450 went a lot smoother. Also, my T-Rex 450 flies better. Of course the T-Rex cost a lot more.

Like with anything else that comes from Hobby King (which is simply a clone of someone else's product - they ought to call themselves Copy King), it's the QC that's the problem... some people have the HK-500 and it flies just as good if not better than the Align T-Rex it's cloned after. Other people find that some screws aren't long enough, pieces don't fit together quite right, etc. It's a crap shoot, really. Is saving a few hundred dollars worth the headache? Not for me. But that's my opinion.

Back on topic... I wouldn't say that bigger helis are easier to fly, but more than they fly better. Things don't happen as fast in a 600-class heli as they do in a 450-class heli. It's easier to see and the controls are smoother. Even though my T-Rex 450 is really tamed down (I use it for scale flight), my T-Rex 500 flies much better than the 450. And the 600 flies better than the two of them put together, and I swore that nothing would fly better than the 500 when I got it.

I'll pass along the advice that was given to me when I first started in CP flight: Buy the biggest heli you can afford to crash. You will crash when learning to fly CP helis.... not a matter of if, but of when. Trust me, we've all been there.

If you don't want to put one together, then I recommend the E-Flite Blade 400 or the soon-to-come Blade 450. It comes 100% RTF out of the box. Some trimming and setup is required before it will fly well, but as far as assembly, there is none. And you get a pretty decent radio to boot. My advice? Buy a kit and put it together. It only takes 2-3 days and I guarantee you a heli that you build, adjust, and setup will fly better than any RTF product out there. Plus you have the advantage of knowing it from skids to head block and you'll be able to diagnose and repair problems quickly and easily.

Again, just my opinions and advice. YMMV.

I don't want to go off topic, all I'm going to say is that 450clones have been good to me so i am recommending them. I would not buy a larger clone though.