Originally Posted by token44

So I'm still having a hard time seeing the value.

The initial cost difference of $100.00 between the 130X and 300X doesn't seem enough to justify it.

If the answer is simply "Because I want it" or "I can afford to buy as many helis as I want to" then fine, but the argument that the 300X is $100.00 more than a 130X is then irrelevant.

The 300X is a tremendous value. If you want to buy that instead, great. That doesn't mean the 130X isn't worth $240+ to people like me. I will preorder the 130X and skip the 300X because:

1) The 130X will fly in a smaller space.
2) The 130X will be safer around people.
3) The 130X may be more crash resistant (remains to be seen).
4) I already have a heli I like in the 300X size class that does great 3D (Gaui 200FES - wish the 300X was around when I built that!)
5) I'm sick of Walkera (V120D02) and I want to get down to a single TX

Originally Posted by jv8

1) The 130X will fly in a smaller space.
2) The 130X will be safer around people.

It's probably quieter also. I live in an apartment complex, corner unit with my own little back yard, and as long as the neighbors don't complain, I can continue to fly. This is my flying space (I also fly my V120D01 and msr here also):

Syma S107 Outdoor Flight At Dusk 1080p by TravisBean (2 min 31 sec)

The 130 won't be safe around people

The MCPX can draw blood if it hits your hands

130X is larger and more powerful!

Originally Posted by Razors edge 29

The 130 won't be safe around people

The MCPX can draw blood if it hits your hands

130X is larger and more powerful!

Hard to really call the safe around people thing.

Sure part of that is the skill of the pilot, but even more has to do with the stupidity of the people. Which seems to have no limit sometimes.

C'mon, there are idiots out there that can find a way to get hurt with an mcX floating around in a big room.

Exactly my point!!

Originally Posted by Razors edge 29

The 130 won't be safe around people

The MCPX can draw blood if it hits your hands

130X is larger and more powerful!

And the 300X is heavier and more powerful than the 130X. Obviously each heli size has a threshold for safe distance and each size also has a worse case outcome.

I've been hit in the arm with a Walkera V120D02 and it wasn't bad at all... left a little welt but didn't break the skin. My Gaui 200 is a buzz saw by comparison and I don't want to find out how far to the bone it would cut.

I'm comfortable flying the 130X class close in but the 300X class I keep farther away. It's funny that makes the smaller heli easier to see sometimes.

Lol

Don't get me wrong. The concept of the 130X is a great one.

Having a 3D capable machine in that size is excellent, and there is certainly a market for the product.

So far I can agree that it will fly in smaller spaces, and it will likely be quieter than the 300X. The rest has all been subjective.

I just think that Blade, or HH, or E-flite, or whatever, has missed on the pricepoint.

The value for dollar (taking out any emotion, or what it will mean to one person) is just not there.

It should have been priced closer to the mCPx.

For the people where this bird fits you personally... Fantastic! Whether that be because of the space that is available, the noise, other helis you own etc...
You're part of the target market for this item.

It may not appeal to everyone but to some, certainly.

Of course, the way to fix that is have it hit the market before the 300X. So that all of the people that have to have "the latest thing" will buy it as soon as it hits the shelves, but those people will buy the next thing, and the next thing as well.

Originally Posted by token44

So far I can agree that it will fly in smaller spaces, and it will likely be quieter than the 300X. The rest has all been subjective.

According to HH the 130X weighs 107g and the 300X weighs 491g.

In a worse case accident with spinning knives heading toward your face, you don't think 5 times the mass makes an objective difference in safety?

Regarding the value... be happy the early adopters fund the R&D for these great machines. The price will drop... and quickly if you are right and it is priced too high for the market.

I come from the perspective of a very happy 120SR owner and have for some time wondered when (not if) Blade would come out wih a cp version and now here it is... do I have to say anything more? Well... at least one more thing: I currently practice Cp with my only cp (a 450 as you can see under my avatar) and my flight sim, so though this is smaller a will be much "squirrely" than my flybarred 450, I am more than happy to see this model and will buy it at some point after my next heli (which will be a T-Rex 550E as I have already decided). I have always felt a need for a micro CP, and this will fot the bill for me. (Steps down from soap box)

I just think that Blade, or HH, or E-flite, or whatever, has missed on the pricepoint.

The value for dollar (taking out any emotion, or what it will mean to one person) is just not there.

I completely agree - I'd happily spend $50 for a brushless conversion for my mCP-X, but 100 seems a bit much, especially for a heli that will probably break more often.

However, what I think doesn't really matter. Almost every new model is priced high because there's a group of people who really want it and can afford it (and are willing to put up with teething problems and poor spares support for the first few months). After a year or so the competitors appear and price comes down and those who felt it was too expensive buy theirs. Horizon have extracted the maximum profit from the first batch AND the second batch AND they've minimised the supply problems that would have occured if both groups of people had wanted to buy the heli on day 1 (and spares on day 2)

I was in that first group for the mCP-X (I got the first one in our LHS, a few months before there was enough stock for the shop owner to have his own!) and don't really care that the current version is significantly better and a bit cheaper, because I've had a lot of fun with it over the last year.

It may not appeal to everyone but to some, certainly.

You're right. We were all spoilt by the mCP-X which was completely revolutionary (both a micro CP that actually worked AND a CP that could survive a crash; two previously impossible abilities). The 130x, 300x and 500x are just evolutionary improvements when we were hoping for something magical.

Originally Posted by jv8

According to HH the 130X weighs 107g and the 300X weighs 491g.

In a worse case accident with spinning knives heading toward your face, you don't think 5 times the mass makes an objective difference in safety?

Not really. A worst case scenario is rarely an objective way of looking at things.
The logic you provided would also say that the only Blade heli that should ever be flown is a Scout CX. At 17 grams it would be capable of the least amount of "facial damage". Or ideally, no RC helis should ever be flown because of the risk of personal injury.

Personally, I fly RC helis, not into my face mind you, and have made the decision that I am willing to accept the risk that entails. I also ride a motorcycle, and drive a drag car. Both of those activities present a possible risk, but are ones that I have chosen to accept. Of course, I wear a helmet while riding my bike, and while at the track, and I have an 8 point roll cage welded into the car to help mitigate some risk, but I am not convinced that I require any personal protective equipment to fly RC helis.

Originally Posted by token44

Not really. A worst case scenario is rarely an objective way of looking at things.
The logic you provided would also say that the only Blade heli that should ever be flown is a Scout CX. At 17 grams it would be capable of the least amount of "facial damage". Or ideally, no RC helis should ever be flown because of the risk of personal injury.

What I said is a 100g heli is objectively _safer_ than a 500g heli. Physics says it can do less damage. It's not subjective.

Now whether you value that with $$$ is subjective and up to you. Some people value great 3D performance in something small they can comfortably fly close in. Some people don't.

I never said anything about risk-free helis. Everything in life has some risk. Go ahead and take the risks you want. Fly whatever helis you want.

If the 130X can perform like a big heli but only weigh 100g then I will pay a premium.

The MCPX is crashable but there is a reason there are so many mods. Stock it doesn't fly like a 450X. Don't get me started on my Walkera V120 experiences.

There's always the chance it will be a superb performer and worth every penny.

Only time will tell.

The Walkera 120 CP line is very popular and essentially has the market cornered. No reason for Blade not to fire back with some competition. I'm also digging the size. I love my Genius CP, but I fly in a 2 court gym and it gets very small very quickly. Learning 3D on something so small presents it's own challenges. A 120/130 size heli is much more visible. I'm also limited to 6oz where I fly, anything much bigger than this is to heavy. The Walkera 120s have shown that a shaft tail can work very well in this size, so you don't have another motor to burn out. It seems that all the sub micros with tail motors always need some sort of tail upgrade, whether it's a stronger motor, extended boom, whatever. A driven tail doesn't have that problem. If this heli is as durable as the MCPx and 120SR, and the V120D02S, it'll probably be worth every penny.