Greetings All
Just jioned this forum and this is my 1st post.

I am looking to get an Electic Heli very soon and i have quite a few questions.
I'd really like something BIG that can do extreme 3D, like The “3-Dee-MP”, mmmm. But as im not rich i will have to get "other".

1st off the T-Rex. This is the one i think i may get but would like to know a few things about it.
The guy @ the shop i was in says the T-Rex 450CCPM can do Extreme 3D straight out the box. TRUE or FALSE ???
If true yeehaaa ... If false then what hop-ups would i need ?

WIND: Whats it like,,, is it ok in normal UK kinda wind or is it too-light to fly ? what is needed to make it fly better in the wind, Metal parts to add weight ?
Is it the XL eCCPM or the SE that’s the newest\best?
Which radio gear do you recommend that is quality but not too expensive ?
Which Giro ?

What I don’t want to do is have to get better giros, servos or batteries later on but get decent ones now that will last me.
How much would the total cost be assuming I have nothing as yet ??? My budget is around £500, maybe i could get a bit more.

Like i said at the top, i really would like something bigger as i mainly will be flying outside ( I don’t want a Nitro)

So does anyone know what other bigger helis capable of doing extreme 3D i should consider ?
What about this new "Align 500L" is it real or rumour?
Some other Helis I’ve seen around and would like to know more about are the Zoom XL, Ikarus Viper 70\90, Logo 10-3D, Century, MS Hornet and I suppose many other similar Heli’s that I ‘ve not heard about.


My history is about 9hrs basic hovering on a freinds Raptor 30 and a few hrs on my cheep £100 fixed-pitch no name heli, and many hrs per day on the “ClearView” Sim... Is this sim any good compared to the top £\$ ones ?

Thanks for any help u guys can give me, I do appreciate your time.

Go for the TRex. You can't go wrong. Anything besides the TRex size will be way out of your budget even if you buy from outside the UK. Buy the best of everything that you can afford. The only cheap things I'm using are the batteries, but since I can't do 3D yet there is no point is getting high C batteries only to destory them in a crash when trying something new.

As for flying in the wind, I've had 200+ flights in the last 4 months so that's averaging 1.5+ flights a day (not bad me thinks, especially with the short days in the last 2 months).

Damn nose in hover

Trex works great for indoors.

Zoom XL
Well, still haven't seen anything from this heli. I was thinking about one 6 MONTHS ago and it still isn't finished.

Ikarus Viper 70\90
Bad swash,head,tail en axles.

Logo 10-3D
Great heli, little bit on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for.

Century Swift
Read all about it here on RCgroups;-) Seems to be a fine heli, and considered the price an interesting option.

MS Hornet
Also a microheli. Kind of like the Trex, but smaller. Great to replace your FP heli, but not for a bigger heli.


BTW forgot to mention the Robbe Spirit Li. Great heli hehe.

I built my first T-Rex about 6 weeks ago and it will do great 3D right out of the box – no upgrades required. It also handles the wind fairly well.

Larger helicopters are better in the wind and are a little easier to fly. After flying a Raptor for many years the T-Rex seams less stable because of it’s small size. I got use to it in a few flights but it could be a real handful for a beginner. You should definitely get a good simulator first.


RC

OK guys thanks for the info.

hb888, yeah im also thinking any bigger that t-rex will be too expencive for me right now.........200+.. Nice
Extreme3D Cheers for that, ill look up an read about that heli, and does this "Trex works great for indoors" mean u think the Rex is not good outdoors ?
RC Man ok thanks... So do you class ClearView as not a good sim ?

I'm confident that i can basic hover any corectly set up heli right now, i could handle the Raptor 30 ok, just basics and this cheep fixed pitch heli i'v got now, with it constanly twitchin sevos. And the ClearView Sim has an Electric heli that i think is based on the T-Rex, and at 1st compared to the Rap90 it seemed too twitchy, but now i can handle it fine. And i do know the REAL THING will be harder and very different.

Plz keep the answers coming Guys... Still a few unanswered Q's .

Well the Trex will work outside, but higher windspeeds will make it really hard to fly.

I think the best option is to ask you what you want to spend for a full setup. If you say 200+ I hope its for the kit only. For that price only the kit will be affordable. In that case your options are either the Trex, Hornet X3D or put better electronics in your FP.

With a max amount of 200 for the kit I'd take the Hornet X3D because you can fly it both in your living room and outside. The Trex will be on the big side.

Ok Cheers BUT I DID SAY " My budget is around £500" and "I'd really like something BIG", i guess u didn't see them.
The T-Rex is aready the smallest i'd go, and the cheep FP heli was just to get a bit of pratice.


Anyone for the other questions PLZ ?

Your questions are kinda broad and difficult to answer.

I would recommend you read the EHBG in the first few threads at the top of this forum and also use the search function to find information on the helis of your interest.

Toshi

I have that doc on hdd and have been reading it, not all of it yet though.

Ok the remaing questions i have are

Is it the XL eCCPM or the SE that’s the newest\best??? i now know the SE is A "superior edition" but of which model, is it also eCCPM ?

My budget is around £500, will this get me a good XL eCCPM , desent radio gear and a few sets of Batt's ?

Extreme3D i only just noticed u have Spirit Li under ur name, so im now assuming that u have this heli. So what would be a total cost roughly for a complet package ? And also can it do "you" well ???

ThX

There are a lot of online retailers who sell T-rex combo kits with everything included.

You should browse their sites to see how much they cost.

There is a list of retailers who sell T-rexes in the "Vendors" section of the EHBG.

Toshi

Ok people, i've been doing a lot of reserching and reading, and have decided to get the T-Rex.

I'm thinking of getting the SE-Version but just want to know a few things...

1. What is the main advatage of getting the XL-SE over the XL-eCCPM ?
I know the metal swashplate will make it fly better and the carbon frame is more rigged, but what other if any advatages are there, as this thing will cost me an Xtra £160 over the CDE. Will all the metal actualy make it fly better ?

2. Is it worth getting higher capacity 2000mah LiPo-batt's over 1800mah ?
As want to get a few sets of LiPo-batt's, but if i want a bigger-better moter in the future i dont want to have to buy new LiPo's.

3. What kind of xtra fly time would i get using 2000mah over 18000with stock 430lf moter (basic flying).

4. UK People only...Is £700 an ok price for the SE, hitech sevos, Futaba 6EX Transmitter, (or Hitech Optic 6 Transmitter), Futaba 401 Giro, one 1800mah LiPo, and a charger. ?
This is from a shop, not online, as i will get hands-on help and advice.

I know my Q's may seem silly to some of you but i am new to LIpo and EP-Helis.

ThX for your help

Peace

1. The SE will not give you any advantage if you can't fly yet. Because alot of the parts are alreay assembled you will not be able to tell if they have been done correctly unless you strip it down and re-build (which you probably don't want to do a a newbie to it). Building a XL from youself will give you knowledge on repairs. You're better of buying a XL and using the extra cash left over for spares. Upgrade as you crash. Don't forget to take the swash apart and re-glue!!!

2. A 2000mAh battery will not give much over a 1800mAh battery. Better to purchase 2 cheaper 1800mAh, i) if you crash and total your battery you still have one left and ii) you can fly while the other one is on charge. You will be getting more LiPo for sure because i) you probably destory it in a crash, ii) want to fly more often, iii) destory a LiPo through mis-use, iv) LiPo have a lifespan regardless of what you read

3. 10-15% extra, or roughly 1-1.5 minute

4. Can't help you here as I haven't looked

Damn nose in hover

I would recommend the Trex 450xl CCPM (Non SE) also. Metal parts will only cost you money and issues as a beginner with no advantage's.

The Trex flys well in winds up to 10MPH.

Nobody's mentioned the ARK X400 - cheaper than the Trex in the UK and much the same heli.

Having flown both I'd say the X400 is a better starting point. It will do the 3D stuff but is a bit more docile to start with.

I've no axe to grind, they're both good heli's but if you're hell bent on extreme flying make sure you accept a few truth's -

1. You'll wear stuff out much more quickly than just stooging around, top notch gear to slow this process costs $$$

2. Stuffing it into the floor will cost, no matter what heli you fly

3. 3D on a computer doesn't have the sphincter twitching effect of doing it for real!

kind regards


Joolz